Random Hog Down + pillion
 

Just returned from site (where I managed to lock my keys under the pillion seat but thats not what this thread is about). On the way to site I witnessed an unfortunate incident and quite honestly I dont know where I stand on my thoughts/actions.

The Yorkshire Evening post intersection in leeds isnt perticularly dangerous although the merging angle is quite acute. Traffic merging in will crawl or stop before joining the just proir to the armly giratory. As I approached I moved over into the right hand lane to allow traffic to merge in. Nothing out of the normal at this point I was a good 200yrds away from the junction but knowing its coming up and I had the space so I made space for other road users - plus it stops people pulling out on what is an acute angle.
As us bikers do when we see a crash helmet it instantly grabs our attention as we nosey the rider and their steed. So my attention was attracted by 2nd in the que unfortunatly it was a hog with rider and pillion but there is no accounting for taste lol.
Anyway the car in front of him came to a stop before merging despite the lane been clear, and this is where I start to get caught in 2 minds.
With the car stopped and the rider checking over his shoulder when he faced forwards he had to brake hard and ended up kinda jack kniefing his hog. Highsiding both him and his pillion, I instantly decel'd and pulled over to offer assistance but as I did a police traffic car stopped on his left hand side. To avoid causing congestion I continued 20yrds past the junction and pulled over. I saw the rider pointing towards the car which had by now pulled off and continued (I assume completely unaware of what had happened behind). His gestures indicated that he felt the car was at fault and as I dismounted to go assit him lifting the bike back up the passenger side officer shoo'd me away. So I continued along feeling quite guilty that I hadnt helped.

Returning to work and reflecting on it, its now left me a little 2 sided. One side says;
"the car driver was obviously not paying attention if they felt they needed to stop before merging" Bad car driver!
but the other side of me says,
"The biker should have paid more attention to what was going on in front and he'd have been able to stop without dropping the bike" Bad Biker!

I feel bad for the rider that he dropped his bike (its never nice for anyone) but based on my description of events how would you judge the above?

Re: Random Hog Down + pillion
 

6 of one and half a dozen of the other, but then again, i always check my shoulder when moving left and away from someone merging right,

i guess its one of those things, but at least he noticed and didnt hit the car whilst looking over shoulder

as long as no-one was hurt, apart from hog mans feelings, i suppose its just a bad day,

:edit, brownie points for stopping and helping out, if i see a biker randomly stopped at side of road or accidents/drops, i always stop by just to see if everything is alrite,

Re: Random Hog Down + pillion
 

im sorry to say but it is just the bikers fault, the car driver lane clear or not may not have been ready for whatever reason to make his manover (how many times has your foot slipped of a pedal etc) the biker assumed cos the road was clear the car would go, rule 1 dont assume anyone will do what "there suposed to do" ,it just simply unlucky added with a bad reaction to the situation (dropping the bike)

Re: Random Hog Down + pillion
 

Bikers fault.

Obviously a knob for buying a harley.

Re: Random Hog Down + pillion
 

I have unfortunately got to agree with Dave. I know this will inflate his ego. but for once he is quite correct.

Re: Random Hog Down + pillion
 

Did the same in the cage years ago.Thought the woman in front had pulled away onto the clear roundabout, but had stopped for some reason. I hit her - no one hurt and minimal damage other than to pride. Whilst she displayed poor driving and a general lack of awareness, so did I, as I asumed she knew how to drive. To this day, i still always double check when pullng out that the car in front has REALLY moved away.

Bikers fault but i do feel for him / her. Bad luck.

Re: Random Hog Down + pillion
 

Hardley davidsons fault, he basically fell off his bike ;)

Re: Random Hog Down + pillion
 

+1. What are you beating yourself up for? The police told you to bugger off, so you did. Go have a beer.

Re: Random Hog Down + pillion
 

+1 (What is the world coming to? lol)

I rear-ended someone in my Dad's car when I was 17 (had just passed my test, one of the first times i'd been out in the car on my own :oops:) doing exactly what the Harley rider was doing - expected the guy in front at a t-junction to pull out & set off down the road and was too busy looking to the right to see if it was clear enough to follow him out to notice that he'd changed his mind and put the brakes back on. 100% my fault.

Re: Random Hog Down + pillion
 

imho - bikers fault.. my trainer (ex bike coppper) did that to me at a roundabout - slowed, and then stopped with nothing coming from the right.. i looked to the right for a split second to see what was coming and not what was going on in front of me and had to hit the anchors to not rearend him... when i queried why he did it - his response was something along the lines "i was testing you - so many accidents are caused by rear ends at junctions, u need to check road in front clear first then check to your right" (he did stress that he was watching to see that i was gonna stop and was ready to move out the way - so he wasnt being reckless )

feel for the hog rider tho... never nice to drop the bike no matter who's fault it is!! :pale: