| Author | Message | ||
     Pipefittermike |
I know this can happen anywhere, but here in Southern California it seems to happen more often. I was riding to a friend's Friday around 5pm for a BBQ and while passing a parking lot going with the flow of traffic a 24 year old guy pulled out in front of me in his Nissan Pathfinder and stopped, completely blocking my lane. I stopped as much as possible and ended up getting the rear tire about 3 feet off the ground. The rear end started to fall to the right and we went down together pretty hard. Right away the guy started saying (in broken english) that it wasn't his fault because he wasn't moving. He pleaded for me not to call the cops because he has no insurance but I called anyone only to find out he has no license either. The sheriff pulled up and then we found out he isn't a legal resident. Insurance said the same thing the cop did, I am SOL. Thankfully I have frame pucks on the bike, but now my micron exhaust is dented up, among numerous other parts I have to replace. A good friend of mine pulled up with a pickup truck so I could get it home. Not too much for damage to me, thanks to the helmet, jacket, and gloves. Does anyone know where I can get my helmet checked to see if it's trash? It's a full face Shoei and cost around $500, that's gonna hurt. My insurance deductible is $500. This was definitely an eye opener for me, I am always careful when I ride but there are times you won't see it coming. Could have been much worse. | ||
| 99buellx1 |
Here's how to test your helmet: Go to that guy and smash it against the side of his head a couple times, if there is more damage to the helmet than his head, it's all used up. Honestly, did it touch the ground? Anytime that a lid hits the gound you're supposed to replace it. There could be underlying structural damage, or damage to the foam core and it may not give you the correct protection the next time. The foam core compresses and is only good for one go 'round. | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
You can take the helmet to a local hospital and have it x-rayed. Check around. Many places don't charge much to do it (cost of film). I always carry uninsured motorist coverage. If not, you are basically left as though you have none. | ||
| Swordsman |
Hey, look at it this way. As punishment, they guy's gonna' get deported. He will be deported, right? ~SM | ||
| Teeps |
Swordsman Posted on Sunday, November 05, 2006 Hey, look at it this way. As punishment, they guy's gonna' get deported. He will be deported, right? ~SM At the very least he should be deported. The Illegal Alien should cited, arrested and the vehicle impounded. And, if it's not a clown car, the registered owner should have to pay... But, the reality of this situation is: the ass-hat probably won't be arrested, cited or deported. They probably didn't impound the car either. Pipefittermike's best chance is small claims court. | ||
| Kdan |
Call Shoei customer support. They will take care of you. Shoei Saftey Helmet Corp 3002 Dow Ave. Ste. 128 Tustin , CA 92780 Ph: 714-730-0941 Fax: 714-730-0942 Web: www.shoei-helmets.com E-Mail: sshc@shoei.com From their website: Helmet Replacement Ultimately, the useful service life of a safety helmet is dependent on the intensity and frequency of its use. Helmet replacement is recommended even if only one of the under-mentioned points applies: 1. The helmet was subjected to an impact. 2. The comfort padding or the retention system has become loose due to heavy use or display signs of deterioration. 3. The synthetic foam padding displays signs of heavy use and the helmet feels too loose. Test: with the retention system fastened, the helmet turns to the side when you gently shake your head. 4. There are indentations in the EPS liner and/or white scratches can be seen on surfaces with black paint. 5. Even if none of these is applied, we, SHOEI, recommend replacement in 5 years after it's first purchased at retail. | ||
| Beachbuell |
I would have got his address and pay him a visit to "talk" about things. | ||
| Slaughter |
Unfortunately, if he wasn't arrested on the spot - he'll just be another of the "catch and release" I was witness to a guy (questionable legality, no habla Ingles) rear end a young lady in a little pickup - hit her hard enough that her head broke the rear window. Few of us blocked the guy in so he couldn't bail out or run away and when the police got there, they took our statements, ended up letting the guy go - told us jail was too full and he wouldn't ever show up for court anyways. I'm so proud to be a taxpayer. | ||
| Leftcoastal |
Of ALL the accessories you will ever get for your bike, Uninsured Motorist coverage is by far the most important. Especially here in So Cal! AL | ||
| Pipefittermike |
