Bollux - Spillage...

[Scootaboy]

On way to work...half mile into 18 mile journey...woman, side road, no looky, harsh brakey, on floorey, etc etc etc

I'm ok, was low speed and for my first spill ever I was actually wearing protective jacket/trousers/gloves :)

Gear selector foot lever is bent to f**k, left handlebar end, mirror, clutch lever are scratched up as is the bottom of the left exhaust (all left side), and theres a mark on the tank paintwork where the inside of the left hand controls must have been pushed onto it. Can't really notice most of the damage though as it was mint before this I'm gutted - but it could have been much, much worse.

Its with Rosso Corse at the mo and they're going to make it roadworthy (replace gear selector and check it over) and also do a full quote for me for the insurance company if they admit liability...

The woman stopped and asked how I was, but initially didnt believe it was her fault until I refused to move my bike out of the way and threatened to call the police (I was angry and in shock, though calmed down quick enough). I also had a woman who saw it all hand me a slip of paper with her name and phone on it, so I've hopefully got a witness on my side.

I'm just dreading this taking months and months to sort out only for them to not accept liability. I was on the main (local) road filtering past staionary traffic, she pulled out of a side road into my path, I skidded off about 2 foot before her car - to me its clear cut but I know how these things can sometimes work...

Anyway, I'm alive and unharmed, could be worse. Its almost a year to the day I skidded off my vespa on diesel...after 6 years of constant riding and no spills...ho hum..:)

[J.P]

Phew, glad to hear it wasn't worse and you're ok, THAT'S THE MAIN POINT.
Bikes are just a collection of mechanical bits that you can get from a shop.

As for blame, I don't know but you were filtering, thus were probably (?) across the white line etc and that could be a problem where the insurance is concerned.

[Diego]

On way to work...half mile into 18 mile journey...woman, side road, no looky, harsh brakey, on floorey, etc etc etc

I'm ok, was low speed and for my first spill ever I was actually wearing protective jacket/trousers/gloves :)

Gear selector foot lever is bent to f**k, left handlebar end, mirror, clutch lever are scratched up as is the bottom of the left exhaust (all left side), and theres a mark on the tank paintwork where the inside of the left hand controls must have been pushed onto it. Can't really notice most of the damage though as it was mint before this I'm gutted - but it could have been much, much worse.

Its with Rosso Corse at the mo and they're going to make it roadworthy (replace gear selector and check it over) and also do a full quote for me for the insurance company if they admit liability...

The woman stopped and asked how I was, but initially didnt believe it was her fault until I refused to move my bike out of the way and threatened to call the police (I was angry and in shock, though calmed down quick enough). I also had a woman who saw it all hand me a slip of paper with her name and phone on it, so I've hopefully got a witness on my side.

I'm just dreading this taking months and months to sort out only for them to not accept liability. I was on the main (local) road filtering past staionary traffic, she pulled out of a side road into my path, I skidded off about 2 foot before her car - to me its clear cut but I know how these things can sometimes work...

Anyway, I'm alive and unharmed, could be worse. Its almost a year to the day I skidded off my vespa on diesel...after 6 years of constant riding and no spills...ho hum..:)


Good to hear your ok m8. Have had two of these in London thus far. I'm telling you crash bungs really make a difference.

[jimbo696]

Glad you are OK... Get in touch with the witness and see what she is going to say... I think you should have called the police...

[Scootaboy]

cheers all, I'm gonna call everyone (witness, 3rd party, insurance) when I get home tonight and see what happens. I'm also going to contact rider support services to see what they say

[Lucati]

Glad your OK Scooterboy!

Whereabouts in London was your accident - is it a regular hotspot for crazy drivers trying to kill you?

[bigredduke]

Sorry to hear about your mishap, hope it all gets sorted to your satisfaction. I was approaching a crossroads t'other day & saw a red car waiting at the right-hand junction. They waited and I got closer and yes, they pulled out at the last minute in front of me.
And I was in a bloody big family car with lights on:fou:
What hope on 2 wheels eh?

[Scootaboy]

Glad your OK Scooterboy!

