Well all my life, one of the few bike marques I had never owned nor ridden was Harley Davidson. So after 7 years and >100,000 miles on Triumph Rocket III Roadsters, why did I buy a 2020 Street Bob.? Beats the hell out of me… although when I jokingly sat on it in the Youles Motorcycles Blackburn showroom and Paul Threlfall (Sales Exec) shouted over to me ‘Start her up, Will…’, that was probably the moment I was sold.
Awesome exhaust note. Just awesome. So awesome that Debbie (the beautiful wife) insisted I only start the Harley at the far end of the drive so as to minimise neighbour disturbance. Without a doubt a loud bike – but a satisfying, deep, rumble – not annoying at all.
Put 5 months and 7,000 miles on her – not the fastest at top end (though not fair to compare her to the Roadsters) but quite happy cruising at normal motorway speeds. Plenty of torque so surprisingly responsive for A-roads too.
Did not like the original tubed tyres. The original Dunlop tyres were bad. So bad. Beyond bad… hazardous, even. Changed them out for Avons after about a week and confidence in the handling was restored, particularly in the wet, where the Dunlops were at their worst (and they were pretty bad in the dry). Not keen on the spoked (tubed) wheels either – was considering two options – cast wheels or upgrade to Fat Boy 114 (had seen gorgeous Cherry Red one).
The Surprise Ending – In A Blink of an Eye
Anyways – kind of a moot point now as she has been written off.
Long story short: Range Rover parked on the pavement, facing same way I was travelling, swung into a hard u-turn as I drew level with him. Swatted me like a fly. Absolutely nothing I could do. There are some things that not even 44 years of road sense and motorcycle survival instincts can prepare you for. Literally happened in the blink of an eye, did not even touch brakes.
If you look at the pics below, you can see how the front of the bike is squashed flat, with surprisingly little damage apparent otherwise – and the damage to the Range Rover wheel arch where he slammed it into me. Almost exactly 90 degree impact. Both vehicles written-off – not many people can say they’ve done that to a Range Rover Vogue on a bike, especially at 40mph.
Bike gone, along with left leg below the knee. Pretty much everything broken except head and right leg. One week in ICU, four weeks in Major Trauma. Still in hospital as I type (happened on December 20th 2023). Best quote from one the consultants, as I was slipping in and out of consciousness: ‘You’re femoral artery is swimming in a sea of bone shards’.
On the bright side, still alive and pushing forwards. A bonus considering I 100% thought I was going to die at the side of that road. The paramedics and trauma team were also a little concerned about survivability. I was a mess. The fact that I lived still amazes me. A testament to the skill of the paramedics who attended the scene and the trauma team at Preston Royal. 2 hours to stabilise me and get me in the ambulance, A6 closed for 6 hours at M61 Botany Bay turn-off.
Update 1 : start June 2024 – 5 months down the line
Well… still in a chair. The femur hasn’t healed enough to support weight so they can’t put a prosthetic on yet. On the bright side they are making me an external ‘Forest Gump’ style leg which supports at the hip, by-passing the still healing femur. By the end of August I should be walking again… well, at least upright some of the time – won’t be pretty or graceful but then again, neither am I. Not getting a proper prosthetic until they’ve decided what’s happening with the leg – worst case will be changing it to above knee amputation instead of below.
Got out of hospital at the end of Feb 24 (2 month stay) – brief summary of damage: Broke both fore-arms/wrists, all ribs, spine (3 verterbrae), pelvis, hips, left femur shattered, knee, tib/fib, foot and some internal soft tissue damage (required surgery). Lost 20Kg of muscle in weeks 3 to 5 and looked like a sack of crap, putting it back on now and looking awesome, except in the bi-lateral symmetry department. Not bad for 40mph… guess it’s not how fast you’re going, it’s how quickly you stop.
Just for entertainment purposes, here’s a pic of the left leg 6 weeks post-accident and after all the external metalwork was removed. 104 staples. Wasn’t an easy fix as the femur was in bits. Held together with 3 metal bars and a ton of metal cable-ties. There are also 9 bolts through the knee. Left femur is about 2 inches shorter than the right, now.
