Motorbike idiot

muckybutt

Sorry I'm on a rant folks.

Why do the majority of motorbikers treat roads as if they are racetracks ? funny isn't it how you don't see Goldwings or Harley's going hell for leather unlike speed freaks !

Yesterday afternoon whilst on a trip to the local BNQ one such muppet on a Suzuki decided he liked the look of my rear bumper and ploughed his bike into the back of me at about 50 mph.

This plonker had been behind me for some time riding with his mate who was behind him on another bike, I was approaching a junction and a car at the junction pulled out and went in the same direction as us, upon pulling out this car immediately started to indicate right as he was pulling off into his house. I started to brake and slow down the car in front meeting oncoming traffic meant he stopped I slowed down sufficently so as to come off my brakes as the car in front made his manouver and turned right.

It was at the point of me coming off my brakes and beginning to accelerate away that I was aware of the biker closing rapidly behind me, looking into my rear view mirror I could see he wasn't going to stop, I saw his front wheel lockup as he slammed his brakes on, then he lost it !, bike and him going down with a hell of a thud and heading straight for me, I floored it as best as I could and lucky for him got away from him before he hit me - he came to a stop but his bike carried on straight into and under the rear of my car.

Lucky for me I have a tank of a Subaru Forester which things tend to bounce off fairly well, didn't do too much damage to the car, a big scratch and a big dink in the bumper and paint work unlike his bike which will be a write off - serves him right in my eye for a) going too fast and b) not paying attention.

No doubt the biking fraternity on here will blame me, he tried to until his mate told him it was his fault for being too close.
End of the day it was 100% his fault no way around it, just a shame that idiots like him tar every other decent biker with the same brush.

I now have to fart around getting quotes and informing my insurers of his stupidity. Claim free for over 10 years so glad I have PNC on my insurance but still have to fork out my excess.

Paradigm

From that description there's little doubt it's the bikers fault so why do you have to pay your excess?

Claim directly off his insurer.

HAMISH_MCTAVISH

muckybutt wrote: »

Sorry I'm on a rant folks.

Yes you are.

Why do the majority of motorbikers treat roads as if they are racetracks ?.

Why do the majority of OAP's bimble along far too slowly and obstruct traffic on A roads, but then speed through villages at 35-40 mph?

Why do HGV drivers insist on taking 10 minutes to pass each other at 50mph on a dual carriageway with a speed differential of 0.001 mph?

Why do the majority of boy racers fit loud and annoying exhaust pipes to their cars?

Why do the majority of car drivers never look out properly for cyclists and motorbikes?

And I suspect there are many more such questions out there.....

The roads are full of idiots. In all types of vehicle, and of all ages.

Blaming the mode of transport an idiot chooses rather than the idiot himself somewhat misses the point.....;)

Retrogamer

HAMISH_MCTAVISH wrote: »

Why do the majority of boy racers fit loud and annoying exhaust pipes to their cars?

For me there were quite a few reasons.

Increase peak power & torque.
Reduce turbo lag.
Increase the clearance underneath on the exhaust (sports / performance resonators & silencers are much smaller)
Increase mpg.
Sounds better

muckybutt

I've always been under the impression you had to pay the excess on any claim then claim it back if it wasn't your fault

Retrogamer

I thought that was the case as well, unless you claim off the third party insurance directly.

Paradigm

muckybutt wrote: »

I've always been under the impression you had to pay the excess on any claim then claim it back if it wasn't your fault

If you go through your own insurance for damage to your car then, yes, you will have to pay the excess.

Claiming directly from his insurance = no excess.

HAMISH_MCTAVISH

Retrogamer wrote: »

For me there were quite a few reasons.

Increase peak power & torque.
Reduce turbo lag.
Increase the clearance underneath on the exhaust (sports / performance resonators & silencers are much smaller)
Increase mpg.
Sounds better

Yeah.... You weren't what I had in mind.

brat

Sounds like it was momentary inattention at worst. The collision, if it was as you describe, was nothing to do with idiot bikers treating the road like a race track.

Strider590 wrote: »

So you didn't "brake test" him for being too close?

Because if you did and there are witnesses you'd be truly f**ked.

Just saying...

I often get a bit close on my push bike if I'm looking to get past a parper. I always have an escape route if the car in front does the 'brake test'.

FWIW, I don't think the OP's collision was the consequence of a 'brake test', but perhaps a mirror check and taking responsibility for the motorcyclist by increasing the gap between him and the car in front may have prevented this collision, by giving the motorcyclist more time to react.

System

taking responsibility for the motorcyclist by increasing the gap between him and the car in front may have prevented this collision, by giving the motorcyclist more time to react.

but the OP appears to have comfortably slowed down without excessive braking by anticipating the actions of the car in front. It appears that the biker's lack of situational awareness was the cause of the accident.

TeamMCS

Man sounds like it was entirely his fault. I'd make sure you get that clarified asap - no way you should pay an excess!

But just to echo what the other guys have said, there's idiots everywhere. I was riding behind someone yesterday on the way back from the shops - maybe doing 15-20mph intending to filter into the left hand land where I was about to turn off. The car in front jammed his breaks on, thankfully I was quite a way back and slowing down otherwise I'd have hit him.

It's amazing what people will do. It's literally tantamount to murder