Nasty off *warning general essay*
 

Hi All,

Last Monday morning 06.30 am heading to work, westbound on the A13. Traffic slows to a stop in front so I set myself up to filter by doing a lifesaver and moving from the middle lane to a position between the middle and outside lanes.

Filtering along nicely at a slow speed (couldn't tell you exactly as I don't think checking your speedo is a very good idea when filtering through traffic). Traffic begins to pick up speed around me so i'm looking out for a route to move back into the main flow. Spot a gap on the left, check the cars on the right aren't gonna make a move for it (indicators, turning wheels, cars moving across a bit etc) and all looks fine. Give the throttle a little squeeze to move in and next thing you know the red Seat Ibiza on the right comes flying across from the outside to try to go for the middle. I get straight on the anchors but its way too late and i go flying into the back-left wheel arch of the car. I had no chance to stop or get out of the way as he was literially on top of me as he began to come across the lane.

I don't really understand what happened next as its all a bit of a blur but somehow the front wheel on my bike got stuck somewhere under his car which in turn lifted the bike up and I went straight over the handlebars, over the left side of his bonnet and down the road. LUCKILY landed in the gap on the left I was aiming for and went for a bit of a slide. Stopped by putting my boot on the bumper of the lorry in front.

My wolf jacket took a beating and my lid is scuffed. Leather trousers also scuffed and my gloves are a bit ripped up. I got straight up with a bit of a sore hip.

I cannot overstate how lucky I think I was in this situation injury wise. I am quite devestated that my beloved SV is a writeoff as per my insurance company. All fairings are smashed and my front forks are bent. Loads of other bits of damage here and there.

The guy in the car has accepted full liability for not checking his mirrors, failing to indicate and whatnot. So I will hopefully get a payout for the bike soon.

The whole incident has really knocked my confidence when it comes to filtering. I currently have a hire bike (bandit 650) which I am using to commute to work every day. I still have to filter as i'll be damned if I sit and wait in stationary traffic on a motrobike.

Has anyone else had any bad experiences with filtering, got any tips, or based on what you have read do you think I was doing anything wrong?

I'm hoping to get around 3k for the bike as its an 08 with 20k miles, but was in really good condition as I looked after it so well and was regularly serviced by Grays Suzuki.

I don't want another SV, silly as it seems but another SV will never be my SV, so I fancy something different. Got an oppertunity for a Trumpet S4 which I really like. We'll see how it goes :)

Re: Nasty off *warning general essay*
 

When you get wiped out through no fault of your own, your confidence does get a battering. Accept you did nothing wrong, get back on and face your bogey

Re: Nasty off *warning general essay*
 

Like TW said, get back in the saddle and face your nemisis.
Also ecpect the unexpected :D
Glad you escaped relatively unscathed and the car driver has exepted liability.

Re: Nasty off *warning general essay*
 

Rather than asking yourself what you were doing wrong, ask yourself (and us) what you could possibly do different in future to avoid such a thing again.
Positive waves, man :)

Maybe just a slight pause before moving into the gap would have given seat man time to see you, maybe not. I don't leave a pause for this reason. It does not sound to me like you could have done much different.

Re: Nasty off *warning general essay*
 

+1
took me a while to fight my demons ,just rember your riding style will change and you will need some time to get back on form, but it will come

Re: Nasty off *warning general essay*
 

Probably only think you might have been doing wrong is going too fast. Other than that from what you say it sounds like you were looking out etc.

Glad you are alright though! :)

Oh and I hope you are getting the exhausts back! (Laser?)

Re: Nasty off *warning general essay*
 

6 months ago I got took out by a guy doing a U-turn in near stationary traffic without indicating or looking at all while I was filtering past... sometimes there is absolutely nothing you can do...
(Other than get a more louder and noiser exhaust...)

Only thing I read before it happened was to look out for the wheels turning before he pulled off, that probably gave me an extra 1 second of thinking and enough change to manuver the bike at an angle rather than a head on bang, but it only limited the damage rather than saved it completely.

