Is my bike cursed?

[acollbpse]

My cat has now had two run-ins with panel vans and trucks in less than 5K miles...



I bought my '01 Tiger from a fellow who had it since new.  He owned it a little over a year or so and on his way to the beach to take pictures of it he had a slight misfortune.  While traveling at highway speeds, a tractor trailer moving van spat its driveshaft out onto the road directly in front of him.  He managed to hop the front wheel over it, but the shaft was moving and laying diagonally so when the rear hit it, he went down - hard.  His HJC helmet saved his life (he was fully geared up) but he got real banged up (lots of soft tissue damage).  The bike was heavily damaged but not enough to total it.  He had it fixed and then gradually lost interest in it.



I bought the bike about a month and a half ago (this is my seventh bike in 20 years, the last being an '86 FZ750).  On my way to work today I had a slight misfortune that involved a box truck.  I was coming up a steep hill that has an almost five pointed, non-orthogonal intersection at its top (the original city planners in new england seem to have been livestock or game animals, and they just paved the cow/deer trails when they made the roads).



I was in second gear, about 2 minutes from my house coming up the hill doing about 20-25mph.  I made eye contact with the box truck driver and then watched him pull his truck out into the intersection right in front of me (he has a stop sign, I have right of way).  The next thing I know I'm on the ground, the bike spinning away from me.



I'm messed up a little bit:  partially seperated shoulder and a crushing injury to my foot (lots of pain and swelling but no broken bones).  My Aerostitch shows lots of evidence of EVA but nothing abraided to the point where my flesh started getting ground away.  My favorite boots are likely a lost cause and they have abraision marks on the left and right (like I shined them using two belt sanders with 80 grit paper).  Helmet never appeared to have hit the ground, gloves are fine.



The Tiger did not do well either.  The left side engine case ground away and I got to watch my cat bleed fuel and oil on the road while waiting for the emergency crews.  Mirrors both gone, turn signal busted, tank and fairing rashed, passenger seat torn open, handlebars bent, right side controls busted off (the bar clamp cracked at the master cylinder).  I don't know what else - it's going to the dealer on a pickup truck later this week.  I shut the bike off somehow during the whole affair so it wasn't running on its side with an open case cover.  I'm guessing the bike must have slammed into the tailgate of the truck and thats what broke the master cylinder mount and possibly tore the passenger's seat.



I got lots of witnesses and the police took statements from them (they were kind enough to wait around for that - which I thanked them for).  The other driver got cited for failing to yeild right of way, and I've got his insurance info (NH is not a mandatory insurance state so they'll let any bozo drive without insurance up here).  I'm insured to the hilt on the bike anyway so I know it will get taken care of.



I'm bummed, and I think I freaked the emergency services people out because I wasn't ranting and swearing and screaming at everybody.  I just sat down on the curb and camly and politely answered all the questions, got my EMT checkout, refused my ambulance ride and piled my safety gear neatly on the sidewalk waiting for everybody to finish with the accident scene.  I put on a balaclava, helmet, aerostich, boots, gloves - for a 1.5 mile ride to work.  They aren't used to seeing somebody wearing as much gear as a firefighter wearing full turnouts.   I guess when they hear motorcycle accident they think flip-flops, tank-top, and GSXR bits scattered for 1/8th of a mile.



I keep going over and over the whole crash in my head and trying to decide what I could have done different or even what the hell happened.  If I had swerved to the right I would have had to hop a 6" square edged granite curb and rode up onto the sidwalk trying to dodge streetsigns, telephone poles and pole guy wires (NH is the granite state so most of our curbing is sharp cornered cut granite).  If I swerved to the left, I would have crossed into oncoming traffic and I don't know if there was a safe way out over there or not (the intersection is at the crest of a hill, so I can't see what is coming in that lane until I get to the top of the hill).



I guess about the only thing I could have done was practiced panic stops on this bike ala MSF.  The Tiger brakes are about 10x better than my FZ's brakes and I'm guessing I grabbed the front so hard that I just locked the front wheel and lowsided, with me and the bike heading right under the truck.



This thing is big, top-heavy, powerful, and stops great.  Its the biggest bike I've ever owned (I'm 6' 200lbs) and I was trying to take it easy and get used to it before I went up to the mountains and had some fun in the curves.  Now I'm wondering if it might be too much of those things and I might have bitten off more than I can chew.  Maybe it's just the vicodin talking but I'm wondering if I need to take a step back and go back to the wussy bikes I am used to riding.

