Thank God for German heavy metal

[chris]

Well it was my turn today. My own fault. Managed to pull out on a pick up I thought was indicating left but it wasn't. Dark morning , wet and greasy roads. I just sat there with nowhere to go once I realized I wasn't going to make it and watched him slide right into me. The right head took the impact and I went into the bonnet, up the windscreen and onto the floor. Bike went a good 20 yards on it's right side. Amazingly I just hurt my elbow and ribs and the bike was still rideable. Insurance are coming to pick it up for repair and I'm heading for a hot bath. If I'd been on anything but a boxer I'd have stood a good chance of losing my right leg there. As it is I'm just bruised. The pick up fared worse than the bike and the driver was amazed I could ride it away. It's a beautiful day and I'm not bothering going in to work now so if I feel ok after a bath I might just take my dog for a quiet walk in the woods.

[Ves]

Bummer, man. Good think it turned out as well as it did. Three cheers for the boxer design...

I never trust anyone's turn signal.

[riceburner]

I never trust anyone's turn signal.

What he said - all it prooves is that the bulb works!

Hope the bike isn't too badly damaged and you don't stiffen up too much!

[chris]

Cheers Guys,
Bike doesn't look too bad considering the impact. Hell of a thing, he said it was like hitting a wall. I'm convinced that right pot saved my leg so now this means I can never ride anything but a boxer....ah well I'm pretty sure it'll be fixable quickly so I can get back out there. It was my own fault, a mix of bad lighting, reflections on a wet road and worst of all, bad judgement. Scary to think that's all it takes and you could be a goner. Just happy to still be here!

[DJ Downunder]

Bad news Chris.. Bummer!.. But also good news that you're ok... They are tuff bikes aren't they.. I hope you're feeling better soon.

DJ

[fj_pastor]

Nice to see you are not hurt.

Congratulations.

[SLEDGE]

Glade you weren't heart.These bike will take a licking!Hope your back on the road soon.

[Biff's R]

Chris glad to hear you are ok. The bike can be fixed or replaced, but you leg can't.

Any pics of the bike?

[wncbmw]

Those jugs are good for protection! Glad your legs, and you, survived.

[towerworker]

Chris--

Glad you're ok. Hope you feel this well tomorrow! (you may be pretty sore). I too had a very similar accident about 13 months ago on my silver 03. I was hit on the left side by a Ford Mustang convertible. She hit me just back of my left leg. The system case took it directly and spun the bike around and me straight up. No broken bones (that came later---another story). Be aware though that these bikes (and other brands as well) total much easier than you might think. If I had felt like it (I didn't) and was able to pull the muffler away from the rear tire 1/2" I could have probably ridden my bike home. It didn't look like all that much damage but my insurance company came up with a very long list of damaged parts. Came to nearly $5000 in damage. Long story short they totaled it (in a way glad they did). Had also thought of buying it for the salvage value and repairing it myself. My adjuster talked me out of that. Pretty tough laws in Virginia concerning titeling a salvaged motorcycle.

Anyway alot of damage can happen when a bike takes a pretty hard hit. Much of that damage may not be visible and may only show up much later on down the road. Internal running gear and driveline issues. On most cars and trucks when they get hit you simply replace that affected body part. On our bikes the engine is a major component of the entire frame and related assemblies. You can't hurt one without probably doing damage to the other. Just something to think about and be aware of.

On a good note-----I bet you will be a much more careful rider now----I know I am.

Good luck!

Wayne
04r

[chris]

Thanks Everyone. I am sore today but not too bad considering. Had a proper look around the bike and it does seem mainly cosmetic tho as you say Wayne, you can't always tell just by looking. The repairers are expert bike assessors so I'll just have to wait for the verdict. Time for another hot soak I think.
C

[Daryl_stamp]

Glad to hear you're OK. I saw a youtube clip of a policeman somewhere in Denmark / Norway / Sweden that a motorist was trying to run over with a car; the jug not only saved the guys leg, it seemed to hang up the motorists car as well.

DLS

[dragonmojo]

Here's my testimonial:
This past May I was riding past Kirkwood Ski Resort on my R1200C Cruiser. The Jeep in front of me (4x4, lifted suspension) rode over a helmet-sized boulder with nary a blink. I managed to steer my front wheel clear, but the header and engine took the brunt of the impact. I was launched straight up out of my saddle but not enough to throw me off. Instead of pulling over, everything sounded fine and no idiot lights came on, so I proceeded to South Lake Tahoe.

At Tahoe I inspected the damages. Header pipe was dented in several areas. Chipped a couple of the oil sump cooling fins. Behind that, the metal was pulled back about an inch, bending the two bolts that held that in place. Underneath I noticed a 2" - 3" long crack... yup, cracked the block. Ah, time to head back down the hill for home. So, I managed to log 140 miles on a broken motor, not to mention the half dozen Harleys I had to zip past shortly after the mishap.

I was lucky in many ways, but I swear that this being a BMW was also a blessing!