Phurrball's first bin, and what I've learned.

[Phurrball]

There seems to be a lot of this around at the moment...

First bin out the way for me now - after two odd years on the road. I am fine - a couple of tiny scrapes here and there, but nothing that'll slow me down at all.

Pretty stupid really - many lessons in the situation for me and hopefully for others too.

As per, running late for a lecture going at a fast tootle eastward (towards Waterloo Quadrant) down Princes St by Auckland university:

Had just passed a car that had reversed out and was travelling in the same direction as me. I was riding close to the flush median, I had just checked the pedestrian crossing, and determined it was clear. I noted a black hatchback reversing out of a park on the other side of crossing and about to pull into the space on the east side of the PedX to either park, or maybe do a 3 point turn (see picture - either poor reversing positioning, or 3 point turn/pull into park)

I made the terrible error of assumption at this point - as the car was moving forward towards the other side of the road, I assumed it would keep doing that, or at least pull into the flush median and I would pass on the left. It didn't quite do this...

The car stopped and the back of the car stuck out diagonally from the flush median into my lane. I only recognised what was happening after the fact, as instincts took over...

Grabbed the front brake at approx 50ish. Oh dear. Locked that (Or at least a witness tells me they heard a locked-brake screech) Boom. Clipped the corner of the car that was sticking out. Taking off the rear bumper.

My guess is that both parties contributed to the crash...

Minor scratches on legs (Was only wearing jeans - bad!), scrapes on boots, gloves and back of backpack.

Bike has a cracked engine casing (oil everywhere), smashed speedo/left indicator, damage to left of headlight bezel, scrapes and dent on tank, scrapes on frame, minor scrapes on tailpiece.

Lesson one - don't take risks because you're late. I'm sure my concentration wasn't what it should have been as I was stressing. The universe saw fit only to give me a minor crash as a wake-up call - I count myself lucky! Getting there on time isn't worth crashing for. If you're late, the stress affects your concentration.

Lesson 2 - assumption is the mother of all fuck-ups. If there's parked cars, expect people not to see you and to behave erratically.

I KNOW both of these things, but wasn't on top of my game. That's what's pissing me off the most - If I'd been calmer, and expecting the worst, I would've avoided the crash.

Oh well, never mind - I'm fine, and counting my blessings.

Another life lesson learned.

[crashe]

Glad to hear you are ok ...........

Arnica tabs or arnica cream are really good for any bruising that is sure to appear.

[Kwaka14]

Glad you're ok Ross, give me a yell if ya need a hand with anything....

[Babelfish]

Bugger eh? Always good to see a good bin write-up though, especially when the binner writes it.

I think you have a good mindset about it all, I commute daily and I'm pretty switched on (imho) but it takes firk all to have a wee lapse and if thats at the wrong time then BIFFO. Happened to me the other night, coming back from training, had a half asleep moment taking off at an intersection and a car running the red passed within an inch of my arse. I ALWAYS look in 100 directions when I go through an intersection...apart from that time.

Dont knock yourself too hard, it sounds like the wake-up worked...onwards and uprightwards mate!

[Ixion]

Are TPTB putting something into the water lately, or what.

[mstriumph]

glad to hear you are ok ......... the first one is ALWAYS a bucket of cold water ['cause it just seems so unimaginable until it actually happens ......]

bike a writeoff?

[Babelfish]

Are TPTB putting something into the water lately, or what.

I definately felt something in my waters :sick:

[Smorg]

Glad to hear you are ok ...........

Arnica tabs or arnica cream are really good for any bruising that is sure to appear.

is there anything you dont know?

[crashe]

is there anything you dont know?

Hell yeah heaps of things I dont know........

I learn new stuff everyday......... its what you do with that knowledge that counts.

[Leong]

Nice write up - Looks like you've learnt from it! 1st bin in bout two years - Not bad. We started biking at about the same time if you remember, I've binned twice already!!!

[Phurrball]

A bit sore today, but still 95% okay.

The more I think about it, the more I think the other driver may have reversed from the opposite side of the road since I didn't see them until it was too late - although I can't be shure. The other possibility is that they'd pulled (not very well) into the flush median having been traveling in the same direction as me (making me primarily responsible for the crash) - this seems unlikely, as I'm sure I would've seen them...

