Heading down the Wolverhampton Ring Road at about 6:15 in damp conditions and a car pulled out in front forcing me to brake hard. Almost managed to hold it but lost the front wheel. I managed to escape with a very bruised knee and lots of cosmetic (I think) damage to the bike. Pads on the trousers are worn right through.

I was wearing full flouro vest, lights on, in a good lane position, doing about 35 (40 zone).

I think the driver considered not stopping, but did eventually – unlike the cars that drove around me whilst I was laying on the floor!

So now I have the joy of dealing with insurance companies. No witnesses either so this could be a long drawn out affair – rubbish.

Take care out there!

At least you are ok. Good work on that.

Bummer – still as long as you’re ok that’s the main thig

Stay safe

bombers? shoes/wee?

To be honest, I was more angry with the witnesses that didn’t stop.

The driver looked pretty shocked and apologised. One of the passengers said she rides bikes.

Just hope the bike gets sorted on their insurance now as I am third party only.

Lucky and unlucky, any crash you can walk away from and so on.

Always just a matter of when not if on bikes sadly. Managed nearly 4 years before I had my first one. Diesel spill and rain on metal grate = no chance of staying vertical.

Hope you get the insurance sorted!

Bad luck, but pleased you’re OK.

My FIL managed to knock a courier off when turning right out of a junction. Still doesn;t really admit he was at fault.

Yes, my FIL also has a bike licence, but doesn’t ride one as “it isn’t safe out there”.

Glad to hear you’re okay. Just make sure you can think how you might do things differently next time. It’s the only way to stay alive.

Thinking of the other driver, it’s easy to make a mistake and not see someone/thing. Accidents do happen even if we try to avoid them.

Glad you are ok, and were prepared enough to mostly get away with it. Imagine if you’d have been doing 45 like most people!

at least they stopped which means they were most likely insured….which in brum is a miracle in itself!!!

…Imagine if you’d have been doing 45 like most people!

He would have been past the junction before the car pulled out? 8)

Good to hear you’re ok, OP.

To be honest, I was more angry with the witnesses that didn’t stop.

people amaze me at times, they really do.
A couple of years ago i was on my way up the A82 (near Glencoe, motorbike, spectacular day) when I passed a car which looked like it had crashed off the road. An old man was lying at the back of the car and a younger woman, clearly in some distress, was kneeling over him. I never thought twice, pulled the bike over, helmet off (I’m a big guy, dressed in leather with a tinted helmet and don’t want to scare them) and went to help, because that’s what you do when people need help. Anyway it turned out he was ok, took a funny turn and a bit dehydrated. I had a bottle of juice because it was such a hot day and gave him a drink. While all this is going on easily a hundred cars passed and one ONE stopped to ask if we were ok. A drink and bit of air later he seemed ok, but still no more stoppers.

Just make sure you can think how you might do things differently next time. It’s the only way to stay alive.

This. And take a look at your gear, could it be improved?

Cheers all – just doing battle with the insurers now.

w.r.t. gear – my trousers are the only bit that hit the ground and sustained a fair bit of damage. The actual hard knee pad section slid down to my shin and did absolutely nothing to protect me.

As it is a scooter (Honda PCX 125), I was pretty well protected – but about 10 panels will need replacing along with the screen.

A couple of years ago i was on my way up the A82 (near Glencoe, motorbike, spectacular day) when I passed a car ………………….An old man was lying at the back of the car and a younger woman,………….. was kneeling over him.

I’ve seen this a lot, usually later in the evening though.

As it is a scooter (Honda PCX 125), I was pretty well protected – but about 10 panels will need replacing along with the screen.

I thought you said it was a motorbike?

No sympathy for you now 😈

b r – Member
Just make sure you can think how you might do things differently next time. It’s the only way to stay alive.

This. And take a look at your gear, could it be improved?

Seriously? I was going to make a jokey post about how he should have riding lessons, but jeez, someone has done it for real. Good old STW.

Glad to hear that you are ok.

My attitude whilst riding a motorbike or pedal bike is that any vehicle waiting at a T-Junction is a potential collision. Cover the brakes, move towards the centre of the road, slow down.

If concerned, on a motorbike/scooter, beep your loud (car or after-market) horn(s) to alert them to the fact that you are there. If they do pull out in front of you and you’ve successfully avoided them, beep them to wake them up.

And so it continues… 🙄

Seriously?

I read those posts as helpful advice rather than having a go.

While all this is going on easily a hundred cars passed and one ONE stopped to ask if we were ok

I always check to see if the situation looks in hand and people look like they are managing it. Most incidents don’t need dozens of stoppers. I have however stopped at incidents where no-one was taking care of it, and also stood away from situations and found other ways to help – like attending to people other than the victim who are in shock etc.

I read those posts as helpful advice rather than having a go

Maybe… but I’m sure if he could’ve avoided getting pulled out on by a car he would have. “Advice” on a forum after the event really ain’t gonna help anything.

Maybe… but I’m sure if he could’ve avoided getting pulled out on by a car he would have. “Advice” on a forum after the event really ain’t gonna help anything.

Er, ok.

Feel free not to read the thread.

As it is a scooter (Honda PCX 125

I’d change the title of my first motorbike crash too, a scooter is not a motorcycle 😆

sorry to hear of your woes, but having been in that situation the fact are:

No witnesses = 50/50 blame apportioning. The other side will contest it and at the threat of court action your insurance will admit liability on your behalf. If you want to contest you waive your rights and foot the bill if you lose.

with respect, how long have you been riding?? Front end washouts are normally a panic breaking situation, their insurers will argue that your riding was the cause as most front end wipeouts are caused by nothing other than the rider grabbing the lever-weight transfer-forks overload front tyre- down you go….

