Car stopped shorter than I could.

[Khurley424]

I got my FZ6 in March, and have put roughly 2,000 miles on it since I got it. This accident happened on may 10th, but i simply never posted it. I was on my way to work, and was about 5 yards over a rail crossing when a car driving in the opposite direction came onto my side of the road. The car ahead of me stopped short, and although i was able to slow to about 10-15mph, I still went into the back of the car ahead of me. My bike suffered bent forks, a broken front fender, and a damaged turn signal. I can't believe how expensive forks are for this bike, compared to the EX500 I had. From what I read i might be able to dis-assemble and repair the forks, but others have said its a more wise move to replace them. I also need to pull the fairing off and verify that there is no triple tree damage before ordering parts, as i want to make sure I'm not going in over my head.

Edit: I should add that I know ill also need to replace my helmet. I had a shoe RF-1100. Im considering another RF-1100, a Shoei Qwest, or an Arai Vector 2. Any opinions on any of these?

 

[FIZZER6]

Sorry to hear, Hope you can get her fixed reasonably.

 

[Nelly]

I got my FZ6 in March, and have put roughly 2,000 miles on it since I got it. This accident happened on may 10th, but i simply never posted it. I was on my way to work, and was about 5 yards over a rail crossing when a car driving in the opposite direction came onto my side of the road. The car ahead of me stopped short, and although i was able to slow to about 10-15mph, I still went into the back of the car ahead of me. My bike suffered bent forks, a broken front fender, and a damaged turn signal. I can't believe how expensive forks are for this bike, compared to the EX500 I had. From what I read i might be able to dis-assemble and repair the forks, but others have said its a more wise move to replace them. I also need to pull the fairing off and verify that there is no triple tree damage before ordering parts, as i want to make sure I'm not going in over my head.

Edit: I should add that I know ill also need to replace my helmet. I had a shoe RF-1100. Im considering another RF-1100, a Shoei Qwest, or an Arai Vector 2. Any opinions on any of these?

Glad your okay, how are the repairs coming on?
Might be worth doing the R6 fork mod if your looking at replacing the front end.

Neil

 

[Baci]

Sorry to hear about the crash, someone a long time ago told me cars could stop faster than bikes due to more traction....I wonder if there is validity there?


Far as helmets I love my Vector 2! I have the marker black. I love the helmet, I wish I was a bit quieter on the highway, but all the vents rock in the summer. Sorta pricey, but when the salesman was jumping on just the fiberglass core and could do that sideways I was sold....he weighed 250+ LBS. All of the memory foam makes it a dream to wear. Id recommend Arai for sure.

 

[lawlberg]

That sucks man - I had a similar scare yesterday - was in the right lane behind a truck - a couple of cars ahead were turning right at the light and (couldn't quite see what happened but this is my guess) a bicycle raced across the crosswalk, causing the turning cars to stop and the truck ahead of me slammed his brakes. I hit the brakes hard and went from 10mph -> 0mph in about 3 feet - chirped the front tire and I might have done a bit of a stoppie - - came to rest about a foot from his bumper. I slammed my nuts on the tank - owwww - that's what I get for assuming traffic will continue to accelerate at a light and not giving enough stopping distance.

Needless to say - I have a feeling that your manhood was probably hurting quite a bit from this accident - whether in your pants or your pride. :-(

 

[DarkNinja75]

Like others mentioned, now would be a good time to upgrade your front suspension! Then you'll be replacing the triple and won't need to worry if it's bent.

I'm not a big fan of Arai's due to the side-pods. Owners break them all the time. I worked at a shop and usually changed the shields on those and got pretty good, but broke a few in the process. I've never broken a Shoei.

Sorry to hear about the crash, someone a long time ago told me cars could stop faster than bikes due to more traction....I wonder if there is validity there?

The difference is negligible and varies based on the car. High performance sports cars tend to stop faster than the best bikes. But the average 600cc bike is closer to a race bike than a Camry is a sports car, so the bike tends to stop faster.

The reality is that your following distance is what has the greatest effect.

 

[FinalImpact]

Sorry things played out as they did - I would also suggest the R6S forks. Cheaper than new OEM and WAY better damping control plus you can adjust it!

You need a $100 fender kit and use your OEM triple = everything else bolts up
OR
A whole front end off another bike. Wheel, calipers, forks, fender, triple and then mod the triple to fit the bike.

 

[Brew]

Sorry to hear about your crash, hope you get back on the road real soon...

You may want to check out the Bell RS-1, a really nice helmet for the price and on my head it felt so comfortable. We just purchased one for my Son and he loves it...

 

[MG-242]

+1 for the Shoei

There are several variables to consider including your following distance, reaction time, condition of your braking system (fluid, springs, etc.) road surface, cage w\abs, your skills, plus probably a few more. All effect your stopping distance. I know it's not always possible, but try to keep a 2 second following distance depending on conditions. This, of course will give you more time and space to react.

With so many people swapping forks for USD, there should be a good selection around for stock.

Glad that only your pride was injured!

 

[FIZZER6]

Sorry to hear about the crash, someone a long time ago told me cars could stop faster than bikes due to more traction....I wonder if there is validity there?

It's a ratio of traction to weight. Cars also weigh 5-10 times more than your bike so you don't need as much traction to stop without skidding.
In perfect conditions a bike should be able to stop in a shorter distance than most cars but there are a lot of variables:
1. In a car you can just slam on the brakes and let the ABS and 4 tires stop you
2. On a bike you can't just slam on both brakes or you are probably going down
3. Rider weight comes into play..in a car you have a seatbelt and steering wheel to brace yourself on for hard stops, on a bike it's just your wrists and your gonads stopping your momentum!
4. In a car you can go into a braking skid without loosing control. Not so much on a bike.

 

[motojoe122]

PM'd you:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

 

[darius]

I got my FZ6 in March, and have put roughly 2,000 miles on it since I got it. This accident happened on may 10th, but i simply never posted it. I was on my way to work, and was about 5 yards over a rail crossing when a car driving in the opposite direction came onto my side of the road. The car ahead of me stopped short, and although i was able to slow to about 10-15mph, I still went into the back of the car ahead of me. My bike suffered bent forks, a broken front fender, and a damaged turn signal. I can't believe how expensive forks are for this bike, compared to the EX500 I had. From what I read i might be able to dis-assemble and repair the forks, but others have said its a more wise move to replace them. I also need to pull the fairing off and verify that there is no triple tree damage before ordering parts, as i want to make sure I'm not going in over my head.

Edit: I should add that I know ill also need to replace my helmet. I had a shoe RF-1100. Im considering another RF-1100, a Shoei Qwest, or an Arai Vector 2. Any opinions on any of these?

Terrible news. Shame about the bike, but more importantly how are you?

 

[mthoren68]

I got my FZ6 in March, and have put roughly 2,000 miles on it since I got it. This accident happened on may 10th, but i simply never posted it. I was on my way to work, and was about 5 yards over a rail crossing when a car driving in the opposite direction came onto my side of the road. The car ahead of me stopped short, and although i was able to slow to about 10-15mph, I still went into the back of the car ahead of me. My bike suffered bent forks, a broken front fender, and a damaged turn signal. I can't believe how expensive forks are for this bike, compared to the EX500 I had. From what I read i might be able to dis-assemble and repair the forks, but others have said its a more wise move to replace them. I also need to pull the fairing off and verify that there is no triple tree damage before ordering parts, as i want to make sure I'm not going in over my head.

Edit: I should add that I know ill also need to replace my helmet. I had a shoe RF-1100. Im considering another RF-1100, a Shoei Qwest, or an Arai Vector 2. Any opinions on any of these?

Sorry to hear about your accident. Re: the helmet, I don't know how big your head is, but I have a 2XL Arai Profile I am looking to unload. Never worn, still has the labels on it, it just wasn't big enough. Yes, I needed a 3XL. Arai's run a little small. The Profile is the model that was shaped a little more ovular, it is super comfortable, great air flow, I love mine. I'll sell the 2XL for less than anywhere else, I just want to get most of my money back. I bought it last fall at the end, didn't try it on until it was too late to return it.

Otherwise, safe riding.