Who's Crashed? [Crash Reports]

[michelle_7728]

Road Rash Sucks
No matter how hot it is, wear some sort of protection, like a long sleeve shirt maybe?
Seriously, road rash sucks.

Good advice, and I agree, but just be aware that road rash can happen (like on your knee) even when you are wearing jeans. Don't ask me how I know....

[JHScoot]

Oh, I've crashed. It's kind of a long story. But here are the lessons I learned and try to follow for myself (and of course, these are more of guidelines than rules). Every rider is different...


Don't jinx yourself!
I have vivid recall of teasing my friends, all of whom were crashing at our place that night, about wearing so much protection. I had been riding for six years at that point and told them "You're just planning for failure, like signing a pre-nup on your marriage day!" The next day, I crashed in a parking lot at 5mph and broke my rib. The road rash scars still give me trouble sometimes.

Road Rash Sucks
No matter how hot it is, wear some sort of protection, like a long sleeve shirt maybe?
Seriously, road rash sucks. See above. I got mine going very slowly in a parking lot. The worst of it was on my right forearm, where I landed. I still get weird itchy hives there.

Eye Protection
I love my helmet. I know others don't wear them, and that's cool, and I respect that. But for me, I am legally blind in one eye since birth and it really shook me up when I realized I would have to retire my beloved matching helmet after my super-slow speed accident because all the damage to it (from sliding across the parking lot) was over my GOOD eye. If a little rock had gotten shoved in there just right, I would be blind. Yeeps. Not to mention, I am totally terrified of a bee going butt first into my eye. Is that just me??? Ewww.

I try to wear the minimum at all times. Well, what i consider the minimum.

FF helmet, over the ankle sneakers / boots, long pants, hoody.

I wore that even today in 90 degree SoCal heat. I was a-ok.

Sometimes I wear "low" shoes but that is just the way it has to be.

Went down at 30mph once wearing a hoody. Hoody was fine, shirt underneath shredded at the sleeve.

When I see people riding scooters in shorts and slip on's it makes me frightened for 'em.

[Dracolibris]

I will be the first to admit, sometimes, in spite of my bad injury 2008 summer, I just can't bring myself to wear all my black armor in 100 degree weather. But I also realize that if anything happens, again, it is totally my choice and therefore I try to be an even more cautious rider.
But because of my fragile hold on eyesight, I do not go without a helmet.
Eyes are too squishy!

[JHScoot]

+1 on that mandatory helmet rule. I'll have to remember that one

[chas]

1. Which model and displacement (CCs) scooter was crashed? Color?
>Black Buddy 125
2. Was the crash due to rider error? What time of day did it occur?
>partially due to inexperience but also due to Armor All'ed tires courtesy of the gentleman I bought it from (super nice dude, by the way). 7pm PST
3. Could the crash have been avoided? What will you do differently next time?
>Yes. Make sure my wheels aren't greasy.
4. Was the rider injured? What type of protective gear or clothing was the rider wearing?
>Yes I was. Assorted road rash patches and a cracked rib. I was wearing a helmet, sweatshirt and pretty thick jeans.
5. What was the damage to the scooter?
>Not too sure yet but I know I bent the front rim and a lot of the plastic/fiberglass on the front is cracked and needs replacing.
6. Cost of repairs, if any?
>Will know in a couple of days.
7. How much (weeks, months, years) riding experience does the rider have? Does the rider have a motorcycle permit, license or neither?
>About 2 hours of experience. No permit or license.
8. Had the rider completed the MSF course?
>Negative, ghostrider.
9. Was the rider the scooter's owner?
>Yes, had been for about 2 and a half hours.
10. How fast was the rider going?
>Not fast. Maybe 15mph?
11. How far was the rider from home?
>Approximately 3 miles.

[jijifer]

oh man! what a bummer.

[Collette]

Glad you're OK!

I've had a few 'oh, shit!' moments myself that have tempered what I do on a road a lot. Mostly riding and thinking everything is dry, when in reality some of the side streets keep ice on them for a week at times.

The 'oh,shit!' moments are VERY helpful in snapping my attention back to the road and keeping myself safe. Its so easy to be distracted by the scenery !

[JHScoot]

Holy cow...hope you heal up well and a speedy recovery. And I hope your scooter gets fixed and you learn how to ride.

Greasy tires, oh my....

I almost want to link your other thread just as a cautionary tale to others, but I shall refrain...

Good luck, dude. Safe passage next time...