Whereabouts in London was your accident - is it a regular hotspot for crazy drivers trying to kill you?

near to where I live in becontree. occasionally get them pull out but am usually prepared.

had all the phone calls today. spoke to the witness on the phone last night and she confirmed that the woman was looking left the whole time she was pulling out - and in hindsight I think how dare she claim it weren't her fault (as she claimed at the time)

rosso corse made it roadworthy for £200 and have done a quote for the insurance, around £1200 I think including tank respray/exhaust/replacement parts etc etc

felt a lot more achey today, insurance/claims people were virtually begging me to make a personal injury claim (I only want my bike back as it was really) but I said I'll wait until after the weekend to see how I feel, not gonna commit fraud due to being pressurised by them, but if I have got any injury I'm not gonna let it lie either. neck felt achy this morning when leaning forward, not sure if thats whiplash or not?

we'll see, just dont wanna get f**ked over by the womens insurance

[Scootaboy]

also - thanks for all your comments:thumbsup:

[gremlin]

I'd get checked out, even if you don't claim for personal injury. I know from bitter experience it can take years for problems to surface. As for claiming, some get it sorted and everything's fine others don't. Mine's been nearly three years and still counting. Clives was paid within 18 months and we were in the same car! We weren't going to bother but then thought sod it we are paying for it in higher premiums like everyone else so what the heck.
Hope everything does get done and dusted quickly, luckily you have witnesses so should be ok. As J P said the bike's only a collection of mechanical parts, but I think you have to be pretty cold to not get attached to them, so hope s/he is sorted out soon. Take care.

[Seb_uk]

Good to hear your ok m8. Have had two of these in London thus far. I'm telling you crash bungs really make a difference.

I'll second that. As far as I'm concerned crash bungs are possibly the single most important thing you can buy for your bike.

I threw my bike down the road the Christmas before last thanks to some moron in a 4x4. The repair bill was over 2k, largely thanks to the scuffed tank which was about £900 from Ducati. Crash bungs would have saved a lot of the damage. Needless to say I now have R&G's fitted.

Bikes aside, at least you weren't badly hurt!

[Scootaboy]

I'll second that. As far as I'm concerned crash bungs are possibly the single most important thing you can buy for your bike.

I threw my bike down the road the Christmas before last thanks to some moron in a 4x4. The repair bill was over 2k, largely thanks to the scuffed tank which was about £900 from Ducati. Crash bungs would have saved a lot of the damage. Needless to say I now have R&G's fitted.

Bikes aside, at least you weren't badly hurt!

According to Rosso Corse the crash bungs wouldnt have helped that much in this case, but they can be quite useful in certain situations. I was gonna get them put on at the first service I have anyway, and I will do especially if I get all the repairs done

[Scootaboy]

Update:

Rosso Corse gave me/the insurance a quote of £1750ish to make as new, an independant engineer came out to check it over and added 10%+ on that in case of any unforseen repairs (top bloke, very understanding and sympathetic to bikers, told me ducatis had got more reliable since they started using honda electrics - he claimed the controls on the handlebars were the same as on his honda - is this true?)

Have appointment on the 29th of april to see independant doctor re. injuries, and I got a letter from my solicitors telling me the 3rd party insurance havent admitted liability yet and they have up to 3 months to respond - f**kers, this is gonna drag on until after the summer I know it, makes me angry as it was soooo her fault.

But could be worse I suppose, was just hoping it'd be sorted quick so less hassle.

[gremlin]

Could get your guys to chase, and point out you have witnesses. I would have thought it would be pretty straight forward if you are on the main road and get hit by someone pulling out, after all you had right of way. In our case it was pretty cut and dried we were stationary and got hit from behind. I've only just got the appointment to see a specialist after nearly three years so I hope yours doesn't take so long! Unfortunately it's the bastid I saw after the first accident who insisted I had a neurological problem even though all my discs in my neck are bulging or ruptured, and his own department hadn't been able to find a neurological problem after exhaustive tests when I became paralysed so I don't know how he came to his conclusion! But then he also concluded a lass who had been seriously smashed up and had been in a coma for six months and had to learn to talk and walk again was imagining her symptoms and was neurotic so I'm guessing the next meeting with him could be interesting unless I can get someone else.

[chris yeatman]

good 2 hear ur ok m8 :D

[Arbeia]

It brings it all back for me! I`ve had peeps pull out from junctions on me 3 times in 6 months,twice on my bike and once in a car.
1 guy pulled out as i was passing him and totally wiped me out. I was doin 40mph aswell,that one hurt i can tell you.
But for you to not make a claim would be madness(get what you can,everyone else does) Where there is blame,there is a claim!

