Bike Accidents

[WoBblyCaT]

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Just curious, who has been in a crash and how many? I'm referring to ones on the street. Maybe we can all learn from each others' mistakes?

I've been in 3:

1. In a single lane road the car infront didn't have turn signals on and began a left turn. Then suddenly the car veered right to make a right turn. I didn't have enough room to stop but I beeped my horn many times while hammering the brakes. The car's stereo was on too loud so they didn't hear or see me and I ended T-boning the car. Amazingly the bike was fine with a small crack and a bent shift lever which I bent back. I was fine. Car driver at fault.
2. Going too fast on an onramp with a decreasing radius turn. Cold tires and putting too much weight on the front front end, my front wheel lost traction. I scraped all the fairings on the right side, but that was it. I continued to lead a group ride that day to Buffalo for wings. Just a bruise on my thigh but otherwise fine. My fault.
3. In rush hour traffic, a car darted across 5 lanes of traffic without looking. They were going from the driveway of a plaza to another plaza driveway across the street. I hit the brakes and instead of becoming a hood ornament, I t-boned the passenger side door. Bike was written off, and I got a separated shoulder and was off the bike for 2 months. Car driver at fault.

 

[AL3RT]

The #2 I understand - curve negotiation.
But #1 & #3 - cage drivers don't notice you. This is an alarming trend. You should look into why.
Do you have a sufficient lighting on the bike?
Is your riding gear is something that makes you blend in with the scenery?
Does your bike produce enough noise to be heard at least?

 

[kcalB]

1: It was raining, i was going about 30 (school zone plus rain) crosswalk ahead of me, lady in a cage is essentially at the line, some one hits the cross walk, she literally slams her breaks on, i in turn break hard, cold tires/rain, back wheel slides out, and my rz slides across the road and gently taps the ladies bumper. She takes off like a bat outta hell. I guess it would have technically been my fault "rear ending" but she "fled the scene of an accident". (broken signal light, scratched faring’s, handle bars now crush my hand against the gas tank)

2: on Lawrence approaching the 3 lights at Lawrence square. Green light for me, i proceed through, buddy decides to make a left turn on the red, tbones the front of end of my rz ( just behind the forks was the point of contact) Again another one flees the scene, I got up and he was literally gone. Multiple people called 5-0 I was dam ****** about the damage to my bike( the front fairing weld broke, and an hour later while on the highway my controls and everything just kinda dropped down. It was welded in two places, so only the bottom weld was holding) Luckily i was working at an auto shop and a bike shop so every thing was fixed up at a price of a few hours of my time. but that was both signals destroyed, front fairing destroyed, both clutch and break controls scratched to **** (i bent them back) and the mentioned weld. Not my fault, i hope the ******* got arrested. A few hours later I was grateful i still had a leg, once the anger over the damaged bike subsided.

3: Raining, ride by a construction site, wet cement powder had built up on the road, coated my bike tire, back end slips out while turning onto lakeshore going about 10. My poor signals were again destroyed, and also the mount for my head light broke (i shimmed it back into place) and a few days later the whole head light failed. My fault, and now i pay more attention while riding by any construction work.

4: While taking my M2(m1 exit) test (and this is so embarrassing) i had a crappy throttle cable, I’m going through the cones, let up on the throttle, and it doesn’t move, I was so worried about passing i didn't put my foot down and dropped the bike. Picked it up looked at the instructor and said "Well I guess I’ll be on my way home now" I was an idiot, "I don't need to practice tight turns for my m1, no no its all good" Phhhh young and dumb (now just young and not THAT dumb)

I don't know if there is much to learn from these, other then rain sucks, ride really carefully in wet conditions. And people are stupid.

 

[inreb]

I crashed on the same hiway about 500ft apart twice going in different directions about 30 yrs apart. I swear to God. What I learned: Don't ride with loose important chassis parts and pay more attention for deer. By sheer coincidence I also got a speeding ticket at exactly the same spot I hit the deer a year before. There are more but I realize it's not a competition.

 

[zacm7]

3 accidents.

1. turning left onto my street to come home off of a busy road, guy says he didnt see me and turned left infront of me as I was just about done my turn. Went over his hood, no serious damage or injury but the guy did give me some money to fix the bike.

2. heading west on queensway towards kipling and a old bird turned left onto a side street across from the tim hortons. Smoked the back of her car, wrote it off, she fled the scene and a good citizen followed her and called the cops. she said she didnt see me, or feel me hit the car even though the back of her car was TOTALED!!! both vehicles written off, broke my knee and severed mcl...9 months of rehab and 2 surgeries and it was just in time for snowboard season.

3. after a 4 year hiatus from my previous accident I bought a 2005 zx10r. Rode it around for a week, I was in pure heaven!!!! was heading out for a three day trip so i decided to fill up my tank the evening before i headed out and sure enough I got sideswiped because some chick skipped across 2 lanes because she needed to turn onto a side street and i guess "didnt" see me. For the record I am a very defensive driver, I never sit in blind spots and I always know whats around me but this chick literally came out of nowhere. no serious injuries for that accident but it was heartbreaking because after 4 LONG years of not riding on the street a week after I picked up my dream bike it got written off...But in the end it all worked out because I got an even sweeter deal on a 2004 zx10r and it was MINT.

After moving back to Ontario and riding last summer it was enough to make me think about re insuring my bike this year. It seems the people here just suck at paying attention. The only reason I am contemplating insuring my bike is because I live in north Burlington and there are endless roads just north of HWY, and I work in Georgetown so the commute is traffic free and lots of fun.

 

[Brian P]

The #2 I understand - curve negotiation.
But #1 & #3 - cage drivers don't notice you. This is an alarming trend. You should look into why.
Do you have a sufficient lighting on the bike?
Is your riding gear is something that makes you blend in with the scenery?
Does your bike produce enough noise to be heard at least?

It doesn't matter how visible you are if the driver is neither looking nor thinking, and pulls a bonehead move. (A week ago, I got hit from behind in my work vehicle on the 401 when traffic stopped ... typical 9 AM traffic conditions. The car is bright yellow, and all the lights work.)

Here are mine, not counting zero-speed tip-overs.

1. Panicked when seeing scattered gravel in a sharp left turn (~ 1 yr after receiving bike license), braked in a straight line instead of trying to make the corner, front wheel nosed into the ditch and down I went, gently but it's still a crash. My fault. Rode the bike away and fixed it myself.

2. Hit from behind after stopping at a stop sign to turn right. No other traffic around. Car driver's fault.

3. White Ford Taurus turned left in front of me in Tennessee. No signal, no warning whatsoever. Car driver's fault. Bike was pretty busted up but I fixed it. I got a sore wrist. I knew I was going to hit the car as soon as it started turning into my lane - but I hit it with the front wheel locked solid, the rear wheel in the air, and in the process of low-siding. It helped that I was not speeding (initial speed was roughly at the 35 mph speed limit). Swerving into the other lane was not an option - that would have been a head-on into the car behind the one that I hit. Car driver's fault. All lights on the bike worked and there was another bike a short distance behind; yapping with her passengers had a higher priority than noticing other people on the road.

The only common factors in 2 and 3 were that the other drivers were women.

 

[Daakuryu]

The #2 I understand - curve negotiation.
But #1 & #3 - cage drivers don't notice you. This is an alarming trend. You should look into why.
Do you have a sufficient lighting on the bike?
Is your riding gear is something that makes you blend in with the scenery?
Does your bike produce enough noise to be heard at least?

From the descriptions WoblyCat gave it doesn't sound like a cage driver didn't notice issue and more like a cage driver didn't look issue.

 

[WoBblyCaT]

The #2 I understand - curve negotiation.
But #1 & #3 - cage drivers don't notice you. This is an alarming trend. You should look into why.
Do you have a sufficient lighting on the bike?
Is your riding gear is something that makes you blend in with the scenery?
Does your bike produce enough noise to be heard at least?

From the descriptions WoblyCat gave it doesn't sound like a cage driver didn't notice issue and more like a cage driver didn't look issue.

Exactly. #1 cause of bike accidents involving another vehicle is SMIDSY "Sorry Mate I Didn't See You". ie. They just weren't looking.

I'm not saying there aren't things that could be improved upon, but I'm not going to put a big flashing neon sign on my bike. I was wearing a hi-viz jacket with a green mohawk, and that bike had an aftermarket Hindle pipe on. But when you're stereo's on loud enough that you can't hear a horn, I don't think a louder pipe is going to help much.

 

[ZX600]

1 Accident:

Stopped at a red light at the Eaton Center (Dundas Street) - Minivan Hit me from behind with one male Asian driver and his mom as a passenger.

 

[kcalB]

One of the reasons i loved my RZ. Dam that thing was loud!

 

[BlackBeast]

1 Accident:

Stopped at a red light at the Eaton Center (Dundas Street) - Minivan Hit me from behind with one male Asian driver and his mom as a passenger.

You where hit from behind, not good at all, hope you weren't badly injured.
I don't think it matters who hit you, rather than the person didn't see you or couldn't stop in time or was distracted on cell. etc.

 

[zacm7]

Exactly. #1 cause of bike accidents involving another vehicle is SMIDSY "Sorry Mate I Didn't See You". ie. They just weren't looking.

