Opinions and Thoughts Requested

[dako81]

Great, now I'm going to have to take a 90 minute mini course and an online quiz before I get new tires on my bike....

I guess while the gettin' is good, I might as well buy a parachute and jump off a 35 foot cliff and pull the cord. I'd break most of my bones, and sue, since the parachute didn't fully deploy...

 

[pedwards89]

Last set of tyres I bought (BT020's) were from a very small Bridgestone approved dealer, a one man band in fact. He went to great lengths explain that 'modern' motorcyle tyres had to be scrubbed in for about 100 miles. Not because of releasing agents but due to the nature of the moulds (?).

He went on to say that, to achieve Bridgestone approval, he had to attend regular training & refresher courses. The biggest issue at all of these events was to advise the client to scrub the tyres. Failure to do so could result in the loss of manufacturer approval.

Having lectured me extensively, he hand wrote on the receipt in block caps that the tyres needed to be scrubbed & had me initial the statement. In the UK we call this 'Covering your Arse'.

As a nation, we are not as litigious as the US, but we are catching up quickly. More & more 'No Win, No Fee' ambulance chasers are popping up all the time.

Frequently, Insurance Companies are responsible for perpetuating this process, by paying compensation in 'out of court' settlements to obvious money grubbers, as it is cheaper than paying the court costs even if they win.

 

[CodeMonkey]

A.) You guys know that new tires are slick, right?
I didn't know new tires are slick. I guess new tires on a brand new motorcycle aren't slick. I bought mine with only 2 miles on it, so I guess the service people took care of that. Plus I rode my bike home very carefully since I hadn't been on a motorcycle for years.

It's been 25 years since I bought new motorcycle tires. I honestly don't remember them being slick back then.

B.) Do you feel that a suit is justified in a case like this?
It depends on what he's suing for. Some people today are "sue-happy" and feel they can practically retire on what they are suing over. If he's suing for enough to put himself and the motorcycle back to the way it was before the accident, then it is probably justified.

I had no idea that my tires would be slick riding it off the showroom floor. But I was informed by the salesman so off I went riding away cautiously. Otherwise, I may have done the samething.

I was not informed my tires would be slick. I guess I was just lucky I rode it home like a grandma.

 

[ecurb]

Unfortunately, there are far too many instances where \"someone other than me must be responsible for my incompetence/stupidity/arrogance/bad luck\".

Given the limited information here, I can only say that:
1 - New tires aren't \"slick\", but certainly don't have the grip of scrubbed-in tires. I doubt that the grip differential would have made much of a difference, if presumably this new rider grabbed that big of a handful while pulling out of the dealership.
2 - Again, with the limited information provided, no, I don't feel that a lawsuit is justified, but I've got this bad habit of thinking that you need to take responsibility for your own actions.

+1 Well said. Law suits like this make everything cost more for all of us. People need to take responsibility for their own actions. Aside from that, sh*t happens, and it isn't right to make honest companies pay for someone's misfortune just because they have the deep pockets. This problem with our legal system really just sticks it to all of us except the lawyers who get a big percentage off the top of every settlement.

 

[UB1]

I agree with chuckfz6ryder.Unfortunately in todays world I must blame my dumbassness (is that really a word?) on somebody else. The only time I don't agree with that is when they do it to me. Seriously, in all my years of riding(36) I feel that the only two ways of going down are 1) my dumbassness(theres that word again) or, 2) things out of my control (a cage turning in front of me, or that pesky deer waiting behind a tree to ambush me, etc). I'd like to think that I might take responsibility for my actions.
a) dealer would be wise to warn customers

b) laywer might want to take the day off and go for a ride