And so on. So maybe.....just maybe.....the only thing that got hurt was my Harley, but dammit, that really DOES hurt.
Now I'm a rider myself, and I've been knocked down a time or two, so maybe that's part of the reason for being so careful, but damn, I also think it's just common sense.
And that, y'all, is why I'm so fucking mad. Some kid in a minivan, packed full of his friends, ran into the ass end of my Softail Custom at an intersection last Saturday.
While sitting at the light, I glanced in my mirror and saw him coming, but I had no where to go. Pulling out would have been suicide, so I held the brake and braced myself. He hit me hard enough to lift me up a little and push me sideways, getting the tire and wheel first before getting the tag bracket and my left turn signal. I stayed up.
When I said I was calling the cops, 3 or 4 of his friends vanished into thin air, leaving just two of his buddies, one of whom had the balls to offer me $50 bucks to forget it. I sorta told him there wasn't a $50 dollar part on the whole fucking motorcycle! He then raised the offer to $100 as I was dialing 911. For once I was glad to see a cop. Two actually, who were totally cool and a lot of help.
Later that evening, my buds were quick to ask if I'd been locked up. I was puzzled, explaining that the accident wasn't MY damned fault. They said peeps figured I'd knocked the shit out of the driver....LOL. (In the good old days, that was def the way things woulda gone...I'd have gone off the deep end for sure. Maturity, however, has taught me that three football-player-sized kids might just have got the best of me! I'll let the Green Lizard kick ass!!!)
The Softail damage looked cosmetically light, but who knows about the tire, wheel, or whatever else absorbed the direct impact on the tire. Rear axle? On that Mazda minivan, there was a surprising amount of damage, but some was from a previous accident. Still I gotta give the Harley credit: Mazda 0 / Harley 1.
I'll also give early props to GEICO who has been nothing short of awesome about the accident. Even though the policy is only a month of so old, they've helped me every step of the way. Not the kind of treatment I'm used to getting from an insurance company, so that's been a welcome relief.
So now it's in the hands of the aforementioned Green Lizard and the local Harley dealer, Patriot. It goes in for an estimate tomorrow, and I'm crossing my fingers I get 'er back in time for Southern Comfort II...I'm supposed to roll out the morning of July 1. Gonna be cutting it close......
Cowboy
Monday, June 6, 2011
When I'm around a bike.....in traffic, on the interstate, or wherever...I'm always on high alert, and it actually makes me uncomfortable to follow a bike, especially in the city. I have visions of the rider going down, and I give myself PLENTY of room to stop or get around. I never take my eyes off them, just in case.
Now I'm a rider myself, and I've been knocked down a time or two, so maybe that's part of the reason for being so careful, but damn, I also think it's just common sense.
And that, y'all, is why I'm so fucking mad. Some kid in a minivan, packed full of his friends, ran into the ass end of my Softail Custom at an intersection last Saturday.
While sitting at the light, I glanced in my mirror and saw him coming, but I had no where to go. Pulling out would have been suicide, so I held the brake and braced myself. He hit me hard enough to lift me up a little and push me sideways, getting the tire and wheel first before getting the tag bracket and my left turn signal. I stayed up.
I happily greeted the driver by explaining that 1) he was one stupid motherfucker, and 2) he oughta watch where the fuck he was going....that I thought he was going to run right over me. The asshole said he thought I'd pulled out into traffic, so he wasn't looking ahead, but instead was looking to his left for a traffic opening so he could go too. Trouble is, folks, I hadn't gone anywhere. Bam!
When I said I was calling the cops, 3 or 4 of his friends vanished into thin air, leaving just two of his buddies, one of whom had the balls to offer me $50 bucks to forget it. I sorta told him there wasn't a $50 dollar part on the whole fucking motorcycle! He then raised the offer to $100 as I was dialing 911. For once I was glad to see a cop. Two actually, who were totally cool and a lot of help.
Later that evening, my buds were quick to ask if I'd been locked up. I was puzzled, explaining that the accident wasn't MY damned fault. They said peeps figured I'd knocked the shit out of the driver....LOL. (In the good old days, that was def the way things woulda gone...I'd have gone off the deep end for sure. Maturity, however, has taught me that three football-player-sized kids might just have got the best of me! I'll let the Green Lizard kick ass!!!)
The Softail damage looked cosmetically light, but who knows about the tire, wheel, or whatever else absorbed the direct impact on the tire. Rear axle? On that Mazda minivan, there was a surprising amount of damage, but some was from a previous accident. Still I gotta give the Harley credit: Mazda 0 / Harley 1.
I'll also give early props to GEICO who has been nothing short of awesome about the accident. Even though the policy is only a month of so old, they've helped me every step of the way. Not the kind of treatment I'm used to getting from an insurance company, so that's been a welcome relief.
So now it's in the hands of the aforementioned Green Lizard and the local Harley dealer, Patriot. It goes in for an estimate tomorrow, and I'm crossing my fingers I get 'er back in time for Southern Comfort II...I'm supposed to roll out the morning of July 1. Gonna be cutting it close......
Cowboy
Monday, June 6, 2011
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