I'm not saying there aren't things that could be improved upon, but I'm not going to put a big flashing neon sign on my bike. I was wearing a hi-viz jacket with a green mohawk, and that bike had an aftermarket Hindle pipe on. But when you're stereo's on loud enough that you can't hear a horn, I don't think a louder pipe is going to help much.

This is true, It doesnt matter how fast a bike sneaks up, how quiet or if you're wearing black...Some people just look straight ahead and dont know what is surrounding them, thats why "I didnt see you" came to be, you didnt see me because you're not paying attention to your surroundings. Then on the other hand is the guys on bikes riding right in the blind spots of cars, like are you stupid? Move forward or back 10 feet dont just sit there waiting to get punished, lol.

One of the reasons i loved my RZ. Dam that thing was loud!

I miss my RZ, that thing was a blast.

 

[RockerGuy]

Only binned it once. Thank goodness.

I was being a hooligan. Lucky I leave the scene, they might have charged me for stunting

 

[hdsomeday]

Many many years ago......

1. Residential neighborhood, heading to the g/f's house. Come up to a sharp turn and see a little kid sitting a tricycle waving at me. Decided to show off a bit, back end slid out and I low-sided into a curb. Rolled over and saw the kid ride up on his tricycle, stop, look at me and ask 'are you ok mister?'. I couldn't help but smile and say 'thanks buddy, Im fine. See what happens when you try to show off?' He looks at me for a second, looks at the bike and says 'ya, it hurts'.

2. Riding in Midland with some friends. We had this stupid habit of trying to grab each other key out of the ignition while riding and toss them over our shoulders. Guy moves over to get mine, gets his glove caught in my clutch handle. While he is pulling to get his glove unstuck, Im pulling the other way to keep from running into him. Yep, glove comes unstuck....my front end hits a hard right and down I go. Helmet hits a curb and I have a bit of a headache but other wise fine. We get back to the house (some sort of party, don't remember why) and the story comes out. A lovely young lady asks if I am ok. Spent the next few hours being comforted (even though I felt fine after about 10 minutes). All was going well until the guy who's glove got caught came in the room to see apologize and see how bad I was (since he had heard I had been laying still since the incident). Unfortunately the young lady saw me wink at him when I was describing my injuries. End of what could have been a good weekend.

 

[jrhonda]

I don't believe that guy


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[danesetti]

I've been down 3 times. first , less then a year with my bike, went on a group ride with some more experienced riders, tried to keep up, and lowsided I was fine, cosmetic damage , lesson learned never ride above your skills, and don't try to keep up. Second, riding on lakeshore, and some old bag pulls out of a parking spot, I slammed on the front breaks, realized I wasn't gonna stop in time, so I decided to swerve but I was still on the breaks. lesson learned, either break or swerve, not both at the same time. third, making a left at an intersection, was going a little fast, tires were cold ,and I lowsided. no major injuries on that one, but was sore for a couple of days.

 

[KarGo]

Nice topic.

I've been in 2 major and 1 minor.

1. My first crash ever, I sold my jacket, and was on my way to the store to buy a new one. I was squidding it, I approached a turn that dramatically had a decreased radius. I fixated on some gravel side of the road, hit the curb and flew off the bike. Luckily there was grass, no road rash, just bruised knee.

2. Going too fast on to an onramp, decreasing radius. Fixated on the curb, and rode over it - into the off ramp. SO lucky there were no cars coming. (Fort erie)

3. again gravel on the road, lightly dropped the bike -_-

 

[MattJ1983]

2 crashes with 2 different bikes.
1. 3rd time riding, 1st time in the rain. Went to stop at a stop sign, pulled in the clutch and front brake hard and my tail went out from under me. I slid a few feet and got a rash on my elbow, and broke off my rear turn signal.
2. I was at a 4 way stop waiting to pull through and I got rear ended. Slight bruise on the rear. Cracked 3 pieces of fairing and scratched 3 others. Got back on and rode to work.

 

[rye]

1. Snake Rd - Going into a corner too fast, went wide, hit gravel, bike went down slowly into a guardrail. Both of us were OK, rode away. 2. Ridge Rd - Going around a corner, hit gravel, bike lowsided, slid a good 30 feet into a guy wire, but had my leathers on and was fine, bike was OK too, luckily rode away from both incidences. I've since learned to go into a corner slow, and go out fast, instead of in fast, which apparently didn't seem to be working too well.

 

[Brian P]

^ Regarding item 1 ... Bit by corner three??

That decreasing-radius downhill left sucks a lot of people into hitting that guardrail. Stay wwaaaaaayyyyy wide on the entrance into that corner and don't turn in the rest of the way until you can see the part that tightens. Staying wide also improves your visibility through the corner and keeps you further from oncoming traffic (that you can't see) in case they go over the center line.

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