EDIT: Oh, I am sorry. I see you did indeed take our advice. Good. Now, get back on that horse when ready. You've only just begun, I promise it gets better! Have fun, ride safe, hope to see you on the road one day

[chas]

I thought for SURE that it was just due to rider error and I was actually OK with that but the tow-truck driver who came and picked me up has been riding scooters for about 30 years and noticed that my wheels where all greasy when he was loading my Buddy onto the flatbed and asked me what had happened. I told him the whole story (how I just bought it, what I was doing when it happened and what-not) and he assured me that it would not have happened if my wheels had not have had an Armor All application to the sides of the wheels. I still think that if I had have had more experience it might not have happened the way it did but it was nice to know that I didn't exactly screw it up myself.

Thanks for the encouragement though. I'm taking it in tomorrow to start the repairs so it still remains to be seen how long until I can get back to riding my buddy.

[Dooglas]

Yes, I'd say spraying Armor All on scooter tires would be a really bad idea (though it might make the rubber sidewalls look nice ). Sorry to hear about your fall. Really discouraging a couple hours after acquiring your first scooter. Hope you - and the scooter - bounce back without too much trouble.

[juls64]

1. Which Buddy (50/125) was crashed? Color?
2. Was the crash due to rider error? What time of day did it occur?
3. Could the crash have been avoided?
4. Was the rider injured?
5. What was the damage to the Buddy?
6. Cost of repairs, if any?
7. Does the rider have a motorcycle permit, license or neiher?
8. Had the rider completed the MSF course?
9. Was the rider the scooter's owner?
10. How fast was the rider going?
11. How far was the rider from home?

1. Tangerine 125
2. Yes, morning
3. Yes, more experience
4. Busted Lip, Chin, slight chipped tooth and VERY swollen hand
5. Minor scrape on left side between plastic and black pieces. Scape on front fender.
6. None for scooter, these will just be "scars". Probably new helmet WITH full face mask.
7. Permit
8. Did 1/2 of MSF, will go do it all now
9. Yes
10. 15mph
11. 4 miles approx.

Made a dumb rookie mistake of braking while swerving. I feel like a lucky idiot. Will go through MSF course which will help reinforce not to do this. FF would have prevented face injuries. Will be upgrading. Wore boots and padded riding jacket which I know prevented other scrapes. Hand was still cut and hurt but I did have on riding gloves. Hand is not broken but incredibly swollen and cannot grip, grab anything for a while.

[Dooglas]

Ouch, juls. Sorry to here about your fall. Sounds like you did a good job of figuring out what you could learn from this, and how tp increase your odds for the future. Good for you. Now just heal up before summer.

[Collette]

Made a dumb rookie mistake of braking while swerving. . .

Aww man ! When you say swerving, were you turning a corner or kind of just leaning on a street?

[juls64]

Made a dumb rookie mistake of braking while swerving. . .

Aww man ! When you say swerving, were you turning a corner or kind of just leaning on a street?

No, I was swerving around something.

[JHScoot]

Riding can be some tricky business. I have issue with right turns, still. I think it's because I am left handed. Left handed to the point of not even being able to catch a baseball in a mitt if said mitt is worn on my right hand. Yet when I take a stance for golf, batting in baseball, or boxing it has always been noted to me I am doing it "backward." Because in those instances and other like them, I am a right handed person.

I know, screwy

I think even this affects my riding skills

I am not a veteran rider, or nearly as experienced as some. So I want to let those who are new like I was just under two years ago, that it does get better. Many fall and will fall again, some never fall at all. But if you have and are new, riding a scooter is easy. Don't be scared of it. But, learn in safe riding environments. And take your time and have fun.

I would practice just several minutes a day at first. It soon becomes more, but it was enough for me. Took a couple weeks to ride out of a carport, actually. I was just that patient. If you need to be patient thats ok, too. Personally I don't think there is any one way to learn this besides taking riding courses and reading books. The rest is practice and putting your butt in the seat.

The goal is to become comfortable riding anytime, anywhere. You'll know when you are

[Collette]

Made a dumb rookie mistake of braking while swerving. . .

Aww man ! When you say swerving, were you turning a corner or kind of just leaning on a street?

No, I was swerving around something.

Ohhhh okay. I try to look as far ahead as possible scanning the pavement for anything I'll need to go around and just really hope the people behind me are giving me room.

[juls64]

So follow up visit to doctor today for the "very swollen hand". He thinks I have damaged the ulnar nerve in that hand. I came home and did some reading online and am thinking he is correct. I have to go have an EMG tomorrow to check for nerve damage. I am hoping it is something that will relieve itself as the swelling goes down.

[pdxrita]

Gads I hate to add myself to this honor roll, but here I am...

1. Which model and displacement (CCs) scooter was crashed? Color?
Buddy 150 Italia

2. Was the crash due to rider error? What time of day did it occur?
Rider error, yes. The cars in front of me made an abrupt stop and I just didn't make it in time. Happened about 4:45PM.

