guinness77
09-07-2006, 10:03 AM
While riding over the labor day weekend I was in a crash. The imapct was severe enough to knock the front end of my frame to the left (as you face the quad) about 1/4inch.
We managed to get the aftermarkt bumper peeled off and get the toe-in back to where it should be. All parts of the quad look solid and properly shaped, EXCEPT the frame. The 4 tubes that protrude foward from the oil tank mount area are bent.
I'm wondering how do I check the integrity of the welds? I'm concerned about fractures. I want to check all welds in the area.
Just becuase I know someone's gonna ask.. here are the crash details... I had just finished breaking-in the bike after having it taken to a 402 (+/-). I could feel the extra 5cc's and wanted to get on that gas. I was on a sand road going from Houser to Horsefall on the Oregon Coast. On both sides of the sand road are open dune play areas. It is very dificult for people who don't know the sand to be able to determine the differences in sand texture. That's about the only way to see a sand road. But I'm no rookie. For me, It's easy to see. Anyway. I was in 4th high nearing the revlimiter and about to shift. So that means I was probably going 46MPH. From behind a 10 foot sand dune (along side the rode) came a dune buggy. It was moving about 30 mph. There was only time to turn and apply a little break. The front right of the quad hit the passenger side rear tire of the dune buggy. I jumped up as hard as I could to avoid my torso going into the motor and roll cage of the buggy. I didn't jump high enough. My legs impacted the top of the buggy's roll cage. It knocked me into a head over heels flip. I landed direcetly on my head some 30 to 35 feet down range. I remember putting out my right arm to help put me into a roll. I remember rolling. Then I was out cold. I regained consciousness [sp?] a short time later and saw the dune buggy had spun 180 degrees from the impact. (my quad weights about 400, the buggy weight about 800). The driver was just regaining consciousness [sp?]. A witness was attending to the buggy driver. After a minute or so of everyone getting themselves back together, we assesed the damage. My chest was brused in a small area and we don't know how. My back was brused and a muscle torn probably from the impact of landing. My right leg was severly brused. I could barely walk. The front of the quad looked like it had been chewed on by a giant. It was that bad. The buggy driver was not hurt from the initial impact, but suffered minor muscular neck trauma from the jolt of the buggy coming to a spinning-stop. The rear suspension of the buggy was severly damaged. It was not-drivable. My quad was ok to drive.
If it hadn't benn for my riding boots, one leg (probably both) would have snapped. If it hadn't have been for my helmet, I'd be dead. People get hurt (or worse) snow-skiing, hang-gliding, and swimming with sting-rays. This sport is no different.
Thanks for any input!
We managed to get the aftermarkt bumper peeled off and get the toe-in back to where it should be. All parts of the quad look solid and properly shaped, EXCEPT the frame. The 4 tubes that protrude foward from the oil tank mount area are bent.
I'm wondering how do I check the integrity of the welds? I'm concerned about fractures. I want to check all welds in the area.
Just becuase I know someone's gonna ask.. here are the crash details... I had just finished breaking-in the bike after having it taken to a 402 (+/-). I could feel the extra 5cc's and wanted to get on that gas. I was on a sand road going from Houser to Horsefall on the Oregon Coast. On both sides of the sand road are open dune play areas. It is very dificult for people who don't know the sand to be able to determine the differences in sand texture. That's about the only way to see a sand road. But I'm no rookie. For me, It's easy to see. Anyway. I was in 4th high nearing the revlimiter and about to shift. So that means I was probably going 46MPH. From behind a 10 foot sand dune (along side the rode) came a dune buggy. It was moving about 30 mph. There was only time to turn and apply a little break. The front right of the quad hit the passenger side rear tire of the dune buggy. I jumped up as hard as I could to avoid my torso going into the motor and roll cage of the buggy. I didn't jump high enough. My legs impacted the top of the buggy's roll cage. It knocked me into a head over heels flip. I landed direcetly on my head some 30 to 35 feet down range. I remember putting out my right arm to help put me into a roll. I remember rolling. Then I was out cold. I regained consciousness [sp?] a short time later and saw the dune buggy had spun 180 degrees from the impact. (my quad weights about 400, the buggy weight about 800). The driver was just regaining consciousness [sp?]. A witness was attending to the buggy driver. After a minute or so of everyone getting themselves back together, we assesed the damage. My chest was brused in a small area and we don't know how. My back was brused and a muscle torn probably from the impact of landing. My right leg was severly brused. I could barely walk. The front of the quad looked like it had been chewed on by a giant. It was that bad. The buggy driver was not hurt from the initial impact, but suffered minor muscular neck trauma from the jolt of the buggy coming to a spinning-stop. The rear suspension of the buggy was severly damaged. It was not-drivable. My quad was ok to drive.
If it hadn't benn for my riding boots, one leg (probably both) would have snapped. If it hadn't have been for my helmet, I'd be dead. People get hurt (or worse) snow-skiing, hang-gliding, and swimming with sting-rays. This sport is no different.
Thanks for any input!