veraliar

I've been reading these forums for a few months now but still getting used to all the bike talk and everything. I'm kind of new to the whole thing, so I didn't think I'd have anything worth posting for a while.

Well, I thought too soon. Only a few rides in on my curvy, and I already got a mark on my record. Nothing major, but it really does make you stop and smell the roses.

I'm a pretty good driver when it comes to cars - no accidents for 7 years. I figured I could be similar on bikes. From what I read, most accidents are not the fault of the rider. Ok, so I'll just be defensive like I always am and maybe step it up a hunch.

I just broke it in a few weeks ago. Can use the clutch pretty well to drive 2-5 mph without dragging my feet. Learning how to properly lean right now, along with plenty of other things. Overall, comfort level is good.

So I took it for a spin today. I live in Boston in USA btw, not UK. And we got a bit of snow last night. I was working at a hotel and spent the night to minimize risk.. then again, statistically it's safer to drive at night.

Anyway, I'm riding home in the morning, **** poor traffic and weather conditions, but I'm not doing too bad. After about 35 km on the highway, I'm closing in on home, going my normal route. Going up one of the main streets past a tiny intersection, doing about 35 km/hr. I see a huge bmw SUV pulling out so I touch the rear break, swing myself to the left to avoid her. Then after a second or two she stops. I'm thinking ok she sees me, take my foot off the break and that's when she hits gas.

By then it's too late to do anything short of panic (for me at least), and being a novice, I don't have my instincts properly intact. About the only right thing I did is lay her down. I hit the front break too heavy, and at such a low speed she threw me to the side pretty good. I also landed horribly and would've easily broken my neck the way my head rolled under me if the speed was higher.. Me and the bike slid under her SUV into her front tire. I quickly got up and started bitching about the damage ignoring what she was saying because all I'm really thinking is "great, now I have to take the car to work."

All in all, I think it was a good experience. After reading through these forums and a bunch of other places, I knew my risks and tried to prepare myself consciously so I didn't get scared or worried. I figured it's part of the trade. Still, I took quite a lot away from it and I think that's a bonus. Along with my health I got a dose of lessons and reality shocks that I'll have to carry each time I ride.

I also learned that it doesn't matter how defensive you are and how defensive the other person is (she was a middle aged woman with 2 little kids in the back and claimed she always drives slow/careful, I kinda believed her) because accidents are accidents and they're gonna happen. So I think I'll keep driving like I've been driving, not pushing beyond my limits but still testing them with full understanding that **** happens.

Btw, her story is that she didn't see me coming, she was looking at some pedestrian crossing or something. I'm not really sure. She didn't deny it was her fault but then you wonder what she'll tell the insurance. If I were a little more experienced I probably would have either slowed down to a near stop just in case when I saw that danger coming or leaned it to the left better to avoid her entirely. Then again in retrospect, a few seconds always appear like minutes during which you can make better decisions. I saw her pull out, I slowed down, then she stopped, so I kept going. Oh well.