Had my 1st motorbike accident today

[crammy69]

Today I broke my golden rule of not going out on two wheels when its raining, and, perhaps deservedly, reaped the reward. I was on my way to Carnaby Street for the a rideout to Buckingham Palace and on to some Mod Music gig in the east end. I got all of a mile or so up the road, when I lost traction on approach to a junction (it had Green lights showing 10 yards in front of a give way) as I was braking to give way to traffic coming from the right, I think I may have been on a white left turn road marking when I lost it, so lesson proved there - dont brake on road markings!.

Anyway, a passing Fire crew stopped to help me up (I was quite winded but I dont think I hit my head at all) - they had seen it all happen and said it looked like it all happened in slow motion (I was doing no more than 25/30mph). They helped me up and walk the bike over to the petrol station opposite where I got my self together and had a large sweet coffee and called the insurance co. In the end I gave up with the "insurance co." it was clearly a handling company who had no details of my insuracne and couldnt tell me if I was entitled to a pickup recovery service or anything , so I ended up pushing the bike home, which was silly really as my knees/elbows are killing me.

The clutch lever snapped off so I couldnt ride it home, also the steering column is out of line with the front wheel. The Headlight glass has disappeared but both the bulbs are in tact!, and the left mirror is shattered. There is some major scraping on the left side wheel arches covers/wing. The rest is hopefully cosmetic and I hope to be able to fix it myself.

As for me, I now realise i should have had my proper motorbike jacket on with the elbow protection and I should have invested in knee pads for my Kevlar lined jeans (sooo glad I had them on, my knees got lots of rash but from the kevlar rather than dirty tarmac, much better). I had a set of waterproofs on that arrived literally an hour before I went out!, the trousers are now in the skip, with two rather big holes in them .

So its taken a year for my first (and hopefully last) motorcycle accident, and sods law I dropped the brand new bike that hasnt even got 250km on it yet!, it couldnt be the £300 Honda Cub or the £700 Chinese cruiser, oh no, it had to be the newest bike .

Still, I'm not dead, I can still walk (slowly), and I reckon the cost of the fix will not be much greater than a typical excess so I should be able do it myself. All in all, I got off lightly.

Cheers
Simon

 

[Smarties]

Thats tough Simon, as you said, Sods law. Still, you walked away from it, so get to learn from experiance. Glad your OK.

 

[iscaboy]

"don't brake on road paint"... you just have to be a complete novice rider not to know that, and from the left a couple of 125's and a 90's, so sounds like you spent a morning driving around cones to get a CBT, or grandfathered in on a car licence.

Two things going for you.

1/ You're still in one piece.
2/ You're still in one piece.

Go out and get some PROPER 1 on 1 rider training, preferably at least three full days, before you venture out on two wheels again.

Those "stupid" sub 30 mph accidents on bikes are an absolute classic cause of Brachial Plexus injuries, google it is you like... before you decide 3 days on 1 on 1 training is too expensive / time consuming / not necessary / etc

 

[Brian WH]

Bad luck mate.

Been there and seen the Video. When I was in my biking youth I used to drop mine everytime it rained as I had to negotiate cobbled streets and sharp bends in those days. Worked in a factory and the Blacksmith spent many a morning straightening my footrests.

 

[G.O'Rilla]

Sorry to hear that, Simon - at least you're in one piece. We all do daft things sometimes; it only takes a moment's lapse in concentration, though, as implied above the harder you try, the luckier you get...

Machinery and clothes are replaceable

 

[crammy69]

"don't brake on road paint"... you just have to be a complete novice rider not to know that, and from the left a couple of 125's and a 90's, so sounds like you spent a morning driving around cones to get a CBT, or grandfathered in on a car licence.

Two things going for you.

1/ You're still in one piece.
2/ You're still in one piece.

Go out and get some PROPER 1 on 1 rider training, preferably at least three full days, before you venture out on two wheels again.

Those "stupid" sub 30 mph accidents on bikes are an absolute classic cause of Brachial Plexus injuries, google it is you like... before you decide 3 days on 1 on 1 training is too expensive / time consuming / not necessary / etc

I have indeed only done a CBT, and I'm aware about not riding on white lines etc, but if that was indeed the cause (I cant really be sure, Im assuming a bit, as one second I'm riding, the next Im on the floor) then Ive clearly cocked up, and have the pain to prove it.

I already had my theory test booked for next weekend and then I'm getting the DAS training (hopefully 5 days residential). I agree that a CBT is far too little training to be let lose on the roads really, but have been remiss in not arranging a ride-safe or other training. Lesson well and truly learned.

 

[iscaboy]

I already had my theory test booked for next weekend and then I'm getting the DAS training (hopefully 5 days residential).

EXCELLENT!

I absolutely guarantee that with the hindsight of decent training you'll be horrified at how novices ride.

Good leather boots, good leather jeans, good leather jacket, good leather gloves, leather slides on tarmac... also if it's wet a decent set of waterproofs.. do this BEFORE the DAS days.

If you're not warm and dry you aren't safe, and you won't learn much.

Take some good advice, book another single day with your DAS (you should have the same guy every day) guy 2 months down the line, and another day another 2 months down the line.

The only question now is whether you have been hurt / frightened sufficiently to never ever ever forget you're on two wheels, not protected by airbags or metal, and everyone else on the road (including all your MB club mates.. lol) is basically out to kill you out of indifference.

Come back in a years' time and I guarantee you will also be a damn sight better car driver...

 

[Ian B Walker]

Crammy, I am so glad you are ok after your accident. I sit here in tears as my best friend of 40 years was killed on a bike last Sunday. Some low life 21 yr old with no license, tax or mot ran over him after he clipped an MPV who braked hard and fast to avoid an accident two cars in front of it. RIP Steve Scott.

