Attempted the TransAmerica Trail solo, wrecked my Trail 125

[theLoneNomad]

Hello all,

I've read a lot of good material here as a lurker for several months, and I feel it's time for my first post. Sadly, it's not a good one. As the title says, I trashed my Trail on the TAT, and it looks like my insurance is going to consider it totaled (bent forks, cracked frame, bent front wheel, etc). It's going to be a goner unless I put in more $$$ than I actually paid for it. I took very good care of the bike prior to the accident, and I'm still in shock that I no longer have a working Trail.

But over 15 days I :

• took the bike across 9 states
• 2200+ miles
• rode through the fields, hills, forests, mountains, plains of the East
• rode the 17+ mile Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel over the ocean
• reached the highest point of the Smoky Mountains averaging 15mph uphill
• offroaded through dirt, streams, and gravel in the high cliffs
• mingled and drank with locals everywhere I went
• camped most nights

I had every intention of reaching the Oregon coast, but I came up way short. Towards my end I had experienced 5 consecutive days of rain and managed, but the last hour of rain is what got me. Some 2 miles north of the Tennessee/Alabama border near Prospect, I skidded on a sharp turn going downhill and overcorrected into a rock barrier. I went over the handlebars and barrier, and the bike flipped over too and landed near me. I'm very fortunate to have come away unscathed, but the Trail took a beating. I wrecked in an area with no cell service, couldn't get a tow, etc. Somehow managed to get the bike to the closest town (Athens, AL) and was naively optimistic for a return, but after a week of camping in Huntsville waiting for it to get fixed the local shop confirmed it's basically a goner. I'm ashamed to tell the enthusiasts here that I wrecked mine. It was in pristine condition prior to the accident, but now it is very hurt (it still runs though), and I am sitting back at home because of it. Such an abrupt end smh...

Anyways, I'm pretty blue about it all, but here's some nice pics I'd like to share.

 

[theLoneNomad]

And a few more

 

[Gene56]

And a few more

Wow, what an adventure, sorry to hear that you wrecked your trail 125. Hope your able to find one to replace it. The good thing is that you were not injured.

 

[G19Tony]

Great attempt, that a lot of us wouldn’t attempt. Well done!

 

[Scoutman]

Sorry to hear, you could have been injured too so count your blessings. Still a disappointing end for an ambitious trip.

 

[Msfitoy]

My condolences for your loss...after watching some guy who did the TAT with their 125, I'm impressed at the limit that this little bike can take...there's another guy on Youtube who does cross continent extreme trips on a 90!

 

[Konik]

Sorry about the accident, you came out all good. Get another and try again!

 

[SneakyDingo]

My condolences for your loss...after watching some guy who did the TAT with their 125, I'm impressed at the limit that this little bike can take...there's another guy on Youtube who does cross continent extreme trips on a 90!

That'd be Some Guy Rides doing the TAT, and Ed March of c90Adventures if you ever want to check out the youtube channels.

I know this ended sadly, but... BUT... can we point out a few key points here? You had the bike land on you thus you protected the bike as best as you could (unintentionally) - and yet you were uninjured despite the seriousness of that off, something I've seen many a friend break collarbones over and one bloke who broke a hip and had to crawl nearly 1km to get help. The bike did suffer a ride ending failure, but the little red donkey still got you out of there and to safety, especially given you were without cell service.

However unfortunate this is, that's a phenomenal outcome given what happened.

 

[theLoneNomad]

Wow, what an adventure, sorry to hear that you wrecked your trail 125. Hope your able to find one to replace it. The good thing is that you were not injured.

It was a blast. But yes, I am 100% okay. Very very lucky. I'd rather the bike be mangled than me!

Great attempt, that a lot of us wouldn’t attempt. Well done!

Thanks, it was the certainly the most adventurous I've ever been in my 32 years of life. No regrets.

Sorry to hear, you could have been injured too so count your blessings. Still a disappointing end for an ambitious trip.

I'm definitely blessed to be uninjured after the accident. My rain pants got ripped and I got a few bruises but that was it. The accident really was nuts though. The sound of smashing Trail plastic will make your stomach sink.

My condolences for your loss...after watching some guy who did the TAT with their 125, I'm impressed at the limit that this little bike can take...there's another guy on Youtube who does cross continent extreme trips on a 90!

I was actually heavily inspired by Ed March and the youtube channel Some Guy Rides. Those guys are awesome, especially Ed March. I watched all of their videos before I left. I figured if they could get a small bike across some crazy terrain, why couldn't I? Well lol I tried. A paved, wet, tight-turn road in rural TN is what got me. Funny how a relatively safe road got me but not the serious stuff in the mountains!

Sorry about the accident, you came out all good. Get another and try again!

The only thing truly hurt in all of this has been my pride. I came up way short of my goal (Oregon) and if I were still out today I estimate I'd be just inside Idaho. Gahh...I try not to think about it. The next goal is to get another one. Seriously, I love the Trail. It's such an awesome bike.

That'd be Some Guy Rides doing the TAT, and Ed March of c90Adventures if you ever want to check out the youtube channels.

I know this ended sadly, but... BUT... can we point out a few key points here? You had the bike land on you thus you protected the bike as best as you could (unintentionally) - and yet you were uninjured despite the seriousness of that off, something I've seen many a friend break collarbones over and one bloke who broke a hip and had to crawl nearly 1km to get help. The bike did suffer a ride ending failure, but the little red donkey still got you out of there and to safety, especially given you were without cell service.

However unfortunate this is, that's a phenomenal outcome given what happened.

The bike didn't land on me but pretty close to me, a few feet away, all while it was pouring rain lol.

After the accident, I was amazed the bike could still function at all (lights working, engine runs, electronics fine), but when I tried to ride the bike I realized it wasn't good. The front tire was rubbing into the engine and ripping the tire tread down the middle (see pic "ww" below). The noise from that shredding...it was awful. But I was in the middle of nowhere with no service so my only options were to walk to Athens, AL or carefully ride it there. Athens was 25 miles away so I rode it. The front tire was getting shredded so badly that the rubber was flying up on my shirt and goggles as I was moving. At any point that tire could've blown. I was riding 25 mph on that thing until I made it to Athens. Once I reached Athens I rested at a hotel and stayed there again the next day, then rode it from Athens to Huntsville where the shop was. That was another 25 miles lol. The shop couldn't believe I got the bike there in one piece. I will never doubt Honda's durability and reliability. The CT125 is a very tough bike.