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2K views 9 replies 6 participants last post by  JamieB76 
#1 ·
I got my Dominator on 14th Feb this year, so I have been commuting for about two and a half months. In that time I have seen four motorcycle accidents, two of them two nights in a row. I witnessed one first hand, One I rode past on the way to work with the others all being on the way home.

In all the years that I use to cycle to work or get the bus the entire way in I don't recall seeing anything at all near this many accidents involving any type of vehicle. Am I just unlucky at the moment or do you guys who commute see a similar level? I guess I'm mainly asking about motorcycles.

I'm going to need to give a statement to the police about last nights one. At the moment the guy is in hospital. With regards to the other accidents all guys are to my knowledge OK. I certainly know two of them were "up" at the scene with Thursday nights guy still in hospital but apparently OK according to the media reports that I have been able to locate.

When I use to scuba dive and be pretty active on the diving forums these sort of discussions were often like pulling a pin on a grenade. I genuinely am not wanting to cause any offense or anything like that. Before getting the bike several people who commute to London in a van or work as cab drivers told me about all the accidents they often see. I don't think I actually believed them a 100% as in my experience as mentioned using my previous ways to get to work had not seen anything like what I am seeing now.

Jamie
 
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#2 · (Edited)
slow and steady wins the race . I would imagine a lot of bike accidents are the cause of the riders not giving motorists enough credit for being complete ****ing idiots with a smell of shit off them because half of them are too stupid to even wipe their hole properly not to mind drive safely . I expect diesel on roundabouts people to throw doors out in front of me step out from behind vans just pull out with out indicators swap lanes stop dead in the middle of the road because they just seen a lard shop with a half price sale on run red lights close gaps on purpose . you got to be on the ball and never forget that you are completely invisible a high viz vest and day time running light are only effective if the dosey prick is looking in your direction most only look straight ahead some of the time because they are too busy on face book and some sick bastards have a deep seated hatred for motorcycle riders and will try to kill them every chance they get .

if your dominator has a piss poor horn like my Transalp had you need to change it to a stronger one I used one from a 2002 mitisubishi charisma its a good deal louder . I hold it on blaring if I feel im in danger I take no chances . a little beep just sounds like someone just seen a mate and is saying hello holding it on loud and long says don't move your ****ing shit box you fat ****ing **** . being in the right isn't much consolation if your laying under a scafolders truck with a broken collar bone a broken leg several broken ribs and your grand dominator has bent forks and smashed front wheel and some ****ing eegit is standing there eating a sandwich talking on their mobile telling someone their going o be late and saying to you sorry mate I didn't see you , oh thank you very much that's very consoling I taught you did and you were just trying to kill me . I don't suppose you could do me a big favour and ring the emergency services for me please when your finished your sandwich and talking to your boss ?
 
#3 ·
Thanks for the tip about the horn, I think mine is pretty loud but nothing wrong with me getting a louder one so I will look into that.

Some of the craziness I get to witness on the way home is unbelievable. I'm sure some of the people at work think I'm making it up. I'm going to get a helmet cam I think, at least then if I do get into trouble I can hopefully show its not my fault. I do try to ride as safely as possible, got hi viz etc and want to get home in one piece to read a bed time story to my little one. Didn't go down to well the other day when she pretended to be on a motorbike :rolleyes: I suppose there are worse thing she could have been pretending to do!
 
#4 ·
Get a Stebel Nautilus or Stebel Magnum or similar - direct swap in the case of the Magnum but loads louder

I have one on my AT
 
#5 ·
I commuted for 7 years for 50 miles each way, mostly on the M6. I agree with everything Alias said and about a loud horn, but don't get believing the horn places a force field around you. It doesn't and you will still get dozy drivers steering into you while you blast away hoping they are going to look the right way any second now. Also other bikers can be your enemy too as it is all too easy for two bikers to try for the same small gap. Oops!!
 
