Wrecked it... Thank GOD for my riding gear...

[Amorousnerdium]

Well, I just bought my 2006 FZ6 a week a go, and a few days ago an RV came over on top of me. Then didn't even stop after hitting me...

I've never even ridden a bike until last week. So was extremely paranoid and bought nearly every piece of protective gear I could find and spent three days with a private instructor learning to ride. Rocket riding jacket, Alpine boots, Fox gloves, Draggin pants, and HJC RPS10 helmet.

When the RV hit me I was doing 55 in a 60. Hit the ground solidly and slid a good ways. Bounced off two signs, a curve, and a parked car.

Injuries? a slightly skinned knee...

My bike however is in worse condition... Not bad per se, but worse condition than me... The frame sliders took a LOT of the damage. However, the forks are bent, the front rim, one of my mirrors, the upper and lower fairings, the windshield, the headlight, my foot peg, and a small gash on the gas tank.

So what did I learn?

HELMETS ARE NOT ENOUGH! LOL! Where full protective gear!

So, I am going to attempt to repair it myself. I had an estimate done, and just couldnt bring myself to spend 1000 on labor alone for a bike I only paid 3200 for...

 

[Humperdinkel]

Glad your OK & the gear worked :thumbup: The bike , well she sounds very sad indeed

 

[Circle]

Glad to hear you're ok!

I really cringe when I see people suited up looking real smart (Suit & tie) with only an open face helmet.
Unfortunately, you can only educate people so far until they need to get educated on their own.

Thanks Amorousnerdium!

 

[wolfe1down]

Glad to hear you made out ok. You're another example where ATGATT helps to prevent serious injuries. Did you have decent insurance coverage on the bike? What have they said? You shouldn't have to pay out of pocket at all if you got run-over by an RV...

 

[Smersh]

Good to hear you are ok, buddy! It could've been much much worse. Being paranoid paid off, eh? ATGATT all the way!
Sorry to hear about the damage to the bike - what happened to the RV driver? I think his insurance should cover your repairs.

 

[skooter65]

I always cringe a little bit when I see a thread that has crash or wrecked in the title. Glad to hear that you are ok; the bike can be fixed much easier than you can.

 

[Erci]

Scarry. Glad you made it out OK. Definitely ATGATT!

 

[mxgolf]

Fortunutly you did get all the right gear. ATGATT:thumbup: We are so glad you are OK the bike is just a bike and can be fixed.

 

[VEGASRIDER]

Well, I just bought my 2006 FZ6 a week I could find and spent three days with a private instructor learning to ride.

QUOTE]

Curious who your instructor was? Was he licensed? Taking a proper safety class from a professional organization such as the MSF will be your best route. And most states will allow you to receive your M endorsement by just simply successfuly completing the class, as you would have to pass a written & skills evaluation test anyways.

http://nm.msf-usa.org/msf/ridercourses.aspx?state=MS

Did your instructor mention that most of your riding requires Mental Skills? Meaning that you must ride with a strategy by knowing How, Where and What to look for in terms of hazards on the roadway so you have the ability of anticipating things from developing so you do not have to rely on your physical riding skills. Even though it wasn't your fault, did you position yourself on the roadway that left you more vulnerable versus another area of the roadway or lane?

If your Mental & Physical skills fail, all you have left is your gear. Thank God you had Full Gear considering how fast you were going. Once again, the gear did it's job.

There are some riders who choose to ride relying only on their physicals skills, these are the riders who often find themselves crashing or even getting themselves killed.

Thanks for posting!

 

[TSi Fly]

Glad you are ok, serves as a reminder to all of us, if needed. Suited and booted is best!

 

[CrioGeniC]

Glad to hear you are ok. That had to be quite a tumble at 55mph. Guess if you are fixing it yourself, no one was able to get the RV to stop. What a shame. Where were you when it happened?

ATGATT really works.

Fellow MS Gulf Coast Rider.

 

[Maverick]

Wow, that's terrible. So glad you are OK!!!!!

 

[MHS]

Glad to hear you're ok!

 

[Kazza]

How did it all happen?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Amorousnerdium]

ATGATT? What the deuce is that?


Vegasrider - The class I took was R.I.D.E. - > WELCOME TO R.I.D.E. <

As for insurance, they aren't paying a dime (liability only). The RV fled the seen.

How it happened was pretty much error on my part. I was cruising in the slow lane at 55. An RV pulled out into traffic and stayed in the fast lane. As I came along side him, he changed lanes into mine pinching me between him and the concrete divider. Down I went.

So, I am fixing it all by my little self... OMG_WTF was nice enough to send me the manual so I figure that the best way to learn, is to do it myself. If anyone has any spare 06 FZ6 parts, I'm in need

 

[ozzieboy]

ATGATT? What the deuce is that?


Vegasrider - The class I took was R.I.D.E. - > WELCOME TO R.I.D.E. <

As for insurance, they aren't paying a dime (liability only). The RV fled the seen.

How it happened was pretty much error on my part. I was cruising in the slow lane at 55. An RV pulled out into traffic and stayed in the fast lane. As I came along side him, he changed lanes into mine pinching me between him and the concrete divider. Down I went.

So, I am fixing it all by my little self... OMG_WTF was nice enough to send me the manual so I figure that the best way to learn, is to do it myself. If anyone has any spare 06 FZ6 parts, I'm in need

Sorry to hear of your off. Glad to hear you geared up. ATGATT...is All The Gear All The Time.

Sometimes there is no escape. Maybe you could have, maybe you couldn't have gotten out of it or stayed out of it. Don't beat yourself up too bad. Try to learn all you can from it though. It makes you harder to kill.

Maybe honkin' your horn might have helped. Maybe not. Sometimes they come over too fast, with an instantaneous decision, and no indication at all. But just remember it is there in case it could have saved your butt.:thumbup:

 

[lonesoldier84]

sorry to hear you went down

but man......when in a lane beside anyone, roll the heck on the throttle.

when in a lane beside an RV......PUNCH IT!

(or brake before it becomes an issue)

 

[Amorousnerdium]

Thanks guys.

I got the bike into my apartment last night (second story...) to get started fixing it. I have a quick question: down by the right foot peg there are three ends to small rubber hoses that are cut diagonal and left hanging in a bracket... What are/were they for?

 

[fureinku]

glad to hear you suffered very minor injuries, ill agree with most here but ill add a couple things

as mentioned before, you have to ride defensively.. dont depend on others to correct a situation, the fz6 doesnt have much low end grunt, when i had mine, i got used to knowing if I needed to get out of somewhere quick, its two clicks down in the gears, just to get in the higher RPM's before hammering down

Also, im glad the gear helped, but I dont want you to get a false sense of invincibility, you got lucky, your gear HELPED you avoid injuries, but there are times where no matter how much gear you wear short of a bear suit, it wont help

Keep your mind focused ALWAYS, and always have an exit strategy for what may or may not be in front of you yet

 

[ozzieboy]

Thanks guys.

I got the bike into my apartment last night (second story...) to get started fixing it. I have a quick question: down by the right foot peg there are three ends to small rubber hoses that are cut diagonal and left hanging in a bracket... What are/were they for?

I reckon 1 is a coolant overflow (The 06 FZ6 has the coolant reservoir bottle down under the tank I believe???), and the other 2 are overflow and breather for the fuel tank.:thumbup: