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Techrat

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I was riding home last week and got hit. I wanted to change lanes, so I checked my mirror, turned on my signal, started to come over and BAM some woman in an SUV sped up to prevent me from coming over. Cost me a trip to the hospital and my bike. Luckily I only got a sprained ankle and some road rash in spite of my gear. Unfortunately I just got a call from the insurance adjuster and the bike has frame damage. So like a horse with a broken leg, we have to take it out and shoot it.

I loved my bike so I'll probably get the same model to replace it. I have to take my upgrades off the bike to move to the new one. You know what they say - Once you go DCT, you never go back.

Techrat
 
Sorry to hear that and glad you are OK. As for the NC, well this is just a machine right?

Hope you can ride again soon on a new NC.
 
Glad to hear you're OK! Are you thinking of taking a good deal on a left over or waiting for an available 750? There's a new VFR1200X at my dealer that I'm kind of glad is not a DCT because they're trying to move it for a good price, around 11k if I remember correctly. Brand new!! If it was a DCT it would be tempting!
 
There is some trainer that teaches what they call a “soft merge.” You signal, look, then move over to the edge of the lane and look again. Then move in. This gives anyone you have missed or who is not paying attention time to react.
Not recommending it, just reporting.
 
This is messed up... but we have all seen it many times... you put on a turn signal and by god you might as well be waving a red flag in front of a bull... Sorta like driving down the highway and you happen to be going faster than the traffic, move over to pass the the car you are passing suddenly is on the gas and refuses to let you pass...

Oh man, this is messed up. Glad you are OK. I have gotten to the point that I check for the lane change and when I am sure I am clear I am on the gas and hitting the turn signal at the same time. I don't give them the chance to pull this anymore. They still hammer the gas and tailgate, but you know the more you do that the more I am really inclined to slow down and irritate you even more...
 
This is messed up... but we have all seen it many times... you put on a turn signal and by god you might as well be waving a red flag in front of a bull... Sorta like driving down the highway and you happen to be going faster than the traffic, move over to pass the the car you are passing suddenly is on the gas and refuses to let you pass...

Oh man, this is messed up. Glad you are OK. I have gotten to the point that I check for the lane change and when I am sure I am clear I am on the gas and hitting the turn signal at the same time. I don't give them the chance to pull this anymore. They still hammer the gas and tailgate, but you know the more you do that the more I am really inclined to slow down and irritate you even more...

Sorry but I just don't agree with this. I don't want an aggressive cage driver tailgating me. When I make a lane change and if I notice the vehicle speeding up to fill the gap I just let him go ahead and fall in behind him. Turning on the signal is a great way to find out the mindset of the driver behind you. If the driver falls back some and allows you to merge your good to go. If he speeds up and tries to block you, let him in front. Your just not going to win that kind of confrontation.

OP, glad you relatively OK. From every accident there is always time to reflect afterwards and learn if there was something that could have been done to prevent the accident.
 
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Sorry but I just don't agree with this. I don't want an aggressive cage driver tailgating me. When I make a lane change and if I notice the vehicle speeding up to fill the gap I just let him go ahead and fall in behind him. Turning on the signal is a great way to find out the mindset of the driver behind you. If the driver falls back some and allows you to merge your good to go. If he speeds up and tries to block you, let him in front. Your just not going to win that kind of confrontation.

No confrontation required. Look, plan, and execute, drive your drive safely... You cannot control what other drivers are doing.

If you can sit there until someone finally lets you over that is fine, but you may be waiting for a while for a driver that is actually paying attention or not border line road raging willing to allow you to change lanes.

Maybe it works where you live to wait for someone to have some driving etiquette and let you over, but living in a large-ish city with a lot of traffic that is few and far between.

I tend to just stay in the right lane and do my best to ignore the ragers. I plan ahead if I know I need to make a lane change such as needing to turn so that I can make my way over in time and not waiting until it is a rushed maneuver. But I don't expect anyone to just sit back and let me over these days. So plan ahead, and execute when it is safe.

Regardless if I am changing lanes or staying put in the lane I am in many times people are still tailgating. So drive safely and peace out.
 
No confrontation required. Look, plan, and execute, drive your drive safely... You cannot control what other drivers are doing.

If you can sit there until someone finally lets you over that is fine, but you may be waiting for a while for a driver that is actually paying attention or not border line road raging willing to allow you to change lanes.

Maybe it works where you live to wait for someone to have some driving etiquette and let you over, but living in a large-ish city with a lot of traffic that is few and far between.

I tend to just stay in the right lane and do my best to ignore the ragers. I plan ahead if I know I need to make a lane change such as needing to turn so that I can make my way over in time and not waiting until it is a rushed maneuver. But I don't expect anyone to just sit back and let me over these days. So plan ahead, and execute when it is safe.

Regardless if I am changing lanes or staying put in the lane I am in many times people are still tailgating. So drive safely and peace out.

Never really had a problem with merging even in heavy traffic. I believe most people do accommodate motorcycles merging. Turn your signal on and most will allow you in and then I give then a friendly wave. I have more than 40 years of riding experience and have done many tours throughout the US and Canada (check out my map). In all those miles I've only had one accident which was unavoidable.

The part of your statement that you cut in when you can and if the person is tailgating you slow down. Actions like that can trigger the road rage in the tailgating driver. Your just not going to win the battle. Aggression has no place when riding and and you will live longer by controlling it.
 
Just a quick update and answers to a couple of questions

I didn't talk to the woman at all. Her passenger attempted to see if I was okay before the police and ambulance arrived.
The bike had frame damage. My insurance has a "total loss" clause. Meaning that they paid me what I paid for the bike, minus the current financed principal.
The other driver was insured (according to the police report) but I'm not sure if my insurance company goes after hers or takes it as a loss.
Since I now have a down payment, I mentioned getting another bike to my wife and she went ballistic. Doesn't matter. She didn't approve of the first one.
I'd like to get the exact same bike, color and everything. It would save some cash. If the 750s come out in silver next year, I may be willing to wait to get the upgrade.
The swelling in my foot and ankle has gone down but I'm still on injured reserve. Gonna be on crutches for a while and the road rash is still healing.
Spoke with a lawyer and just waiting to see if I have a case for the medical side of things, just to cover my bases. Not trying to gouge anyone.
If my medical insurance pays for my trip to the E.R., then I'm not going worry about it.
Thanks for your support guys.

BTW: Next time, I'm gonna check, turn signal and check again to make sure some @$$ isn't making it their mission in life to stop me from changing lanes. As MalcolmReynolds said, "you might as well be waving a red flag at a bull". I've seen it too many times driving on the expressway in Chicago when I lived there. I just never thought it would be like that on a neighborhood street in the burbs.
 
Sorry but I just don't agree with this. I don't want an aggressive cage driver tailgating me. When I make a lane change and if I notice the vehicle speeding up to fill the gap I just let him go ahead and fall in behind him. Turning on the signal is a great way to find out the mindset of the driver behind you. If the driver falls back some and allows you to merge your good to go. If he speeds up and tries to block you, let him in front. Your just not going to win that kind of confrontation.

OP, glad you relatively OK. From every accident there is always time to reflect afterwards and learn if there was something that could have been done to prevent the accident.

I couldn't agree more. Except around here they don't see the signal. Most drivers think that it's just a pretty light that comes on after someone changes lanes. I still insist on signalling for that 1 percent that are conscientious drivers but I still check twice, try not to move in front of another vehicle and throttle up to avoid the majority competitive driver.

TR I am glad that you are going to be ok, be sure that you stick her insurance for everything that you can. Remember that if it goes to court, people are much more sympathetic to bike riders than ever before.;)
 
Just a quick update and answers to a couple of questions

I didn't talk to the woman at all. Her passenger attempted to see if I was okay before the police and ambulance arrived.
The bike had frame damage. My insurance has a "total loss" clause. Meaning that they paid me what I paid for the bike, minus the current financed principal.
The other driver was insured (according to the police report) but I'm not sure if my insurance company goes after hers or takes it as a loss.
Since I now have a down payment, I mentioned getting another bike to my wife and she went ballistic. Doesn't matter. She didn't approve of the first one.
I'd like to get the exact same bike, color and everything. It would save some cash. If the 750s come out in silver next year, I may be willing to wait to get the upgrade.
The swelling in my foot and ankle has gone down but I'm still on injured reserve. Gonna be on crutches for a while and the road rash is still healing.
Spoke with a lawyer and just waiting to see if I have a case for the medical side of things, just to cover my bases. Not trying to gouge anyone.
If my medical insurance pays for my trip to the E.R., then I'm not going worry about it.
Thanks for your support guys.

BTW: Next time, I'm gonna check, turn signal and check again to make sure some @$$ isn't making it their mission in life to stop me from changing lanes. As MalcolmReynolds said, "you might as well be waving a red flag at a bull". I've seen it too many times driving on the expressway in Chicago when I lived there. I just never thought it would be like that on a neighborhood street in the burbs.

Hey Air Force, I have to disagree with your stance on the aftermath. I get that you’re thankful that more harm wasn’t done. But once the euphoria clears the cold hard facts are there: YOU weren’t doing anything wrong. SHE probably got cited (at least it sounds that way). YOU missed a day’s work - and maybe more. SHE was late to the mall... YOUR insurance is going to go up. Hers maybe not so much. YOUR home life is now in turmoil. HERS, meh. YOU lost a motorcycle - could have been your life. SHE might have a scratched fender - and maybe chipped a nail trying to catch her cell phone. YOUR ankle will possibly never feel the same after this. And neither will your psyche. You didn’t have loud pipes, weren’t riding a “crotch rocket”, were wearing your safety gear, and certainly don’t fit anyone’s stereotypical description of a rider who “got what he deserved”.

Sue the b*tch for everything you can. Maybe next time she’ll have a second thought at the relative cost incurred by running down a motorcycle.

That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

Glad you’re “ok” - though I’d say you’re a long way from really being “OK”.

Best wishes.
 
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It probably was not the OP’’s intent to turn this into a public discussion or accident analysis, so I apologize if we’re carrying this too far. However, the details are unclear, and I think it’s important. Did the rider change lanes completely and then become rear ended (car driver’s fault), or did the rider change lanes into the path of the car (motorcyclist’s fault)?

I wasn’t witness to the event but I’d say the motorcyclist is equally, if not totally, at fault since the motorcyclist made the lane change. A similar situation happened to a friend of mine, although it involved a car and a van. My friend made the lane change. He was at fault, ticketed, and liable for the damages. My friend reasoned that the other vehicle was speeding to have come up along side him so quickly, but it didn’t matter. Friend entered the other vehicle’s space in their own lane.

In any case, from a purely defensive riding stance, this motorcycle crash was totally preventable. The rider should reflect on it and make changes to riding habits, the environment they ride in, or quit riding. This was a serious crash, and it’s not worth the risk to continue riding without making adjustments. Going after the other driver for damages is not going to prevent a next time.
 
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It probably was not the OP’’s intent to turn this into a public discussion or accident analysis, so I apologize if we’re carrying this too far.
I'm with you on that ^^^^

This is not directed to any particular accident, (and certainly not the the OP's) but I wonder if anyone that had a vehicle move into their travel lane was ever cited if there was contact?

Any LEOs know what the citation might be?

Improper slowing down?

Failure to yield to a vehicle moving into your lane?


I thought the vehicle that was traveling in an established lane had the right of way and all other merging vehicles had to yield.

Perhaps I'm wrong?

Sounds to me that a first year law school student could make a convincing argument that a vehicle established in a travel lane has the right of way over any merging traffic. But I'm not a lawyer and I know often what <seems> correct isn't always how the law works.

I'm not talking about a vehicle that speeds up and rams you in the back because they are upset you dared to move in front of them, that is road rage and just plain criminal.


One of the many things I do miss about the GL1800 was the instant thrust when twisting the throttle. Very nice when merging. The NC? Not so much, lots of bleating from the engine room but not much of a change in velocity, especially when traveling near modern highway speeds.

To the OP, glad to hear your injuries aren't too serious.
 
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I was riding home last week and got hit. I wanted to change lanes, so I checked my mirror, turned on my signal, started to come over and BAM some woman in an SUV sped up to prevent me from coming over.
Techrat

Perhaps it was simply omitted from the narrative, but turning your head and checking for a clear path is mandatory for a lane change, whether you’re on a bike or in a car. Relying solely on a mirror check is a recipe for a collision. I turn my head and look at the adjacent lane when deciding to change lanes, then again immediately before moving over. I’m not trying to find fault in this event, but this practice is so important it needs to be mentioned.
 
I noticed that some Iron Butt rally bikes have blind spot mirrors on them. They don't replace shoulder checks, but they could have helped in this case.
 
Sorry about your getting hurt, home life and totaled bike. Legal advice: get in touch with a personal injury (aka ambulance chaser) lawyer/firm. They generally work on a contingency fee basis: they receive 1/3 of a settlement plus expenses. They know the applicable laws and will only represent you if they think they will make some money and there's generally no charge for a consultation.
 
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