[OplayneO]

Glad you are OK... Get in touch with the witness and see what she is going to say... I think you should have called the police...

in my experience of road accidents Police will only give a toss, sorry attend, an accident when someone is injured. i had a head on car to car a few years back, the other guy wanted to get the police involved, incredibly 10 seconds later a police car arrived but were doing a house call next to us. he went to speak to them. they asked if anyone was hurt, which was no, and they said call your insurance companys as there was nothing they would do and carried on if we were not there although we were blocking the road! Witnesses are the best thing you can have in an event like this.

[Scootaboy]

Could get your guys to chase, and point out you have witnesses. I would have thought it would be pretty straight forward if you are on the main road and get hit by someone pulling out, after all you had right of way. In our case it was pretty cut and dried we were stationary and got hit from behind. I've only just got the appointment to see a specialist after nearly three years so I hope yours doesn't take so long! Unfortunately it's the bastid I saw after the first accident who insisted I had a neurological problem even though all my discs in my neck are bulging or ruptured, and his own department hadn't been able to find a neurological problem after exhaustive tests when I became paralysed so I don't know how he came to his conclusion! But then he also concluded a lass who had been seriously smashed up and had been in a coma for six months and had to learn to talk and walk again was imagining her symptoms and was neurotic so I'm guessing the next meeting with him could be interesting unless I can get someone else.

wow thats really bad. I think if a case drags on for more than 6 months they should pay extra once its all sorted, I'm sure they'd get their act together a lot quicker then...

[Scootaboy]

Right, got an update for ya...got a call from my solicitor today - the 3rd party have admitted liability etc and we have agreed a settlement figure of £3980 for bike and injuries...so I'm very pleased :):):)

Next thing - what to do next????

I was pis*ed off at the time because my mint bike was no longer mint, and I wanted it back to how it was...especially as the resale value would dip. now I wonder is it worth paying £1700 of money to make a bike thats used for commuting everyday rain wind and shine back to mint? (ie its only gonna get worse again as thousands of all weather miles get put on it). Plus I dont think I'll sell it for quite some tuime now, as the only other bike I fancy (S2R800) wouldnt be as practical as my 695 for london commuting.

I had planned to put termis exhausts on but they'd have to be road legal and I think the titanium ones are for more than was budgeted for (budget = £500, titanium termis = £1100ish I think) plus I wanted a white s2 type stripe down it and replace all the bits that needed doing...

But I've got a wedding to pay for later on this year (plus honeymoon to new york - much more expensive than I thought) and I wonder if I should bother??

The scratch on my tank doesnt seem much - and surely this could be touched up by a pro rather than completely resprayed??

Basically I can save around £8/900 by not replacing the exhausts and not having a respray...dont know what to do.

I've also ring fenced £1k to restore my vintage vespa otherwise it'll just rust away.

Also feel a bit guilty at the time ray from rosso corse spent sorting me a quote only for me to only have half the work done - though it'll need a full service soon plus new tires, which is another consideration for this.

Anyway, sorry to ramble, its definately a good 'problem' to have anyway :)

[gremlin]

Personally, I'd leave it as it's going to get trashed commuting, put the money aside and buy your S2R for play time. That is if there's anything left after wedding, honeymoon, vespa:D

[Paivi]

Glad it's finally over.

I'd leave the bike as it is. I certainly wouldn't bother repainting the tank just because of a mark, I doubt the resale value would dip by anywhere near as much as the paint job would cost.

Give the Vespa some TLC, too, as rust ain't the new black!

[Scootaboy]

cheers I'm definately going that way...and to be honest, you really have to look close to see any damage at all.

will see...

[Qba]

On way to work...half mile into 18 mile journey...woman, side road, no looky, harsh brakey, on floorey, etc etc etc

I'm ok, was low speed and for my first spill ever I was actually wearing protective jacket/trousers/gloves :)

Gear selector foot lever is bent to f**k, left handlebar end, mirror, clutch lever are scratched up as is the bottom of the left exhaust (all left side), and theres a mark on the tank paintwork where the inside of the left hand controls must have been pushed onto it. Can't really notice most of the damage though as it was mint before this I'm gutted - but it could have been much, much worse.

Its with Rosso Corse at the mo and they're going to make it roadworthy (replace gear selector and check it over) and also do a full quote for me for the insurance company if they admit liability...

The woman stopped and asked how I was, but initially didnt believe it was her fault until I refused to move my bike out of the way and threatened to call the police (I was angry and in shock, though calmed down quick enough). I also had a woman who saw it all hand me a slip of paper with her name and phone on it, so I've hopefully got a witness on my side.

I'm just dreading this taking months and months to sort out only for them to not accept liability. I was on the main (local) road filtering past staionary traffic, she pulled out of a side road into my path, I skidded off about 2 foot before her car - to me its clear cut but I know how these things can sometimes work...

Anyway, I'm alive and unharmed, could be worse. Its almost a year to the day I skidded off my vespa on diesel...after 6 years of constant riding and no spills...ho hum..:)
Hi Jason,

Hope your story had a happy end. I had exactly the same situation yesterday. Damages more less the same. I need to take it to the garage, it might be more serious. I'm fine, few bruises here and there, the worse is left ankle - have to use crouches - bike fell on it... The only difference is I didn't get any details of the driver and car "involved". Totally new situation for me, a bit of a shock and to be honest, I think it was my fault... filtering, +/- 20 mph etc. I just wished the driver merry Christmas, that's all. I'm not sure what to do now... if there are still some other options, than paying for the damages from my own pocket (I have full comp. ins.). I'm paying now over £70 per month and wouldn't like to pay more but less next year. I'd would appreciate any advices. Thanks a lot.

[Nickj]

If you look it up there was a local case that settled more in favour of the rider filtering, that's being used as the current interpretation in insurance claims. It wasn't 100% but better than 50:50 in favour of the rider.
Hope the aches and pains settle down soon.

[gremlin]

Think filtering is being accepted more these days, there have been one or two cases recently where the rider has been properly compensated so go for whatever you can get. My case is nearly closed, I got offered £3k, due to the "experts" report saying I could only have suffered trauma for the first month. I'd like to see how he'd feel waking up paralysed from the neck down most mornings but I guess that's how the cookie crumbles. Over here whiplash is a minor thing, in the States they've done way more research and have concluded that the effects can be far more devastating and start much later than recognised here. Unfortunately the research isn't recognised over here and as far as everyone is concerned you're ok after a month when in fact you can sometimes only start feeling the affect after 18 months or so as I found. So the moral to the tail is hold out for a while before claiming cos you don't know how it will affect you, the initial aggravation is one thing but you can still get problems way down the line so it's best to hold fire to see what happens.

[He11cat]

Glad your ok..

I have a severe back pain every day due to a fairly minor off years back ..

I have codeine every day still... it sucks... from a tumble years ago.

Then this year I hit a unmarked ramp so hard on A14 that it jammed my monoshock into the undertray and jammed it on solid .. I was thrown out of my seat but somehow stayed on the bike... my back now a few months on is hurting so bad again..I should have claimed the bike cost a lot to repair and my back is now getting really bad again and back on the stronger pills. Just had other stuff going on and couldn't face anymore stress.. regret it now.

Good luck with the wedding... don't forget theres some great rings about this time of year and the cracker boxes often have pictures on now! lol... with this xmas bling I thee wed!..
And amazing what you can do with quality street wrappers and ringpulls!! :running:

[Qba]

Thanks for your responses. I'll try to contact the insurer. I think, because I didn't get details of a driver, hope I can always stretch the story a bit, telling them, that road was slippery, so no other vehicle has been involved... Hope as well that the time to contact them isn't limited... I'm abroad now, coming back just before new year... Thanks a lot again.

[Scootaboy]

Hi Oba, real sorry to hear about your off, glad you're not too badly hurt!

The most important thing now is to contact your insurer to tell them whats happened. If you think it's the third parties fault then GO FOR EVERYTHING YOU CAN!!

I got done by an uninsured driver a good few years back and ended up getting paid out by the motor insurers bureau, not sure if they'd be the ones to help you in this case but as you dont have the third party details I'm not sure. You may have to tell the insurance company that they drove off without giving details (which they technically did...).

Else find out from a proper garage how much the repairs will cost and go from there. An extra £10 a month on your insurance will be better than paying out £1700 for the damage to be repaired - and that's what fully comp insurance is for after all.

Oh - get your ankle checked out asap and claim for that, and any neck pain etc you had in the aftermath of the accident, mine took a day or so to hit me and then it really hurt for a while (ok now)

good luck and best wishes!!