3. Could the crash have been avoided? What will you do differently next time?
Yes, I could have avoided it. I need to keep my distance at all times. This was at the entrance to a grocery store parking lot. I know that cars frequently slow abruptly there. If I had more distance, I could have stopped without dumping it. I was also thinking about how I was going to that store myself. I think I was looking ahead. There are two driveways into the parking lot and I was planning to enter the second driveway. As I approached, I saw a bunch of construction stuff up near that second driveway - cones and such. I think I was looking to see if that driveway was open, so I could decide to turn in the first if it wasn't, when the cars in front of me stopped. So I also need to stay in the moment and not be looking ahead like that.

4. Was the rider injured? What type of protective gear or clothing was the rider wearing?
A little road rash on the knees and one ankle feels a bit sore. All in all, I think I did pretty good here. I had on full face helmet, Corazzo 5.0 jacket, Olympia womens all weather gloves, boots and blue jeans.

5. What was the damage to the scooter?
Everything from the headset up - the handlebars are completely bent on the left side, windshield is destroyed, all of the headset plastics are toast, and I think the headlight is destroyed.

6. Cost of repairs, if any?
I don't know. It's in my garage now. This doesn't look cheap, so I'm filing an insurance claim.

7. How much (weeks, months, years) riding experience does the rider have? Does the rider have a motorcycle permit, license or neither?
Off and on, I've been riding for about 16 years. But I guess actual riding years during that period are maybe 4? I have the full M endorsement.

8. Had the rider completed the MSF course?
Yup. Did that about 16 years ago when I first started riding.

9. Was the rider the scooter's owner?
Yes.

10. How fast was the rider going?
I don't know. Probably not too fast - maybe 15MPH.

11. How far was the rider from home?
About 3 miles

[S_Pata]

My mom and a suv tried to occupy the same space at the same time today.

1. Which Buddy (50/125) was crashed? Color?
2012 orange buddy 125
2. Was the crash due to rider error? What time of day did it occur?
No suv failed to yeild. Afternoon
3. Could the crash have been avoided?
No
4. Was the rider injured?
Road rash on body + face
5. What was the damage to the Buddy?
Entire left side badly scratched, headlight gone, mirror
ent, both kickstands damaged
6. Cost of repairs, if any?
Dunno yet
7. Does the rider have a motorcycle permit, license or neiher?
Permit
8. Had the rider completed the MSF course?
No
9. Was the rider the scooter's owner?
Yes
10. How fast was the rider going?
20-25mph
11. How far was the rider from home?
0.3miles

[Skootz Kabootz]

Dang, busy day today for this thread! Hate that! Glad everyone is OK. Heal up quickly.

[Dooglas]

Darn rita. Sorry to hear this. Hope you and the scoot are better soon.

[pdxrita]

Thanks Skootz and Dooglas. I'll heal up pretty quickly, I think. Just some very painful bruises but nothing broken as far as I can tell. My Corazzo 5.0 did an amazing job. I really feel okay from the waist up. I wish I had some protective pants, but I've never been able to find any that fit me. My scooter, well, it's going to be out of commission for a bit and could possibly be totaled. That sucks because the weather is just getting nice.

[jmazza]

Thanks Skootz and Dooglas. I'll heal up pretty quickly, I think. Just some very painful bruises but nothing broken as far as I can tell. My Corazzo 5.0 did an amazing job. I really feel okay from the waist up. I wish I had some protective pants, but I've never been able to find any that fit me. My scooter, well, it's going to be out of commission for a bit and could possibly be totaled. That sucks because the weather is just getting nice.

Ugh! What makes you think it might be totaled? The bent handlebars? The headset stuff can all (fairly easily) be replaced. I only replaced what was cracked- some of my headset parts have some good plastic road rash on them.

[pdxrita]

Thanks Skootz and Dooglas. I'll heal up pretty quickly, I think. Just some very painful bruises but nothing broken as far as I can tell. My Corazzo 5.0 did an amazing job. I really feel okay from the waist up. I wish I had some protective pants, but I've never been able to find any that fit me. My scooter, well, it's going to be out of commission for a bit and could possibly be totaled. That sucks because the weather is just getting nice.

Ugh! What makes you think it might be totaled? The bent handlebars? The headset stuff can all (fairly easily) be replaced. I only replaced what was cracked- some of my headset parts have some good plastic road rash on them.

