philosopheriam
aka: Mr. Awesome
Folks,
This is a ruminaton on a post made in the touring forum, which I copied here for reference:
**********************
On the way to Deals Gap, I was stopped at a light in Maryville, TN (highway 411). There must have been a previous accident at this intersection, as the ground was covered in a 50ft slick of oil and antifreeze. I was at the leftmost part of the lane, as I was trying to avoid being dead center in this giant pile of goo.
Within seconds, I was knocked feet-first onto the ground and my bike went down on it's left side between my legs - I was still standing upright with my hands on the bars. When I looked behind me, it was my buddy's 1982 Suzuki GS650G that had crashed into me. He hit the oily pile of goo and slid over 30ft into the back of my motorcycle.
The stator cover of his bike hit the R/R corner of my swingarm and essentially side-swiped the R/H side of my bike. After hitting me, his bike went down on its R/H side.
Damage to my bike:
Gouged swingarm
R/H passenger peg and mount completely broken
R/H main peg and mount completely broken
Rear tailsection bent at the R/H peg mount
L/H clutch lever bent
Miscellaneous scratches on RH and LH engine covers
RH plastic frame cover completely broken off/missing
etc, etc...
Damage to his bike:
Shattered stator cover
Destroyed stator
Destroyed flywheel
Bent handlebars
Busted brakeline
Oil everywhere
etc, etc...
Both of us had our gear on, he needed 12 stitches in his knee, I received a nasty bruise on my right ankle. My bike is currently at a specialized collision shop for motorcycles in Knoxville, TN (Shrader's Cycle Center). My buddy's bike is sitting in my parents garage in Sevierville, TN - I have all of the parts on order to put it back together.
Overall, the cops were insanely courteous and my buddy's insurance company (Geico) is not giving me any hassle when it comes to having my bike fixed. Also, I'm lucky enough to have parents that lived nearby with a truck and trailer to get the bikes home.
Damage grand total:
My bike - almost $3800, a hair away from being totaled
His bike - $800 in parts alone
Lessons learned:
Watch for oil slicks
Always let new riders ride in front of you
***************************
Here's what's now sticking in my craw several weeks later - my buddy briefly rode motorcycles 5 or 6 years ago, and I encouraged him to take the MSF or similar beginner's riding course before getting his motorcycle license. Of course, he protested with a myriad of excuses:
1. The course is too far away
2. It's booked and I don't want to drive out to the suburbs to sit on standby
3. The pay course in the city is $300 and it takes two days (that's a long time in his mind)
4. I've been riding a bicycle for a long time and the two types of riding are similar
5. I'll just be careful
6. (insert other convenient excuse here)
Now, I'm not saying that had he taken the MSF that our accident would have been avoided. However, in my opinion, the MSF teaches people how not to develop bad riding habits - lessons learned can be as simple as learning to avoid oil slicks, watching out for things in traffic, etc.
Moreover, now that my buddy has been riding for a few months, his sister, girlfriend, and female friend all want to learn how to start riding. His sister even went to the DMV and got her learners permit. Unfortunately, all of them have this immensely irritating hipster attitude that because they ride bikes all over the city (Chicago), they will be apt motorcyclists.
JUST WHAT THE F DO I HAVE TO DO TO CONVINCE THESE PEOPLE THAT THEY SHOULD MAKE AN INVESTMENT IN THEIR OWN SAFETY!?!?!?!?
Riding a friggin bicycle does not make you a motorcyclist, plain and simple. I do not profess to be an expert motorcyclist, however, I think I'm smart/humble enough to realize that I don;t know everything and that my skills will improve with time. Moreover, I decided to take motorcycling seriously and start with a decent foundation - I made the 3-day commitment and took the MSF.
My rant is not just directed at my buddy, but all new riders in general. Motorcycling can be one of the greatest joys in your life, but with a bit of recklessness and arrogance, it can get you killed.
I feel better now...
This is a ruminaton on a post made in the touring forum, which I copied here for reference:
**********************
On the way to Deals Gap, I was stopped at a light in Maryville, TN (highway 411). There must have been a previous accident at this intersection, as the ground was covered in a 50ft slick of oil and antifreeze. I was at the leftmost part of the lane, as I was trying to avoid being dead center in this giant pile of goo.
Within seconds, I was knocked feet-first onto the ground and my bike went down on it's left side between my legs - I was still standing upright with my hands on the bars. When I looked behind me, it was my buddy's 1982 Suzuki GS650G that had crashed into me. He hit the oily pile of goo and slid over 30ft into the back of my motorcycle.
The stator cover of his bike hit the R/R corner of my swingarm and essentially side-swiped the R/H side of my bike. After hitting me, his bike went down on its R/H side.
Damage to my bike:
Gouged swingarm
R/H passenger peg and mount completely broken
R/H main peg and mount completely broken
Rear tailsection bent at the R/H peg mount
L/H clutch lever bent
Miscellaneous scratches on RH and LH engine covers
RH plastic frame cover completely broken off/missing
etc, etc...
Damage to his bike:
Shattered stator cover
Destroyed stator
Destroyed flywheel
Bent handlebars
Busted brakeline
Oil everywhere
etc, etc...
Both of us had our gear on, he needed 12 stitches in his knee, I received a nasty bruise on my right ankle. My bike is currently at a specialized collision shop for motorcycles in Knoxville, TN (Shrader's Cycle Center). My buddy's bike is sitting in my parents garage in Sevierville, TN - I have all of the parts on order to put it back together.
Overall, the cops were insanely courteous and my buddy's insurance company (Geico) is not giving me any hassle when it comes to having my bike fixed. Also, I'm lucky enough to have parents that lived nearby with a truck and trailer to get the bikes home.
Damage grand total:
My bike - almost $3800, a hair away from being totaled
His bike - $800 in parts alone
Lessons learned:
Watch for oil slicks
Always let new riders ride in front of you
***************************
Here's what's now sticking in my craw several weeks later - my buddy briefly rode motorcycles 5 or 6 years ago, and I encouraged him to take the MSF or similar beginner's riding course before getting his motorcycle license. Of course, he protested with a myriad of excuses:
1. The course is too far away
2. It's booked and I don't want to drive out to the suburbs to sit on standby
3. The pay course in the city is $300 and it takes two days (that's a long time in his mind)
4. I've been riding a bicycle for a long time and the two types of riding are similar
5. I'll just be careful
6. (insert other convenient excuse here)
Now, I'm not saying that had he taken the MSF that our accident would have been avoided. However, in my opinion, the MSF teaches people how not to develop bad riding habits - lessons learned can be as simple as learning to avoid oil slicks, watching out for things in traffic, etc.
Moreover, now that my buddy has been riding for a few months, his sister, girlfriend, and female friend all want to learn how to start riding. His sister even went to the DMV and got her learners permit. Unfortunately, all of them have this immensely irritating hipster attitude that because they ride bikes all over the city (Chicago), they will be apt motorcyclists.
JUST WHAT THE F DO I HAVE TO DO TO CONVINCE THESE PEOPLE THAT THEY SHOULD MAKE AN INVESTMENT IN THEIR OWN SAFETY!?!?!?!?
Riding a friggin bicycle does not make you a motorcyclist, plain and simple. I do not profess to be an expert motorcyclist, however, I think I'm smart/humble enough to realize that I don;t know everything and that my skills will improve with time. Moreover, I decided to take motorcycling seriously and start with a decent foundation - I made the 3-day commitment and took the MSF.
My rant is not just directed at my buddy, but all new riders in general. Motorcycling can be one of the greatest joys in your life, but with a bit of recklessness and arrogance, it can get you killed.
I feel better now...