I love my bike. It's a Fazer 600, and is the first "big" bike I got when I passed my test 3 1/2 years ago. It may not be the fastest bike on the road, but it's fast enough for me.
I ride it most days, albeit just to the station and back, in sun, rain, fog, wind and even snow (sometimes!).
I love the convenience of never having to look for a parking space, and the fact that I can leave my front door and be on the train in under 10 minutes, where a car would take at least twice that.

I'm not a great rider, and I know it. I don't do enough social riding to get the experience. I always try to ride sensibly and within my abilities. I always enjoy the ride, although I get quite nervous when it's icy on the roads.

So why am I thinking of selling?

A car pulled out on me today.

I was doing about 60 (70 zone) on a bit of dual carriageway (H6 between v4 and V3 for those who know Milton Keynes!). The car pulled out of a side road on my left, turning right across the carriageway. It pulled out all the way across the inside lane, causing me to break very hard (front wheel locked up), and scream some obscenity into my helmet, but he/she must have seen me at the last minute as it stopped before crossing the outside lane, which luckily I was in. If it hadn't stopped there was no way I could have avoided it, and at close to 60mph I have no doubts I would now be dead.

Now I'm wondering if it's worth it. No matter how carefully I ride, I'm at the mercy of the lowest common denominator as far as car drivers are concerned. The ones who move first and look later, if at all. I don't want to leave my kids without a father, or a vegetable in place of one.

So I need some good old ScoobyNet support, banter, insults, whatever, to pursuade me to stick with it. Can anybody help?

Keep the bike.

You might get hit by a bus crossing the road to the train station to get to work in the morning.

Don,t give up just because you have had your first big moment on your bike, it,s called experience, albeit a nasty one ,:( it happens to us all . I,ve had a few close calls with fcukwit morons in cars who just don,t pay attention to what is going on around them,to busy twatin around with their stereo,s or some other **** in the car.At the end of the day i find that it just makes you ride more defensivley. and that my friend is called experience :thumb: , hang in there if every biker who got a scare on the road from moron drivers gave up, there would be no bikers left on the road and what a fcukin sad world that would be.

Keep the bike.

You might get hit by a bus crossing the road to the train station to get to work in the morning.

Well type:)
ps I have had lots of crash on a bike , but never a broken bone , fractured yes but not broken and only ever had 3 stitches :)( touch wood )
know of guys who came off their mopeds with broken arms though!
what will be, will be my freind ........lived today ....who knows what tommorrow may bring :)

Don't give up so easly there's nothing like a near miss get used to it.But after the event was your heart going like the clappers what a rush you've just cheated death don't be a tart if your using your bike every day & this is the first near miss you've had then you are a sensible rider. Get back on & make your journey to work an adventure. Start locking the back wheel up & get your heart pounding.
But joking aside if you use your bike every day like i did then these near misses are going to happen just depends on how you deal with them. It would be ashame if you gave up so easly.
Just a little tip try being more aggresive & don't let car or van drivers dictate to you where you should be on the road.

I had a moment 3 years ago which caused me to sell my bike. Passing a line of slower cars only to find someone in a convertable (low so i couldnt see it ) turning right.. Ouch i just missed the back of it by 2" !!

I can tell you it slowed me down that day and i sold the bike 2 weeks later. I had been riding for 8 years at that point.

Now 3 years on i have just bought a VTR1000 and am loving being back in the saddle.

As everyone has said every time you have a moment its a learning experience, JUST MAKE SURE YOU LEARN FROM IT. And dont make the same mistake (if it was) again.

You incident might help sharpen your spider senses for cars sitting on side roads, maybe slow to 50 when approching cars waiting to pull out, check your outsdie for other traffic, see if you have an escape route.

Its all defensive driving, and takes years to learn, and will only get better by riding a bike.

No question its dangerous but you can help yourself alot with good observatinon and riding within your limits.

Riding a bike is a challenge and one worth persuing, after all life would be boring without them.

:)

Thanks for the support, guys.

It's not actually my first near miss - I've had people pull out in front at roundabouts several times before. The difference is that they tended to be at relatively low speed, so even if I'd actually hit them, I probably wouldn't suffer more than a couple of broken bones and a lot of bruises.

Yesterday was different, because I'm sure I would have been dead.

I didn't do anything risky, or stupid. I wasn't going excessively fast, and I didn't make any bad decisions. I still would have been dead.

As said : try to genuinely learn from this.
100% of the time consider what other road users might do : you will develop a 6th sense which will cause you to predict, often accurately, the potentially dangerous manoevers that are about to take place in front of you. Sometimes you will been wrong but better to predict danger which then doesn't actually occur than not predict it and then it does occur.

Thanks for the support, guys.

It's not actually my first near miss - I've had people pull out in front at roundabouts several times before. The difference is that they tended to be at relatively low speed, so even if I'd actually hit them, I probably wouldn't suffer more than a couple of broken bones and a lot of bruises.

Yesterday was different, because I'm sure I would have been dead.

I didn't do anything risky, or stupid. I wasn't going excessively fast, and I didn't make any bad decisions. I still would have been dead.

Well thank goodness your not dead as you would not be writing this.

I came off the bike at 65-70 mph on a substance on the road and slid down the A12 near the Bow Flyover, thankfully the bike came off worse than me.

I commute 70 miles a day on an R1 into London and believe me its not only the vehicles you have to avoid on a daily basis. The short trip down the A11 out of the city to the A12 (Bow Flyover) is a nightmare. The worst offenders are cyclists especially not stopping for red lights and also the brothers who just walk out into the road with their Ipods on or on the mobile yakking away not thinking they are crossing a major commuter road out of the city.

I also had another big moment about two months ago where the car in front of me suddenly locked up....my back wheel must have been at least 18" in the air and the old wedding tackle took a good bashing against the tank....but thank goodness for decent brakes.

Don't throw in the towel mate......the incidents I've had have made me more aware and have also made me ride more aggresively. Btw I also have two boys who I wouldn't want to leave behind.

Keep it up mate and become more aware from your recent experience.

Andy.

http://photobucket.com/albums/d14/wozzaa/?action=view&current=Canonphotofile0001.jpg

This my little journey down the A127 at the Raleigh weir bend at 70 Van driver decided to change lane when i was beside him went head first into the barrier i was lucky only burns to my legs, broken finger & broken arm.every procted clothing done there job apart from me who decide only to ware jeans that morning:freak3: what an idiot.

http://photobucket.com/albums/d14/wozzaa/?action=view&current=Canonphotofile0001.jpg



Hmmm Suzi Perry, pic 7! did you means to share your whole ablum?

Dont tell me its your nice in pic no 12!!!!! :norty:

I know what you mean ! I've had 2 offs in the last 3 years and none of them were my fault ! The first was when I stopped at a Zebra Crossing and a car ploughed into the back of me at about 30mph. I went sprawling down the road after just missing the poor women who was crossing at the time ! Don't know about you but I wouldn't have like 220kg landing on me !!! The second was when a pis*ed bloke stepped out in front of me causing me to aviod him and throw the bike down the road ! (He did get arrested though ! - Good job because I was going to kill him !)
The thing is is that I also have decided to hang up my Sidi's for now - Just had a new baby and that has put things in perspective for me ! That's why I'm looking for an STi !!! :)
...but I have no doubt I'll be back ! Why not just take a break for now - your licence isn't going nowhere ! Just wait for those summer months and I'm sure it will reignite your will to get back on a bike !

My mate's selling his bike because he's just had another near death experience similar to yours. Just to balance the debate, I say sell it!