I finally went down

After over a year fighting the maxim I got her running. Not pretty but running. I went for a little cruise since I now legally can (finally got a bike permit a couple months ago) and a car pulls out about thirty feet in front of me. I missed the car, ended up on the other side of the road, into a ditch, jumped out of the ditch dukes of hazzard style, and got caught by a fence. The bike is done, i don't wanna rebuild it and my 1985 harley will be on the road shortly. I just gotta say thank God for riding gear. I'm sore as hell but I should be a lot worse. Keep the gear on boys, even if you look like a pansy with it.

 

You should take an approved rider safety course before hitting the road again.

 

Pansies are damn tough little flowers, so if that's the comparison I'll take it.
ATGATT.

 

Forget Pansies.. I turn up at work in my leathers and most of the women come to talk with me with big smiles on their faces.. I turn up in normal clothes and all I get "Oh.. Hi Jon". It seems leathers ain't for pansies, and they're damn tough when you take a spill, and make you look good to the opposite sex.. People just say they're for pansies cos they're jealous of the attention you get..

Keep your gear on, keep your lid on, keep riding.

Hope the bruises clear up soon, glad you're ok.

 

an approved safety riding course don't stop the idiots that do stupid crap to try to kill you. specially with the cell phones.

the best advice is to constantly be aware of your surroundings. i'm a commercial driver and get that lesson preached all the time. i've been commercial driving for 8 years but riding bikes for 28 years now. i've been riding so long that i've developed a 6th sense a few years back. i can just about always tell when someone is going to do something stupid.

being a new motorcycle rider. your going to learn A LOT about how to be safe. i've never taken the course. but it wouldn't hurt, specially the newbies.

JUST BE CAREFUL AND PAY ATTENTION TO WHATS GOING ON AROUND YOU. you got lucky the first time. the second time might not be so lucky and we all want you to be safe.

take it from someone that has driven over 1.5 mill miles in both big trucks and motorcycles. CARS WILL DO STUPID SHIT ALLLLLL THE TIME. they have no respect for killing motorcycles, and they have no respect for there own lives around big trucks.

 

snowy said a mouthful....

We're in a time of big fast machines powered by poeple with more distractions than ever....
One of the best road tips I've heard is this...

When watching other drivers think to yourself..."What is the stupidest thing this guy could do?" and be prepared......

 

I'll add to what snowy said: Most folks would benefit from a safety course or two, regardless of how long you've been riding. Years ago I was an MSF ridercoach. During that time, and in the years since every course I've taken/taught even the old timers benefit, myself included. I try to retake at least one course every 3 - 4 years if for no other reason than it's a controlled environment to push the limit a bit and it forces you to practice the skills the correct way.

Biggest thing is always ride like you are invisible, because to cage drivers you are. The single most common thing said at a bike vs cage accident is "I never even saw him".

 

OK.. My 2c worth..

Snowy's right.. A riding course won't reduce you chances of meeting an idiot.. BUT.. It will help you learn to handle their idiocy and predict it.. They're stuck in a box with their "tunes" going and completely cut off from the world.. Watching a bike coming towards them is like watching tv.. Their reactions are sh*t and they'll expect you to get out of their way, since in an accident, they'll end up with a dent, and a few tears, and you could end up in the morgue.

However, a riding course has one disadvantage.. If you don't practice what you learn, you might as well not have been on it.. YOU are the one who controls your machine.

But in the end accidents happen.. That's why they call them accidents.

 

they were probably texting or on the cell phone. i would of headed to the ditch to even with good riding gear im afraid of grinding off body parts and the road is much harder then the ditch glad you were ok thats a plus in my book

 

my 3c- study shows that one reason people pull out in front of mc's is that their single headlight subconsciously registers as a vehicle in the distance and if they're not paying too much attention they'll pull out ...

and then here is the other reason.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HR19XBym6v4

 

Glad to hear that you are ok!

all DRIVERS should have to take a motorcycle course so they would gain more respect for bikes.

 

I have had 2 people do the same to me, I could see them on the phone and they never looked my way, the "good" thing is I assumed that they would pull out and was prepared, but you never know.
Keep ya head up, and get back on!

 

Tiny-Sounds like you are OK except for the scrapes and bruises; and like SwissJon showing up to work in his leathers, "...chicks dig scars" too as the movie line goes. I just went through the riders safety course a few weekends ago and even though I did it 18 years ago; it was well worth the time spent. Just happy you are OK and thank you for posting the benefits of proper riding gear....even for those quick trips anything can happen.
My Harley snob neighbor makes fun of me time after time for all my protective gear...I just let him know that replacement gear will be about 500-700 bucks...maybe even less...a funeral runs about 7k at least and you never get to ride again.

 

you have to drive defensivly these days and another thing alout of people dont do is drive with your hi beam on during the day

 

Should we drive with high beam on all the time?

 

well, we're practically brothers, tiny, i just tossed my bike in the ditch for shits n giggles, it's really frustrating, guy got out without a ticket, no insurance raise, it was some bull spit accident because I didnt hit him, I only went in the ditch...

 

True, taking the MSF class will not change what cagers are doing out there but you need every advantage you can get.

There are two kinds of riders, those that have gone down and those that haven't yet.

Of the riders I know in the first category, most parts of them that wasn't clad in leather got pretty torn up.

 

That's exactly how/why I got my Intruder.....car/idiot pulled out in front of the owner--looked straight at him and still pulled out. Bike was totalled, I got it at a scrapyard and rebuilt it. I've put about 600mi on since rebuild.

I try to ride as if I EXPECT EVERYONE to pull out in front of me, so when they do....."I knew you were gonna do that", and it's a nice surpise when they don't!

 

The course is only as good as the instructor, and I learned to do things with my bike that I didn't think it was capable of, such as being able to stop from 25 mph in nine feet, be in first gear, and ready to go again. If a driver pulls out in front of you, push the left handlebar, the bike will turn left, sharply. Reflective vests are now required to ride on post here on the Cape, I wear mine all the time, really striking color combo. I had the worst time finding one until I stumbled upon it on Walmart.com, Jesse James collection and you get two breathable zippered vests for $25.00! Since our Yammies are rather quiet you want to be seen. I always run high beam, don't be afraid to use your horn, most drivers aren't deaf and stupid at the same time.

 

Well, I can't help myself, it's a sickeness. Another maxim now resides in the garage, not running, last registered in 1992 and sat outside for a long time. Not running, but turns over with decent compression. Once again, like the last one, no spark. I'm just asking for it at this point. Other than a sore knee I'm almost 100%. Bikes of the new bike to come soon, its worse looking than the old one.