Please read this - anatomy of my crash

[Spearfish]

Just spent most of the evening with a mate straigtening it up as best as I can for the moment. It takes a bit to kill an old Yammy XJ550.

I think my shoulder took the biggest hit but my leg took the double hit. Gotta love armoured jacket sholders and steel shin guards)

It seems your climbing on top of it, your both still working although carrying scares.
I bet the cost of good gear is soon forgotten after a crash like that one.

[jasonu]

As you say.No doubt this thread will like so many others degenerate into what ifs/what i would have done/what Carl Fogarty would do blah blah blah,main thing is your here to tell the story eh sounds like it could have been well worse.

Hey grand dad, who's Carl Fogarty???
Na, I agree with you, could have been worse and I hope to hear the driver gets his nuts kicked by the legal system.

[Tony W]

You saw the driver driving erratically, so you slowed and created more space between you. Excellent !

Then you had time to sound your horn and crash into him. Hmmm.

Sell your bike. The road can be a dangerous place...

[swbarnett]

You saw the driver driving erratically, so you slowed and created more space between you.

Unlike some I don't claim to know what happened - I wasn't there. However, I find myself wondering if this was exactly the wrong thing to do. I've been in situations where the last thing that was needed was to be submissive. Sometimes asserting your right to be on the road is what's required. Kind of like never back down from a charging elephant. As soon as you show fear they've got you.

[Toaster]

Good read but why make people sign into facebook (or join if they are not a member) to read it. Copy and paste it here.

Agreed! I didn't bother to follow the link, instead read the reply comments and could get enough of an idea of what it was about.

[Shiny side up]

Unlike some I don't claim to know what happened - I wasn't there. However, I find myself wondering if this was exactly the wrong thing to do. I've been in situations where the last thing that was needed was to be submissive. Sometimes asserting your right to be on the road is what's required. Kind of like never back down from a charging elephant. As soon as you show fear they've got you.

Fair question. There was NO attempt to assert any rights. The horn was actually at the rear car in the left hand lane that swaped lanes right in front of me. He swapped lanes, I think, to go around the car that crashed me. So I give the rear car a buzz on the horn to say "not nice" then the car that crashed me turned right while exiting the roundabout and attempted to drive between me and the car that had just changed lanes directly in front of me.
I made no push for rights I have been on 2 wheels for too long to bother using a horn to try and get ROW.
Usally if I see a car is going to do something stupid (and there is time etc) I pull the clutch in and make the engine scream. This is usally far more effective than the horn. When you toot at cage drivers they usally just give you the finger.

The moron that crashed me did not behave normaly from start to finish....

[Shiny side up]

Agreed! I didn't bother to follow the link, instead read the reply comments and could get enough of an idea of what it was about.

someone was good enough to paste the entire letter into the comments on the first page.

[Katman]

Usally if I see a car is going to do something stupid (and there is time etc) I pull the clutch in and make the engine scream.

Why on earth would you do that????

By doing so you sacrifice 90% of the controlability of your bike.

[Shiny side up]

I am normally ok with the cops but at the moment I am just a bit dirty. The low life that knocked me off the bike last Tuesday went to court (today I think). The cops did not tell me the case was up today. The first I knew of it was when I got a call from the courts to say it was all done.
I have been trying since late last week to contact the cop that was assigned to the case and he has been away on days off.
The court clerk told me the cage driver pleaded guilty and was given 6 months loss of license and $300 fine..... that's it. The prick drinks, smacks out the motorbike, runs off leaving me stuck under the bike in the middle of a busy roundabout, drives a car with expired rego, is charged with dangerous driving and failing to ascertain injury (both of which have a MINIMUM sentence of 6 months) and all he gets is the bare minimum.
So if you crash into someone after drinking it is well worth running. The punishment for crashing and injuring someone will probably be less than drink driving punishment on it's own.

Waiting to talk to the cop tomorrow when he gets back then we will see about the complaints authority.

[CookMySock]

Sounds like you were lucky there wasnt more anatomy on display.

[Brett]

Unlike some I don't claim to know what happened - I wasn't there. However, I find myself wondering if this was exactly the wrong thing to do. I've been in situations where the last thing that was needed was to be submissive. Sometimes asserting your right to be on the road is what's required. Kind of like never back down from a charging elephant. As soon as you show fear they've got you.

Not entirely sure about your advice re: submission on a motorcycle, however I can assure you that your advice re a charging elephant will get you killed.

No point in trying to staunch the other vehicle out, if they decide to call your bluff, you're fucked. Best to ride defensively which at times will dictate that you carry out an aggressive move but will at other times see you taking the submissive.

[superman]

Unlike some I don't claim to know what happened - I wasn't there. However, I find myself wondering if this was exactly the wrong thing to do. I've been in situations where the last thing that was needed was to be submissive. Sometimes asserting your right to be on the road is what's required. Kind of like never back down from a charging elephant. As soon as you show fear they've got you.

Walking in front of a stopped bus, it drives forward and knocks me with his wing mirror. Drives on not caring. All because I wasn't going to run in front of it like a little girl scared of big old bussy instead being staunch and asserting my place in crossing the road. Should have dropped onto the ground now thinking back... It's a pedestrian crossing mainly (not legally but recognised as mainly pedestrian road that bisects Auckland uni), he was just being a dickhead! But really he's bigger, and much less caring obviously!

[swbarnett]

Not entirely sure about your advice re: submission on a motorcycle, however I can assure you that your advice re a charging elephant will get you killed.

I got this from some reality show where a tourist vehicle in Africa was charged. The driver made no attempt to back off and the elephant stopped short. The driver said that the elephant was testing his resolve and will back down if you hold your ground.

No point in trying to staunch the other vehicle out, if they decide to call your bluff, you're fucked.

That's why you should always have an out should you need it. I've been charged by an 18-wheeler with trailer when I was on my CB125T back in the 80s. I believe the only reason they didn't run me off the road is that I held my ground. I was just on the point of swerving away when they turned back.

Best to ride defensively which at times will dictate that you carry out an aggressive move but will at other times see you taking the submissive.

Which is exactly what I was trying to say - sometimes you have to be assertive.

[Katman]

That's why you should always have an out should you need it. I've been charged by an 18-wheeler with trailer when I was on my CB125T back in the 80s. I believe the only reason they didn't run me off the road is that I held my ground.

More fool you.

[swbarnett]

Walking in front of a stopped bus, it drives forward and knocks me with his wing mirror. Drives on not caring. All because I wasn't going to run in front of it like a little girl scared of big old bussy instead being staunch and asserting my place in crossing the road. Should have dropped onto the ground now thinking back... It's a pedestrian crossing mainly (not legally but recognised as mainly pedestrian road that bisects Auckland uni), he was just being a dickhead! But really he's bigger, and much less caring obviously!

First of all, Alfred St. (I assume you mean the road between the library and the quadrangle?) is not a pedestrian road. It is a limited access road that has lots of pedestrians.

The bus was stopped and, as such, under a legal and moral obligation to check the road is clear before moving. However, you can't assume this is the way they will act. More space between you and the bus was required.

I have had cars try to run me down when I was on a ped crossing. Having gauged their speed and decided that they can stop easily I stood my ground and damn near put a dent in their bonnet to get their attention.

I'm not saying that assertiveness on the road is always the correct course but it should not be discounted as a weapon in your arsenal.

When I used to commute my bicycle I had a couple of occasions where I stopped a bus and tore strips out of the driver simply by being assertive. There were also times when I tried this and failed. I didn't get squashed because I recognised the point where it became evident that they didn't care if they squashed me or not.