Mercedes-1 Ducati-0

[Hypermonkey]

I was off early today to meet up with the Pistonheads bikers for a nice ride out from Boxhill to Loomies and then for a run when this happened.

Scenario was this...

I was behind the Merc and he put his washers on...no worries just hung back some. He then put them on again for a prolonged period..again no biggie but as the road turned straight and there where no oncoming vehicles I overtook at 40mph (40 limit) and changed into lane 1 again. The limit changed to 30mph so I gently broke to 30mph only to be met by the Merc literally 10 feet behind me hooting his horn like crazy (he must have sped up when I entered lane 1).

The road had a gentle right hander but I saw that there where chippings/stones on the road and also a damp patch, so I adjusted my road position to just left of the centre lines and allowed the bike to go to 20-25mph as the conditions dictated. I kept the braking gradual from the 40mph zone and was all set for the slight bend when it came. I checked my mirrors as heard the horn on the Merc go again only to see him hit me (well almost looked like he rammed me!)

The bike was hit in the rear on the onside pipes cleanly braking the pipe off with the rear set still attached and bending the pipe where the rear peg had hit before it snapped off. The bike then went down on the right side after I had ridden the initial hit for 10 feet or so and broke again as to take as much sting out of it as I could. I ended up in the gutter on the opposite side of the road with the oncoming traffic luckily stopping.

The driver of the oncoming vehicle had rushed over to see if I was ok and this was the first thing I remember after seeing the Merc in the mirror. I collected myself and rolled to see the Monster looking sorry for itself. I then saw petrol dripping from under the tank (just the carbs emptying) so ran over and lifted the bike up at an angle and wiped away the fuel to make it safe...checked the tank fully to ensure no leaks and put the bike on the side stand. Throughout all of this the Merc driver had got out...stood crossed armed and just looked at the scene..didn't offer help...didn't ask if I was ok or anything!

I removed my lid after doing some self checks on myself and just looked at him saying 'why did you do that!!' His reply was "I'm not saying anything...speak to my solicitor!!" Well this just filled me with warmth!

The whiteness gave me and the Merc driver her details and went on her way..along with the other 10 cars that had formed each way. I asked for the Merc drivers details and he stated "You'll have to wait..I'm late picking my Son up from the station." How I kept my cool was beyond me at this stage but I retorted with "I need your info and you need mine." He carried on walking until I stated that if he got in his car I would pull him out through the screen top get the details..which at this time, and considering his behaviour I felt was a good enough time to lay down some demands.

He only stopped as a cyclist had phoned 999 and the operator had told him to give the details, pick his Son up and return to the scene.

I was checked out by some paramedics and gave my statement to the Police when they arrived. Upon hearing my statement one of the paramedics commented that he thought that it sounded like road rage..and upon looking at it it could quite well have been...but who would ram a motorcyclist in revenge for a lawfull overtake??

[Hypermonkey]

Damage is...

Left Rearset snapped off
Left pipe dented and scratched
Swingarm dented
Engine caseing scuffed
Gear shift link snapped
Frame scratches both sides due to impact/landing
Right and Left clutch/brake scratched
Right pipe dented
Brake pedal scuffed
Tank scratched from my being thrown off
Cracked Belly pan
...and I'm sure there is more as this is a surface damage look at things.

Spoke to the whitness to say thank you for her help and she says that she saw me slow down and the Merc ram through me.

Anyhoo I'm home now after great service from Norwich Union...when I eventually got through to the UK!! and the bike is ready for the assessors to take him away and see what's what on Monday. I'm off for a soak as ache a bit ;)


Oh here are the obligatory pics...

Straight where I overtook. Merc was roughtly where the car coming towards is when I overtook him.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v477/earni5/DSCF0009-3.jpg

Petrol spill and some marks where he eventually went over...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v477/earni5/DSCF0012-4.jpg

Dented swingarm...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v477/earni5/DSCF0018-3.jpg

Bike...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v477/earni5/DSCF0013-2.jpg

Right pipe...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v477/earni5/DSCF0022-1.jpg

left pipe...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v477/earni5/DSCF0036.jpg

Rearset...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v477/earni5/DSCF0037.jpg


Police took statements but didn't take any pics/measurements so I think him being done for anything are non existant.....I ache a lot as well lol.

[Snips]

Very sorry to hear about this. It's bad, but I'm glad for you that it's not worse.

[chris yeatman]

glad ur ok mate, but the bloke in the merc, wot a w##ker

[Funkatronic]

sorry for you, not a fun encounter at all by the sounds of it

sounds like the merc driver was way out of order and the fact you have a wiling witness who will testify the merc hit you in the back will help no end. The shock and adrenaline pumping after a close call like that that either you explode with fury at the scene or just be very passive and stunned.

Happy to her you not hurt, hope your bike gets back on the road soon

last week saw a guy on a push bike get deliberately rear ended by a twat in an alpha who was hot under the collar cos the cyclist had shouted at him when he almost ran him over accidently!! absolutely vicious and nasty thing to do to a low speed bicyclist, but to rear end a motorbike at 25mph is basically attempted murder imho. Hope he loses his licence

hope you get back in the saddle as soon as you can

[Hypermonkey]

Police took no measurements/pics etc. I didn't even get a producer...don't know about the driver so doubt they will be persuing him for anything, just let the insurance sort out the claim:confused:

[jerry]

The police are ****ers then for not investigating further ..the Mercedes driver is a public menace.

[Hypermonkey]

I must admit though...they where the fittest Policewomen I have ever seen...and I've been on some really dirty sites :biggrin:

[retskcid]

Sorry to hear that, but at least you're ok - there are lots of tw*ts on the road. I'm most wary of vehicles behind me and I either get a safe distance away from them, or if conditions dont allow that I pull over and wave them past (letting them know at the same time that I'm not impressed with their driving).

An advanced riding course taught me to make good progress and leave all the tw*t drivers behind you.

[Hypermonkey]

I did think that if he persisted after I'd negotiated the bend then I'd just pull over and invite him past using the one hand shuffle motion to signal my displesure...but he didn't let me get that far:twak:

[retskcid]

I must admit drivers generally aren't quite as aggressive as you've described - I dont think I've ever had a driver tooting his horn at me!

[Hypermonkey]

This was right up behind me prolonged tooting. Really shook me as I had to assess the road and position myself and look to see where the feck he was!

I'm a very courtious driver/rider and this was not action that was warrented by my earlier safe overtake.

[ricky]

mate this is totally out of order, if i was you id do everything in your power to make sure this idiot pays for this. Id even go as far as tryin to get him charged with assault or attempted murder! i dont think i could of kept my head, if someone did this to me id be in jail!!! :nash: fair play to you for keepin a cool head and im glad your not to badly hurt!


I must admit drivers generally aren't quite as aggressive as you've described - I dont think I've ever had a driver tooting his horn at me!


i spend 10-11hrs a day on the road and everyday without fail im shocked at peoples behavior behind the wheel! old people and women are the worst!!

[Hypermonkey]

Heard from a friend that said a biker was knocked off by a chap doing a u-turn. Biker then went ape and smashed the blokes windscreen to get at him....bikes claim void, so yep, always good to try to stay calm.

I to spend a lot of time on the road (Bus Driver) and you do get to see some terible driving and such bad decisions made by people.

[Scootaboy]

I hope sooooo much that this cnut gets his come uppance - and either way take him for every penny you can for the bike and personal injury, this makes me so mad.

Glad you're ok and not too injured.

[Pomp1]

got rammed in a similar scenario last summer by a van, clear example of road rage. Plod came down, took details and everyone was on his way. Took me 4 months to get the money for the part replacement (which I had to pay in advance as I wasn't going to miss summer) but apart from that, nothing, no reprimand, court cases, wrist-slapping or anything.Lucky enough another biker saw everything and witnessed on my side. But as said, no action was taken.

[Catspoon]

Firstly, you're okay. That is the most important thing.

I'm speechless that plod are not investigating this. The car driver has disregarded basic highway code rules and is actually up for a potential ban for this. His entire attitude in causing damage to your bike and injuring you is disgusting. Being late to pick up his son is absolutely no excuse at all for causing an accident. If you had been hit by a coach for example, new regs in place means the driver is instantly investigated. And - quite rightly too - they would be in sever danger of losing their licence. Why should this halfwit be any different?

It only proves yet again that car licences are held by some utter scum. I used to be against the idea of re-testing on a car driving licence but now I'm very much up for it.

[gremlin]

Glad you're ok, but it really makes you wonder about some people. Could you get the police to press charges after all it was basically an assault, if they won't, take it higher, as they would be failing in their duty of care. Alternatively raise it with your insurance company, if you have legal cover you should be able to take action against the driver, your home insurance may also have cover. After all if he does it to you and gets off he may do it again and the next person may not be as skilled in keeping upright. You did really well not hitting him, I think I would have punched his lights out, and I'm the most laid back non violent person there is!

[retskcid]

mate this is totally out of order, if i was you id do everything in your power to make sure this idiot pays for this. Id even go as far as tryin to get him charged with assault or attempted murder! i dont think i could of kept my head, if someone did this to me id be in jail!!! :nash: fair play to you for keepin a cool head and im glad your not to badly hurt!

i spend 10-11hrs a day on the road and everyday without fail im shocked at peoples behavior behind the wheel! old people and women are the worst!!


Don't get me wrong, I agree that the standard of driving out there is pretty damn poor (not helped by the lack of traffic cops these days). I have had some very close shaves - I had an on coming lorry swipe my rear indicator off my Transalp as he passed down a narrow street (I was following behind at the rear corner of a coach - not filtering!). I just expect the worse at all times and ride defensively and progressively, but if I've got an impatient driver close behind me I let them pass - I'd rather stay upright!

[Hypermonkey]

The report by the Police is is getting reviewed by the appropriate people and then they will say what's happeneing so I don't know if they are going to go further yet. It just looks like they may struggle as no measurements/pics of scene taken.

We shall see next week hopefully.

Bike is due for collection tomorrow so will find out the extent of the damage next week also.

Just a quick one...as it will be his insurance they will have to pay for the repairs even if it is over what they would say is a 'viable repair' due to the cost i.e. bike is worth £2k and repairs total £2k?
It's just that looking so far it is adding up. Please add to prices if you know as I'd like to be prepared.

1. New Venom cans £280
2. New levers £40
3. New powdercoat to nearside engine case ??
4. New nearside rearset ??
5. New brake pedal ??
6. New offside rear peg ??
7. New belly pan (£125+paint) = £225-250
8. New Scottoiler dispensing pipe ??
9. New tailtidy and rear lights (£70)
10 Repaint tank from scratches (£150-200)
11 Swingarm dented ??
12 Many little scratches/stone scrapes on frame ??
13 Clutch linkage snapped ??

This is only what I can see and doesn't include labour/assesement/fame jig if needed/testing of all other parts for stress due to the shunt like suspension etc.

Any input welcome.

[Scootaboy]

I reckon they'll scrap it as its not economical to repair - unless you can prove thats its worth more?

My repair estimate for my minor scrape came through at over 2 grand - the repaint of the tank alone was £350, plus cans etc etc etc - and you can barely notice 99% of the damage.

Labour came in at £350...so I think your estimate may be exceeded as you seem to have a lot more damage than me

[Hypermonkey]

Cheers scootaboy, good to have something to scale it up against.

I thought though that as it is HIS insurance they had to repair even if not a viable repair?? If it where me claiming through mine then this wouldn't be the case?

[Scootaboy]

I'm in the same boat as you - it's coming off someone elses insurance as it was the 3rd party's fault, and just going on what my solicitor told me they may insist on giving you the value of the bike before the crash - though I'm not sure if this is always the case and you may be able to argue?

[Hypermonkey]

Well the bike was £1900 and has had to have a £350 alrm fitted for the insurance...with a new unit fitted 2 weeks ago due to a fault.

I'm going to give the assessors a two part brief. Part one is all the damage and what would it take to fix it, and the second part is what needs to be fixed i.e. Zorsts and rear set are a defo replacement..swingarm maybe..other is cosmetic. If they fix the essentials and I get the money to do the rest myself that could be an option??