[tigerhund]

Glad you are ok.  What a great endorsement for being properly geared up.  Hope you have a speedy and recover and that your out of pocket is not too bad on the bike replacement.



Good thing you were wearing the Aerostitch and not the Tiger suit!



MJ

[TRKTEK]

Emphatic NO!  you don't need to go back to less bike. As a former riding instructor I used to harp on collision avoidance, and it would seem you did just that. It has been proven that capable performance bikes in the hands of skilled riders are safer. Well done for being dressed for riding and not the beach like we all see all too often. Get well, get the big cat fixed or get a new one, take a deep breath and go riding.



Good Luck....Get Well......



Steve

[Hoot]

That hurt just to read man, glad you are alright. I would forget about second guessing anything you did, you walked away whole and breathing so whatever you did was the right thing to do at the time. That's all any of us can hope to do in split second decision time.



Sucks about the bike, but it is after all only metal, rubber and plastic.

[acollbpse]

Thanks for the support - I can play the 'what if' game and drive myself nuts with what could have happened and how I might have gotten away with less damage to me and the bike.



I should also think about what could have gone more wrong and be happy I got away with what I did - walking (well, now limping) away without a scratch on me (deep tissue bruises don't count).



If you don't have the armor in your Aerostich - get some, it stayed right where it was supposed to when my shoulder hit.



Now the biggest problem I have has to do with the bike repairs.  I don't think the damage is sufficient to total the bike, but I'm sure I need to replace a bunch of body work.  Which means I have a real crisis of faith to deal with now:



Do I keep the bike black or do I paint it another color (like orange)?  Or do I do both and get a custom orange and black tiger stripe paint job?



Is the bike trying to tell me it really doesn't want to be black and it keeps calling on moving vans and box trucks to help abrade the paint away?  Or is this the bike's way of telling me to go off-road riding and dent up the tank and get the paint messed up so the bike looks like somebody rides it hard and puts it away wet?

[Bruincounselor]

The moral of this could be that "Eye Contact" is useless. I teach my students that eye contact is the least useful form of communication while riding. Even is there was eye contact that doesn't mean his brain registered your presence. Always assume you were not seen. Did you have your brake and clutch covered?



As for your bike color, if your tank is scuffed you'll likely get a new one from the insurance company ($800+ last time I checked). Order what ever color you want; don't bother painting.



Bruin'

I'm partial to Yellow

[JRO]

I think you could be right - your bike may be cursed.  When this happens, about all you can do is either get away from it, or find a good exorcist or witch doctor.



As for the bike being too much for you to handle, only you can really decide that.  It sounds like you are used to riding cruisers, which offer a more relaxed ride.  A Tiger requires more attention, but it offers better visibility, maneuverability, and braking.  When I switched from big tourers to the Tiger, I found the bike was 'ahead' of me.  Time and miles cured that, for me.  It may do the same for you, or you may never feel truly comfortable riding it in all situations.  Only you can make your mind up about this.



As to your accident, I think it's clear what happened.  Some 'possum-brained idiot pulled out in front of you, and you didn't have time to either stop, or avoid him.  Luckily, it was a low-speed accident, and you were wearing all your gear.  But the fact remains...



...Your bike is probably cursed, and it's YOUR responsibility.  Don't be one of those evil people, who will repair and sale or trade such blighted machinery, passing it along to the next poor, damned soul.  His blood will be on YOUR hands.  It's up to YOU to see to it that this affliction is expelled from this bike.  



Afterwards, you are free to do whatever you choose with it.



Fare thee well, and even better next time.

[TigerTrax]

We are all glad you walked away in somewhat good shape. I too was a

rider instructor .... far too many folks take wearing protective clothing as 'too much stuff' .....



Too bad your Tiger didn't catch fire.



Maybe the dealer will 'check everything' and the bill to replace/repair will TOTAL the bike.

[tigerrob1090]

Hiya from uk glad your in one piece you had your gear on ....over here we call it s.m.i.d.s.y ....sorry mate i didnt see you ..mine luc orange and they still dont spot it....ps buy another tiger.... :D