The truck was his uncle's, so that is the only route insurance said they can try. I carry full coverage for this nonsense but still have to pay my deductible. Sucks that our laws protect these people. The real down fall is that it was a "catch and release" deal, the sheriffs are so overworked they can't sit around and wait for the border patrol to show up. I love this country but this is type of thing really gets under my skin. Here's a fun fact- In Saudi Arabia if you get in a wreck and are not a citizen it is automatically your fault simply because you are in their country. You are also punished as if you were a citizen, jail time included. (Message edited by pipefittermike on November 06, 2006) | ||
| Brucelee |
But, the reality of this situation is: the ass-hat probably won't be arrested, cited or deported. They probably didn't impound the car either You got that right! | ||
| Steve_larson |
The foam of the helmet is what counts most, it is what absorbs your head as it impacts. Outside can be fine, but the inside might be shot, which is actually a good thing since it means the helmet did its job!!! Outside of that and given the situation, I would have chucked the helmet at the guy like a good NASCAR driver, at least that would have made me feel better!  Steve Larson Micron Exhaust | ||
| Al_lighton |
That sucks. Our laws have to be revised. IMHO, that truck should have been impounded on the spot, and sold at auction for whatever funds are needed to pay for your damages. Did the cop let the guy with no insurance or Drivers license actually drive the truck away? If it had been any of us law abiding legal residents, they wouldn't. | ||
| Pipefittermike |
What kills me is that I did my best to react responsibly and call the police/insurance. Thinking that was the smartest route and not accepting the money he was offering to fix the bike. He kept saying that he could have the money within a month or two and that he would pay me not to call the cops. This guy was as shady as they come, which didn't give me any confidence that he would pay. When the Sheriff was getting his address and other info he actually had to call his mother to get the address he lives at. Why this wasn't a sign to the cops I don't know. Steve- It's ironic you responded here, I have a ceramic coated micron system on my bike that was damaged. Is it possible to order just one piece of the header assembly? The only pipe that was damaged was the lower half of the rear cylinder's header that connects to the muffler. I looked around online and could not find anywhere that sells each piece. The guy was not allowed to drive away, they cited him for driving with no insurance and no license but he had no ID on him other than some work ID card. They finger printed him on the spot and made him walk home. I was told him uncle would have to come and get the vehicle, but in reality he probably waited for them to leave and came back to drive home. I went back the next morning and the truck was gone. (Message edited by pipefittermike on November 06, 2006) | ||
| Rhun |
Well the important thing is that the cost of a box of strawberries is 5 cents cheaper, than if us high priced legal residents picked them! (sarcastically) We are much harsher here in Kansas. A drunk illegal did a head on into a paramedic, killing the paramedic. The illegal was deported, again. | ||
| Swordsman |
I like the Saudi Arabia rule! We should use that! ~SM | ||
| Steve_larson |
We do sell the header alone (retail $399.95), but we do not break it down any further into individual tubes or such. Just impossible to control the inventory if we separate out individual pieces as it makes a huge mess for manufacturing. I still say you should have thrown your helmet at him! Steve Larson Micron Exhaust | ||
| Lbcalex |
That sucks azz mike I'm from socal too and have had my share of close ones. Noticed your sn. I'm a pipe fitter too. | ||
| Tx05xb12s |
I'm all for helmet chucking too in this case. That ain't right man. The only thing that could have possibly been more wrong would have been if he got off with a walk home and you went to jail for beaning the beaner with your lid. | ||
| Rogue_biker |
Part of the problem is that the Police is NOT interested in doing the job of the Border Patrol. Their usual excuse is that they're too busy. BS! Their job is to enforce the laws of the land and part of those laws are to prosecute and at least begin the proceedings to deport illegals who are caught in minor offenses. If you or I got caught without insurance do you think the courts/cops would fine us? Of course they would! But they're too busy to prosecute illegals! The way things are right now, there are many illegals who are driving without a license and insurance. And many of them drive like crap! But because they come and go like the wind, and the local LEO's are "too busy" to bother with them, nobody but the INS can go after them. What's wrong with that picture? Unfortunately, each city/county must pass a law/ordinance that requires their LEO's to do the job of going after illegals who are caught in minor offenses such as the one above. The LEO's however, are heavily resistant to this. They've got plenty of resources to have moto-cops with Lasers tagging speeders thought don't they? So in the meantime, those of us who have a lot to loose, pay up the wazoo for insurance. While those who have very little to loose go waltzing around Scott-free. Yet, if for some reason the tables were turned, those same SOB's without insurance will probably find a way to sue us for their losses! I've seen it happen! For now, our only recourse is: UNINSURED MOTORIST coverage Make sure you have that in your policy. I speak from personal experience. Sorry for the rant. But I personally have been there done that, know people who have too. And it's the same lopsided, unfair BS. Those who have lots to loose, loose the most. (Message edited by rogue_biker on November 07, 2006) | ||
| Tx05xb12s |
I've always thought of uninsured motorist insurance as redundant on a full coverage policy. If the other guy doesn't have insurance, your comprehensive policy would fix/pay for the bike. Right? If I understand this correctly, the only reason you would want to pay extra for an uninsured motorist policy would be if you're just carrying liability only insurance otherwise. | ||
| 2k4xb12 |
Maybe I'm missing something here -- the guy didn't hit Mike, but instead Mike stopped short of hitting the guy and ended up dropping it, right? If that's the case, no amount of uninsured motorist coverage in the world will cover this event. UMI only covers you if you get HIT by an uninsured driver. In this case, it was considered a single vehicle accident and only his collision insurance would offer any coverage. Many years ago, I totalled my car when I was lane-changed by a guy. I swerved to avoid him hitting me (which was successful), but unfortunately, ended up losing control and hitting the center divider. Insurance said that since there was no vehicle contact, it was completely my fault. | ||
| Brucelee |
I've always thought of uninsured motorist insurance as redundant on a full coverage policy. If the other guy doesn't have insurance, your comprehensive policy would fix/pay for the bike. Right? Wrong on two counts. Without UIM, your deductible on collision is your cost. With UIM, this is waived. Second, on personal injury, if YOU are injured, the UIM will help pay for YOUR med and injury costs. Of course, this all depends on what state you live in. In CA, the illegals and other law breakers, get all the breaks. Go figure. Personally, I am moving out of this SBOX state soon. | ||
| Pipefittermike |
I slowed as much as possible to avoid hitting him, but as I got up to his truck my front tire was turned slightly. Once I contacted his front tire (the only contact we made) with my front the bike went very quickly straight to the ground. The police took pics of the tire, you could see where we came together. This morning things got a little better when State Farm called and told me they are now going after the owner of the truck and will pay for my helmet and the repairs. Rogue Biker- I couldn't agree more, the police can cry all they want about not having enough personel. I have only lived in this state since February and already I want to get out of it. Thankfully I will be going to Georgia for Basic in February. My last rant here was that the cop said it's "my word against his" because no one pulled over- including some **** on a Honda in his wing-tips that actually had the balls to wait for me to move so he could ride between me and my bike to make his right on Poway Rd- WITH MY BIKE STILL LAYING ON THE GROUND! Yeah, I really wanted to push him off his bike as he rolled past me. My question is how in the hell does this guy's word carry as much weight in determining fault? I am licensed, insured, and have not had a ticket in 5 years. This guy has no license, no insurance, and has had 2 speeding tickets!!! (he told me this while asking me not to call the cops). I hate to think this is the country I am going to fight for. One more fun fact- My insurance agent told me when he called the phone number the guy gave it says it is out of service and the address is BS as well. I hope they grab the uncle and toss him in jail. (Message edited by pipefittermike on November 07, 2006) (Message edited by pipefittermike on November 07, 2006) | ||
| Tx05xb12s |
Hey Karate man. Thanks for the feedback on the UIM insurance. I wouldn't claim on less than $500 damage anyway, so I'm fine being responsible for the deductible. As high as insurance is, it won't take me long to recoup $500 in savings from not paying for the extra insurance. As for PIP, I don't carry that either since I have excellent medical insurance. Call me a cheapskate, but here again, it's redundant for my purposes. If I were unemployed, I would carry PIP. | ||
| Stevasaurus |
Part of the problem is that the Police is NOT interested in doing the job of the Border Patrol. Their usual excuse is that they're too busy. BS! Their job is to enforce the laws of the land and part of those laws are to prosecute and at least begin the proceedings to deport illegals who are caught in minor offenses. If you or I got caught without insurance do you think the courts/cops would fine us? Of course they would! But they're too busy to prosecute illegals! The way things are right now, there are many illegals who are driving without a license and insurance. And many of them drive like crap! But because they come and go like the wind, and the local LEO's are "too busy" to bother with them, nobody but the INS can go after them. What's wrong with that picture? Unfortunately, each city/county must pass a law/ordinance that requires their LEO's to do the job of going after illegals who are caught in minor offenses such as the one above. The LEO's however, are heavily resistant to this. They've got plenty of resources to have moto-cops with Lasers tagging speeders thought don't they? So in the meantime, those of us who have a lot to loose, pay up the wazoo for insurance. While those who have very little to loose go waltzing around Scott-free. Yet, if for some reason the tables were turned, those same SOB's without insurance will probably find a way to sue us for their losses! I've seen it happen! For now, our only recourse is: UNINSURED MOTORIST coverage Make sure you have that in your policy. I speak from personal experience. Sorry for the rant. But I personally have been there done that, know people who have too. And it's the same lopsided, unfair BS. Those who have lots to loose, loose the most. Hey RogueBiker, I totally agree. But they don't go after the illegals because they are illegal, it is because they are broke. Law Enforcement are glorified tax assessors with badges. They will gladly bust you and I for speeding like you mention above, because we will pay. But they know they can't get blood out of a turnip, so why go after the illegal with no cash? Just like a little over two years ago when I was living in Agoura Hills. My car was parked in the street and two neighborhood kids decided to walk OVER every car on said street. Well one of them lost their balance on my car landed hard on my hood, denting it. I called the L. A. S. D. after work. They came out, said they had gotten other calls about it, thought they knew who did it, but couldn't prove it and it wasn't worth the D. A.'s time. If there is no money in it for the county, it isn't worth their effort. Hence, illegals walk, while you and I would be nailed to the wall. | ||
| Reducati |
most police depts, cannot ask/ call border patrol for illegals. they can only arrest on the instant criminal offense, not on legal/citizenship status. yesterday was election day..hope you voted. | ||
| Lions |
I just had a tamale.....nah...I'm lying...it's a milky way... | ||
| Midknyte |
was talkin this up with a bud and he had an interesting slant on it. this will be fixed [illegals driving & causing wrecks], but it won't be the police stepping up to do the right thing. it'll be the insurance companies [if anyone] pushing for some sort of legislation once they get tired of the payouts. | ||
| Endobrian |
Read this if you are in California: WTF? As if it's not bad enough illegal aliens have already been excused from following our immigration laws (can't you think of a few you'd like to be excused of?), now the California legislature wants to make still more exemptions for them: The California legislature has passed a bill that would exempt illegal aliens and unlicensed teenagers from the vehicle-impound laws that apply to drivers who are arrested for driving with suspended and revoked licenses. SB 1132 (Torrico-Fremont), now on Governor Schwarzenegger's desk, would require the police to return vehicles to their registered owners when they present a valid registration and driver's license. This means that if police stop an illegal alien who is using someone else's car, they cannot impound the vehicle if its owner shows up with a valid license--as they can under current law. Even if the illegal alien caused an accident and then absconded, the vehicle would still not be impounded. Another bill in the Legislature, also an attempt to rewrite California's impound laws for illegal aliens, was introduced by Sen. Gil Cedillo. If passed, it would specifically exempt illegal aliens caught driving without a license from impound requirements, simply by virtue of the fact that they are not legal U.S. residents, and regardless of whether the vehicle's owner presents a valid license. This legislation represents yet another attempt to create a two-tiered legal system in which illegal aliens are afforded more protections than law-abiding citizens. Under existing law, when police determine that someone is driving a vehicle with a suspended or revoked license--or has never been issued a driver's license--they are authorized to immediately arrest that person and impound the vehicle for 30 days. Legal citizens, of course, will still be subject to arrest and impoundment. ACTION NEEDED A number of law enforcement agencies, including the California Highway Patrol, have asked the Governor to veto the SB 1132. He has not yet taken a position, and needs to hear from you immediately. Take Action Now. You may also want to follow up with a call to the Governor’s office at 916-445-2841 and leave a phone message. http://drinkthis.typepad.com/main/2005/09/why_shou ld_more.html | ||
| Pwnzor |
%*^&$%*^#%*&$^%*& DON'T GET ME *!@$%*!&% STARTED ON THIS IT PISSES ME OFF SO BAD | ||
| Endobrian |
Give Arney a call. The SB # above is wrong, sorry, it was moved to a new bill...it's SB 626. |