Just don't want to see him scrapped.

[banditloon]

Glad you got back ok Hyper :thumbsup: Glad I wasn't coming down the road at the time of the accident, the Merc driver would've been wearing the steering wheel lock for my hairdresser car out of a certain hole.

I hope the insurance gets sorted quickly for you matey :thumbsup:

[buzzybear88]

good to hear that your ok thats the main thing , the bike can be repaired / replaced if needs , but there is no excuse for twats like the merc driver , i would have been fumeing at the scene , it was good that you kept your head , and it hopefully will go in your favor for this , this driver needs to be off the road and quickly , next time it happens ( and it will with this twat ) the poor biker may not be so lucky as yourself , persever with all that you can regards getting this fool off the road , and the police need a good kick up the arse as well , surely this is a case of road rage and should be delt with pronto !!! , hope all goes well in the next few weeks with regards your monster !!!!

[ricky]

maybe you could post his no plate after its all sorted so people can keep an eye out for him in their mirrors!

or maybe a mass ride out could be organised to drive past his house!....:ukm:

[ladybird]

Adding to the condolences as well.
They wrote off my monster, but I bought her back with some of the money they offered to replace her, 90% was cosmetic damage. But still took them months to send an assessor and decide how much she was worth in the first place.
As was the lowest class of write-off (whatever that is supposed to mean) I don't seem to have had a problem with re-insuring.
The wonders of fully comp insurance meant that I got the money much faster and they are chasing the 3rd party for what they want back.

[Hypermonkey]

well the bike is going away to the repairers tomorrow (insurance companies reccomended one ...bike fix I think) and they will have the quote by the end of the week...he says :biggrin:

Also the 'road rage' thing. It wasn't until afterwards that things took shape that this could be a reason. He was interviewed seperately in the police car so don't know what he said/was said to him regarding the incident so will hopefully see next week when the BIB ring me...again he says :biggrin:

[PDL]

This is just awful. Glad you are in one piece it could have been a lot worse.

[jimbo696]

What a total tw*t...glad your OK... Did the cops explain why they were not prosecuting?
Is that the road between Bracknell and Wokingham, it looks very familiar..

[Hypermonkey]

Road is around old Woking way. I decided to take that route to Boxhill as opposed to the motorway as I thought it would be a safer bet! Oh the ironing!!

BIB are reviewing and will let me know what is what. They have our details and the chap doesn't look like he would be the kind to 'do a runner' so he'll be there if they need to pursue this further.

[Snips]

Oh the ironing!!

hehe, guessing you meant irony as it sounds like you'll need more than an iron to straighten out your bike :(

As I said earlier on this thread, glad that you at least are in one piece (and don't need ironing ;) )

[Hypermonkey]

Meant irony but always say ironing.

Tomorrow should be a fun day of speaking to assessors, insurance, BIB and the Drs to see what can be done for my leg and back...now they DO need ironing out :p

[Snips]

Meant irony but always say ironing.

Good one, like it.

[Paivi]

Glad you're OK, as it could have been much worse.

[Hypermonkey]

Well I got the bike delivered back to me today. When it turned up I was like a little kid at Christmas again:biggrin:

I've taken the rearsets off that where damaged and got the replacement e-bay won ones straight on. At this point I was glad I copper-slipp'd all of the bolts/screws/nuts before the winter and they flew off.

I put the standard cans back on (I'm getting it through an MOT and want to be sure all is well before splashing out on expensive things) and started it up. It sounds very muted compared to the Venoms but still sounded great and started on the button.

I'm waiting for the gear selector rod, new rear lights and a new air filter to be delivered before I can ride out to the test centre, which I hope to do early next week.

After that it's refitting the Scottoiler, a HUGE clean, new cans, re-paint the brake/clutch levers and re-fitting the crank case breather...so a good afternoons fun before getting out on it again


Regarding the 3rd party, I haven't heard anything from Guildford Police so will ring them to see what they plan to do regarding charges for what he did....but breath is not being held...after all, I'm only a biker:mad: