Well...unfortunately, I have moved from "those that will go down" to "those that have gone down" 
Friday morning on my way home, I was cruising down a twisty country road (doing about 45mph) when things as I know them changed for the worse. I was scanning the sides for animals or other obstacles while enjoying the ride, when I saw a white Pacifica approaching from a side road to my right. I covered my front brake and kept trying to make eye contact or at least get some indication that the woman saw me. Well, she didn't slow down and didn't yield right of way and turned left in front of me onto the road I was travelling on. As the car began to move into my path I blasted my horn and quickly decided to go to the right (I figured heading left would have caused me to T-bone her car). The result was I BARELY missed a large sign and went into the roadside ditch. The bike wedged against the rocky hillside adjacent to the ditch and came to a stop. I got off my bike and as I looked back toward the car, I saw her brake lights go off and the car head in the opposite direction.
Damage was pretty much all the plastic on the right side of the bike:
Right Inner Front cowl actually snapped in 2 places
Front outter cowl is rashed up pretty BAD from the rocky slope of the hillside
Right mirror rashed up pretty bad
Corner of windshield is cracked and scratched
Right rear frame cover is rashed
Right passenger hand grab (ie rt side of rear cowl) is rashed up BAD
Oh....and the small dent in the LEFT side of the tank from my knee slamming into the bike
Damage to me consists of:
Left wrist is sore (from handle bars getting pushed back when they hit the hillside)
Left knee is sore (from above described encounter with tank)
Right ankle is tweaked - the peg tore into the thick leather of my hiking boots in 2 spots. X-rays dont show any breaks, but bruising and possible soft tissure damage (tendons/ligaments) is still unknown.
Right forearm has slight rash due to riding without my jacket
Right side of helmet (near face shield and on chin bar) is scratched
Right shoulder is sore from impacting hillside.
Luckily, I was able to get the bike upright and ride the 5 miles home before "shock" and realization of what happened actually set in. Already saw the doctor and time will heal my injuries - unfortunately, I train in Kenpo Karate, and am supposed to belt test in 2 weeks
Hopefully, I can pull it together on time (I'm doing the "RICE" routine on my ankle), since this test is the culmination of a years hard work and I cant try to test again for 6 months.
The bike is easily repaired. All the cowlings and W/S will cost just under $500 OTD (with dealer discount).
Lessons learned:
A quality riding jacket is worth it's weight in gold - I would have avoided the forearm rash and sore right shoulder if I had been wearing my JR mesh (with pads). Also wearing proper foot gear is IMPORTANT - I cant even imagine what would have happened to my leg if the peg tore into skin instead of the leather of my boots. I am also a firm believer in my hiking boots for riding - the added ankle support (I lace them TIGHT) is what probably saved me broken bones - according to the doctor. And lastly - NEVER trust a cage to slow/yield - they truely are out to get ya.
~~Bruce "Crash" Lutz or Redding, CA
Friday morning on my way home, I was cruising down a twisty country road (doing about 45mph) when things as I know them changed for the worse. I was scanning the sides for animals or other obstacles while enjoying the ride, when I saw a white Pacifica approaching from a side road to my right. I covered my front brake and kept trying to make eye contact or at least get some indication that the woman saw me. Well, she didn't slow down and didn't yield right of way and turned left in front of me onto the road I was travelling on. As the car began to move into my path I blasted my horn and quickly decided to go to the right (I figured heading left would have caused me to T-bone her car). The result was I BARELY missed a large sign and went into the roadside ditch. The bike wedged against the rocky hillside adjacent to the ditch and came to a stop. I got off my bike and as I looked back toward the car, I saw her brake lights go off and the car head in the opposite direction.
Damage was pretty much all the plastic on the right side of the bike:
Right Inner Front cowl actually snapped in 2 places
Front outter cowl is rashed up pretty BAD from the rocky slope of the hillside
Right mirror rashed up pretty bad
Corner of windshield is cracked and scratched
Right rear frame cover is rashed
Right passenger hand grab (ie rt side of rear cowl) is rashed up BAD
Oh....and the small dent in the LEFT side of the tank from my knee slamming into the bike
Damage to me consists of:
Left wrist is sore (from handle bars getting pushed back when they hit the hillside)
Left knee is sore (from above described encounter with tank)
Right ankle is tweaked - the peg tore into the thick leather of my hiking boots in 2 spots. X-rays dont show any breaks, but bruising and possible soft tissure damage (tendons/ligaments) is still unknown.
Right forearm has slight rash due to riding without my jacket
Right side of helmet (near face shield and on chin bar) is scratched
Right shoulder is sore from impacting hillside.
Luckily, I was able to get the bike upright and ride the 5 miles home before "shock" and realization of what happened actually set in. Already saw the doctor and time will heal my injuries - unfortunately, I train in Kenpo Karate, and am supposed to belt test in 2 weeks
The bike is easily repaired. All the cowlings and W/S will cost just under $500 OTD (with dealer discount).
Lessons learned:
A quality riding jacket is worth it's weight in gold - I would have avoided the forearm rash and sore right shoulder if I had been wearing my JR mesh (with pads). Also wearing proper foot gear is IMPORTANT - I cant even imagine what would have happened to my leg if the peg tore into skin instead of the leather of my boots. I am also a firm believer in my hiking boots for riding - the added ankle support (I lace them TIGHT) is what probably saved me broken bones - according to the doctor. And lastly - NEVER trust a cage to slow/yield - they truely are out to get ya.
~~Bruce "Crash" Lutz or Redding, CA