Little old men with hats... And one nice coppa

[WildBoarMouse]

Okay, it's been a couple months since I've read the forum posts, let alone posted here so I may as well make the first an interesting one.

Heading North near Wendys in Henderson, I was riding along somewhere between 30-35mph and a little old guy in his blue hatchback something decided he wanted to share my lane. So, he indicated, cut in to my lane (2-3 second following now distance now reduced to 3-4 metres) and jammed on his brakes because he wanted to pull into the carpark... I remember grabbing a handful of brake and the next thing I knew I was sliding along the road thinking "how did I get down here". I still can't believe how quick it happened! I don't remember the sensation of being thrown or anything... just sliding along the road looking up at the traffic going past.

First thing I did was get up and ask a guy going the other way if he'd seen what had happened, if he'd seen the guy cut me off... he looked a little flustered, winked, and said "Is that what you wanted me to have seen" or something to that extent... Not really the witness I was after

After getting the bike up and off the road (sorry to those that got banked up through the round-about!) the lady that had been behind the old guy(with a hat) came up and said she'd seen everything (woohoo!).

Someone had apparently called the cops which was excellent because the old chap (i'll call him bob) denied any responsibility. He must have been around 85 and I can imagine he'd not have wanted any kind of mark on his record at that age. Anyway constable C. talked to everyone, took his notes, called a towy for me, and said he'd get back to me on the monday as to what the final decision of responsibility would be. He was really good about the whole thing and was just stoked I was able to hop up and complain afterwards instead of lying on the road needing assistance

Everyone buggered off while I was left waiting for the towy... and I just couldn't get the bike back in to neutral. The towy (A2B towing) ended up popping the bike back in to gear and getting it started for me! Bloody good guy... especially since he did himself out of a tow in the process.

So, constable C. got back to me today and they're issuing Bob with a ticket for an unsafe lane change. Yay! No impact on my driving record (or insurance claims record!).

The bike is now in at City Motorcyles (Ponsonby) getting the once over...

Has anyone had a customised bike damaged and repaired under insurance? My 1991 CBR600 F1 has F2 (1994+) front fairings. Two of the three will probably need to be replaced as they're worn right through in places. To make replacements fit will require some fibreglass work. Does anyone have any idea if this sort of stuff is covered? I'm with AA Insurance.

All in all, if I had to go through a crash again I'd quite happily do that. A badly bruised knee and a few sprained leg muscles but that was it. Nothing that didn't heal given a few days.

I'd ripped a jagged piece out of my knee armor, and ripped down the right side of my jacket... I must have come down on the hands as well to some extent as the palm of my right glove is torn out... Basically, I did more damage to my gear in this low side than I did in my high side last year. Sheesh... I even managed to wear a hole in the tip of my boot. argh!

Does anyone in the auckland region sell Alpine Star Effex Gore-Tex boots? I need size US 14/15 (Euro 50). That particular model is classed by Alpinestar as a "wide fit" which is what I need. I had to get these ones from the states so I'm pretty miffed that I now have to go to the hassle of replacing them.

Is there a particular shop that can sort me out with a quote for:
Tecknic Sprint Jacket & Pants
Alpinestar boots (as above)
Alpinestar gloves
HJC helmet...

I should have taken a couple of photos... the bike looks like someone took to one side of it with a belt sander... Oh well, that's me off the road for a few weeks.

Moral of the story... Expect the unexpected... which is hard, because you're usually not expecting it And look out for old men with hats.

[Macktheknife]

Bummer dude, good luck with the repairs and the new gear. Glad you are ok though.

[Ixion]

Bad luck, but good that you were not injured.

Anyone with headgear is bad news in my experience. Old men in hats, women in those silly floppy things, turbans, baseball caps, plod caps, if the head is covered they're bad news. (except helmets of course)

[The Pastor]

You forgot hoodies.


Dose insurance cover all the stuff like bike gear? some of those helmets are more than my bikes worth lol

[Ixion]

Oh, yeah, them too. And bhurkas.

[Motu]

I always wear a hat - you have been warned....

[Fat Tony]

Glad to hear that you weren't badly injured. I hope you get the bike and gear sorted as soon as.

I've recently fitted a bullet camera to my bike and record the daily commute for the very reason that most car drivers will deny any responsibilty, and more often than not, the blame is always pinned on the biker (over here anyway)

[Blackbird]

Anyone with headgear is bad news in my experience. Old men in hats,

Old men in trilbys are the VERY worst. People in baseball caps can be agressive but the trilby brigade are completely unpredictable. When I was (a lot) younger, one in a mini did a U turn right in front of me without indicating. Nowhere to go, I collected the side of his car and my balls collected the prominent steering damper knob on my Triumph. Was walking like John Wayne for a week.

Pleased you got off lightly WBM

[SwanTiger]

Good you hear you are alright dude!

I always wear a hat - you have been warned....

You a baldy aye?

[Motu]

I was born bald.

[Edbear]

Uh oh! Praise for the Police!


PS. Glad you're okay! Living in Orewa, old drivers are a natural local hazard...

[frogfeaturesFZR]

Glad to hear you're ok. Ain't it grand to be completely invisible ?

[Hellraiser]

Has anyone had a customised bike damaged and repaired under insurance? My 1991 CBR600 F1 has F2 (1994+) front fairings. Two of the three will probably need to be replaced as they're worn right through in places. To make replacements fit will require some fibreglass work. Does anyone have any idea if this sort of stuff is covered? I'm with AA Insurance.

Unless you told your insurance company about the mods then your probably going to be shit out of luck. Don't be suprised if they write it off.

As far as i am aware your gear is covered under conents insurance or at least that is what i was told by my insurance company.

[WildBoarMouse]

To be honest, it wasn't until about a month after I'd purchased the bike that I realised something was up with the fairings. I got hold of the service manual and noticed that all the pictures were different... Hmm... I'll just have to see how it goes. I think that the only mods were around the indicators on the inside. Who knows... hopefully the assesor will have a look at it today. To start with I just assumed it was a factory variation... d'oh.

I first thought constable C. would instantly assume that because I was on the bike that I was the one being the nuisance to society. He certainly looked at the whole thing from both sides... enough so that until he rang I didn't know what the decision was going to be.

Yeah, my gear is definitely covered by my contents. All I can say is "horray for insurance!"

[sels1]

Have a chat to your insurance Co and see what they say - you may be pleasantly surprised. If they arent going to be helpful you could consider taking a claim to the Small Claims Tribunual against the other driver. It dosent cost much although it takes a bit of time/effort. But you could get all your damages paid for. A phone call to your local Citizens Advice Bureau should point you in the right direction