Bandit Alley
GENERAL MOTORCYCLE FORUMS => GENERAL MOTORCYCLE => Topic started by: Ray Mooney on August 23, 2008, 09:00:04 AM
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I had just moved into a left turn lane at about 25 mph. I didn't see (looking at oncoming traffic instead) what turned out to be a pretty big spill of some viscous fluid on the road. The Bandit was out from under me almost immediately. Full left lock on the handlebars and down I went. Badly sprained left foot, bruised right knee and some minor abrasions on my elbows and wrists. The bike landed on the left foot, but I have no idea how I hurt the opposite knee. Landed on my face, but full-faced helmet took the impact. No face or neck injuries. I can't imagine how tough it would have been to recover from actually kissing the pavement.
Excellent response from passers-by, including two medical doctors who were actually eye witnesses and cars who parked in the street around me to protect me. Cops and ambulance there in less than 10 minutes. Everybody was very, very cool and backed up my story with the cops regarding the oil slick. Not that they needed witnesses for the puddle that was in the road.
I was wearing my Scorpion mesh jacket and pants, Dainese touring boots and gauntlet-style gloves. The mesh jacket didn't hold up very well against asphalt, but it certainly helped. I didn't slide far and the armor in the knees and elbows held up very well. When I buy more gear, I think I'll trade off a little air flow (the Scorpion jacket works great in that regard) for more abrasion protection.
Spent about 10 hours in the emergency room getting X-rays, a CT scan and several doses of Dilaudid (good stuff, by the way). Busy, busy Friday afternoon in the ER, so most of the time was spent just laying there swimming in pain medication. I type this stoned on Vicodin at 4:30 a.m., but unable to sleep any longer. Ankle hurts like hell and won't bear my weight, but the knee isn't too bad. Crutches are definitely gonna be in my future for a few days.
My other get-offs have been minor with no injuries, so this is my first time riding in an ambulance and getting 5-star treatment from the EMTs and ER staff. I would just as soon not go through it again and I'm lucky it wasn't worse. The guy behind me could have run me over!
I have no idea what kind of shape the bike is in. I haven't seen it since the crash and it was still lying in the road when the ambulance took me away. My wife called the insurance company to give them a heads up, but I need to get on the phone this morning and give Geico my version of events, plus track down the bike and get it to the shop. Just a $250 deductible on my insurance, so it's not too bad -- except for the premium hike that will inevitably follow.
Anyway, I'm off the road for awhile. We'll have to see what keeps me from riding the longest: my injuries or the bike's.
Watch out for those black puddles on the road, folks! Dialudid and Vicodin are great, but not really worth it.
Cheers.
Ray
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Sorry to hear of the pain, but glad to hear that long term you will be fine! Thank goodness you were wearing the gear.
Hope you have a swift recovery.
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Good luck.
Try not to push the ankle, I always start back to work to quickly and suffer for it.
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Glad you didn't get clocked by the car following. Get well soon!
To the rest of you, ride sharp! Reading these crash posts is no good. It's MUCH better to read of fun trips, track days and your latest mods.
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Glad you didn't get clocked by the car following. Get well soon!
To the rest of you, ride sharp! Reading these crash posts is no good. It's MUCH better to read of fun trips, track days and your latest mods.
+1
Get well soon.
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Ooch!! Sorry to hear of you get off Ray.
Take your time and heal, you'll have lots of time to deal with the bike later. Glad you had your gear on and you're not too badly hurt.
Glad you didn't get clocked by the car following. Get well soon!
To the rest of you, ride sharp! Reading these crash posts is no good. It's MUCH better to read of fun trips, track days and your latest mods.
+2
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get well soon. similar thing happened to me, I hit a patch of sand hidden under shade tree on my way to the drive way. I flicked the bike hard & down I went. Ankle was gimpy, 10 days later went to the Doc and had a broken hand, wore a cast for a couple more weeks. Scraped knees too.
ATGATM works pretty well, scratch one HJC AC-11 Yates replica.
anyway, the Doc visit found me in some blood pressure issues, totally controlled after experimenting with some meds. In the long run, it seemed to work out for me.
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Hope you heal faster than you expect. Slow and easy goes it. Vicodin and rum & coke is great together, BTW Gets rid of residual pain together. :bandit:
>>When I buy more gear, I think I'll trade off a little air flow (the Scorpion jacket works great in that regard) for more abrasion protection.<<
You don't have to, just get Motoport kevlar air mesh jacket and pants. Tougher than leather and full airflow. All other air mesh clothing is total shit:
http://www.motoport.com/Product.asp?Clv=102300
http://www.motoport.com/Product.asp?Clv=102500
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Ray, get well soon. Just catching up on the going's on and found this! Hate to hear about the crash, and I sure hope the ins. company does you right.
+1 on Red01's post, I'd rather hear about mods and fun rides.
We'll be lookin' forward to hearing you're back in business.
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Sorry to hear about the crash. I wish you a speedy recovery.
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Ray,
Sorry to hear about your crash! I'm in San Diego too, and have access to parts sources. If I can be of help, please let me know.
The Motoport/Cycleport has a lot more abrasion resistance that any other mesh I know of, but it's costly. Cheaper than the pain of road rash, though.