Re: Nasty off *warning general essay*
 

What Tim said. Sometimes these things happen. Just get back on and take your time and try, I realise easier said than done, not to think about it too much.

Re: Nasty off *warning general essay*
 

Glad you're ok dude, facts are though, we are going to continue to get took out cos car drivers just dont concentrate enough.
I have already posted on another thread but i nearly got took out on monday by a stupid cow in a merc on the motorway and i wasnt even filtering.

I dont like filtering tbh as there are too many incidents for my liking but you have to unfortunately.

Phil

Re: Nasty off *warning general essay*
 

Sounds like a lucky escape. Well done for not target fixating!

Re: Nasty off *warning general essay*
 

There is no way I will ever give up riding unless it kills me. I really do love it that much. Just a mental block I need to get over with the filtering, yes.

I'm a bit worried that the mental block will distract me however. I will just need to take my time.


Yea i'm pulling them off this weekend. There is a small dent on the right hand pipe just before the can itself (don't know what it's called), probably came from a stone or something, and there is a slight scuff on the left hand side endcan from the accident. Apart from that they are pretty much fine. Sound effing loud. I will put them up on here for sale for cheap before fleabay if anyone may be interested

Re: Nasty off *warning general essay*
 

Very well done mate, sounds like you did well not to let yourself get more injuries. Bet it was a sight though seeing yourself slide towards a lorry.

Get whichever bike you are going to WANT to ride and just let yourself get back into the swing of things.

Re: Nasty off *warning general essay*
 

+1 for what TW said

you aint at fault as the car was driving without due care or attention. expect the police to want a statement from you (if they haven't already)

Re: Nasty off *warning general essay*
 

Police turned up straight away to clear bits of my bike that were all over the road. They were in a car but were both bikers themselves. Said straight away the driver was totally at fault and was 'probably a complete plank/ probably still pi**ed from the night before'. Got a police reference number that I think has helped me out greatly with the insurance.

The A13 really is a death trap if your not careful IMO. Seen plenty of wrecked bikes on the side of the road in my commuting lifetime. I've had my off now so need to concentrate even more than 110% from now on.

Re: Nasty off *warning general essay*
 

Everyone gets confidence knocks mate http://forums.sv650.org/showthread.php?t=152876

I'm back in the saddle and somebody riding behind me for a few hours last week, said you'd never know I was having any confidence issues, but he can see a difference in my cornering speed, etc. He knows who he is, he may post up if he wants to. But after the first 20 miles or so, I asked him if I looked as wobbly as I felt? By the end of the day the wobblyness had gone, though the caution around my cornering speed remained, which can only be a positive thing.

You are already filtering again on the Bandit so you are half way there. If you feel a bit nervous, just keep doing it and your confidence will return. You will always remember this incident and apply caution and that can only be a good thing.

Could you have done anything to avoid it? IMO you are absolutely right to think about it in that way, it's the only way you can learn from the experience. Before I get flamed, the OP asked for analysis and that's what I'm giving him.

From your description is this what happened?

http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/d...al4/Image4.jpg

If so only thing you really did wrong was that you always need to be wary of gaps. If there is a gap on the road and the traffic is heavy, some bugger will always try to fill it in order to get half a car length in front.

Same principal as doing a left shoulder check before exiting when turning right at a roundabout. Moving to the middle of the roundabout to go round it, has left a gap on your left hand side, and you need to check that gap before you cross it to exit the roundabout.

Because there is a lot to take in when filtering between lanes 2 and 3, the motorway is wide, and the car that hit you would have been 90 degrees to your left, he is difficult to pick up in your peripheral vision. It's up to you to realise that though and think "before I move into that gap, have I looked at and second guessed the intentions of every other car that can and might want to cross my path?". If the answer to that question is "no, there is so much going on in lane 2 and 3 that I haven't had a chance to look properly at lane 1" then don't move!

If you do get a chance to look at lane 1, see if there is a car that is catching the car in front, if that happens and there is a gap, there's a good chance the car will jump into it.

If any lane is moving faster than the lane next to it, and there's a gap in the faster lane, there's also a good chance a car will go for a gap.

For safer filtering, looks for situations where cars are boxed in and can't move, then filter through. I always try to pass between cars that are adjacent, there's a better chance then that they have seen the other car alongside them, and won't try to change lane.

Anticipation, based upon what you already know about how drivers behave in a traffic flow. If you haven't had a chance to anticipate, or you can't see everything (because perhaps there's a truck in the way), don't move (ie: don't change your course and speed).

Going slower may have given you more time to pick up what was going on in lane 1, but for all we know you could already have been doing 20mph, so only you know if this is relevant.

I always filter between lanes 2 and 3, and when rejoining traffic move into lane 3, there's less to think about (the central reservation isn't going to jump out!) and car drivers are expecting it more, they don't expect a bike to take a slower position on the road. Then if the traffic flow in lane 3 gets too quick for you, take your space on the road as if you were a car, and change lane to lane 2, in the same way as you would in a car. Again car drivers are expecting that behaviour more than they are expecting you to come out from between two cars when splitting lanes.

To be fair to the driver of the Seat he (though he was probably just being an impatient pr1ck who has forgotten what mirrors and indicators are for!) could have checked his mirror and looked down the length of lane 2 behind him, and checked his blind spot, but you were sitting in an invisible position on the other side of the car in lane 2.

I'm not saying it's "your fault", of course the other driver was an idiot, but it's too late to worry about whose fault it was when your sliding on your ar$e, so you need to do as much as you can to be responsible for what happens to you on the bike, and to be in control of your environment. Hey, we live and learn, and you won't do that one again! :p

Re: Nasty off *warning general essay*
 

No the other car moved from the right side according to OP

Re: Nasty off *warning general essay*
 

Ok, so this happened?

http://i227.photobucket.com/albums/d...al4/Image5.jpg

Well that is much easier to see, anticipate and avoid I'm afraid.

Just don't pass the car on the right, when it has a gap to it's left. Flank it's rear to the near side, at the same speed and slightly behind it (where the bike is in the diagram), until either it jumps lanes in front of you or it's drawn level with another car and can't move, then twist throttle and away you go through.

Re: Nasty off *warning general essay*
 

+1

I've driven cars for years, so when filtering I try and think like a car driver... "F*** it this traffic is moving slowly, and I'm gonna be late for my meeting with that w@nker boss of mine... whassat, a space? They're moving way quicker in that lane... lemme have it!...*smack* Whoa, where'd he come from??"

It's not right, just the way it is.

Re: Nasty off *warning general essay*
 

Sorry to hear about that, it's clearly sh*tted you right up.

Get back out there as soon as you feel ready and then take it as easy as you want.

And yeah, be positive, this is your chance to get a different bike!

Re: Nasty off *warning general essay*
 

99.9 % car drivers are out to get us...........(or it could be me)
allways expect the unexcepted, cleashay but its true.
filtering down the m25, traffic had stopped and this wonderfull person
pulled his car out, to block me passing him...WTF...:smt017
there is always one.
i try to go slow enough to stop if some idiot pulles out, but we cant win all the time.
glad your ok. and happy the other drive has said it is 100% his fault,
sue the Fxxxer, bike, clothes, days lost on work, everything...!!!.

Re: Nasty off *warning general essay*
 

Yep - just work on the assumption that there are two kinds of car drivers. Some that are actively trying to kill you, and the others that haven't seen you yet.

Re: Nasty off *warning general essay*
 

It wont help 100% but i strongly advise that you fit a really loud pipe/can to your next bike. Mine is stupidly loud and they tend to notice a bit more. Also, when i filter, during the day, i turn my beams on. This means there is more chance of them seeing you with the light going into one of the three mirrors. It will **** some people off, but i find they notice you alot more.

