When Butt And Asphalt Meet..

[daqangel]

Today will be a day to remember in my life as a man and motorcycle rider. They say the decisions we make now can affect us immensely in the future.

I think the most important decision I have made regarding riding a motorcycle is actually taking a Motorcycle Safety Foundation class. Just plain PRICELESS!!!

I was going to play soccer, so I had my soccer cleats, shin guard, warm up pants, warm up jacket, and my textile riding jacket, and of course my helmet. I hopped on my bike and hit the road keeping to every safety rule I have practiced over and over and making sure I was not in blind spots etc. Three cars in from of me slowed down and, as I was taught in MSF class, I slowed down and moved over to the faster lane so I could see ahead, accelerating but staying within speed limit. As I caught up with the first car (farthest from me) of the row of three, a woman driving a Mazda pulled out! I pull in my front brake and I knew I wasn't going to make it, so I lay the bike on its right while I slid along...on my butt.

It was surreal!

I remember sliding and trying to maintain composure as the motorcycle hit the front driver side of the Mazda. I and stopped. I stopped about two yards from the bike. Got up and looked around. All the cars had stopped. I walked to the side of the road and removed my helmet. My upper body had no contact with the ground.

The rest were just normal protocol as cars stopped to see what was going on, cops came, blah, blah blah. The woman received a citation from "failure to yield."

I have a few questions for those of you who have been through this, and those who know this process.

1. The wrecker took my bike to his yard. I let him do it without thinking, especially after he said the insurance will pay the fees etc. At that point in time, I was just glad that all I had were bruises and skin scrapes that were no worse than what I could get from a very physical soccer game. Was this the wiser choice? I am hoping that I can purchase the bike from the insurance company and possibly put it back together....it's totaled.

2. The cops got the insurance info, although I took a snapshot with my phone. And upon getting home, I noticed the insurance only showed that it was valid for only one month (ended July). What would happen if the lady driving really wasn't insured? (she is on her bf insurance, she told the cop)

3. The cop found her at fault from the statements I, she, her bf, her bf's son (he said he saw me and she shouldn't have pulled out), and a witness (I laid my bike right next to her car). How does that play into insurance dealing, usually?

I'm sure I would have more questions, but for now. Tire side down!

Thanks guys

I thank the Creator for sparing me. I shall ride again....sooon!!!

[JeffInFranklinTN]

Bummer. Hate to see a motorcycle tore up. On a happy note...you have done better than some, by not taking a ride in an ambulance. You walked away and I think that's golden. Sorry about your motorcycle.

Jeffrey

[Switchblade]

Not making fun but " HOW IN THE HELL DID SHE NOT SEE YOUR BIKE "

Your in the clear but that bike is totally totalled ...

[daqangel]

Bummer. Hate to see a motorcycle tore up. On a happy note...you have done better than some, by not taking a ride in an ambulance. You walked away and I think that's golden. Sorry about your motorcycle.

Jeffrey

That's the best part. Walking away and still making it to play 10mins of soccer. :)

Not making fun but " HOW IN THE HELL DID SHE NOT SEE YOUR BIKE "

Your in the clear but that bike is totally totalled ...

She wasn't paying attention. Clearly obvious from what she narrated.

[FJ12Ryder]

IMO if you stopped sliding before you hit the car, then you had time to stop the bike. Tires will have a higher coefficient of friction than your butt, and you probably could have stopped safely. If you had time to deliberately drop your bike, then you more than likely had time to stop. Perhaps you hit the front brakes too hard and lost the front end and the bike went down. That can happen if you're a bit inexperienced. It's unlikely that the rear locked up because VFR rear brakes are really hard to lock up.

Glad that you weren't hurt though. Live and learn.

If those front forks are bent like they look like then I wouldn't have anything to do with the bike. That much force probably tweaked the frame a little, or maybe a lot. I, personally, wouldn't want to spend the time and money. Get your dough and find another used one that hasn't been damaged. That's my opinion anyway.

[CornerCarver]

To answer your regarding whether or not to allow a bike to be towed to a lot, I always say NO.

Just tow it to my home and allow the insurance adjuster to visit you there.

This way, if there is any negotiation on what the bike is worth or what add-on parts you may want to keep, the bike is in your garage and not racking up storage fees on a lot somewhere.

Then, once you and the insurance company are on the same page, they can send their own towing service to pick it up.