It just looks really bad, but I think you're right. It can be repaired. My partner actually rode it home, carefully, on backstreets, from the scene of the crash (she came and rescued me). It rode true, so I don't think there's frame or fork damage. She said the throttle and electrical were acting up, but I'm guessing that's because the cables and switches are all up there on the damaged area. So my thinking it might be totaled is more from an insurance standpoint than a "can it actually be fixed" standpoint. The handlebars are really tweaked and, somehow, I managed to hit both sides. I think I came down to the right initially and then as I flew off, it was flung to the left where it came down really hard. It must have been kind of spectacular to watch.

[jrsjr]

I think I came down to the right initially and then as I flew off, it was flung to the left where it came down really hard. It must have been kind of spectacular to watch.

Ouch! That doesn't sound lmke any fun at all. Glad you're (mostly) okay.

[Maximus53]

I have a stupid question... What is the purpose of wearing over the ankle boots?

[rkcoker]

I have a stupid question... What is the purpose of wearing over the ankle boots?

My experience has been the soles grabbing the road surface and forcing foot/leg back. My ankles don't bend back that far and the tall boot helps me maintain control.

[pdxrita]

I have a stupid question... What is the purpose of wearing over the ankle boots?

Several purposes:
1) It helps the shoe stay on during an impact. You'd be surprised at the number of people who fly right out of their shoes during a crash.

2) It protects the ankle from abrasion. Anything that sticks out, elbows, knees, shoulders, hips, ankle bones, is subject to severe scraping if you slide.

3) Support - your body can fly in all sorts of directions during a crash and it's pretty easy for your feet to get caught up in something and twist. The ankle part of the boot provides some protection against this. I can tell you that one part that was sore immediately after my crash yesterday was my right ankle. Today, my little toes on that foot are bruised, but the ankle feels okay. I suspect I got a bit twisted during my roll yesterday, but the boots kept that from being too severe. I'm glad I had them on.

[Maximus53]

I have a stupid question... What is the purpose of wearing over the ankle boots?

Several purposes:
1) It helps the shoe stay on during an impact. You'd be surprised at the number of people who fly right out of their shoes during a crash.

2) It protects the ankle from abrasion. Anything that sticks out, elbows, knees, shoulders, hips, ankle bones, is subject to severe scraping if you slide.

3) Support - your body can fly in all sorts of directions during a crash and it's pretty easy for your feet to get caught up in something and twist. The ankle part of the boot provides some protection against this. I can tell you that one part that was sore immediately after my crash yesterday was my right ankle. Today, my little toes on that foot are bruised, but the ankle feels okay. I suspect I got a bit twisted during my roll yesterday, but the boots kept that from being too severe. I'm glad I had them on.

That make sense... thanks for the responce and sorry to hear about your accident. Hopefully you will be all healed and back on the road soon!

[ericalm]

I have a stupid question... What is the purpose of wearing over the ankle boots?

Two things: abrasion and impact. In a crash, your joints are very vulnerable because they tend to protrude (shoulders, elbows, knees), they're connected to common points of impact, and the bones are much closer to the surface of your skin. For the ankle, getting a foot caught under a scooter in a fall or slide isn't uncommon at all. You definitely want something covering that bone.

[pdxrita]

Thanks Skootz and Dooglas. I'll heal up pretty quickly, I think. Just some very painful bruises but nothing broken as far as I can tell. My Corazzo 5.0 did an amazing job. I really feel okay from the waist up. I wish I had some protective pants, but I've never been able to find any that fit me. My scooter, well, it's going to be out of commission for a bit and could possibly be totaled. That sucks because the weather is just getting nice.

Ugh! What makes you think it might be totaled? The bent handlebars? The headset stuff can all (fairly easily) be replaced. I only replaced what was cracked- some of my headset parts have some good plastic road rash on them.

Update:
Just got off the phone with my insurance and he said that he thought, based upon my description, that it will probably be totaled from an insurance standpoint. I'll have the option to take salvage value and keep it if that happens. I'll decide what to do after the shop tells us exactly how extensive the damage is. We're dropping it off for an estimate this afternoon.

[JHScoot]

Bad stuff, Rita. Glad you are ok, though. Hope it all works out in your favor with the insurance, and all.

And everyone who has gone down lately, get well and hopefully scootin' again soon!

[RoadRambler]

What? Red Buddy 125. Fault? Combination of road conditions and rider error. Damage? Minor -- no repairs needed.

AACK! I'm gonna confess. I went down on my Buddy 4 weeks ago. Very low speed crash and all damage was minor, though I came off worse than the Road Rambler did. DH and I were coming home after dark. We have a 1/2-mile long gravel driveway with 2 long, steep hills. Gravel roads are always tricky to me and after dark the bouncing lights add to the difficulties, but anyway I got a little to the side of the drive rather than the middle of the track where the gravel is packed better, my front tire sank in a bit in the gravel and the handlebars whipped right, and down I went. In the moments before I knew I was getting a little too fast and I was braking carefully and intermittently, but not soon enough and I hit a deeper/softer spot in the gravel. So, somewhat avoidable but really I was being careful, though I'm going to start absolutely creeping on the driveway from now on. Gravel is a bear at any time.

