Broken my bike

[Sqwifeve]

Riding along the A285 towards Petworth yesterday morning on my 695, following hubby. It's a tight bend, like a horseshoe and I came down the gears and was going quite slow, no more than 30, if that. Has been near the line going round the left hand bend and just starting to move over. Thought the mini on the opposite side of the road was close, tried to move over but not quickly enough. She caught my wheel and I came off. :hissy:

She told the policeman who attended that I was on her side of the road just before so she moved over to my side of the road to avoid me :eyepopping: ! He couldn't conclude too much by the road marks, no one directly behind us stopped so the insurance companies will be fighting. The officer said he was going to give the old lady an eyesight test and possibly suggest she gave up driving. There was a layby on her side of the road which she could have moved over to, if she was so worried. I don't know what she thought she would have done if she'd gone round me on my side of the road afterwards, as we had a trail of cars:grump: !

I didn't think I'd been in the wrong but I've ended up with some muscle injury to my shoulder ( lucky I think), and a very damaged bike( probably a write off) after only 5 rides. I am however going over and over it, to think what I could have done to avoid the collision :fou: . No doubt if I was a better rider I could have planned and done that. Being more familiar with the bike would have helped. And I still don't have any tax displayed so I might get that on top? :dizzy:

[Paivi]

Oh no, babes! Can't believe it, your gorgeous bike! How bad is the damage, surely it's not a write off, just new bits and bobs. Just about the only thing that would cause a write-off on the 695 would be a bent/broken frame. If the tank's split, it's £1,000 for a new one, so worth for the insurance company to fix it.

Don't sit there blaming yourself, sounds like the old lady panicked and made a very bad decision. Fancy trying to avoid you by coming into your lane into the path of cars behind you!

Can't believe the cars behind you didn't stop! At least in my off, the police got several statements all backing my story. If it happened near a village, might be worth your while putting posters up in post office/supermarket, etc asking for witnesses, even an ad in the local paper.

Get yourself to the A&E for a check-up! My off was on Friday lunchtime, rode back home, rode the bike to the garage for the repairs on Saturday lunchtime, rode to Box Hill on Sunday for the Mini Mega Meet, went to work on Tuesday and the sheer agony struck when I walked up the stairs to my flat! It took five days for the pain to start, as that's when the internal swelling started to come down. I was off work for about a week and still have to take painkillers, although down to two a day from the 11 I started off with. I broke a rib quite badly (it's snapped off the breastplate), which will take six months to heal and quite extensive physio (another session for my thumb which got injured, too). I'm lucky, as I get BUPA through work, but if you don't have that, you'll need to have your injuries documented asap after the accident for her insurance company to pay for any treatment.

Also, don't forget to claim for your leathers,gloves and helmet, if they're damaged. Are you fully comp? In which case, you should have legal cover and could get a hire bike until yours is fixed. I've once had a legal dispute, but my insurance company fixed my bike up within two weeks and gave me a courtesy one in the meantime. If you don't have that, have a look here for the Biker Legal Line (http://www.bmf.co.uk/pages/bmf_main_pages.php?main_page_id=211) and give them a call for advice and details of bike lawyers. You don't have to accept the lawyers your insurance company appoints; check with them how many bike accident cases they've dealt with and what teir record is. I can recommend these guys, they got me 100%, after the third party offered to accept 20%: Fletchers (http://www.fletcherssolicitors.co.uk/site_map.php).

Shouldn't think you'd be done for not displaying, just say you've heard they're being stolen where you live (definitely true for London) so you're not displaying. They can see the bike's taxed anyway. In my off, the first question the armed coppers who turned up was to ask me if the empty holder was where my tax disc should have been, to which the traffic copper replied 'Leave her alone'. Didn't even get a producer, as by then, he'd already checked the bike with DVLA.

Anything you need, just drop me a PM!

All the best,

Paivi

[Pegleg Pete]

So sorry to hear this :(

Hope you get you bike sorted soon and glad to hear you haven't sustained any major nasties.

P

[gremlin]

AAh bless hon, hope it's not too painful. Old people should have to take tests every two years, they cause so many accidents. I can't see that you would have been that far over, monnies corner really well I'm sure you would have been on your side. You must get checked up though it can take ages for injuries to come out. I speak from experience having got a whiplash injury which took 18 months to start causing problems. It really has screwed up my life, and all because the ex wouldn't take me to A&E because his best mate had put me in a ditch and he didn't want him to get into trouble. By the time I had problems it was too late to do anything and his mate had left the country so I couldn't sue the bastard. At least you have had police involved so that should help your case, especially if the copper seemed to think the old biddy was senile!

