Watch What You Are Doing, Drivers...

This is some seriously bad news. The rider was very lucky, and managed not to say what I am sure was on his mind.



Thanks to Robert Jackson Bennett for throwing the clip my way via twitter.

Modern Protection Rackets

The insurance trade is a racket a Sicilian Mafioso would be proud of; extortionists given legal status while runnning a numbers game. I'm not trying to say they aren't necessary, but things are a bit out of whack. Their prices have been driven to new hieghts by people who make excessive claims for every damn thing. Then there's the fact that while competition appears fierce, which should lower prices, it costs a ton of money to advertise like most companies do.

All that having been said, I have been paying protection money to my insurer for more than ten years. They are a great outfit; inexpensive, professional, and have consistently provided me with great customer service during this, my first claim with them. The only negative experience I had from them was the rudeness of the subcontractor they sent to deterimine whether the bike was a total loss or not. And he was just the type of guy to come off rude on the phone. His total value of the bike was accurate and fair, so it was a moot point.

Today the protection racket that represents the interests of the driver of the car that hit me called me directly. I was at work, so I didn't get to pick it up. The representative of the young lady's extortionists left a message stating that I should call her back, as they were not accepting any responsibility beyond 50% for the incident. She added a few more 'facts' and told me to call her back again, as she knew it was approaching the holiday weekend, and 'we' needed to wrap the claim up in under forty-five days.

I am not a hothead. Or rather, while my internal monologue could be characterized as that of a hothead, I rarely let the anger sharks swim free at the surface for everyone to see. Upon hearing the message, my blood started to boil. I took some deep breaths, tried to ignore the morons in court, and thought it through.

My thought process went something like, 'I ain't calling them back. They just want me to engage by calling me direct. Want to record me saying something contrary to my earlier statements or just get me uncomfortable and ready to settle for this bullshit. Fuck that.'

At the next break I called my extortionists, who were most kind, and told me, "Your thoughts are precisely correct, I do not see how they think they will gain anything from going to arbitration, which we will go to, as we stand behind all the evidence pointing to her 100% responsibility for the incident. And no, you do not have to call them back. Not at all."

Having the Godfather tell me they were gonna take 'em to the mattresses was a great relief me. I see now why the rackets have always flourished: When caught between powers, it is good to have someone looking out for your interests, even if they only do so when they see advantage in it.

For now, I'll fagettaboutit...

Further Praise for Good Safety Equipment

I haven't been getting much writing done, but the wrist is getting steadily better, so I should have less excuses.

This morning I was getting ready to go to work on the new bike and picked up the gloves that I wore in the accident. I hadn't put them on since the accident, test-riding with my hot-weather gloves. I discovered a two-inch tear in the left glove beside the composite knuckleguards. The stitching and leather ripped when they struck something, but protected me from injury to that hand. Protected me so well I didn't even notice the damage until putting them on.

I swallowed when I thought about what might have happened had I not listened to my moto-guru, Nate, when he told me, "You can buy a cheap, shitty bike, but you have to spend top dollar on good safety gear. Don't ever skimp on it." My jacket and pants survived the incident. My helmet didn't, and neither did my gloves. I did, and did it in style. Lucky me.

I would have been unable to write at all if I hadn't been wearing all the good protection that generally keeps me uncomfortably warm and makes me look like the minion of some bad guy in B movie thrillers and action flicks... Money well spent. Sweat is good for you, after all.

A Scare, and Loud Applause for Safety Gear

Well, I got hit today on the bike. A woman decided to cross the gore, and cut me off at about 25 miles per hour. I tried to stop, went up in an endo, bumped her rear quarter panel with my left handlebar, and went over.

I punched into the pavement, rolled, and came up looking for the license plate, worried I'd become a hit and run victim. She did the right thing and stopped. She was kind and concerned, and accepted her part. We exchanged information and I called CHP, if for no other reason than to get my bike off the freeway. One of the responding CHP Officers had just been in my court to testify.

Yesterday I spent almost seven hunderd dollars to tune the bike and replace the rear tire. Today it took a beating. Headlight broken, turn signals sheared off, foot peg broken, possible handlebar damage and who knows what else.

My right wrist is painfully stiff, my left foot hurts, and both my shins, just below the knee, are swelling nicely. I will not be feeling good tomorrow.

My wrist hurts from punching the pavement, my left foot was from hitting the pavement in the somersault, I think, and my shins are from my mirrors, one of which was stripped by the impact of my body. My helmet got a tiny bump, ripping the vanes that direct air into the helmet off. My laptop survived. My empty lunch tupperware did not.

Had I not been wearing the excellent safety equipment I always do, I would not be typing this now. Road rash alone would have put me in the hospital, and the impacts that so hurt my shins might have broken them.

Riding carries risk. Risk is something I manage by being as safe, knowledgable and observant as I can, always wearing the best safety gear I can.

Still, tomorrow is going to suck ass.