For some stupid reason I was also following the left car tire track instead of the right, which I usually do on this part of the driveway, which probably also contributed to me drifting toward the shoulder.

RR got only a minor scratch by the headlight and some superficial scratches on the right brake lever. I noticed a somewhat sharp pain in my knee but still got up thinking nothing was wrong, but after catching my breath and getting ready to get back on I noticed my jeans leg was SOAKED with blood running down my knee and even going into my sock and pooling in my boot -- yikes. So back on the bike to ride home and yep, pretty deep cut on my kneecap even though my jeans were unscathed, not even abraded and certainly not ripped. I must've landed right on a rock (these are 57's, not little pea gravel). Got some pressue on it and DH drove us to the doc in a box and got there moments before they closed. They were so nice -- 13 stitches, tetanus shot, 2 different antibiotics. I didn't ride til the stitches were out but have been back on since.

My good little scooter never even stalled out, I was groping for the kill switch even while entangled with the bike and on the ground.

[Lokky]

1. Which model and displacement (CCs) scooter was crashed? Color?
A 2 stroke Stella with 177cc Pinasco.

2. Was the crash due to rider error? What time of day did it occur?
I'm still unsure what happened. I was written up for following too close but I do not feel like this was the case and my gopro footage corroborates this. My rear brake did not seem to work properly, either it failed or my foot completely missed the pedal. It happened at 10:30am

3. Could the crash have been avoided? What will you do differently next time?
There was traffic in the opposite lane and to my right was a ditch and gravel so I had nowhere to go. Had the specific set of conditions been different I may have been able to stop in time.

4. Was the rider injured? What type of protective gear or clothing was the rider wearing?
I was wearing a modular helmet, vented gloves, mesh jacket and leather boots. The only thing missing were armored pants which ironically I had been meaning to buy. I walked away with some minor road rash on my right knee and right hip (where the jacket pulled up during the slide). The helmet definitely saved my life as I clearly remember faceplanting.

5. What was the damage to the scooter?
The Stella is totaled. The front cowl is smashed in, the fork looks bent, the frame is bent in three spots, the legshield got almost torn off, the rightside cowl crashbar was bent into the engine breaking the flywheel fan-blades.

6. Cost of repairs, if any?
The only repair I can hope for at this point is that my engine is intact, to buy it back from the insurance and drop it into a vintage frame.

7. How much (weeks, months, years) riding experience does the rider have? Does the rider have a motorcycle permit, license or neither?
I have been riding some kind of scooter/moped/motorcycle since I was 14 so almost 12 years. I have a license.

8. Had the rider completed the MSF course?
I took the course to brush up but dropped the bike during the test after riding great all weekend so I do not have a certification.

9. Was the rider the scooter's owner?
Yes

10. How fast was the rider going?
We were on a road that alternated between 45 and 55mph. I had been following the car for a few minutes now so I just regulated my speed to theirs but I feel like we were doing about 45mph (my speedo broke earlier that weekend)

11. How far was the rider from home?
About 45 miles.

[ericalm]

CRAP, Lokky. Sorry to hear about this. Not a great scootering year for you guys.

Glad you're not seriously injured.

[skully93]

Aww man! Sorry to hear that Lokky!

Glad that you're basically OK.

Seems that this thread has some add-ons lately. Let's all be a little extra careful as the weather warms up. it means a lot of fun but also that with more miles you have to maintain alertness!

Good luck and well wishes to all of those I have not directly mentioned.

[ret63]

1. Which model and displacement (CCs) scooter was crashed? Color?
Buddy 50 Itaila

2. Was the crash due to rider error? What time of day did it occur?
No, 5:35pm
3. Could the crash have been avoided? What will you do differently next time?
Maybe, Swerved to miss someone on bike in a cross walk that darted out on a red light. Not sure, be more careful with my turning radius.

4. Was the rider injured? What type of protective gear or clothing was the rider wearing? Just a bunch of cuts on my hands. Helmet, Corazzo scooter jacket with protection.
5. What was the damage to the scooter?
small scratches
6. Cost of repairs, if any? none
7. How much (weeks, months, years) riding experience does the rider have? Does the rider have a motorcycle permit, license or neither?
Weeks, drivers License.
8. Had the rider completed the MSF course? NO
9. Was the rider the scooter's owner? Yes
10. How fast was the rider going? 10MPH
11. How far was the rider from home? across the street

This was my first time having a scooter fall out from under me.

I was coming home from work when while turning left on green an old Lady on a bike came darting out in the crosswalk. I braked and swerved to make it around her and accidentally clipped the curve knocking me down.
I used my hands to break my fall...then hobbled home on my busy street a few feet away.
My brand new Italia with 49 miles on it had a few scrapes on the plastic and lucky that was all.
After cleaning myself up, I cleaned up my Italia.

I wish Boston had better Bike laws like other cities. They ride on the sidewalks, ride wrong way on city streets, no helmet laws. its unbelievable.

[ericalm]

Sorry to hear you went down! Glad it's not worse!

One piece of advice: Never brake and swerve at the same time. You have to decide one or the other in the moment.

[ret63]

Sorry to hear you went down! Glad it's not worse!

One piece of advice: Never brake and swerve at the same time. You have to decide one or the other in the moment.

This Newbie Thanks you!

[bgwss]

Or only use the back brake.

[jonbolden]

1. Which model and displacement (CCs) scooter was crashed? Color?
Black Buddy 125

2. Was the crash due to rider error? What time of day did it occur?
Partially, it was uneven pavement. I must've pushed too quickly to the left, almost like the tires just slipped to the side. I fell sideways.
It was 12:30pm.

3. Could the crash have been avoided? What will you do differently next time?
I guess be more cautious with uneven pavement. I will probably slow down and not change my positions so quickly. It happened so fast, it's hard to really know. I'll check my tires too.

4. Was the rider injured? What type of protective gear or clothing was the rider wearing?
I have a fractured left elbow and a very swollen right elbow. It's been six days and I still have elbow and writst pain, but I am getting along fine. Also lots of road rash, but all minor. I was wearing a helmet. No other protective gear.

5. What was the damage to the scooter?
None, just scratches and my mirror was moved.

6. Cost of repairs, if any?
None yet

7. How much (weeks, months, years) riding experience does the rider have? Does the rider have a motorcycle permit, license or neither?
4 years. Licenesed.

8. Had the rider completed the MSF course?
Yes

9. Was the rider the scooter's owner?
Yes

10. How fast was the rider going?
20-25 mph

11. How far was the rider from home?
About 2miles

I'm still not really sure what happened. I just realized I was tipping sideways. It happened so fast!

[Stormswift]

No. I did not but it was a close call in May and I just found out about it . I know you are all confused. Here is what happened. We went on a group ride. We usually meet at the park. There were 6 of us. Just before we started out one of the scooter batteries went dead. The rider and his friend stayed behind and said they sill catch up if they could. We did not see either of them that day. I broke away ftom the group on the way back because I had to get home and one of the riders on a 50cc was going very slow and it was getting late in the day. One of the guys volunteered to stay with him. So I was able to ride faster. At one point I had to slow down because I saw flushing lights of a police cruiser. I crawled past him like a good girl. Keeping an eye on him in case he picked me up on the radar going hmmmm....you know.On my side of the road I saw a tow truck with two bikes on it. The bikes did not look damaged and I went by without really thinking about it. I have not heard in a while from the guy whose scooter broke down so I e- mailed him. Just got a reply. They had an accident that day. After fixing the battery they tried to catch up to us. While making a turn one of them rear-ended the other. My pall just got out of the hospital. If they were with us that day we all could have ended up in the hospital. Needless to say as a group we cannot just ride. We'll need to start looking at the bikes and skill levels of the riders and estublish some basic rules so this stuff will not happen....

[Demo_Nic]

I know in SoCal there's a group who runs something called Skillz Days on the weekends. They help people learn things like swerving, braking, cornering, throttle control, fear management, etc. They ask for a $80 donation but I always thought it was a great idea.

[LunaP]

I'm still not really sure what happened. I just realized I was tipping sideways. It happened so fast!

It always feels like suddenly things are happening at a supersonic speed and then boom, you're on the ground and when you look back on it... it seems so much slower than it was when it was happening. Like your brain does that just to make you feel silly about it, like you don't already!

Glad you are mostly okay, and your scoot fared well. I hope your elbow heals well and quickly; your other joint pain could take a while to go away. I had a drop where I went down kinda on my hands and knees, but with my right hand folded under me (it broke)- all of the joints associated with the crash took at least a week or so to stop aching and being tender to move, it took my left knee almost a month and my left wrist two, because I'd sprained it; it didn't start getting better until I started wearing a brace, so if your wrist continues to bother you, consider it... it helped me quite a bit.

I hope you're back on your Buddy soon!

