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[emcclary]

I had 1500 miles on the bike the first 1000 went without incident then I had the bike serviced and dyno tuned for a new exhaust and air cleaner.  Ater that was done I noticed at one point that I had stopped my bike and it felt like my clutch was dragging but I shut down the bike put it in neutral and restarted it it seemed fine.  The next time I had trouble was during the accident which happened on four doors from my house where we returning from the wake of a friend who was just killed in NY on his bike a few days earlier.  My wife said we stopped at the stop sign down the block and I didnt like the way the bike was acting. I kept grabbing at the clutch while holding the brakes and It must have been dead because she said I had to put both feet down to hold the bike back and actually leaned on the gas tank.  I dont know what happened after that but we ended up doing a wheelie on a full dresser and were thrown 100 ft later.  I had a friend right behind me when it happened and he said we were at the stop sign the bike screamed and we took off. He said I tried to regain control of the bike but one one wheel it isnt that easy.  I have been riding for twenty years and before this had never had an accident. What a way to break a streak.

[Twolanerider]

I had 1500 miles on the bike the first 1000 went without incident then I had the bike serviced and dyno tuned for a new exhaust and air cleaner.  Ater that was done I noticed at one point that I had stopped my bike and it felt like my clutch was dragging but I shut down the bike put it in neutral and restarted it it seemed fine.  The next time I had trouble was during the accident which happened on four doors from my house where we returning from the wake of a friend who was just killed in NY on his bike a few days earlier.  My wife said we stopped at the stop sign down the block and I didnt like the way the bike was acting. I kept grabbing at the clutch while holding the brakes and It must have been dead because she said I had to put both feet down to hold the bike back and actually leaned on the gas tank.  I dont know what happened after that but we ended up doing a wheelie on a full dresser and were thrown 100 ft later.  I had a friend right behind me when it happened and he said we were at the stop sign the bike screamed and we took off. He said I tried to regain control of the bike but one one wheel it isnt that easy.  I have been riding for twenty years and before this had never had an accident. What a way to break a streak.

Sure glad I've got throttle cables.....

[ultrafxr]

Sure glad I've got throttle cables.....

No chit.  Several years ago I hired a handyman to do some carpentry repairs on siding on my house.  So he needs to move his pickup truck back a few feet to relocate his ladder.  No problem I said I can do that.  Start it up, did not shut the door and even had my left foot still on the ground when I put it in reverse and the sucker took off like a scalded dog.  I KNOW that I never even touched the throttle.  Dang near broke my leg and scared the chit out of me.  So I know for sure this chit can (and does) happen.  I did NOT push on the gas by accident like they claimed the little old ladies did when the Audis first exhibited this sudden unintended acceleration.  Guess on a bike you must have been trying to squeeze the front brake when you 'accidentally' applied full throttle, lol.  Give me a break.

[JR]

Surprises me there is no redundancy with the throttle. On Cat equipment when we went electronic over hydraulic, for safety in critical areas such as steering, throttle, shifting, there was redundancy to keep it fail safe. It uses two or three different inputs to the ecm for one function. If one fails to see the same as the others it won't idle up, take gear or supplementary steer will kick in to get off the road. A miscue of the wires at the throttle switch can give a false input and take off. Glad I got cables too!

[Gone Fishin']

@emcclary

I wonder if you have heard about this accident:

http://www.tallahassee.com/article/20090126/BREAKINGNEWS/90126029

It sounds somewhat similar to yours, but of course we do not know any details.

Here is the text from tallahassee.com

Harley rider ejected from bike

Around 7 p.m. today, a motorcycle driver was ejected from his Harley Davidson in the 2800 block of Apalachee Parkway, said David McCranie, spokesman for the Tallahassee Police. It is unclear what caused the bike to crash and flip over several times.

The driver, whose name is being withheld, was taken to Tallahassee Memorial Hospital, McCranie said. Officers have been diverting traffic around the accident site.