Even if the bike had not been damaged that badly most towing companies haul them just like pictured in your original post.

ps, glad to hear that you are ok but without a better understanding of the space and time I would have to agree with FJ12 above...

[GadiantonRob]

If she doesn't have insurance then your not getting any money unless your policy covers it.

If you don't have it already, you should get an uninsured/under-insured policy to cover situations like this. Here in Arkansas a very high percentage of people drive with no insurance, so I was advised to get it from many people.

Also, you laying it down was not the right choice, as was stated earlier. Pilots say 'fly as far into the crash as possible', same for bikes. Bailing on a bike is rarely the right thing to do.

Good luck, hope you keep riding. Just maybe leave the paint original next time or hire someone.

[daqangel]

IMO if you stopped sliding before you hit the car, then you had time to stop the bike. Tires will have a higher coefficient of friction than your butt, and you probably could have stopped safely. If you had time to deliberately drop your bike, then you more than likely had time to stop. Perhaps you hit the front brakes too hard and lost the front end and the bike went down. That can happen if you're a bit inexperienced. It's unlikely that the rear locked up because VFR rear brakes are really hard to lock up.

Glad that you weren't hurt though. Live and learn.

If those front forks are bent like they look like then I wouldn't have anything to do with the bike. That much force probably tweaked the frame a little, or maybe a lot. I, personally, wouldn't want to spend the time and money. Get your dough and find another used one that hasn't been damaged. That's my opinion anyway.

I can't say I am experienced so I would have to agree with you on the tires having more coefficient of friction than the body of the bike.

I felt the front wheel give way as I pulled the brakes in, so I may have grabbed it harder than needed. I wish I had a video recording the incident so I can really take cues from mistakes I may have made. That means more practice on braking when I get another bike.

Thanks for your input.

To answer your regarding whether or not to allow a bike to be towed to a lot, I always say NO.

Just tow it to my home and allow the insurance adjuster to visit you there.

This way, if there is any negotiation on what the bike is worth or what add-on parts you may want to keep, the bike is in your garage and not racking up storage fees on a lot somewhere.

Then, once you and the insurance company are on the same page, they can send their own towing service to pick it up.

Even if the bike had not been damaged that badly most towing companies haul them just like pictured in your original post.

ps, glad to hear that you are ok but without a better understanding of the space and time I would have to agree with FJ12 above...

May just go pay the cost tomorrow since AAA says they will reimburse. So I will only eat only storage fees.

If she doesn't have insurance then your not getting any money unless your policy covers it.

If you don't have it already, you should get an uninsured/under-insured policy to cover situations like this. Here in Arkansas a very high percentage of people drive with no insurance, so I was advised to get it from many people.

Also, you laying it down was not the right choice, as was stated earlier. Pilots say 'fly as far into the crash as possible', same for bikes. Bailing on a bike is rarely the right thing to do.

Good luck, hope you keep riding. Just maybe leave the paint original next time or hire someone.

If you knew the condition as which the bike was cosmetically when I started working on it AND what my actual budget was, you would say otherwise. Thanks for your input though. ;)

[mello dude]

That bike looks to be gone.. except for parts and stuff. It sounds like the woman has no insurance. Get with you insurance company and get them busy to recover your damages.

[Rice]

Glad you walked with no major injuries.

Regarding dumping the bike, I had a very similar experience on mine. Only I wasn't as lucky. But I do recall slamming on the front brake and the front tucked and I low sided. Probably same as you.

I do have a fair bit of experience but still gut reaction got the better of me.

I since got a bike with ABS and will probably never own another bike w/o it.

Good luck and thanks for sharing.

[MBrane]

Beyond what's already been said go do a track school, and work on your threshold braking skills.

Cagers are inattentive at best. Expect them to do dumb s**t at all times.

[VFRBert]

Not the best way to see your bike go. Do not listen to people telling you that sliding means you could have stopped before hitting the car. You need time to react, the bike needs time before it reaches maxium stopping power. Average reaction time is 1 second. Doing 60 you travel 88ft/s in that 1 second. And the braking has not started yet. Do the math.

And in my oppinion you did the best thing. Hitting that car would have meant injuries. An impact of only 15 mph is in potential deadly. I once avoided a frontal crash with a van. Bike totalled (folded aroud a tree) I slid a short distance over the road and took a dive to the road side. Walking away with only 1 tiny sratch. The bike slid a much longer distance before hitting the three.

