Our Work Is Never Over: Hit & Run Edition{6}

Oh brother. Some guys just can’t get a break!

First. I finally get my bike back from 3 weeks away and then put in as much time on ‘er as I can. I rode out to Niagara for a wedding two weekends ago…

Then my points cover rattles off.

Then I ride out to Port Elgin to surprise my mom on her 65th birthday.

Then my exhaust flange bolts rattle off.

Pops and I (and Big A) drove around Port Elgin trying to find the 5/16″ 24 (fine thread) bolts I needed and had a hell of a time finding them on a civic holiday. All of the garages and auto parts stores in the region were closed, not to mention the HD dealer in Owen Sound, but we eventually tracked some down at a hardware store and set to task of re-installation… We didn’t reaaaaaally have the right tools so we only got 3/4 on, enough to get me home for sure.

Then my bike gets run over by a car.

So I’m at work and my bike is parked out front, like always, when some of the guys from the 4th floor come down to tell me that some woman knocked my bike over, drove over the front wheel, got out and recruited a passer-by to stand it back up, got back in her car and drove away. Fortunately, those guys are always out there smoking and they caught the license plate number and told me what happened.

Despite my “not always favorable” opinion of the Police, I called the fuzz and they told me that I had to lug the bike up to the collision reporting center which is on the other end of the city… I asked of they could send someone down and she said she could send someone down but they were just going to tell me that I’m going to have to take it up there. I said send ‘em anyway. The cop got here and was a super sweet dude, surveyed the damage, took witnesses statements and said that I don’t, in fact, have to lug the bike up to the collision reporting center and that he was going to charge whoever it was with a hit & run collision. Awesome.

Then, while the officer was still across the street, they tracked down the driver’s husband who (along with his wife) happens to run the spin studio a couple doors down from my office. The cop came back to give me the good news and while we were talking this guy comes in and tries to talk to me, presumably to try to smooth things over, but does a horrible job.

First, the guy tells me that his wife is in tears and is really sorry. Ok, I can appreciate that… Then he tells me that “she wasn’t trying to sneak away or anything.” Except, that’s what she did. He said “how is she supposed to know who’s bike it is?” Um, leave a note? Ask the guys standing there? Call the Police? I dunno… Either way, I can appreciate that she panicked and didn’t know what to do so whatever… Shit happens.

The next thing the guy says, though, made my blood boil. He said “no disrespect, but the way you have it parked there… I mean… I’ve almost hit it a couple of times before too…” so I said “parked like what? legally in a legal spot? If you can’t drive that’s not my fault.” to which he says “just saying” to which I say “don’t say” and asked him why he’s still talking… The cop had seen enough and took the guy away before it escalated any further. What a dong.

I spoke with the woman, herself, last night and while I don’t doubt that she feels badly, the unfortunate reality is that no one really understands that when you make a stupid mistake like that, nothing can make it better. Let’s say, for a second, that insurance covers the full cost of the repairs, who is going to pay for my time to deal with this? Is anyone going to rent me a bike to ride while mine is in the shop? Is anyone going to pay me for my monthly bike/insurance payments on a bike I can’t ride?

Without having taken it to a mechanic I can tell that the signals, brake lever, brake pedal & exhaust heat shields are all damaged but the biggest problem is that the front brake rotor is horribly warped so the bike really can’t be ridden. I can only hope that the wheel hasn’t been ruined and that there aren’t any more serious fork, alignment or frame problems… I’ll find out once I take it in, I guess.

Imagine I hadn’t noticed all the smaller things and gotten on it and rode away like I normally would have? I could have been seriously hurt and this is the over-arching issue with her making NO effort to tell me about the damage she’d caused. Not to mention the fact that I’ll again be without bike for, at best, a couple of weeks and at worst the rest of the summer. Not that I’m expecting to be out that long but seriously, summer will be over before we know it and I want to enjoy this machine that I put so much time, money and energy into.

Then I get home and my new points cover is in from Old Gold Garage… Looks like I’ll have to wait a while to install that beaut.

By Category: Angry Matt, FXDB Street Bob, Motorcycles, The Gas Face