[squiffything]

Eve so sorry to hear your bad news. As said above get to the docs asap to get a check-up. Hope all turns out well for you and don't forget to get back on a bike quick, don't let it put you off, we all want to see you when yours is repaired or the new one comes through

[Kiwi]

. And I still don't have any tax displayed :

worse still the insurance company may use that as a leg out to avoid paying up at all

[Mostro69]

Sorry to hear it, hope you recover soon and that your monster gets upright again soon.

[barbican]

Hope youre feeling OK - Driver was clearly flustered, its so unfair I'm angry for you!!

[benson]

All the best for a speedy sort out of this - big hug to you and the broken bike - as long as the frames OK your bike should be sortable - and remember that legal cover is the thing you need to rely on - I've had Fletchers work for me in the past when some T**T rode over my bike as it was parked in a car park - they were great. make sure you log every ache and pain and sleepless night and then all pwer to your arm...
Good luck and all the best,

Rachel

[banditloon]

:thumbsdown:

Hope everything is sorted soon

[Humbucker]

Sorry to hear about your off, hope your not to battered and bruised and make a quick recovery. You're in one piece which is the most important thing and the bike can be fixed

[scrumpster]

Eve, hope to see you on the road soon, even if it is on an ER5, I hope this doesn't put you off. If the Copper is recommending she has an eye check and that she gives up driving, then he must have his suspicions about her. This is all ammo for you and he should have logged all this in his pocket note book!! Good luck

[Sqwifeve]

Eve, hope to see you on the road soon, even if it is on an ER5, I hope this doesn't put you off. If the Copper is recommending she has an eye check and that she gives up driving, then he must have his suspicions about her. This is all ammo for you and he should have logged all this in his pocket note book!! Good luck

You won't see me on the ER5. I've declared SORN on that but the NC30 is up and running again so once my shoulder's well enough I'll be back out. But I'll be watching out for old ladies in mini's
:worried:

[Paivi]

Any news on the condition of the Duchess, Eve?

[Chris & Nean]

Am gutted to learn you and your bike was hurt Sqwifeve. fingers crossed everythings sorted quickly.

[Sqwifeve]

The latest news is the bike is being written off and a letter should be coming to me to that effect. Had some physio on my shoulder today. Still a bit too painful to ride myself yet but I am doing short car journeys.

[Paivi]

Oh, Eve, I was so hoping it wouldn't come to that! Her Grace is very sad, as she's lost her little sister now!

Hope the physio works out for you and you'll be back on two wheels soon.

[granite785]

Eve

Sorry to hear of your off, but the main thing is that you are not badly hurt.
I'm so gutted for you, at least you can get a brand new one as it is being written off.
Hopefully you should get your insurance sorted quicker than I have as still waiting since last September.

[singletrack]

That's awful news Eve - especially when it took you so long to et the bike on the road in the first place.

I hope you get everything sorted out soon.

Anne x

[Sqwifeve]

Eve

Hopefully you should get your insurance sorted quicker than I have as still waiting since last September.

Oh no, don't say that Grant. Was that bike jinxed :scratch: ! I still don't have my V5 or tax disc by the way.

[gremlin]

We should have been working down your way next week, would have offered to meet up and buy a drink to drown your sorrows, job has now gone TU. At least you'll get a new bike, you're not too badly hurt and you could possibly buy the old one back and do her slowly as a project/track day bike maybe. Better to look on the bright side!!

[granite785]

Oh no, don't say that Grant. Was that bike jinxed :scratch: ! I still don't have my V5 or tax disc by the way.

On the DOC website they say that if God rides a Harley the Devil rides a Duke.
In which case the devil should have protected us from a ll the bad things that can happen on (and off) a bike. :devil:
I think the bike might have been jinxed but at least it can do no more harm.
Carrie springs to mind!!!
The most important thing is that you are not seriously injured. You can still ride again.
I was mortified after my first accident on that one, but everyone told me to keep my chin up as a bike can be repaired /replaced but that is a tad difficult for the human body if you suffer any injuries.

I hope you are recovering OK albeit slowly.

I spoke to Moto Rapido yesterday and they said they still have not received your tax disc/V5. I think it must have gotten lost in the post somewhere. Or the DVLA may have gotten confused over the registrations as I moved the original one to my bike.

Anyway I'm just so glad that you are OK, (I keep saying that) but I really do think that bike was Carrie in 2 wheeled form. The Ducati invisible paint job didnt help matters neither!!

Hopefully you'll be out riding a monster again before you know it.