I was in a coma for the best part of a week and on massive doses of ketamine and morphine. The visual and auditory hallucinations as a result of the meds were, without a shadow of a doubt, some of the freakiest and most terrifying experiences I’ve ever had in my life. Hopefully never to be repeated experiences. Not recommended and difficult to describe… seemingly infinite loops that I knew couldn’t be real, yet experienced and felt as real – I found the only way out was to focus on a single aspect of the hallucination that I knew was real, like a ceiling tile, or my hand. Whatever ‘really real’ really is. Freaky, freaky stuff.
Update 2 : end June 2024 – 6 months down the line
The Range Rover driver has just been charged – causing serious injury by driving without due care or consideration. Apparently, quite a serious charge… resulting in a minimum 12 month ban or, depending on circumstances, a longer ban and potentially 2 years inside.
I feel like I have betrayed the Biker Brotherhood – for the first time in many years I now have no bike, and worse… have just bought an Audi Q5. The shame..! Could only have been worse if I’d gone the BMW route. But I need a big automatic to get myself and the wheelchair around. I will get another bike/trike eventually, but that’s a little way away, yet. Let’s get upright first…
The other week I was chatting to a guy who turned up at the rehab place on a Royal Enfield as I was getting out of the car… turns out he had a full prosthetic left leg, up to the hip. You couldn’t tell… only mod to the bike was a bar mounted shifter.! Positive attitude and sense of humour – in my mind, that’s a Biker.!
Not had a shower for 6 months and starting to smell a bit – trapped downstairs on hospital bed in lounge. Fortunately, open-plan so can get around most of downstairs, but still a pain in the arse. The other insurers have just approved a wash pod, so I’ll be able to shower in the garage soon – I always fancied that idea, just a shame about the circumstances.
It’s funny… you often hear the expression ‘life changing injuries’ but it’s only when this happens to you that you really appreciate the significance of the term. Major downer and an absolute pain in the arse… speaking of which, nobody ever mentions ‘wheelchair butt’ – numb and sweaty cheeks caused by endless hours in the chair. Not fun… Ah well, at least my looks weren’t affected, much. I consider myself fortunate in that I tend to be fairly up-beat and positive, but have to confess that some mornings I can be a bit of a grumpy bastard at the moment.
Still unable to use crutches, although wrists can now support my body weight and probably deal with the strain now. The risk of further injury to the femur in the event of a knock is still considered too high. That sucks.
Homage to the previous 15 years and 250,000 miles (newest first)
The Harley Street Bob (RIP)
Triumph Rocket III Roadster No. 2
Triumph Rocket III Roadster No. 1
Triumph Thunderbird 1600
Triumph 955i
Triumph Sprint 900
Williiam, its Zareenah aka Zee, thank god your still alive. Pease contact Pace Rehabilitation I worked there / helped set up the business after I finished Uni, the main chap there is called Toby Carlson hes from Sweden and totally brilliant, what he can do is short of amazing, and the para-Olympics is truly inspiring. They are a fantastic bunch of orthopaedics / prosthestits, and therapy, you can go through the insurance company so shouldn’t cost a penny. Hang in there, always your friend Zeex p.s loved orthopaedics that much I stayed in it how bizzare but in the NHS
Hi Zee, good to hear from you.
I would have known it was you even without the long and short name variations.
Recovering well given the extent of the injuries and, for the most part, in good spirits. Femur is holding me back a little and the fusing metalwork in the right wrist is inconvenient, but things could easily have been a lot worse.
I still remember a conversation where you asked my opinion on your intention to go off to Uni and start on the path you took… you’ve done a pretty awesome job, not my place to say this really but I’m genuinely proud of you.
Currently under Fergus Jepson at SMRC in Preston (for NHS) and Dorset Orthopaedic (private). Lots of physio and psychological support too, even though I don’t think I need it. They both do loads with paralympians and the military.
Work has been amazing and supportive, but I am still always logged in helping my guys out remotely, when they need me.
Have an awesome legal team dealing with the claim… as always, I expect everything will work out OK eventually (probably). Looking forward to standing and walking… being short is awful (no offense).
Your friend and eternal optimist, Will x