There goes my toe!

jay-d

jay-d

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I'm headed westbound on the 407 and exiting 427 South.

Travelling at about 120km/h, the sun is shining, the breeze feels nice, no cars around me but I notice this tiny black object not too far directly in front of me. I target fixate on it for a second when I realize it's a chunk of metal that looks like this :eek::

agency-power-rear-sway-bar-links-subaru-wrx-sti-02-up-wrx-ap-gda-210~22275925.jpg


It's black, laying flat and looks completely harmless (there were no bolts sticking out of it) even if I run over it but I decide to swerve at the last minute to the left and I don't feel any bumps or anything but something hits my right toe, really effing hard!! It BURNS, and the amount of pain is just too much to bear so I slow down and think about pulling over.. but then I think about the pain and what if my toe is completely severed?! What if the nail has ripped off and my sock is soaked in blood. It's throbbing like a ***** but I can still wiggle my toe. I've reduced my cruising speed to about 90km/h to assess the sensations that I'm feeling.

I'm only 15 minutes from home, eff it, I'll man up and ride home thinking about what the hell happened and how did it hit my toe? The only logical explanation to me is when I leaned over to the left, the angle of the front wheel must have just caught the metal sway bar link and fluck (that should totally be a word but not the urban dictionary meaning!) it up in the air and my foot just happened to collide with it at 120km/h.

I finally get home, step off the bike and my toe is just throbbing! I take off my boots and socks.. and.. what? Nothing? There's nothing wrong with my toe. Those 15 minutes riding home, I believed all the worse possible scenarios and yea, nothing! Just a lot of freaking pain!

Moral to the story, always where your boots, my TCX X-Square boots are tough and I can only imagine what would have happened to my toe if I was only wearing sneakers or something like this:

kA6ih.jpg
 
I've had random things slap into me at speed with enough force to make me wonder what the hell it was....usually I see the big bug etc before it happens but every now and then there's a mystery impact. Ruins the concentration for a bit as I'm convinced something just fell off my bike. I'm glad I wear my gear too.
 
....Not to mention the added support you get from boots. I actually think I ride better with my boots on vs shoes. Definitely feel more in control.
 
Just last week I was following a buddy of mine on the highway, at-or-around the speed limit and his rear tire flicked a rock about half the size of a gold ball and it hit me in the foot, on the 3 smallest toes. God dang that hurt!
Nothing broken though, just some annoying pain for a half hour or so until I forgot it happened.
I was not wearing motorcycle footwear...
 
jeero said:
Just last week I was following a buddy of mine on the highway, at-or-around the speed limit and his rear tire flicked a rock about half the size of a gold ball and it hit me in the foot, on the 3 smallest toes. God dang that hurt!
Nothing broken though, just some annoying pain for a half hour or so until I forgot it happened.
I was not wearing motorcycle footwear...
Click to expand...

+1 Happened to me in PA while riding 2-up. Hurts badd, looking into proper bike pants + pads now :)
 
I remember in Fredericton, taking a highway onramp there was a funny object laying on the road, it looked like the base of a highway pylon (like the cut-out sidewall of a tire). For some stupid reason I had the bright idea of trying to kick it off the road ... well, turns out it was an immovable object paved into the road! (WTF?) Holy crap did that hurt, I thought I'd shattered all my toes for sure but my foot was fine the next morning lol.
 
Same here daveyflakes. From the title i thought for sure someone lost a toe. I feel gipped off. I want my money back! But... i am sure glad he didn't lose his toe, cuz man that would hurt, and suck!
 
You only need your big toe to keep your balance, the others are basically "just there" from our evolution path.
They can also be used as fingers in case you lose some.
 
Working in the business for many years like me, you wouldn't believe some of the nutty stuff you see.
People showing up to collect their new Ninja250s wearing slip-on dock shoes, and no socks...
Unbelievable.
And the blank looks you receive when suggesting they might be witless?
Classic.
For the record:
High-top shoes (even running shoes) are better than low-top anything (even leather).
Shoes must come up over your ankle-points, and attach securely with ie. laces.
"Real" motorcycle footwear is defined by padding of the front, in case something kicks up on the road at speed (like buddy's severed toe, heheh) and specific motorcycle sole material that's oil & gas resistant and wears like iron.
Other than that, stout high-top running boots have served me well for ~35 years now.
(Of course, for trips/highway use I have real motorcycle boots.)
OOOHhhh! I winced in pain, reading about buddy kicking at the thing that was paved into the road... ack!
Ride safe and look after your feet (and hands),
L8R
 
Yeah, lots can happen to your feet. It's worth it to buy a good pair of boots. Right now I ride in a pair of old (and smelly) skate shoes that would completely fall off my foot if I had an accident. Knock on wood nothing happens because I pick up my new boots next weekend.
 
Love my Alpinestars mid-cut boots. Bought them for my MSF course and enjoyed wearing them. Super comfy and CE-certified.
 
This thread is very informative with real testimonials from riders. It should be used in new driver training. I just got my license and a bike, I do wear motorcycle gear and I see the value now, it's not just because someone said so at the Humber class.
 
I put my boots to the test on the first day of my cycle course at Sheridan this summer. Had a Noob moment and went down with the bike and had my foot pinned between the foot rest and the ground. Scuff marks on my boot and nothing other an a slightly bruised ego for the remainder of the weekend.

One of our female classmates was wearing the sexy biker chick boots. Not enough support in the sole, she managed to drag her toes between the footrest and the ground, dislocated 2 toes and broke the footrest off the bike. She had to drop out next morning.

Chris
 
I was stung by a bee on the neck a few weeks ago while riding?

Should we wear neck guards too?
 
I commute to work 8 months of the year and there isn't a week that goes by where a hard object doesn't get kicked up and hits me in the boot. I never go out without proper footwear.
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