Ride safely,
Louis

[emcclary]

Thanks I'll pass that along for a check by the lawyers. I go for surgery to remove scar tissue from my vocal cords tomorrow around 1:15 should be home by dinner time. Hope this will be the beginning of the end for this tube sticking out of my throat. I had the bike looked at by an engineering firm the lawyers hired and they found my clutch is very low on fluid which would explain why when I grabbed the clutch nothing happened but the electronic throttle was going to be a tougher matter.  they want my service manuals for the bike and service history which is easy because all I had was the 1000 mile service and a dyno tune for the exhaust air cleaner change out. Will keep everyone informed as this drags on they are talking about taking the bike to a secure storage area for further inspection.    Keepin Fingers and toes crossed

[sadunbar]

Thanks I'll pass that along for a check by the lawyers. I go for surgery to remove scar tissue from my vocal cords tomorrow around 1:15 should be home by dinner time. Hope this will be the beginning of the end for this tube sticking out of my throat. I had the bike looked at by an engineering firm the lawyers hired and they found my clutch is very low on fluid which would explain why when I grabbed the clutch nothing happened but the electronic throttle was going to be a tougher matter.  they want my service manuals for the bike and service history which is easy because all I had was the 1000 mile service and a dyno tune for the exhaust air cleaner change out. Will keep everyone informed as this drags on they are talking about taking the bike to a secure storage area for further inspection.    Keepin Fingers and toes crossed

I'm glad to hear your health is improving!      And good luck with the legal aspect.....

[Brinks]

Best of luck get well soon

[..Hawk]

Good Luck on your recovery, it sounds like things are improving.   

[emcclary]

Update Number 3

i had my third surgery in three months to try and enlarge my airway so I can breathe without a trach. They cut one of my vocal cords and removed scar tissue and some other tissue at the rear of my throat to enlarge my airway 40% over what it was which was like 2-3mm wide. I have a weak voice similar to a loud whisper and my throat is a little sore from the laser but feel ok otherwise. We will know in a few weeks if the surgery was successful after the steroids remove the swelling that exists right now. I am hoping for the best since I really don't want to be cut again if i don't have to be. The lawyers looking into my failed clutch which has almost no fluid in it and the throttle are going nowhere fast as usual so i don't know where that will go if anywhere, I am afraid that this will be deemed an act of god unless they can find negligence during the servicing of the bike that left the clutch low on fluid. The electronic throttle is going to be damn near impossible to determine an issue with and since I ended up in a full wheelie I am sure I grabbed the throttle while I was falling backwards on the bike. On a happy note I did take my chopper out last weekend before the surgery. It was a little tense for the first block or so but after that things settled down and I felt great if only for a little while, Damn near gave my wife a heart attack when she saw me and the bike were gone LOL. I rode around town and went by a good riding buddies house making him break a big smile seeing me back on a bike. He spent the next two hours telling everyone who we talked to that I came over on the chopper. Just wanted to stop in and say high and wish you all a safe riding season I hope to be riding again as soon a s possible but I want my throat to heal a little more I tend to cough from the irritation in it and don't want that happening at 60+ MPH 

[sadunbar]

Good to hear from you and am glad to hear your health is improving!   

Congrats on taking a post accident ride!   

[hdbrad03]

Many of us on the forum have had issue with clutch fluid. My wife's 07 FLHRSE3 drained all the clutch fluid while doing 70 MPH  on interstate. She could not shift so we pulled off at exit and let the bike stall. The end result was a loose clutch fitting at the transmission cover. Which was missed by factory and dealer prep.

 
     Brad

[emcclary]

I wish I was that lucky glad your wife was. I was four doors from my driveway when this happened to me & unfortunately as i have said in the past I cant remember any of it so i cant tell them what led up to the accident I was at a stop sign for christs sake. My wife told me what she saw going on and a friend behind me heard the bike scream before it took off but thats all I know. Its the one thing that drives me crazy the most I know why grabbing the clutch did nothing now but what else happened we cant say. Like I said I just want this over with and to get back to as normal as I can.

[miker]

Glad to hear you are back on two wheels! Keep on healing...