[Joel-in-dallas]

I haven't been online for a few days because I laid my G5 standard over on Saturday at around noon.

I was swerving to avoid an SUV that was going to hit me and my front tire got caught in railroad tracks and I laid her down. I was only going 20-25 miles and hour. Thankfully my helmet did its job. No neck or head injury. I did get some road rash and I broke my collarbone.

This has been an ordeal. I know I'm really lucky. But it's not a fun start to riding. I have 700 miles on my bike. I am glad that the bike only has minor damage. I'm in a lot of pain, but every day I'm better. I suspect in a couple of weeks I'll be able to ride again. It's funny, I miss riding.

I want to get back on the bike again. But first to heal.

[Rich Mintz]

I wish you a speedy recovery, and hope you get back on the bike as soon as you feel ready.

[wildbill]

best wishes for a speedy recovery

[Ducati Scotty]

Collarbones are a very common injury in moto accidents, I'm glad that's all you suffered.  I'm also glad you're eager to get back to riding   Don't rush it.  Heal up, get your bike fixed, and then ride again.

Scott

[Bulletman]

glad to hear youre ok, heal up soon and enjoy riding that bike.

[Guaire]

The coming weeks will be healing time and your Bullet will be waiting for you when you ride again.

[High On Octane]

Glad to hear you only suffered minor injuries.  I wish you a speedy recovery.   

Scottie

[Arizoni]

Sorry to hear about your problem.
Just glad it wasn't worse.

Hang in there and follow your doctors advice and you'll heal up good as new.

[heloego]

Glad you're still OK, Joel!
Relax, heal up, and enjoy the off-time. You'll be ready to ride in no time!

helo

[AussieDave]

m§#¿u...f¢®¤°°!g suv drivers! yesterday i was riding down mt. dandenongs mountain hwy cloud was on the hill road was wet visibility low and my rear needs replacing so i wasn't in a hurry. along comes an suv right up my clacker and proceeded to tailgate me all the way down the hill. at the bottom is a roundabout i swung left and this idiot barrelled straight through and missed killing some poor unsuspecting commuter by about two inches. not really given to making gross generalizations but i repeat: m¿§£u f§€£¡*g suv drivers! but enough about me. wishin you pain free bone knitting and a swift return to good times. and to everyone else, watch out for those imbeciel in their mobile lounge rooms.

[mattsz]

m§#¿u...f¢®¤°°!g suv drivers!

...i repeat: m¿§£u f§€£¡*g suv drivers!

AussieDave - you didn't repeat... that's two different expletives! 

Seriously, Joel, glad to hear you're not seriously injured!

[AussieDave]

i know my spelling sucks but my face makes a great bug-catcher! just a natural god-given talent i guess:-)

[ace.cafe]

Sorry to hear!
Glad you're basically ok, and the bike too.
Everybody that rides a bike has some sort of falling over incident at some time. It goes with the territory. Traffic magnifies the probabilities. I always hate to ride in traffic.

[GreenMachine]

Glad to c u okay...Did they stop and help u ?  The bike can wait. Tine for u to heal properly..Stay safe..GM

[mplayle]

Glad you are recovering.  Heal first, then repair the bike and don't forget to replace your helmet if it took a whack when it "did its job".

[barenekd]

I don't know about paying much attentions to the doctors. When you feel you can ride the bike with much pain, Do it. Most doctors are very anti-motorcycle and will try to keep you off them as long as they can.
I once was t-boned by a Buick coming out of a parking lot and went over the car landing on my head and shoulder. I didn't feel to bad, but I laid there for a couple of minutes so the idiot would thank he killed me! I got up and walked over to him and we had a bit of a chat. then the meat wagon came and hauled me to the hospital. Xrays indicated I had a cracked collarbone, but that was about it. They gave me a sling,and all the Anti-M/C BS and sent me home. I had to walk a couple of miles to get there, then pulled out my GB500 and rode 40 miles to Burger Continental for a Norton owners club meeting. HTe collar bone was a bit sore, but certainly enough to worry about. I have a friend in BSA club who had his Knee replaced and three weeks later was riding the Beezer. A few weeks after that while he continued to ride, he went to the doctor for a checkup  and he was amazed at the speed of his recovery! Motorcycles are great therapy for all ailments, physical and mental. Doctors just don't understand. I've had discussions with a few of them over the years and I've found very few that went along with the idea. Some do. I like those guys. 
Anyway, get well and get back to riding!
Bare

[Royalista]

...
 Motorcycles are great therapy for all ailments, physical and mental.
...
Bare

+1
So true.
Well put 

[Ducati Scotty]

I mentioned I ride to some friends at brunch one day.  Most of them are MDs and all are mountain climbers, as I am too.  Ten minutes of horror stories about how dangerous motorcycles are.  "Yeah....  wasn't it six of you who got stuck on the mountain in a snow storm, got separated into two groups, and had a two day mahunt to find and resuce you that you had to hold a benefit to help pay for once you got back?"  Somehow my riding is dangerous but climbing is totally ok.  I didn't bother telling them that I used to surf in hurricanes.

Scott

[singhg5]

Joel-in-Dallas:

Best wishes for a speedy recovery and healing so that you can ride again.

[eda1bulletc5]

Hey Joel-in-dallas
Sorry to hear about your accident. Even though it is painful to go through any accidents, glad that it wasn't worse...
Wishing you speedy and complete recovery to start riding again!
Sajiv

[D the D]

Good luck on your recovery.  Man, collar bones hurt!  I hope it didn't make your arm useless while it knits.  I think I'm going to look for a new jacket with collar bone armor now.

[Portland Bullet]

All my best to you, Joel. Sounds like you reacted well and paid a comparatively OK penalty. Main thing is, I'm glad you're posting. And yeah like others have said - SUV drivers. I see an SUV a block away and I'm like Welcome to the circus. You just never know. 

[Joel-in-dallas]

Im getting better. I am now able to sleep for 3-4 hours at a time. That has made a huge difference. But yeah, being in pain bites.

So I now have to decide if I want to put in a claim and use my insurance for repairs on the bike or eat the cost myself.

Since my deductible is 500.00. I have ~800 in repairs if I skip the fuel tank. Its ~1250 if I get that replaced as well.

I wonder if it will be better for me long term expense wise to just pay the whole 1250.00 get my bike back spotless and not have a claim on my insurance. I am a bit worried my motorcycle insurance will get more expensive.

Any ideas?

I missed a whole week of work. I haven't done that in many many years. So this has been rough. But I know I will get better and I will ride again.

[Alan LaRue]

Dunno what to tell you about the repairs, Joel, but I hope you're feeling better soon.

[Arizoni]

Joel
I think I would just go ahead and fix it out of my pocket if it were mine.

Seems Insurance companies have a way of always getting their nickle back if they have to pay anything on their end of the agreement.

[Bulletman]

Joel
I think I would just go ahead and fix it out of my pocket if it were mine.

Seems Insurance companies have a way of always getting their nickle back if they have to pay anything on their end of the agreement.

+1. Especially if you can afford it..

[Ducati Scotty]

Or fix the minimum to get it running right and leave the tank.  Seems the tank always gets a ding, even in the most minor drops.  Get a little more experience and a few more miles.  If you drop it again you'll only need to replace it once   Replace it this winter.

Scott

[Joel-in-dallas]

I am starting to feel better.
It looks like there is ~750 in damage to the motorcycle. Since my deductible is 500.00 I am going to eat the cost. The tank has a slight nick in it. But at this point I am going to leave it alone.

I am excited to ride again, but I am going to make sure I am physically ready before I get on the motorcycle again. This broken collarbone has been one of the most painful things to ever happen to me.

Soon this will just be a memory, or a story told over a beer, after a nice ride.

[Alan LaRue]

  Replace it this winter.

He's in Texas... he'll be riding in the winter! Maybe he can replace it next summer when it's too hot to ride.