Succes getting your money

[huntinggunns]

Sorry to see the bike but am very glad to see you walk away. Just noticed you are from OKC. If you need some help or advice let one of us local guys know, there are quite a few good folks around the OKC area.

[Switchblade]

If it's totaled and I'm sure it is the insurance company will pay for storage.

[Earthshake]

If you don't have it already, you should get an uninsured/under-insured policy to cover situations like this.

This is mandatory in South Carolina, I assumed it was everywhere else as well.

[RollinAgain]

If she isn't covered by her boyfriend's insurance and your insurance won't foot the bill you need to take her and/or her boyfriend to court. A judgement in court means that you could recoup some of the losses you incurred. Once you win your case in court they will be held liable and if they don't have the money to pay the judgement the court will likely allow you to garnish their wages. If the boyfriend knowingly loaned his vehicle to his girlfriend and she wasn't covered by anyone's insurance policy he will likely be liable for the damages and you could then sue him directly.

Rollin

[Switchblade]

It's just cover story for the cops ...

[vfr]

The fact that you are physically OK is the great thing here. Everything else is secondary. Having said that, I will state this is exactly why we should all have ABS. You will never lock the wheels with ABS and "lay down" the bike. You will be in a much better position to get through some of these idiot cager "I didn't see him" situations. You won't find yourself wondering how hard you can brake without dumping the bike (underbraking). With ABS, grabbing a big handful of brake is the correct (and instinctive) action in an emergency straight-line stop situation. I wish you good luck dealing with the insurance company. Remember, you don't have to sign anything until they give you what you want. Don't take their first offer which will be low.

[MaxSwell]

Regarding the ease that VFRs can lock the front wheel, I'd suggest you always cover the front brake lever with two fingers. I've found that it is much harder to lock the front wheel w just two fingers. In an emergency that's probably all you'll have time for - the two that are already there. And use both front and rear brakes together. Don't ask me how I learned that. (blush).

Sorry for your crash. Glad you're walking around.

[mello dude]

Adding my 2 cents to this --- braking hard full max should be part of your skill set. If its not there --

----> Panic = crash/pain or worse.

-Practice your emergency braking so that you dont panic and the correct action is automatic and ingrained in your firmware in your brain from your "reps"

[The mailman]

On panic braking... I have always practiced panic stops in an empty parking lot just so I can get the feel of how fast the bike will come to a halt. Even so, I made a point of buying an ABS VFR this time around because in a true panic situation, I still think the bike is smarter than I am.

On the insurance topic, here in Colorado, the individual car's coverage takes care of a claim, not the person operating the car. My wife was hit by a minor driving her friend's mom's car. The mom was pissed because her vehicle was trashed and double pissed because her own policy had to pay damages - not the girl who was driving. I recently made some changes on our own policy and double checked with our company (American Family) and they confirmed that if my daughter wrecks my car, the policy will reflect that I as the listed driver will have the rates on MY vehicle go up, not my daughter. YOUR STATE MAY VARY!

[IntAceptor]

Not making fun but " HOW IN THE HELL DID SHE NOT SEE YOUR BIKE "

Most people set their rear view side mirror to look down the side of the car. That leaves a large blind spot at the rear quarter panel out a few feet off the car. If you are in that spot and the cage driver doesn't do a head check --- pow, you get it.

The mirrors should be set out a bit and that blind spot goes away or close to it.

[The mailman]

The mirrors should be set out a bit and that blind spot goes away or close to it.

This is the #1 reason that all of my vehicles, including my VFR have the fish eye mirrors.

[MaxSwell]

Not making fun but " HOW IN THE HELL DID SHE NOT SEE YOUR BIKE "

Most people set their rear view side mirror to look down the side of the car. That leaves a large blind spot at the rear quarter panel out a few feet off the car. If you are in that spot and the cage driver doesn't do a head check --- pow, you get it.

The mirrors should be set out a bit and that blind spot goes away or close to it.

Click & Clack, The Tappet Brothers, have a proceedure for doing this.

[mello dude]

Even so, I made a point of buying an ABS VFR this time around because in a true panic situation, I still think the bike is smarter than I am.

You're not getting it. You control the actions of the bike. Your skill and decisions make the result happen. If an emergency comes up, your abiiity to keep your cool and decide the best actions to a best result is the from the practice that you have worked on and automatic. If ABS is there to back you up, fine. But dont depend on it as your primary defense. - The bike smarter than you? That thought will bite you.

Again ---------- True Panic = Hospital.

Sorry for the lecture....