I’m sorry if my post sounds blatant or offensive but I’ve been knocked off a bike by a taxi and been through it. I didn’t wash the front end out because it hit a hackney carriage 😆 After 12 months of pushing the insurance company the bastards told me they were going 50/50. I had just accrued my 2nd years NCD and they stripped me of the lot.

I had a Honda Blackbird as courtesy bike thanks to my legal expenses cover, it was £128 a day hire rate and had as my Buell was a brand new bike it took 7 weeks to get repaired. Three years later the insurance company had me in court for the £5400 hire charges because I had access to another vehicle at the time. The only way I got out of it was because my girlfriend signed for the bike when I was out so I got out of it.

If you can, repair the bike yourself or between you and other party, you’ll get nothing from your insurer but grief and stress, in spades.

I was riding with a mate when he slid off on a patch of oil, no great speed no bodily damage but I was astounded when the traffic behind started tooting him to get up and get his bike out of the way!

Wolves rignroad can be a greasy mf. I’ve tasted the tarmc on both motorcyles and pushbikes and experienced the same lack of regard from other dirver’s witnessing it.

I might be wrong…… but I’m not sure that an insurance co will see falling off you’re bike as anyone elses fault but you’re own. If you’d been in collision with the car then that would be something else. But braking or swerving to avoid someone (even if they are in the wrong) and falling off as a result – I think they’re going to tell you you’re on your own, even if the other driver feels apologetic.

Massively disappointing of witnesses not to stop, both from the insurance point of view, but form the more humane point of view of making sure you’re not hurt and don’t need help.

I know of at least one instance of someone who didn’t stop at the scene of someone elses accident (all be it a more serious one than this) was traced a served jail time, its less of an option and more of an imperative than people realise.

I’d change the title of my first motorbike crash too, a scooter is not a motorcycle

Wiki says:

“A scooter is a motorcycle with step-through frame and a platform for the operator’s feet.”

but I’m not sure that an insurance co will see falling off you’re bike as anyone elses fault but you’re own.

He didn’t fall off randomly, there was another car involved. Was there not a collision?

Was there not a collision?

he doesn’t say so in the OP

bah,i crashed whilst doing my cbt (was warned about a sharp right turn during the test 😳

day of taking my full licence* i crashed and nearly slid under a car coming the opposite way (slid on some black ice at around 10 mph),by some miracle though the tutor’s bike was pretty much ok/i passed amazingly 😯

in all seriousness though,am glad you are ok and hope your bike isn’t too badly damaged either 🙂

* edit i didn’t actually crash during the test,it was before the test.

a scooter is not a motorcycle despite what wiki says.

Only hot birds with open face lids, mods, and traffic wardens should use scooters. Otherwise there’s no excuse.

And also i doubt an insurance company would take the view of it not being the other drivers fault, I he had slid into oncoming traffic and died as a result I think you could probably guess that nobody would conclude that it was the motorcyclists fault.

Next time make sure you hit the car, makes things simpler. Ideally get some blood on it.

Maybe… but I’m sure if he could’ve avoided getting pulled out on by a car he would have. “Advice” on a forum after the event really ain’t gonna help anything.

DezB – its his first crash – we’ve all done it and learnt (or not)

Have you ever ridden a m/c? ❓

Dez, I spent over 5 years as a motorcycle instructor. lots of the people I taught were also car drives so considered themselves to be experienced road users. still managed to open their eyes and minds to a few things.

experience isn’t what you do but what you’ve learned. often people after an “accident” will say “nothing I could have done” but more often than not, it’s not true. people who recognise they might have contributed to their mishap generally make better riders than those who continue to claim there was nothing they could do.

This doesn’t make the car driver blameless, it’s about becoming a better rider. I believe the op took this comment in the spirit it was meant. I’m sorry you didn’t.

Goodness me – does everything end in a childish argument on here?

Had i not braked hard, i’d have hit the car. Crashing of some description would have pretty much been inevitable in my opinion, but there are things i have learnt. The wolves ring road was extremely slippery today and does seem to suffer quite badly when it is damp.

We will see about the insurance. Hopefully it’ll get sorted, but i won’t hold my breath. I have been through this before from the point of view of a cyclist and it took 18 months.

Oh – and to the scooter haters – get a life and grow up. And while you are doing that, take a look at your VED disc – i think you’ll find we are all classed as ‘cycles’. This ridiculous snobbery helps no one

See, you’ve gone and upset him now…. Just go away and have a collective think about what you’ve done.

Yep – throwing a proper strop here. You’re not my friends any more.

The point of the post (aside from venting a bit) was just to point out it is now silly season on the roads and will get worse next week until everyone gets re-calibrated to driving in the dark and wet. Including those on 2 wheeled vehicles.

My last crash on the Wolvo ringroad was coming down from the Penn Island towards Chapel Ash and someone in their wisdom changed lanes in what I like to call my ‘reaction and braking space’ only to find the car they were now behind was braking hard, so they broke hard. It was greasy and I grabbed a handful lost the front let go caught it steered broke and came to a stop next to the driver window. Never have I seen such a sheepish look from a car driver and I then gave him both barrels.

Got home and adrenalin had worn off and noticed the large leg gash from catching the bike on my leg…

As for your incident it is likely that they will apportion blame percentage wise, hopefully in your favour.

If you’ve got legal protection get them going and they will fight some of your battle for you.

Good luck

Right first things first, this was not a motorcycle crash, this was a hairdryer crash. Second of all, hope you are well as can be expected, thirdly, if you were on a motorcycle, you would of been able to handle and brake to avoid this consequence of the cager involved actions.

Best sell the scoot and go test ride a bmw hehe with brembo brakes preferably!

in fairness you did kind of ask for that, claiming you were riding a proper bike..

rev ‘n’ go!? hell no.