[Stormswift]

I know in SoCal there's a group who runs something called Skillz Days on the weekends. They help people learn things like swerving, braking, cornering, throttle control, fear management, etc. They ask for a $80 donation but I always thought it was a great idea.

I think this was all of the above plus lack of knowledge plus no concept of how to ride in a group. There were only 2 people involved this times but it could have easily turned in to a chain reaction from what I saw during our previous rides. This is exactly what I was affraid would happen because people were not keeping to their place in a chess formation (who am I kidding, there was no chess formation) and many were following other riders too close. There are several experienced riders in the groups and before we hit the road again we will need to meet and work out some basic rules for everyone, figure out who are the newbies, who will stay with new riders in the back and chaperon those of the 50cc riders who fell behind. And we should start telling folks who are not riding in a safe manner to either take a safety course or not ride with the group. The more I think about it the more upset I get......

[jonbolden]

I hope you're back on your Buddy soon!

Thanks LunaP!

The thing is... I'm wondering if it's just time to sell the buddy and throw in the towel.

What are y'alls experience with that? Did anyone quit riding after their accident? Anyone consider selling it and being done? I wonder how I will in a few weeks / months.

[pdxrita]

I hope you're back on your Buddy soon!

Thanks LunaP!

The thing is... I'm wondering if it's just time to sell the buddy and throw in the towel.

What are y'alls experience with that? Did anyone quit riding after their accident? Anyone consider selling it and being done? I wonder how I will in a few weeks / months.

That's entirely a personal matter. For me, I got back on and started riding as soon as I could after my crash (see above, not too long ago). I had another scooter in hand just a little over a week after my crash. Of course, I didn't suffer anywhere near the injuries that you and Luna suffered. It's now been close to two months since I crashed and I will say that's it's been a bit of a rollercoaster. My riding confidence really took a hit and there were some days that I felt like I shouldn't be doing it anymore. But just this week I've started to feel my confidence coming back and I'm enjoying the ride again. You have to decide if it's important to you and if you feel like working your way through whatever you might experience if you get back in the saddle. My only advice to you if you do decide to ride again is to invest in some proper gear (but you probably already knew that).

[LunaP]

I hope you're back on your Buddy soon!

Thanks LunaP!

The thing is... I'm wondering if it's just time to sell the buddy and throw in the towel.

What are y'alls experience with that? Did anyone quit riding after their accident? Anyone consider selling it and being done? I wonder how I will in a few weeks / months.

I've only known scooter life for a year. I rode cupcake on Lokky's Stella until an unfortunate incident attempting to avoid hitting a cat led me to be carless last August... so I bought a 170i. Purchase date Sept 16th 2011. Halloween weekend, I made a rookie mistake second-guessing how fast a car was going and rather than chance getting creamed by the speeder, I layed the scoot down HARD and broke my hand in the process. First time in my life I ever broke anything. It was my throttle hand and a bad break in a finger and a sprain/overextension in tendons, sprain the wrist... I went back to being a cupcake, usually on my own scoot nonetheless, and didn't start driving myself again until late November/early December. When I did start again I was a little nervous, but only in a lot of traffic or in group rides. Nervous of breaking hard, but happy to be driving myself again.

At the end of January, I set out on errands like any normal day, and 2 blocks down the road some guy pulled out in front of me from a side street with no room because he hadn't seen me. I crashed right into the passenger side of his car, my left leg was caught in the wheel well. I'll spare the gory details, but I went into a 6-hour surgery with the ER doctors warning me they'd probably have to amputate. I still have my leg, but suffice it to say it will never be normal.

When I can walk again, I will get back on the Stella with Lokky. I may not be able to drive my own by myself, but if I give up scooters, something I really enjoyed... then how can I claim to have risen above what happened to me? It's a personal decision and everybody has to make it for themselves, and I'll be riding with armor on my pretty much everywhere at all times now, but to me, quitting because of this isn't the way to deal with it.

If you're new to it, it can be frustrating. I picked up the very basic of basics (getting on and zooming around the parking lot) extremely fast. But learning the ins and outs of day to day driving is not a finite experience- it's ongoing. People who think they know everything about driving, esp on a two wheeled vehicle, are fools. Before I broke my hand, and after once, I laid the scoot down with no damage to me or it and low or no speed for varying reasons- I took a low curb at the wrong angle, somebody in front of me did the opposite of what they were signalling or didn't check their blind spot when merging and since I wasn't confident I could brake in time I chose to jam the brakes and drop it, etc. Truth is that that stuff won't stop in 5 years of riding... in 5 years of riding a scoot, you'll always hit the curb at the right angle because you've done it 1000 times, but you still can't account for the other drivers on the road. Even if you dress yourself and drive defensively, you can still get hurt... those things don't prevent anything, they just reduce the risk. Many people are nervous or hesitant or have doubts about something after they've had an accident or a drop, especially if they are new (I know I was)... it's something that can be overcome. Again, it's a choice you have to make for yourself, but if you really enjoy it and esp if you are a newer rider, don't throw in the towel yet. Don't give yourself such a hard time. Hop on and tell yourself you're going to learn from the experience. That's my 2 cents.

