Suzuki V-Strom (VStrom) Owners Club DL250, DL650, DL1000 & DL1050
Oily Rag - Dedicated to Pat, Greywolf. 26/06/45 - 04/06/18 => Clothing => Topic started by: baldgiffer53 on April 21, 2018, 08:13:44
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Returning from Alton bike meet wednesday on the A33 outside Basingstoke.. all of a sudden a forthcoming Van was at me / over the white line and BANG... One Hell of a Bang !! And pain in my right calf was Horrendous !!! I honestly thought my Tibia was broken.. in so much pain I just had to concentrate on finding nearest stopping place and getting off bike to lay down. Of course no following drivers bothered to stop & see if I was OK !! Guess it was the bumber that impacted but the noise was unbelievable and I guess it shocked / suprised me so much it took a minute to realise what had happened... another (probably pished or on mobile) driver got away with shite driving .. Grrr.
Anyway.. my reason for post blokes and gals is.. FFS make sure you wear decent boots.. I admit that as it was so hot that day I very nearly went out in DM boots.. THANK CHRIST I didn't !!!
I limped bad for a couple of days/ have some bruising..and if I had worn my DM's ? Probably be in plaster now... so there stands my advice to all .. safe Riding out there !!
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Glad you're OK. Did the van stop?
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Food for thought. Glad you're OK.
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Good to hear you are OK.
I assume the van buggered off and you have no witnesses?
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Cheers blokes... can't believe that for the amount of pain I only have visibly a light bruise... still painful so mebbe a medical check in order... knee coming out in sympathy now !!
Kin glad I chose the Strom that night... I nearly went on my Rockster and my kneecap would definitely have been the target what with lower / more inclined ride position. I'm a big believer in fate due to other experiences.. and now I am further convinced... esp due to decision to NOT wear DMs ... for the last time !!
Yup.. Bugger didn't stop ... neither did any car drivers following...
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Glad you're OK, but do get yourself checked out to rule out any lasting damage. You should also report the failure to stop of the van to the police. Amongst other things (someone may have reported witnessing it though I wouldn't bet on it) if you end up needing surgery/physio then you may be able to claim to offset any loss of earnings etc.
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It might be worth putting your incident out on local social media asking for anyone travelling behind you who may have had an incident cam running. Not necessarily to have captured the incident but the vehicle travelling away from the scene to obtain an image and index etc..
Also this is an RTC so if you haven’t done so already, to cover yourself under the Road Traffic Act, you need to report it to the Hants Police.
Not only from a legal point of view but as a long shot, if you continued for any distance before stopping, the offending driver may have thought you were OK continued on their way but then subsequently reported it themselves. As I say a long shot but when I was working I dealt with several apparent hit and run collisions that were solved by that exact circumstance.
Glad you seem to be not to badly hurt and a good call for ATGATT!
I’ve been thinking about getting an always on Cam for my bike, I have one in my car, but your unfortunate incident has now made me think to just get it done.
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Good to hear you are OK :thumb: I must admit I don't wear my boots often enough but after reading this I think I will wear them now.
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Hope nothing more serious is found. Meanwhile I hope you feel better soon. As my mate once said leather is expensive but it's still cheaper than a skin graft. Having been knocked off my bike and waking up in hospital four hours later I hate to see how some riders put themselves in danger by riding without gloves or proper boots. Last year I saw an idiot on a sports bike ride out of McDonald's with all the right clothes but with a very young child on the pillion in what looked like a shell suit and no gloves. That should be an offense of child endangerment.
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Good to hear you’re recovering, undoubtedly, ‘proper’ kit can lessen the severity of injuries sustained in such incidents.
However, I, like many, will continue to ride in ‘normal’ gear whenever it suits.
My reasoning is, my kit is the last line of protection when I ride, when all other defences in my armoury have failed.
Yep, I understand, should something ‘unpredictable’ happen to me, this may result in me suffering unnecessary injuries, but on balance I’m comfortable with that risk.
In fact, when taking my kids on the pillion I’ll often actively choose to wear flimsy non-bike specific kit, simply as a mental note to enhance and heighten any feelings of vulnerability, and hence increase focus.
The only thing I always ensure I wear are gloves, I figure if I’m laid bashed up in a hospital bed, I’ll probably still want to pick my nose.
Each to their own I guess eh.
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"Each to their own"
Yeah, you definitely don't want to go round picking other people's noses.
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Good point Rusty. I was always told "You can pick your friends and you can pick your nose, but you can't pick your friend's nose". True that.
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:text-goodpost:
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I, like many, will continue to ride in ‘normal’ gear whenever it suits.
My reasoning is, my kit is the last line of protection when I ride, when all other defences in my armoury have failed.
But to my mind, that statement (which I whole heartedly agree with, by the way) is exactly the reason why for me it's ATGATT!* (and I've just invested in an airbag vest, actually). Like you say - each to their own, but I don't follow the logic...
*Except when you're on your holidays in Greece riding a ratty old hired moped of course; cos as everyone knows, that doesn't count...
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Both offs I've had I sprained ankles, had I not been wearing my boots I would not have been back running a week later, more likely in and out of the hospital for weeks.
The glorious TCX touring boots I invested in stopped my ankle twisting too bad in the first and stopped the bike crushing it as it flipped and landed on top of my leg in the other.
Also had an old codger drive into my leg once, twit.
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It's an interesting view, King Orry, made me think. Ultimately though, my logic is that if I am hit, then my kit is my first (possibly only?) line of defence...so I wear my boots, gloves etc all the time!
Having said that I won't wear airbags, or owt. So I do draw the line somewhere, just as you do and we all do :thumb:
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Good advice and I hope you have some luck finding the idiot in the van, I'm an ATGATT advocate, I also use a helmet cam all the time, the air bag vest I'm not sure about, suppose it's a great idea though.
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I hope everything heals fast, I'm one for wearing my kit, I have paid for the stuff, so it makes sense to put it on.
I also insist any passenger is protected too.
It is, at the moment, a personal choice, but with the volume of traffic, even in the country, and standard of driving, let alone road conditions, I see it as my first line of defence.
My wits, riding ability and good fortune provide unpredictable help, that can't be relied upon in reality.
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Aye, each to their own eh. :thumb:
To explain my ‘logic’;
I think of kit as just there to keep me warm/dry.
It only does anything else when my skills/ability has failed.
If I have to wear it to feel confident, I shouldn’t be on a motorbike in the first place.
Ultimately it’s good behaviours that will protect me, not kit.
Thankfully, as I always say, I NEVER fall off. :shock:
p.s. what is ATGATT..? :shrug:
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All the Gear All The Time????
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Just been out in shirt sleeves in glorious sunshine. I know if I fall off I'll get hurt but I've been off once in forty years. Odds are in my favour. At 61, I've decided I've been cautious for enough years. Planning a return to my youth and an open face helmet for summer. I'll let you know how it goes.