[Semi]

Thanks for your responses. I'll try to contact the insurer. I think, because I didn't get details of a driver, hope I can always stretch the story a bit, telling them, that road was slippery, so no other vehicle has been involved... Hope as well that the time to contact them isn't limited... I'm abroad now, coming back just before new year... Thanks a lot again.

First off, sorry to hear about your misfortune.

Then, they are way too many factors in your situation that I have no knowledge of, so just ignore me if I'm way off, but.. what you are thinking of, might reach a bit further than you imagine. What you are saying is that you are going to deliberately lie to your insurance company. At least this is how the insurance company will see it, in case it is ever exposed. Do you want / need to to do this?

(I have no affiliation whatsoever to any part that would have an interest in your situation)

[SlowLearner]

Good luck for a sppedy recovery and repairs !

[Qba]

Hell,

Sorry to hear about you and your complications. Hope your recovery wont take long and wont be as painful as it is now.
I should consider myself as a lucky I suppose... mind you, I've only just started...


Jason,

Thanks a lot for your advice. I will try to take this route and see. Glad you're better now.


Jacob,

I suppose you're right... I might take Jason's advice in that matter.

Will keep you updated guys.
Thanks.

[Gamsa]

There is widespread confusion about the legality of filtering. As a trainee solicitor, I find this particularly interesting (I don't get out much)

Here http://www.sites4bikes.com/Motorbike_filtering.htm is an interesting article which suggests that the way courts deal with filtering has changed recently. The article says that filtering isn't mentioned in the Highway Code, whereas I felt sure I had seen something about it. I'll have a look and post back.

Initial research seems to show that filtering carefully at reasonable speed is as legal as you could want it to be...

[Gamsa]

Highway code: 88
Manoeuvring. You should be aware of what is behind and to the sides before manoeuvring. Look behind you; use mirrors if they are fitted. When in traffic queues look out for pedestrians crossing between vehicles and vehicles emerging from junctions or changing lanes. Position yourself so that drivers in front can see you in their mirrors. Additionally, when filtering in slow-moving traffic, take care and keep your speed low.


Remember: Observation – Signal – Manoeuvre

[Gamsa]

So there you are - when done carefully is totally legit.

[Qba]

Steve, Adam, thanks a lot... so there is a hope.
It's hard for me to describe this situation, because everything happened in split seconds. I've spotted the van too late (was pulling out from behind the traffic and pulling out quickly). I suppose, one - I've panicked, so slammed the brake too hard and two - I obviously didn't want to hit the guy, so if I wouldn't fall I could end up on him (if I correctly judged my speed and distance)... I'll worry after Christmas, now I want to relax :) Especially, that from the abroad there is not much I can do anyway.
All the best!

[He11cat]

relax and enjoy...
I work with a Polish boy called Kuba .. :) lovely name and not pronounced like Cuba.

Instinct is grab at the brakes .. you just do sometimes.
All so fast...
My Driving instructor said to me trust your eyes and your instinct, your brain is better then the fastest computer in the world.... I gave him a look.

"Phillip dear... my brain is like a ZX Spectrum". And he said yes there are some exceptions :) lol..
Yes I think mine says "computer says no" lots lol

[Scootaboy]

Steve, Adam, thanks a lot... so there is a hope.
It's hard for me to describe this situation, because everything happened in split seconds. I've spotted the van too late (was pulling out from behind the traffic and pulling out quickly). I suppose, one - I've panicked, so slammed the brake too hard and two - I obviously didn't want to hit the guy, so if I wouldn't fall I could end up on him (if I correctly judged my speed and distance)... I'll worry after Christmas, now I want to relax :) Especially, that from the abroad there is not much I can do anyway.
All the best!

yeah that sounds pretty much like what happened to me - its their fault 100% and you must make a claim.

and get their bloody details next time! ;)

[Qba]

Hell, thanks :)
I felt bad because of this lack of cold blood, frustrated and p****d off on myself... what's done is done tough, never mind.

Jason,
I will mate, I will for sure... but after all, you could see me as one of those guys from Monty Python... There was this one scene, one of them on a pushbike was hit by the car... He was quite... apologetic... well, I was the same... But I've learn my lesson... From now on I'll be punching everyone ;)
All the best and merry Christmas!!!