I'll leave the blame game up to the insurers (BTW Star are really looking after me - more on that later)

In hindsight I really appreciate the quality of my gear: -

Abrasions on my gloves (Palms and finger-tips) and my left boot, a TEAR in the leather at the back of the right boot (peg I think) I would've been a mess without this gear, especially the gloves and boots(I cringed as I saw an sv650 rider in shorts, t-shirt and sneakers go past after the fact).

Big take-home message for everyone here is that ordinary shoes are never OK judging by the damage to my boots (I always wear my boots) My take-home message is that I should really get some draggins or similar if I insist on riding in jeans around town.

The bike shouldn't be write off ('tis naked after all - so no pricey tupperware) although I am kicking myself I didn't put crash bungs on it - they would've saved the engine casing and possibly the tank/frame.

If you want to ogle it it's at Motohaus at the moment. (might post some piccs here)

Thanks all for the positive feedback - if other's can learn from this too, the suffering hasn't been wasted.

Ross

[Babelfish]

I'll leave the blame game up to the insurers (BTW Star are really looking after me - more on that later)

Whether legally it is their fault or not, I always go by the rule that its my fault as I should always be on my game and better than any other road user out there in defensive terms.



I cringed as I saw an sv650 rider in shorts, t-shirt and sneakers go past after the fact.

I love natural selection



Thanks all for the positive feedback - if other's can learn from this too, the suffering hasn't been wasted.
Ross
Yeah man, always good to see a good (?) bin write-up on here and see some lessons getting propogated :yes:

[surfer]

You can't beat being in the moment and doing that one thing. The world slows down when you are there.

Easy said than done though as being late or worrying about something in our stressed out lives often is the case. Good write up, glad you are ok.

urrggghhh horrible thoughts after seeing Smorg's avatar, I think I'm going to have a nightmare tonight:gob: .

[Phurrball]

Whether legally it is their fault or not, I always go by the rule that its my fault as I should always be on my game and better than any other road user out there in defensive terms.

My thoughts too. Have been kicking myself over it - I could so easily have avoided it by being a little calmer, and a little more cautious along a piece of road that generates so much muppetry. Sigh. Oh well...

[Macktheknife]

My thoughts too. Have been kicking myself over it - I could so easily have avoided it by being a little calmer, and a little more cautious along a piece of road that generates so much muppetry. Sigh. Oh well...

Gotta say, love the attitude you are using for dealing with this.
Sorry to hear you are sore but really glad that is all you suffered. You have done well to avoid anything more serious and having taken 2 years to do so, well done.
Hoping the repairs go well and fast for you.
Ride safe.

[Chisanga]

(I cringed as I saw an sv650 rider in shorts, t-shirt and sneakers go past after the fact).



I have NEVER seen a biker at Uni wear full gear - most wear shorts or jeans and t-shirt etc.

I am the exception when I turn up in full leathers :)

I guess they are young and dumb and i'm shit scared of losing half my skin.


Glad you are ok mate... uni can be a crazy place to bike around sound days.

[Babelfish]

Yeah phurrball, top binitude bling mate :yes:

[Maelstrom]

Glad to hear you're ok. There was a guy killed the day before yesterday on the road I ride home from work. He was 57 and an approved riding instructor, killed on his side of the road, middle of his lane, by an oncoming BMW driven by a 27 year old. Sometimes even the best go down through no fault of their own so the ones you get away with are always worth the experience :yes:

[KLOWN]

I have NEVER seen a biker at Uni wear full gear - most wear shorts or jeans and t-shirt etc.

I am the exception when I turn up in full leathers :)

I guess they are young and dumb and i'm shit scared of losing half my skin.


Glad you are ok mate... uni can be a crazy place to bike around sound days.

leathers will only save you from ripping iyour skin off when you slide down the road. It has minimal impact protection and won't save you from breaking your arm/leg etc. I ride to uni in shorts and shoes, I wear gloves helmet and leather jacket. Phurrball came off doing 50kph, maybe less after he had braked etc but only minor scrapes on his unprotected legs. If I were to go over 100kph then I'd put on the full gear. My technique round uni is to go fast as possible and in as low as gear is possible so everyone hears me and funnily enough they pay attention and move outta my way, even cars. If they think you crazy then they don't want to hit u. Come say hi to me if iyou see me round uni. pic attached.

[Babelfish]

leathers will only save you from ripping iyour skin off when you slide down the road. It has minimal impact protection and won't save you from breaking your arm/leg etc. I ride to uni in shorts and shoes, I wear gloves helmet and leather jacket. Phurrball came off doing 50kph, maybe less after he had braked etc but only minor scrapes on his unprotected legs. If I were to go over 100kph then I'd put on the full gear. My technique round uni is to go fast as possible and in as low as gear is possible so everyone hears me and funnily enough they pay attention and move outta my way, even cars. If they think you crazy then they don't want to hit u. Come say hi to me if iyou see me round uni. pic attached.

You, my friend, are a moron :drool:

You're havin a laugh int yer? Tell me you are. :crazy:

I came off once, doing 50, just before my bike plowed into a u-turning car. I was wearing jeans and an oil skin jacket, helmet, gloves and ankle boots. Where my knee hit the road it ripped a big flap open, where my elbow hit the road it ripped a big flap open. Now I dont tackle anything without all the blunt points protected, period.

If you arent kidding, when you get nailed can you post it here so I can come and see your grind marks?

[terbang]

Oh well Phuurball I'm glad to hear you are OK and you seem to have looked closely at how it all happened with the aim to prevent. There gernerally is not one thing but several that lead to a crash. An error chain often develops leading to an acciden and recognising the linked errors is part of the way to avoidance. Fair enough admission on the riding gear that has provoked the usual response. Remember, we wear cow skin to save our own skin and thats about it. It isn't a suit of armour and won't stop us from being dismembered (though it may contain the broken bits in one neat bag). Lets not let our leathers turn us into supermen. Our greatest protection device remains between our ears and it appears that you are using that well.
Cheers B

[Phurrball]

I have NEVER seen a biker at Uni wear full gear - most wear shorts or jeans and t-shirt etc.

I am the exception when I turn up in full leathers :)

I guess they are young and dumb and i'm shit scared of losing half my skin.


Glad you are ok mate... uni can be a crazy place to bike around sound days.

Cheers again all.

You're right Chisanga - there aren't many that wear all (or at least most of)the gear to University.

I especially cringe when I see attractive young women on scooters with an open-face helmet and no gloves!!! :gob: I can almost understand going without boots on a scooter (less sharp things, like pegs, poking out) but the rest - hell no. If you're that hot - why oh why would you risk your attractive skin?!?! (I'm sure the gender reverse applies for well-geared female motorcyclists seeing unprotected hot men on two wheels)

I'm lucky that my pointy bits were well protected - with the exception of my knees. I'll be making a point of never going without either draggin-style jeans or my cordura pants when I commute.


(snip) I ride to uni in shorts and shoes, I wear gloves helmet and leather jacket. Phurrball came off doing 50kph, maybe less after he had braked etc but only minor scrapes on his unprotected legs. (snip).

Dude - I'd hate to see what my feet/legs would've been like if I hadn't been wearing solid boots. Leather on the rear of my R boot was TORN, L boot seriously scuffed on outside of foot. if I'd been wearing shoes, that would've been my foot/leg. For the love of god please wear boots!

Insurance assessor has been appointed to look at the poor machine - big thanks to Star insurance for being quick off the mark and very helpful so far.

On another university motorcycling note - a coupe of fellas have started a university motorcycle and scooter club. $3 for a year - they'll be seeking sponsorship and could be a useful lobby group for all things two-wheeled hereabouts. I was attracted by the bikes parked in the quad - I suggest that university/AUT KBers join up - what is there to loose for $3?

(Except maybe a cup of coffee...)

[KLOWN]

i'll stick to my shorts and shoes for the mo. I always wear gloves helmet and jacket. I wear kevlar jeans when I wear pants and i'm riding. I'm not saying I won't get hurt, just saying I am willing to risk it compared to my comfort. Not that long ago people didn't even bother to wear helmets on bikes. Hopefully I won't become a statistic but if I do, I do it knowingly. (if that makes sense)
Its just not practicable to wear all the gear all the time. I have noticed that I am one of the more well dressed riders, in the respect that I have helmet gloves and jacket. Most people I see are helmet only or sometimes helmet and jacket. I wouldn't want to loose the skin off my hands thats just painful !

[Phurrball]

Pictures...

:slap:

Note the 'ouch', the scuffing on gloves (esp the finger tips!), and my poor battered bike...

[Phurrball]

The rest...

You can see where I locked the front. The side of the tyre where the mark is leads me to believe I had fixed on the target. So much to learn, so hard to fight natural reflex reactions...

Observe too the chalk on the tyre where officer 88 gave me a $40 ticket for failing to pay and display - even though the lifeblood of the bike was all over the road and smashed bits were stacked on the seat! That is a textbook definition of arsehole IMHO (Don't start me - I've had an altercation with this parking warden before - he is a particularly nasty piece of work...)

[Finn]

I'm just glad my tax dollar isn't paying for this losers ACC.

[Cibby]

gld to her you are ok :)

[Motig]

As Victor Meldrew would say "I don't BELIEVE IT !!!!!" You have a bin and some twat gives you a parking ticket ! Good Grief. Good to see your OK tho.

[Ixion]

Did a cop turn up at the accident? If one did you probably have a defense to the parking ticket (who says parking wardens are human, now) , in that you were complying with the directions of an enforcement officer. I know you weren't really, but it's a nice legal fiction. Strictly no one should move a vehicle at an accident scene without the permission of the attending officer. So, you didn't. Right.

[crashe]

Ring up the person in charge of the parking warden.... Yep there is someone in charge of this twat and then explain the situation....
You had to move the bike out of the middle of the road and put it somewhere safe until as such time as you could get it lifted onto a tow truck as the bike was unridable from the accident. (you have pictures of proof that the bike is damaged)

You had to wait X amount of time until the tow truck arrived as they were towing another vehicle..... and you had been taken to hospital to get your injuries sorted out. As you were the only person on the bike there was no one that you could leave the bike with, until the tow truck driver arrived to remove the bike from said parking space.

Which would they prefer that you leave it in the middle of the road and cause chaos and road congestion.....

You had all the broken bits and pieces on top of the bike.


If that dont work...... contact the mayor, cos he also likes bikes.


Good luck in getting off the ticket..... charm the buggers.

[Phurrball]

I'm just glad my tax dollar isn't paying for this loser's ACC.

I thought you said you didn't pay tax? in which case, stop whinging :crybaby:. Anyhoo, if you do pay tax, you're paying plenty for my tree-hugging leftie PeeCee law degree [Tui] (And all the interest on my loan), plus a few not-so-small surgeries in the public health system, so :nya:


Did a cop turn up at the accident? If one did you probably have a defense to the parking ticket (who says parking wardens are human, now) , in that you were complying with the directions of an enforcement officer. I know you weren't really, but it's a nice legal fiction. Strictly no one should move a vehicle at an accident scene without the permission of the attending officer. So, you didn't. Right.

The police did turn up - only because we hailed a passing car. They didn't take any details, as they were itching to find someone that had absconded. They said they'd radio comms about the oil slick - but as they seemed otherwise engaged, I took that with a grain of salt.

I'm not worried about the ticket, as I have a few defences that would work - necessity (basically what you said), absence of fault etc.

I chased a parking warden, who it turned out didn't write the ticket...he said their policy was not to ticket bikes or convertibles in pay-and-display parks, as the owner can always say "I bought and displayed the ticket, but it must've blown away, or been stolen by a third party" - viola - absence of fault defence. (Mentioned the oil slick to him too, said he'd mention it - again I wasn't convinced, although he was pleasant enough)

I have two previous tickets from the delightful officer 88 that I'm less than happy with - I will be writing in with all three, stressing the last, with a 'please explain' and an official information act request for their ticketing policy - I'll be glad to share my results.

As a post-script, I rang the council myself regarding the oil slick. The last thing I wanted was for a fellow biker to go down because of my 3 odd-litres Motul on the road. The council were really good, and got onto it that day. All cleaned up when I checked the next day - good to know they do care about such things :sunny: