2005 FJR & rider down

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crewof1

Beaten by the odds
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Maybe someone should start a "crash discussion" section...move this thread right on over there.

Me and my '05 FJR had a collision with a guy driving a big Ford pickup today that pulled directly into my path at point-blank range from a gas station, I was doing maybe 30 in fairly heavy commuting traffic.

The thing is, I had already decided that this guy was going to stop and look before entering the road. I am still trying to figure out why I thought that, 'cause it never happened. Best I can figure is, maybe he slowed a little approaching the road in the gas station parking lot. Fact is, he never looked my way at all and kept going straight into the road at what seemed like just 10 feet in front of me. I stabbed the front brakes but it was already too late, I had nowhere to go(traffic all around) except into the left rear corner of the truck. At impact, our relative speed difference was very low, he was accelerating, I was decelerating madly, less than 10 mph by the time I hit him so the collision between our vehicles was not too hard. The subsequent fallover actually happened at about 15-20 mph, and caused most of the bike's damage. I couldn't even find any damage that could be attributed to the impact between our vehicles, but I haven't looked with a clear head yet. I still can't figure out where the orange size dent in my gas tank came from, it's opposite the side that was dropped. Unless it was my knee.

So far, I consider myself very lucky to walk away from a collision with a big pickup. I was wearing a first gear mesh jacket & gloves, a Schuberth helmet, Alpinestars boots, and the requisite Dockers commuting pants (I know, I know). I have a sore ass and a skinned knee and that's pretty much it. I've had worse carpet burns on my knees from, well, uhh, never mind. Tore up my Dockers, though. Maybe I'll use my moto pants next time...

Next time? Now I must re-consider the wisdom of daily commuting. Pleasure trips are one thing, but it's pretty scary getting one-on-one daily with all the commuting cages. I'm divorced, but I still have kids that depend on a live Daddy. I'm sure I'll hash and rehash those and other thoughts over the next few weeks. I'll also go through the accident over and over again in my head, and my friends will have to listen to all my various ramblings on the topic. That's what friends are for, eh?

 
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Sorry to hear about your mishap, glad you are ok.
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The thing is, I had already decided that this guy was going to stop and look before entering the road.
Bad decision. They're all out to get you. Act accordingly & live.
 
Dude, sorry to hear about the crash. Glad to hear you're okay, though.

Aren't you a Bama boy? If so, we can get together a little group...

...go pay a little visit...

...adjust a little attitude...

...give a driving lesson..

Just glad you're still hear to tell us about it.

 
Hey Crew,

Sux to hear about that! take care of yourself first and then get the bike fixed too. How bad is it? Got any pics yet? Keep us posted on how this turns out for you.

 
Good to hear you came out of it with only some minor bruises/scratches. Hopefully nothing on the bike got tweaked, but that's secondary. Did the pickup driver admit to f'ing up? Obviously his insurance should pay to make your bike new again...

 
I am glad you are ok bro.

Always assume the worst case scenario and act accordingly.

Just plastic and easily replaced.

God Bless!

 
Now I must re-consider the wisdom of daily commuting. Pleasure trips are one thing, but it's pretty scary getting one-on-one daily with all the commuting cages.
Okay.....so you never pass gas stations or parking lot entrances while out on pleasure trips? And no R.V.s, either. No vacationers with their mind set on the campsite/motel?

It sounds more to me like you've just been through Madmike's threat identification school (haveing BTDT, got the experience).....now to work on your preventative reaction. :dribble: :rolleyes:

You will play this over and over in your mind. Learn from your mistakes and go on...a bit more cautiously, but ride on and ride safe.....and buy some FirstGear Mesh overpants! B)

 
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Thanks everyone for the kind words.

No, I don't have pics yet, but I'll post some after I can stand to look at it for more than a few seconds. It doesn't look all that bad to me at first, my right moko with a skyway slider took most of the impact, moko bracket broken. Right mirror broken off, windshield broken, most right side painted pieces damaged in some way or another, right saddlebag is toast. Right footpeg tab broken off, can't tell if it's frame damage or not. Likely more damage I haven't seen yet.

The pickup driver never admitted it, telling me the he was sorry was as close as he got. A motorcycle cop that was familiar with the FJR was the one that interviewed everyone, and he said it was pickup driver's fault all the way. Basically, even if hit from behind, if you're hit while you're performing a maneuver(as opposed to straight line travel), it's your fault. I will likely let Dairyland sort it out.

 
Maybe someone should start a "crash discussion" section...move this thread right on over there.
Me and my '05 FJR had a collision with a guy driving a big Ford pickup today that pulled directly into my path at point-blank range from a gas station, I was doing maybe 30 in fairly heavy commuting traffic.

So far, I consider myself very lucky to walk away from a collision with a big pickup.
+1 on the feeling lucky part. Glad your ok. Check your bike out carefully once you feel a little better about everything.

 
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Sorry to hear that you had a mishap, glad you seem to come through okay.

I also try to comute daily with my bike, I enjoy it better than the truck and seems to save on the petro.

I also practice the they are out to get me thing all the time.

hope you aches heel soon, did you get a police report? truck at fault I hope, plenty of people to assist you with that kind of traffic.

take care and ride again soon, .

 
Shoulda aimed for the driver's door and twisted the up handle to raise the front wheel a couple of feet. Then he'd really mean "I'm sorry".

My commute is usually not in heavy traffic and it's only about 12 miles. Don't know what I'd do for a long commute in heavy traffic.

Glad you only sustained light damage and the bike didn't do much worse.

What's with the Habu avatar?

 
Glad your OK...too bad about the bike....but it can be repaired a lot easier than you....like it was said before....we'd rather hear from you then about you....heal quickly & try to enjoy the rest of the season....godspeed....Mike

 
I'm glad you're ok physically. Unfortunately, I've been there and it sucks. My response after totalling my Vstar1100 last year was to let my bones and skin heal for a few months and decide whether I wanted to ride. My girlfriend told me I was a bear without a bike and insisted I get another, :clapping: so I married her :) Then I took an experienced rider course and talked to knowledgable people about what I did wrong (rode too fast for conditions and didn't scan far enough ahead for dangerous situations). I also bought/replaced my gear to feel safer. The accident was October 8, 2005. I took my 2006 FJR on my first ride 2 weeks ago to the same intersection, and it made my stomach curl because the groove was still in the asphalt from my high side crash. Then I made myself (a few hundred miles later) ride the same exact route (at a safer speed). I may have to do that more times and get more miles and practice under my belt, but not riding isn't a real option for me, I just love it too much. I also talked with a psychologist friend several times about the psychological impact, and that helped.

All of this is in the hope you will see a similar process of assimilation, honest evaluation of skills, education to avoid the avoidable incidents and come out happier and stronger. If you choose not to ride, I'll understand that too. I hope some of this helps you.

 
Well, I was able to get out of bed this morning, so far so good. Thanks for the thoughtful posts, gives me more ideas to consider.

I have taken the ERC class, although it was 3 years ago on a KLR650. Maybe I should take it again with this bike.

What bugs me about the whole thing is that I had seen the guy and ruled him out as a threat for some reason. I am usually very conscientious about other vehicles approaching.

What's with the Habu avatar?
I was with the 9th SRW at Beale AFB, CA in the mid-eighties, not a very important/glamorous position. It was my favorite assignment, and one of the best times of my adult life. Plus, SR-71's are way cool, and they've made records that may never be beat.

 
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