Re: Nasty off *warning general essay*
 

Sorry to hear about the off mate. Good job you're alright. Cagers just don't remember we're around half the time. Hope you get it all sorted out soon!

So as Ralph asked, is this what happened?

Re: Nasty off *warning general essay*
 

I used to commute on the A13. I'd expect a near miss every 6 to 8 weeks. Poor cagers are very tired in the morning and after work and distracted by their phones, radios, aircon and sat navs let alone eating, drinking, chatting away.

I was always wary when there was a gap available for a car to move in even if they have given no indication to their lane change intention (positioning, head movement - never expect an actual indicator ha ha).

When cars are side to side its much safer to filter IMO (you don't really see cars banging doors driving in a straight line) but give them a sniff of a 0.02 second advantage and they'll fill that gap.

Re: Nasty off *warning general essay*
 

Glad you are OK.

Likewise I've learnt to be very cautious whenever I see a gap And I almost never take a gap if I'm within a few dozen meters of a junction either way as thats when you get cars AND bikes shooting across lanes willy nilly.

That said I seem to spend 90% of my journey on the white lines anyway *shrug*

Re: Nasty off *warning general essay*
 

Hindsight is a wonderful thing though.


At the end of the day fella, it wasn't your fault. Try and get back in the saddle and get riding.

I've not come off *touch wood*, but have had 2 situations in the past 8 years where someone has pulled a U-turn on me whilst I'm filtering at low speed past stationary traffic, and also some crazy bint pulled out from the opposite side of the road, to bully her way into stationary traffic whilst I was filtering - even the white van man she tried to bully her way into couldn't fathom what she was thinking!

Re: Nasty off *warning general essay*
 

No, it wasn't his fault.

Turning today's hindsight into tomorrow's foresight is the key.

Re: Nasty off *warning general essay*
 

One other tip to remember is that cars tend to change lane the most when the traffic is either slowing down or speeding up. Less so when it's travelling at a constant speed, or stopped. Presumably this is because they feel the need to rush to get in quick, if the speed is changing?

Re: Nasty off *warning general essay*
 

I had a lorry swerve into my lane on me today, twice! Ended up he was trying to take his hi-viz top off so he could drive bare chested. Very manly ha ha

Re: Nasty off *warning general essay*
 

Glad to hear you're ok mate.

I travel on the A13 all the time. Sometimes it just aint worth filtering. Still, give it some time and you'll be up to your old confidence once again.

Re: Nasty off *warning general essay*
 

Not looking to flame or owt, but this phrase probably wouldn't help your case if you are claiming through insurance etc.

"Give the throttle a little squeeze to move in"

This could be interpreted that you were filtering at speed, and the SEAT may have seen you and thought you were far enough away that he could move in, but because you varied your speed the crash happened.

Re: Nasty off *warning general essay*
 

Get back into the riding seat asap and you'll be 'reet'.

If it makes you feel any better, I generally filter through traffic up to 100mph...which I never go over generally as then it's ban territory. Sounds like you were riding rather calmly from my opinion, not wrecklessly at all (just remember....what is wreckless to one person seems fine to another....not saying I filter 'fine' but I've certainly never had anyone pull out on me in 7 years).:)

Re: Nasty off *warning general essay*
 

Unfortunately I can't see this picture mate. Not sure why.

I understand what you are saying with the rest of your reply tho. Thanks. I also think its a good idea to move into the outside lane where possible as you are right in saying the central reservation takes out the possibility of anyone moving across from the right.

In this instance I really did think I checked out the situation thoroughly before making a move but evidentially you can never be too careful.

Re: Nasty off *warning general essay*
 

Yea your definately right there.

When writing my report to the insurance company I only specified I was moving at a slow speed, however I was unable to tell the exact speed at the time of the incident as I was observing my surroundings and not the speedo.

I only gave the throttle a little extra when attempting to move into the gap to match the speed of the vehicle in front in the middle lane. Nothing silly at all just utilising the amazing-ness of the SV's engine