I Crashed a Moped and Hurt Myself

"Matthew Keyser" (teisco15)
05/31/2019 at 06:42 • Filed to: Two Wheels Bad

Most bad ideas start with what seems like a good idea. This is one of those stories.

NSFW PICS DOWN BELOW

My roommate decided a few weeks back that he needed to buy a moped off of a stranger on the internet. While this could clearly go a number of ways, I was on board because a small scooter to carve around town sounded like a very reasonable and fun purchase.

The search lasted until this past weekend when he arranged to pick up his new chariot, a VIP Future Champion, from a lady and her two children who were evidently not aware that we were coming to take away their father’s “motorcycle.”

I was more than willing to give my roommate the 45 minute ride out to her house because it meant I would also get to watch as he rode it all the way back home on a day with an 80 percent chance of rain.

While his ride home was certainly humorous to watch as he got to grips with his new hog, we arrived back home largely unscathed.

This is where, I’ll freely admit, I made my first of many mistakes of the day. As soon as we arrived back home, I was so excited to have a go on the new toy that I immediately asked to ride it down to the gas station less than a mile from our house.

My roommate kindly obliged, I strapped on a helmet and set off in pursuit of a green tea and a good time, but as I obtained my tea and snapped the picture seen above before jumping back on to ride home and I immediately felt something was off.

I wasn’t sure if it was me or the bike, but for some reason we just weren’t getting along the same as the way there. I was close enough to home that I wasn’t genuinely concerned.

That was, until I arrived at a slight right-hand curve. I realized as I leaned in that I was going a little quickly for this corner, let off and went to go scrub some speed with the brakes.

I’m not exactly sure what happened next, but the rear wheel locked suddenly and shot the scooter hard left into the concrete median, sending my face straight into the pavement at approximately 30 miles per hour.

I slid on the pavement in my shorts and t-shirt for what felt like 30 minutes, before grinding to a halt about 10 feet away from the wrecked scooter.

Amazingly enough, I immediately stood up and realized I was no longer wearing my helmet, which had come off after the initial impact.

I turned around to pick up the bike and saw a car coming the same direction I had been heading. As the driver lowers his window, I ask “Am I okay?” just before feeling the blood start to drip from my chin.

For the most part, I am okay. By the grace of some higher power, my injuries were purely flesh wounds. 12 stitches above my right eye and road rash scattered generously across my body certainly have me sore, but I cannot help but be thankful for no broken bones, no concussion and for not, as the doctor administering my stitches so eloquently put it, “turning into a Cabbage Patch Kid.”

DISCUSSION (16)

Rainbow > Matthew Keyser
05/31/2019 at 06:45

Wo w! Glad you’re okay!

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > Matthew Keyser
05/31/2019 at 06:50

Wow, ouch! Glad you're ok man! Even the slowest of scooters can bite!

CalzoneGolem > Matthew Keyser
05/31/2019 at 06:57

Hopefully you're in the All The Gear All The Time camp now.

farscythe - makin da cawfee! > Matthew Keyser
05/31/2019 at 07:09

glad you’re ok mate

but man... helmets should not come off (yeah i know..captain state the bloody obvious)

Manny05x > Matthew Keyser
05/31/2019 at 07:13

Glad you are doing ok. A proper full face helmet could have prevented the face injuries.

shop-teacher > Matthew Keyser
05/31/2019 at 07:18

Yipes! Glad you’re ok.

Any idea what caused the rear wheel to lock up?

McMike > Matthew Keyser
05/31/2019 at 07:28

Kinja’d

Captain of the Enterprise > Matthew Keyser
05/31/2019 at 08:17

Glad your not more seriously hurt!

vondon302 > Matthew Keyser
05/31/2019 at 08:25

Oof did about the same as a teenager but in dirt. That shit stings.

Bad brakes or transmission lockup?

vondon302 > Manny05x
05/31/2019 at 08:27

Yup did about the same as teenager with a open face. Full face is mandatory now.

jimz > Matthew Keyser
05/31/2019 at 08:43

is it some sort of rule at hospitals where they must stick you with at least one IV no matter what you’re in for?

and yeah, even a moped goes fast enough to hurt when its no longer “two wheels down.” People ask me “doesn’t that get hot?” when I’m putting on my jacket, helmet, etc.

“Yeah, but I can wash off sweat. I can’t wash skin back on.”

atfsgeoff > Matthew Keyser
05/31/2019 at 09:21

That was, until I arrived at a slight right-hand curve. I realized as I leaned in that I was going a little quickly for this corner, let off and went to go scrub some speed with the brakes.

Never grab the brakes while leaning into a turn. The tires are already using their traction to change your direction; asking them to slow you down at the same time can result in sudden loss of traction as you have so painfully discovered. The rear tire is especially susceptible to this because weight transfer during braking reduces the contact patch and traction of the rear tire, making it very easy to lock up.

TheRealBicycleBuck > Matthew Keyser
05/31/2019 at 09:29

Sometimes we learn things the hard way. Glad you’re ok.

jimz > Matthew Keyser
05/31/2019 at 10:04

I don’t know if scooters/mopeds have separate front and rear brake controls, but in general if you have to slow yourself while in a turn, you want gentle application of the rear brake only. If you grab the front brake while turning, it’ll pull the bike upright and try to put you back going straight. if you’re going fast enough and/or grab too much front brake, it can be violent enough to high-side you which sounds like what happened.

glad you only got some road rash out of it. the one and only time I got real stupid on a bike I was able to think better of it before anything bad happened. I got the Yamaha up to “are you kidding me” speed on an open stretch of highway, then realized that if a deer ran out into the road there wouldn’t be much left of me to sponge off of the pavement.

razorbeamteam > Matthew Keyser
05/31/2019 at 10:22

Glad you’re ok, could’ve been worse.

Experience is the hardest teacher it gives the test first and the lesson after.

bob and john > Matthew Keyser
06/03/2019 at 23:55

mmm. aint a lack of gear a bitch?

you came off with a couple of light scrapes, dont make this a habit.

glad to see you will recover.