Originally Posted by
mikemike104
EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED!
Almost the same spot where I had my tank slapper experience earlier this year. I'm riding home from work behind a black car, as per usual nothing special about this, on my way home very near my house (I can almost f*&n see it) on a very straight piece of road are some railway lines, car brakes I brake, next thing I know from the corner of my eye he's waiving over the top of his roof for me to pass him on the inside, as this I find quite unusual I am distracted enough to not realise he has essentially stopped at the railway crossing due to the fact that his very low Nissan Silvia may not make it in one piece were he to drive normally over said railway line. I brake harder but do not have a hope in stopping in time. Now the unexplainable happens.
Instead of the swerve and avoid manoeuvre I know I should have employed (explainable I know), under brakes I run straight into the back left of the Siliva going I don't know how fast, I distinctly remember my face/visor being centimetres from the bottom edge of his rear windscreen and me sliding up the boot, I remember the sound of hitting the car... unsure if the sound was bike hitting car or me hitting car, I am uncertain, but pretty sure I wasn't holding the bars by this time and vaguely remember sliding back down the boot of the car.. straight onto my waiting bike which by this time it would seem was in the process of causing a fuckin whopping great big long dent on the rear left quarter panel (on a Siliva this begins at the rear facing part of the car above the stop lights and continues around to the door frame) said dent stretches from the top of this panel above the brake light to almost knee level ending half a meter from the passengers door! I can only assume this was caused by the right bar end because nothing apart from that and me hit the car... I'm thinking "Jesus I'm still upright" I expected to be sliding by this point but I'm upright on two wheels and braking again to pull over and stop on the left, I get off the bike and give the Silivia driver two thumbs up as they walk over, helmet off expect bike is at least forks bent due to impact and front guard gone.. no damage, check road for white GPX fairings, no fairings, they are still on bike.. unscratched... pat myself down, move all muscle groups that spring to mind, decide I have bump on right shin from plastic bumper, no injuries. Car driver seems pretty happy I am unhurt, swap details, he seems pretty nervous, I try crackin jokes but he's not having it.. to ease the tension I admit fault as I hit him from behind, he seems happier after I do this, say our goodbyes, bike wont start... somehow I have managed to hit the "engine off" switch as well. I ride home and decide I'm still going to the gym anyway. Gym was great btw.
Lessons learnt today:
1. Following distances are really fuckin important even when its bone dry.
2. I will be practising brake & swerve till I run out of petrol money asafp.
3. I am lucky to be typing and every day's a gift.
I didn't post this looking for sympathy, I certainly expect the "slow down Rossi" etc comments I got when I posted about my tankslapper. I posted this because I was so happy with my riding, thought I was doing really well, got restricted recently and had not had any kind of incident for months, I was sure I was checking and processing everything that needed to be checked and processed and was undone because somebody did something I didn't expect them to do.... they waved.
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