[LunaP]

I know in SoCal there's a group who runs something called Skillz Days on the weekends. They help people learn things like swerving, braking, cornering, throttle control, fear management, etc. They ask for a $80 donation but I always thought it was a great idea.

I think this was all of the above plus lack of knowledge plus no concept of how to ride in a group. There were only 2 people involved this times but it could have easily turned in to a chain reaction from what I saw during our previous rides. This is exactly what I was affraid would happen because people were not keeping to their place in a chess formation (who am I kidding, there was no chess formation) and many were following other riders too close. There are several experienced riders in the groups and before we hit the road again we will need to meet and work out some basic rules for everyone, figure out who are the newbies, who will stay with new riders in the back and chaperon those of the 50cc riders who fell behind. And we should start telling folks who are not riding in a safe manner to either take a safety course or not ride with the group. The more I think about it the more upset I get......

I'm sorry to hear about your friends, I hope they are doing okay. We're fortunate in that the most we've had to deal with in a group ride are annoying riders, not reckless (or recklessly inexperienced) riders. But that doesn't mean an accident could never happen. After I broke my hand, I rode in a couple of group rides with the club, and because of the accident I was really shy of my brakes- deathly scared that I'd either face another situation where I felt I HAD to jam the brakes and go down and maybe hurt myself again when I'd just healed, or scared that a situation would arise where I wouldn't be able to react like that if I needed to. After the second one, I decided that I wouldn't ride on my own in any more rides until I'd gotten over that hangup I was having... I didn't think I was dangerous, but I knew that at the very least my group riding etiquette was suffering. I can't stand it when people have terrible group riding manners

[rfman81]

Wrecked 2x this morning in the span of 20 minutes apart.

1. Which model and displacement (CCs) scooter was crashed? Color?
Buddy 125 Tangerine

2. Was the crash due to rider error? What time of day did it occur?
No for 1rst, yes for 2nd (Well I did decide to ride in the rain), Around 8:00 Am and 8:20 AM

3. Could the crash have been avoided? What will you do differently next time?
Yes, Not ride this morning, when something feels not right stop and check.

4. Was the rider injured? What type of protective gear or clothing was the rider wearing? Sore butt from my slide. Canvas Pants, Joe Rocket Armored jacket, helmet, gloves

5. What was the damage to the scooter? First Crash scuff on the top case, cowl protectors did their job, small scuff on front brake, possible front rim bent (Think this is what caused the second crash), second crash mirrors bent, front headlight bezel busted.

6. Cost of repairs, if any? $100 for bezel and top steering cover.

7. How much (weeks, months, years) riding experience does the rider have? Does the rider have a motorcycle permit, license or neither?
8 months, motorcycle license

8. Had the rider completed the MSF course? Yes
9. Was the rider the scooter's owner? Yes
10. How fast was the rider going? 1rst 25, 2nd 30
11. How far was the rider from home? 1 mile

So this is what I think happened. I noticed as I pulled out this morning that my back tire felt funny and it was raining, maybe had some oil or something didn't check it out. On my way down the hill and a slow sweeping turn up the hill i noticed my back tire feel squirrelly, I go to slow down and felt the back end go out, down we went and started the slide watching my scooter slide in front of me. Nice people stopped, buddy seemed ok, I collected my wits for several minutes, gear did its job, everything seemed ok, I should have checked the rear tire right there and then. Check the lights to make sure they worked, checked the brakes to make sure they worked. I then head home to change and get some ice for my butt.

On my way home about 600 yards from the other spot, feel that back tire again go to grab the brake, front end goes crazy, I can't get it under control and boom down we go again on my check, my helmet hits and that was it. So, I get back up, mirrors are all bent, but I get them mostly back in place, Cuppertino windsheild with the mirrors seems to save the day from more damage, but the front bezel for the headlight is smashed off and some damage to the top piece around it. All around everything seems ok, scooter runs, i did look at my front rim and noticed a spot that the metal seemed slightly bent. I don't know if this is fork related or what but I will need to go over it further once this bloody rain stops.

I then continue home with flashers on going about 10 mph. No other issues.

Folks, GEAR FREAKING WORKS WEAR IT EVEN IF YOU FEEL LIKE YOU LOOK STUPID. I would have been MUCH worse off without it