[Ducati Scotty]

You simply say that to taunt me!  You know I live in the Pacific Northwest!

Scott

[Ducati Scotty]

If you feel up to it take a spin around the block. Even a short ride does wonders for morale.

And get a calcium supplement.  Make sure your body has what it needs to heal.

Scott

[hillntx]

Be sure to get some good quality riding gear: helmet, armored jacket, gloves, boots.  Try MotoLiberty (635 and Josey) or Cycle Gear (75 and Park, Plano)

[Joel-in-dallas]

I have a great helmet, which I will be replacing. That helmet saved me much suffering. I also had gloves and boots on. But had I been wearing an armored jacket, I suspect I would not have broken my collarbone. So yes, all of that is on the list.

[kammersangerin]

Hi Joel. I am glad to hear you are recovering. I guess you got broken in the hard way. I have been fortunate in my bike riding years to have never been in a scuffle. But I have taken many tumbles off of horses, primarily racehorses moving at high speed. While my jockeying days have finished, I can tell you that the most common injury with horses is...the collarbone. Most jockeys are very good tumblers, but the truth is, the way we fall, landing on our shoulder, eventually you are going to be with enough pressure in the wrong position, with a bending and it breaks.

I don't know how you fell, but unless you hit something solid, like a rock or curb, my bet is the jacket would not have saved your collarbone. Don't get me wrong..I ride with an armoured jacket all the time; I like my body parts to not get scraped off or punctured. Same with pants in cold weather. Its a must have in my view. Just don't blame yourself for not having one in this case.

Not sure why you are responsible in an accident caused by someone else...

Ge well soon.

[Alan LaRue]

I was thinking the same thing about the jacket and the collarbone, but I'm not an expert so I didn't replay. Thanks, kammersangerin, for chiming in.

While thinking about it, it did occur to me that shoulder armor might reduce the impact if the contact with the ground occurred in a certain way.

[Joel-in-dallas]

I am recovering. Its going to be another week or so before I am ready to ride.
Well, I am going to pay for the repairs to the motorcycle out of pocket. The guy who caused me to swerve, and then get the front wheel caught in railroad tracks which took me down, he drove away. Thankfully other folks stopped.

The police took a report and EMTs evaluated me at the scene. I really felt ok after the accident. It was about 12 hours later that the pain hit me. I had an ambulance take me to the hospital and I was in and out in like 3 hours. They checked me for other trauma. The collarbone is healing. But they can't do anything for it other than pain pills. It was a small and clean break.

Its funny if I han't broken the collarbone I would have recovered in days. The road rash I have is going away pretty fast.

This affirmed to me that I will always wear a helmet.

[Ducati Scotty]

Yup, helmets make a lot of things non-events.  Same goes for all protective gear, though there's not much that protects a collarbone.  Some MX stuff does a bit, but it'd look weird wearing it on the street.

Scott

[barenekd]

The armored jacket does save a lot of collarbones. The armor will usually hit the ground first take a lot of the load off your shoulder and collarbone. If you hit a curb square on missing the armor, it won't help, but in most instances it helps quite a bit.
Kinda like bulletproof vests, if you get shot where the vest ain't, Well, sorry about that, dude. Just hope it doesn't hurt too much!
Bare

[Arizoni]

Speaking of railroad tracks, this is a good example of why the rider always wants to approach and cross them as close to a 90 degree angle as possible.

They have a hunger for motorcycle tires and will do their best to devour them if given a chance.

Yes, I know Joel was avoiding some knothead but I figure there might be some new riders reading this that aren't aware of the dangers of riding over railroad tracks and any other thing that has a gap in it.

[Ducati Scotty]

Didn't know they helped that much Bare.  Thanks for the info.

Scott

[heloego]

arizoni, thanks for bring up the point. RR tracks are just one of the hazards brought up in the MSF Safety course.
It was thirty years between bikes for me and that Safety Course jolted me. I didn't realize I'd been so unsafe in the good ol' days. 
First investment this time, and for sure $$$ well spent.
Joel, glad you're healing up well! Keep us posted.

helo

[D the D]

There's a set of tracks running diagonally across the road on my commute that I zig from left to right going and right to left coming home to cross.  I'm always fearful someone is going to try to share my lane and send me where Joel went.
The Safety Course taught me I have old bad habits and I really learned quite a bit.  Some friends still tell me the (certified) teachers are idiots and don't know what they are talking about.  But when I ride behind them now, well, I see they simply can't admit they don't know how to handle traffic safely and are too stubborn to listen to anyone.  The same guys get angry when I tell them I can't do adjustments on my bike the same way they do their Yamahondazukis.  I'm told that the Enfield Manuals have been wrong for 60 years.  At least the HD guys understand it's old school Brit, but that's another thread.

[Joel-in-dallas]

I am getting better. Down to half the dosage of pain medication. I also have all of my movement back. As for getting the motorcycle back, I am awaiting parts. When they arrive my bike will be fixed and I will be riding again.

I am excited to get back in the saddle, but I have to say starting with an accident so soon as a new rider is not fun. But its reality and I live with it.

Be careful out there, have fun and gear up.
I will be out there again soon.

[Ducati Scotty]

Almost everyone has dropped a bike at one time or another.  Don't feel bad.  The only shame would be not learning from it.  Move on, smarter for the experience.

Glad you're healing well.

Scott

[Desi Bike]

Hands up if you've ever dropped a bike.

A few years ago as a new rider long before I got my RE, I learned rapidly not to lock the front wheel up after hitting a gravelled corner at 60+mph.

(and I was wearing gauntlet gloves, the slide
angle removed that one)

[hillntx]

I've only laid one down once and that was to replace the clutch springs with out having to drain the oil.  I've dropped two; once in the driveway and once in a parking lot backing up.  Most of the rest have been slammed to the ground in an unanticipated manner.

Joel, when your ready to ride again let's meet for lunch.

[REdmonton]

I don't know how much an armoured jacket would help. I know plenty of guys who have broken collarbones playing hockey. Hockey pads are much more robust than motorcycle armour.

[Ducati Scotty]

I dropped a bike on a test drive once.  Just a couple of scratches on the engine case and the dealer was SUPER cool about it.  I bought it a few days later and fixed it with a black Sharpie.  Dropped a few in the driveway working on them, and my dirt bike when I was a kid spent plenty of time on its side.  Only one real bad accident with that bike, still have the scars 30 years later.

Scott

[Craig McClure]

So I now have to decide if I want to put in a claim and use my insurance for repairs on the bike or eat the cost myself.

Since my deductible is 500.00. I have ~800 in repairs if I skip the fuel tank. Its ~1250 if I get that replaced as well.

I wonder if it will be better for me long term expense wise to just pay the whole 1250.00 get my bike back spotless and not have a claim on my insurance. I am a bit worried my motorcycle insurance will get more expensive.

Any ideas?

[/quote]

Hey Joel, I would encourage you to use your insurance-you already paid for it. Get your bike delivered to the dealer, & let the insurance company pay for all but your deductible. inquire if your doctor bills are covered-some usually are. If they raise your rates next year-dump them, there are lots of bike insurers. Check out MARKEL CYCLE INSURANCE, they are very good & very reasonable. That's who I'm using. Good Luck, Craig

[Ducati Scotty]

Also, many company's will pay for any gear damaged in the crash.  With helmet and jacket that adds up fast.

Scott

[D the D]

Right! Once your helmet and armor have taken a hit, assume it's trash.  Many policies cover gear and accessories lost in an accident.  And the $$ add up.

[Gypsyjon]

Use the insurance...:Look at it this way: They are betting nothing will happen and they will make money on you. You are betting something will happen and you want them to help.....

Life insurance: They are betting you will die, you are betting you will live for ever....

Who wins??? 

Only way to come out, is to not buy life insurance but own life insurance company stock...

OK, yes, I am cynical...

[Royalista]

I'd call that pragmatical