pooh and xtine
Well-Known Member
I only wear non-polarised glasses because many helmets have polarised visors. Looking through two polarised surfaces gives you weird visual impairment.
I had stopped to turn right at a junction in London. There was a buss comming up the road ( they are bright red ) i had a quick look and it looked ok. I was just about to go when a thought popped into my head ( that was a quick look ) and i didnt go. Then a car the same colour as the buss comes past it had overtaken the buss and i had lost it in the background of the buss. I would have pulled straight in front of it. I was driving a car at the time so i just thought my car brain was telling me ok but my bike brain said hold it. Lucky day for me. Junctions are dangerous even when they dont look it. I can only think you didnt register it because it blended in somehow.The crash happened at the intersection of Ponce de Leon Blvd (US98) and Lake Lindsey Road (CR476) at 1 pm last Saturday. I was westbound on 476 and the van was northbound on 98. I’ve driven this route numerous times and I knew there was a stop sign at 98. My buddy was following me on his Indian, we were riding at the posted limit of 55. I was not impaired or tired.
I don’t remember approaching the intersection, only the pain of hitting the pavement with my lower back and the sound of my helmet hitting the pavement. I didn’t know what happened, just laid on my back trying to catch my breath. My friend was at my side and soon many others arrived and kept me talking but wouldn’t let me get up, my friend told me that I hit a vehicle and I remember asking if the driver was okay. It seemed only a few minutes before EMS arrived and they took me to the ER in Brooksville, they did a ct scan and sent me to the Ocala trauma center about an hour north by ambulance. That was my experience.
According to statements from my friend and the van driver and possibly others, I rolled up to the intersection and stopped and put both feet down. I then proceeded through the intersection and hit the van.
An officer came to see me in the ER and told me that I did stop but I failed to yield the right of way so that’s what he wrote me up for.
Obviously I screwed up big time, my first ticket ever, except for occasional speeding.
There is no excuse for breaking the rules and endangering others, but I’d sure like to know why this happened and how to prevent a repeat. One thing I have thought about is maybe the combination of the polarized clip-on lenses I was wearing, high bright south sun, and the silver coloured vehicle coming north made it difficult to see.
Thanks for sharing and don't beat yourself up too hard, as seeing her would've been SO easy to miss.The crash happened at the intersection of Ponce de Leon Blvd (US98) and Lake Lindsey Road (CR476) at 1 pm last Saturday. I was westbound on 476 and the van was northbound on 98. I’ve driven this route numerous times and I knew there was a stop sign at 98. My buddy was following me on his Indian, we were riding at the posted limit of 55. I was not impaired or tired.
I don’t remember approaching the intersection, only the pain of hitting the pavement with my lower back and the sound of my helmet hitting the pavement. I didn’t know what happened, just laid on my back trying to catch my breath. My friend was at my side and soon many others arrived and kept me talking but wouldn’t let me get up, my friend told me that I hit a vehicle and I remember asking if the driver was okay. It seemed only a few minutes before EMS arrived and they took me to the ER in Brooksville, they did a ct scan and sent me to the Ocala trauma center about an hour north by ambulance. That was my experience.
According to statements from my friend and the van driver and possibly others, I rolled up to the intersection and stopped and put both feet down. I then proceeded through the intersection and hit the van.
An officer came to see me in the ER and told me that I did stop but I failed to yield the right of way so that’s what he wrote me up for.
Obviously I screwed up big time, my first ticket ever, except for occasional speeding.
There is no excuse for breaking the rules and endangering others, but I’d sure like to know why this happened and how to prevent a repeat. One thing I have thought about is maybe the combination of the polarized clip-on lenses I was wearing, high bright south sun, and the silver coloured vehicle coming north made it difficult to see.
Lookin’ good man and you areMy pace is a little off, but I got 15 miles in. View attachment 99373
Check your radiator and the fan, seeing the damage to your crash bars it’s very possible that your fan could have been pushed into the rad by the bars and they have then sprung back out again leaving the impression that nothing in there is damaged.View attachment 99375
The fork may have broken the plastic wheel cover off the van, but I don't think it sliced the door open.
View attachment 99376
I'd say the Givi engine guard cut the van.
View attachment 99377
Broken clutch lever, but the plastic hand guard survived!
Thanks, I tried to turn the fan and it is jammed against the rad. Hopefully get the bike home this week and I'll remove the Givi and plastic. My main concern is the wheel and forks, if they are OK the bike will likely live again.Check your radiator and the fan, seeing the damage to your crash bars it’s very possible that your fan could have been pushed into the rad by the bars and they have then sprung back out again leaving the impression that nothing in there is damaged.
Don’t ask how I know, but it’s happened twice to me, once with SW Motech bars and once with Heed
Get well soon.View attachment 99326
View attachment 99328View attachment 99327
Just drive it into the side of a family van that is going 55 mph!
I did this boneheaded move on Saturday, spent the night in Ocala Florida trauma center. Completely my fault, no excuses.
Thankfully my wife was not riding pillion this day.
Thankfully the young lady driving the van was able to come to a stop safely with no harm to her or her three small children.
Thankfully I was not driving my pickup truck or there would have been 4 more people in the hospital.
Because the bike has 225k on it I have not been insuring it for collision damage, so this will be all my dime, don’t worry I have 2 more bikes.
I am too stiff and sore to bend down to assess the damages and determine if it is worth fixing, I’m trailering it back to Canada in April.
Even though it was a hot, humid sunny afternoon, I was wearing full riding gear. My Shoei neotec split open at the back, a few scuffs on my Klim jacket and Olympia pants, Gaerne high boots and Rocket gloves.
I have one broken rib and some lung damage, lots of bruises but, hey, I’m sitting here telling my story.
Be careful out there guys.
This picture gives a whole new meaning to riding a naked bike.