My first serious crash: typically common scenario. What next?

[PrincessBandit]

Yeah, it sure helps to have the right gear when body meets the hard surface of whatever it is you end up sliding along/bouncing off etc.

The insurance thing is a bummer - but I'm sure you'll learn something about that out of this incident (either it becomes a priority with your bike ownership, or you still don't consider it a biggie - some people would still think that after an experience like yours).

As for ABS my hubby said the same thing when i had my spill - "if only you'd had ABS you might not have lost control of the bike in your braking". I'm pretty certain it wouldn't have saved my ass. However I was lucky enough to walk away with only a broken collar bone; my gear took the brunt of everything else, and I considered it an enormously valuable lesson learnt.

you've walked away from yours and I hope that the lessons you've learnt will stand you in good stead for the remainder of your riding days!

[baffa]

Bad luck on the accident.

Re the insurance angle, third party policies will sometimes carry a feature that covers you if you are hit by a third party driver who doesnt have insurance. So although full cover is best, third party can also help.

Also insurance can cover your gear as well, as well as paying you out in full, and recovering the cost from the silly cager. As others have said, even if he is at fault, it's unlikely for you to get paid out quickly.

[Zadkiel]

Yes, as per above, third party policies often have "Uninsured Driver Protection" which covers you up to a certain amount for events your not at fault for and then they attempt to reclaim the money themselves. You will be having a hard time dealing with it yourself though unfortunately.

Good luck!

[caspernz]

Riding without insurance....mmm, personal choice I suppose. Did you learn anything?

Not listening to the little voices that warn you....assuming the other driver has seen you....then locking up under brakes....to me that sounds you're just like about 90% of motorcyclists who think they don't need any training on how to ride properly.

ABS will help in some instances, but not unless you've done some practice or have been trained how to use it properly.

Hey, at least you had the brains to wear the right gear so it's not all bad...

[Spearfish]

ABS or no ABS is a tricky one.
I know a well practised rider can scrub of speed faster than one relying on ABS but surly ABS lifts the average?

[Swoop]

I like uninsured drivers.

One idiot decided to drive into my car and they provided a new wheel + tyre + wheel alignment + panelbeating + painting.

I just left the insurance company to sort it all out. Very pleasant and saved me a heap of $$$'s.

[pritch]

I know a well practised rider can scrub of speed faster than one relying on ABS but surly ABS lifts the average?

Magazines have tested this.

The experienced racer types can stop faster without ABS - after a practice run or two.
In the real world you don't get a couple of warm ups. In that situation, unless your mates name is Rossi or Stoner, he'll probably be faster with ABS. Whether he thinks so or not.

[blackdog]

I know a well practised rider can scrub of speed faster than one relying on ABS but surly ABS lifts the average?

I hope I never have to rely on information you KNOW is correct in the future.

Perhaps a little research before posting hastily next time?

[HenryDorsetCase]

Hi fellow riders!
then figured he probably saw me.

there's your problem.

[HenryDorsetCase]

Magazines have tested this.

The experienced racer types can stop faster without ABS - after a practice run or two.
In the real world you don't get a couple of warm ups. In that situation, unless your mates name is Rossi or Stoner, he'll probably be faster with ABS. Whether he thinks so or not.

Yeah, cycle world tested it with Don Canet a few years ago.

[caspernz]

ABS improves the odds for most of us mortals.
How many bikes have ABS today?
How many had it 10 years ago?
Wanna bet how many have it in 10 years time?

I reckon that at least 90% of the problem is poor rider technique or skills, so we look to the 10% that technology can help us with....

My next bike will no doubt have ABS, but that doesn't mean I'll feel invincible....

[oracle]

Since he caused the incident*, both by own admission and by police ruling I presume, you should also go to a bike shop and ask for a quote to replace your gear since you said that all but your gloves were damaged.

*have to agree with all the self-righteous sounding people that almost all crashes aren't accidents as they could easily be avoided including your own

[Spearfish]

I hope I never have to rely on information you KNOW is correct in the future.

Perhaps a little research before posting hastily next time?

Nothing hasty about my posts I'm timed out well before pushing the submit button most times

I should have made the post clearer.

[caspernz]

Oh sounding self righteous usually comes after having learned some stupid things the hard way personally, I will admit. The funny thing is we often come into possession of the info we need, right after we needed it.

For me this hasn't involved hospital food, thankfully, but for too many of my mates it has.

Good luck getting your money from the tintop pilot at fault.

[jorxster]

Hey guys, thanks heaps for all the advice!

Quick background- I do have a few years of riding experience and defensive riding courses under my belt- I DO believe in training and riding as safely as possible. Riding without insurance was probably stupid on my part, something I won't do again.

I'm just in the process of trying to get a quote on the bike's value / damage so I have financial paperwork for the guy. He's an electrician, so hopefully not unemployed at the moment. Busiest time of the year for mechanics!


ABS seems to be quite a point of debate, I had no idea! So what should the professional rider without ABS be capable of, knowing exactly how much front brake to apply without locking it up? I've been able to recover from briefly locked front wheels before, (my old firestorm had wonderfully sensitive front brakes) but in this scenario it happened so quick that the bike was down before I knew it.
I'm not advocating ABS as a magical solution for bad riding of course, but I think that in my scenario it may have helped me maneuver around him rather then laying the bike on its side. I wish it were possible to install aftermarket ABS units on the front brake.