#6 ·
I remember my bike instructor telling me in the mid eighties that if a bike is involved in an accident, its the bikers fault! It took me a while, a long while to suss out what he meant. I know and he knew that its not always correct but he was trying to say you should always be aware of ""ing idiots and what they are likely to, or not do. A friend took his test about 10 years ago on one of those intensive course thingies over a long weekend. Passed his test,rode a year or so on a little virago and then bought a 1200 bandit. Went on an advanced riding course and classed himself as a proficient rider. I went out with him a few year back while i was in the uk and i couldnt believe some of the stuff he was doing. Maybe i was getting old or something. When i mentioned it to him, he said thats what advanced riding was all about. His instructor told him to be "pro-active" and "decisive" when riding. I do not mean to insult any AIM riders here as my friend i think interpreted it differently but was assuming because he had right of way or in the right lane he was safe. He has had 2 fairly serious accidents, all on roundabouts, he was on the correct lane passing (at above normal speed) cars which then decided to change lanes. The last one caused his misses to give him the ultimatum. He has had run ins with other bikes, mainly scooters. My point is accidents happen but you can make the odds in your favour by being cautious. After all its the biker that always ends up hurt. Those weekend courses are great, but you cant teach experience gathered from close calls and learning from them.
 
#8 ·
Hard to believe I'm coming up to two years with my Dominator. I'm a lot more confident than when I first got the bike and feel I have learnt a lot. The biggest thing for me is never get complacent, even though I ride the same route to and from work every day during the week I try to never let my guard down. Yeah I have fun when appropriate, I have fun most days but still take it easy when I need to. Unfortunately most cars still drive like its a summers day instead of appropriately on frosty roads :mad:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5AbmZsIAQA&t=39s

I wouldn't ever post or intentionally watch a video with a serious outcome where someone is killed or badly injured. This guy gets up straight away. Just found it a bit amusing what the insurance company first said about the condition of the bike. I think the red liquid is just brake fluid??
The MT07 is going to be my next bike. Shame Yamaha cant get a dam demonstrator for me to ride, God knows when I will be able to order one.

Luckily since I posted the initial part of this thread I have not seen any serious accidents on the road, one or two offs but the riders where already standing and exchanging details with the bikes looking like they could be ridden away. For the people who ride seasonally I seem to recall someone mentioning March is a busy time for the emergency services to get call outs. Ride safe people.

One other thing I find strange, on my bike safe course the Police did actually say, "go wheelie school and have fun." WTF :D
 
#9 · (Edited)
Its scary to think whos driving around out there, two years ago a guy accelerated out of a junction straight into the side of me trying to beat the cars coming down the hill from his left. after landing i could see the car coming down the hill skidding towards me as a reflex action i got up and ran out of the way into the bushes on the opposite side of the road where i collapsed. I had some guy asking me if i was ok, who i later found out was the one that hit me off but when the police turned up he was nowhere to be seen. The police caught up with him only because my foot ripped the number plate off when he hit me, he had no insurance and done a runner he was driving his girlfriend's car.
The car coming down the hill had the car behind rear end it, the woman driving the car behind was breathalysed and found to be over the limit and was arrested. So in one accident there was a drink driver and a uninsured driver the time of the accident was about 6.30 in the evening ffs. It scares me to think how many are out there if you can have this in one accident
 
#10 ·
Doesn't surprise me. In the summer I must drive past a car while filtering and smell the driver smoking weed at least once every week.

I see a police woman driving an unmarked car while her clip board was on the steering wheel and she was completing paper work. I asked her when the traffic stopped if she thought it was a sensible idea. She moved the clip board, dropped the pen and then denied what she was doing. :rolleyes:

It is a nightmare out there sometimes. Girlfriends mate was in a hit and run new years day, found the car but not sure who owns it as someone with fake ID bought the car. The girl who was hit is still in hospital, two kids etc etc. She is lucky she survived and has months of operations to look forward to.
 
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