My son has a bike and I am terrified that something might happen to him through no fault of his own.

 

[iscaboy]

Condolences to Ian.

Most of the people I knew as a "punk kid" are either dead or crippled for life, mainly dead, all due to bike accidents.

A friend of mine who was (also killed on a bike) a specialist in what happened to the human body is various stress situations, including accidents, did some calculations once.

When it came down to it, a world war 1 pilot (no parachute) flying around in a bi-plane would, as / if / when he crashed, be subject to the same range of forces as a biker. My (dead) friend said it was actually frighteningly close as a match.

makes you think.

there are old bikers, and bold bikers, but no old, bold bikers... and even then it is still a lot of luck and suchlike involved.... I guess I've always been lucky.

 

[kurtdaley]

Sorry to hear of your spill mate, you're ok that's the main thing, I've been off 2 wheels for 5 years now because I made a deal with the wife that I wouldn't have another bike till my son gets to secondary school (only another 8 years to go) after coming off my ninja for the 2nd time.

Don't let it put you off getting back on a bike, just get straight back on and try and forget about it, it does dent your confidence a bit but like the guys have said, with a bit of extra training you will be a lot better rider.

Even try and a do a track day here and there, the Ron Haslam one in particular is excellent and will bring your riding on leaps and bounds.
Good luck though.

 

[crammy69]

Crammy, I am so glad you are ok after your accident. I sit here in tears as my best friend of 40 years was killed on a bike last Sunday. Some low life 21 yr old with no license, tax or mot ran over him after he clipped an MPV who braked hard and fast to avoid an accident two cars in front of it. RIP Steve Scott.

My son has a bike and I am terrified that something might happen to him through no fault of his own.

Ian, Im so sorry to hear of your friend, Steve, I can't begin to imagine how I'd cope if one of my friends was killed, I really cant. My sincerest condolences.

As for you son, please ensure he has all the right kit, having it fresh in my mind how hard the ground feels, I can absolutley recommend wearing every type of knee,elbow, shoulder and back armour going.

 

[Will]

Sorry to hear of your accident Simon. One thing is for sure, we all make mistakes and learn from them - it has given you a real-world experience of what can happen and will make you a better rider in the long run.

I used to have quite a few bikes when I was younger. Great fun, but being realistic they are also so very dangerous things. I struggle to think of anyone I know/knew who has ridden motorcycles or scooters who have not come off at some point. One guy I work with, an experienced rider of 30+ years who commutes daily was unfortunately knocked off three times in one year.

Keep riding and enjoy it, but do be careful! As you've said, the right gear is invaluable and will offer you some protection at least compared to the idiots you see in T-shirts and shorts last weekend etc.

Hope you feel better soon and that the bike isn't too badly damaged

Will

 

[Colin_b]

Glad you are OK Simon,

It is scary how these things happen. The good news is that you are OK. There are factories churning out bits for your bike, and the only pain in that is financial.

 

[Dave Lewis]

Simon - glad you're ok, I bet you hurt in places you didn't know you had places....

Ian, so sorry to hear about your friend. It was losing too many mates that made me give up bikes when I was 30, even though it was a total passion. Just too many ill-informed (ok, ignorant) drivers out there on this crowded island of ours.

 

[G.O'Rilla]

As for you son, please ensure he has all the right kit, having it fresh in my mind how hard the ground feels, I can absolutley recommend wearing every type of knee,elbow, shoulder and back armour going.

Exactly - my daughter goes out on the back of her boyfriends Ducati and (doting parent that I am) I made sure she had decent helmet, jacket, pants and boots - with armour. Gotta say - boyfriend approves of the leather trousers. Gloves are bit second rate though - will get a decent pair for her as fingers tend to be expendable in a crash.

Still gazing wistfully at my Dianese stuff in the cupboard (not sure if the leathers would still fit....), but if I got another bike, it wouldn't be the road or another car that would kill me - something far closer to home!

 

[SL300-24]

Simon......bad luck mate, good thing is that you are okay apart from a few bruises. To balance the argument, I have 4 guys working with me that have been riding for over 30 years each, without falling off so you cannot beat experience.
Also the older you get the more self preservation kicks in, my only 2 spills were in the first year of my riding career at 16 years old (FSIE) and I have now been riding for 37 years. Take your DAS, but do not stop there....do bikesafe, IAM, ROSPA whatever you can......you never stop learning, wish you well.

 

[martin_a]

Rilla, that's exactly what you should do. Where a bike is two up, the pillion usually come soff worst than the rider.. simply because their kit is either basic, borrowed or missing so the right stuff is essential.

Glad that OP Simon has learned the lesson of good kit so early on. Seems like you've learnt from this as a novice rider and that will only make you a better rider in the end. Shiny side up dude and good luck with the DAS.

Also, plenty of training around. The Police Bike Safe is a good one for showing you how to at least try to allow for other road using idiots. As always, it is generally other road users you need to watch for!

m.

 

[Ade B]

Glad you are ok.

It could have been diesel, too much front brake (Vespa's run out of suspension very quickly and lock up easily) or any number of variables. I've only encountered a diesel spill once and fortunately I didn't fall off - the rear tyre lost grip as opened the throttle and the bike went sideways in a spectacular and far from controlled manner on a sub 20mph London LH turn. I always pootle round these days so I was fine - unlike the row of bikes parked up at the kerbside immediately after the bend..

As mentioned, get your DAS done - riding in the rain is nothing to fear provided you relaxed and alert.

My bike should be going to a new home next week so if it does and you want some kit PM me.


Ade

 

[st4]

Ian, I am sorry to hear about your mate.

Simon, glad for your sake it wasn't worse.

 

[crankiejohn]

the roads always harder than you expect