I'm recovering from a crash 3 weeks ago Friday. 4 broken ribs, separated should, knee and anklle damage. I was riding my KLR, tho.
all the best,
Mike
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You don't have to, just get Motoport kevlar air mesh jacket and pants. Tougher than leather and full airflow. All other air mesh clothing is total shit:
http://www.motoport.com/Product.asp?Clv=102300
http://www.motoport.com/Product.asp?Clv=102500
That stuff looks great, might be just the ticket here in FL. It looks like there's also an option to have them custom make it to your measurements. I've come to think fit is nearly as important as material when it comes to protective gear-- most of the off-the-shelf stuff I've seen is too loose (even on my blockish frame.) Armor doesn't do any good in a crash if it doesn't stay in the right place!
To Ray, best wishes for a speedy recovery. :beers:
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I havn't looked in in awhile, hope your feeling better by now.
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Dang! :sad:
glad to hear you're "okay"... as in "will recover well." Take it slow and easy. Be well soon.
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Sorry to hear of your fall, Ill pray for a quick recovery. Let us know how Geico treated you as I also have Geico. Last time I filed a claim 8 years ago it was hard to find anyone to do repairs for what they paid out only $250 for a crumpled front end on a Honda Accord. But I think I did make up the difference 3 times over in premiums savings which is what I prefer. But I would never insure my home with them.
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Sorry to hear about your mishap, Ray. At least you're on the mend and will be back reasonably soon. I don't like drugs, since one's quality of life sucks.
It's a good thing you had a full face helmet. Many years ago I bit the dust, 'er pavement, at slow speed. Broke one tooth off and badly chipped two more along with bloody cut up lips. I wouln't wear anything else but a full face now. Too many people on cruisers with high windshields think they don't need 'em, but we know. You always have to be prepared to go down... it will happen.
Bandits are pretty tough and you weren't going very fast. Beyond cosmetic scrapes, there may not be much damage. I put Suzi engine guards on mine, though, and both are marked a bit from low speed flops on sand. It's dam hard to see road crud with speckled sunlight coming thru the trees in the early morning.
I don't know about your case, but here they charge a fair bit per day for a vehicle in an impoundment yard. Is there anyone you know who could pick it up ASAP?
I hope you're feeling better sooner.
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Thanks for the well wishes. It's been almost three weeks now and I'm well on my way to healing. No crutches today and I spent several hours on my feet shopping. The ankle is aching now, but it's a good ache. The limp is almost gone, but I'm still a long way away from renewing my marathon training. The knee only pains me when I get up from a crouch, so I try to avoid that.
The bike remains in the shop untouched. Not very impressed with Geico or my dealer so far. It took four days to get the bike to the dealer, and it just sat there for another eight days until they finally got the check from Geico, which was almost $1000 less than the dealer estimate. Until today when I called them, the dealer was just waiting for the supplemental check to come in after Geico required them to fax them their own estimate of the damages. I went ahead and authorized work for the full amount (which I would have done from the beginning had I known the dealer would just sit on the bike until they had the money from Geico).
In truth, I haven't been aggressive about getting the work done because I don't trust the ankle enough to ride yet anyway. And while I acknowledge that I'm an idiot for not asking them, I can't believe the dealer didn't tell me up front they would start right away if I authorized for the full amount. Christ.
When I had State Farm insurance, I had almost the exact same accident (minus the injuries) with my Vmax. Simple cosmetic damage amounting to about $2500. Same dealer, but different service manager and different insurance. Had the bike back in a week.
Geico has been my auto insurance carrier for 15 years. One claim against my Mustang for a fender scrape was resolved in a matter of days, and numerous windshield dings have been repaired in hours without any hassle.
Motorcycle insurance is relatively new to Geico, so perhaps they're still learning the business. The service manager said he frequently gets low-ball estimates from Geico, so he certainly should have expected this. Still, I blame myself for not asking if there was a way to start the repairs immediately. Stupid. At least I'll know next time -- and there will be a next time, right? :roll:
On the upside, my new helmet came in today. I ordered it online from motorcyclecloseouts.com and faxed the e-receipt to my insurance adjuster. I actually got the reimbursement check two days before I got the helmet. The old helmet was the HJC CS-12, but it's been discontinued. The new one is the HJC FS-10 with the integrated sunscreen that slides down from the top. I like the design and I think the sunscreen looks very fighter-pilot-like, but I'm wondering how long the spring mechanism will keep the sunscreen where it's supposed to, especially when I'll have to raise it every time I go on base. We'll see.
More updates when I get the bike back.
Ray
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FYI: I saw the survey results for various insc. companies posted.
On satisfaction, Geico was in the bottom 20%. I believe State Farm and Alstate were in or close to being in this bracket, also. I remember an incident with one of the latter two of the above mentioned companies. I was on an H2 Kawasaki 750 two stroke stopped in traffic. A guy driving an ancient Internation Scout arse ended the bike and totaled it. I walked without a scratch... just shook up. I waited weeks for the other parties insurance check. Finally, I went to their sales office and buttonholed them. I guess I musta looked pretty pissed off -they gave it to me on the spot. They did cover the entire amount, however.
I rank some of these guys with used car salesmen.
I loved that bike. Very light and a white knuckle skyrocket. I was at a large bike night near here and 5 of them showed up including the lghtest and fastest of the line. The year I had, 1972 -the first year, (blue), with original graphics. The guy had restored it and it looked like new. How he did such a great job, I don't know.
I don't see why they won't pay the whole amount. I think they are just being chislers and think you won't sue. In Canada, there is one option. The law society will give you a free half hour of advice with the appropriate lawyer. He could advise you what sort of letter to write to the insurance Co. threatening suit. The next step would be for him to write a letter threatening same... but this fee you likely won't get back if they just give you $1m more. The key would be be whether you can also recover the lawyers fees if you actually did sue. Insurance companies don't like to go before a judge.
There may be something similar where you are.