Modern Vespa

Wow - sad scary story that appears to be ending in better ways than it could have - damn, glad you're alright - I'm a new Vespa owner myself, also in Dallas - I feel like my commute and general neck of the woods is occupied with fairly decent drivers, but it's random occurrences like yours that scare the pants off of me. Again, very good to know you came out of it walking away, and that you're being taken care of in ironing out the details of the aftermath -

Do you have any photos of the damage? Just curious - would be interesting to see a before and after if they are able to fix it up for you! Be safe and best of luck!

Not much to update. I was to have my 300 back this week (it's being repaired) but now it won't be ready until next week. Total damage $3200. Will have to wait until next month for a replacement seat from Italy. Appearently Vespa didn't expect for seats to wear out this quickly. Guess they forgot about accidents. The existing seat from my bike will be put back on (not damaged too bad) until the new seat arrives.

GEICO adjustors have been very nice but it's still annoying. Their website is suppose to let you see the police report when they have it. But they have twice shown the report as being available and I've yet to be able to open it.

If the other person is an uninsured motorist, my deductible is to be $250. If I was at fault the deductible would be $500. If the other party is at fault and insured, then GEICO is to try to get their insurance to cover all expenses including my deductible.

GETCO has cut a check for repairs minus the full $500. They state they have sent a letter to the registered owner of the hit and run truck asking for insurance information. If they don't hear from him in 10 days then they will consider him an uninsured motorist and send me another $250 check. Guess this is their complete attempt to recover all cost from the other party. And if the police are doing anything about the drunk hit and run driver, I haven't heard a word about it.

So next weekend I will let you know how the bike looks and runs. If I can figure out how to put a picture of the bike repaired on this site I will. I don't have any pictures of it damaged.

So the bottom line is that I've owned a bike for a month and half now and so far have gotten to ride it about 20 miles (not including the time I spent airborne when hit).

A few of you who know the Dallas area have asked exactly where the accident happened. I was east bound on East Royal Lane and stopped at the traffic light at Harry Hines Blvd when rear ended. For the future I have chosen a different route from my home in Los Colinas to my office in downtown Dallas that does not go through this particular interesection. Too many bars in that area.

My injuries have healed well with only some minor signs of injury on my right arm and elbow. Those should be gone in a couple more weeks,

Thank you everyone for your well wishes.

Sad indeed. Glad you weren't seriously hurt, that's really all the matters.

Having made the transition from big touring bikes to the Vespa, I still feel it's best to ride Toreador Pants: All the gear all the time.

Let's hope the matter is resolved and the bike is fixed properly, but man, maiden ride.. and a hit and run to boot..

Have them paint it some really cool color. Perfect time to get it done. Probably won't cost any more if you talk to the right people.

+1 - Same with me

Sorry for the loss - Great that you are ok!

hey, at least youve got it over and done with and lived to tell the tale..

glad youre ok.
by the way what gloves did you get?

So sorry to hear about your accident. You were lucky it could have been a lot worse....

Heal fast!

Gianni

First, I'm really sorry to hear this, particularly given that you had just gotten your scooter! I hope you're getting it sorted and that you're back in the saddle soon. It's scary how often this type of accident comes up in the forum. This made me wonder why it's not so prevalent in scooter-friendly cities like mine, and one thing I've noticed that might help prevent these awful collisions is that over here we generally don't stop squarely in the middle of the lane at stoplights.

I find that cars, as a rule, like to stop right at the line at stoplights. Two-wheeled vehicles here almost always stop at either side of a given lane. It's true that we split lanes while riding, which isn't widely accepted in the U.S., but who's to say where you must stop at a light? Nothing keeps you from moving to the side and sitting between lanes until the light changes.

Because we stop 'between lanes' it's very seldom that distracted or just plain aggressive drivers collide with motorcycles from behind. Also, cars 'in a hurry' can start at lights avoiding you if they choose. And in the event they just 'don't see you', you're more likely to just get bumped than run over if you're between lanes.

From repeated reports of rearend collisions I read here, if I were riding in the States, I would sit between lanes at stoplights more than anywhere else! Ride safe, everyone.

Jim,

Glad to hear that you survived and will get your ride back soon.

Someone mentioned lane position, so wanted to get an idea of where people would recommend. I heard conflicting advice; some say position on the left part of the lane so that the driver in front can see you in their driver side mirror and you can pull next to the car if you need to avoid a rear ender, while others say that you should choose the right side of the lane. I have been doing the left side, but am a bit nervous about it since that is usually next to the oncoming traffic lane. I leave 5 feet to the next car, flash my brake lights at the car approaching, and have my right hand on the throttle ready to nudge forward along side the other car, but which side?

SAge advise - along the lines the instructors here take.

As long as you are ok - bad luck about your ride

I've only just saw this thread... That's a story and a half... glad you're alright! I'm quite paranoid when there's a bus or truck coming up behind me, and generally I try to give myself more space between the car in front and me. I tend to look into my mirrors whenever I'm stopped, and if the vehicle approaching appears to be coming closer with little signs of breaking early I "flash" the tail light by tapping the brake levers repeatedly. I also do that with drivers who like to "creep" forward while waiting for the lights to change.

Oh damn!! what sorry luck, these guys are everywhere and you just happened to be at the wrong place, glad your ok, regroup and get another scooter/repair this one if you can

Friday I finally picked up my scooter. It looks and runs great. Alex and the gang at Lewisville Vespa treated me great. I'm a happy camper.

Now for the experience of getting back on the bike and riding. With my limited riding experience and the six weeks of no scootering since the drunk driver hit me, I felt like I had never ridden a scooter in my life (which is true except for the two days of motor school and the 20 miles I had ridden on my new bike before getting hit.) Quite frankly, at first it was stressful. I couldn't get over the feeling I would get hit from behind again. Particularly when stopped at a light. Happily, the ride home was 20 miles that gave me a chance to build back up some confidence and even enjoy the last few miles which was on a nice wide winding road with little traffic. The very next day I went to my friendly Liberty Moto store and bought a pair of armor pants that go with the armor jacket my wife had bought me right after I got hit.

So I'm back in the saddle again (to use a Texas expression). Tomorrow through necessity, I will do my first night ride. Onward to new experiences.

Jim,

Glad to hear you're back in the saddle

Be careful on that night ride. Night riding here is pretty easy. I live in a small town and they pretty much roll up the sidewalks at night. Almost no traffic.

Glad it's back - and enjoy the new experiences.

Glad to hear this had a happy ending.

Ride Safe!

Jim L. glad you have your Super back. I know you'll eventually get more comfortable with riding it and start to really enjoy it. If you want to increase your visibility when stopped at a light do a couple of things. When you come to a stop, angle your bike a bit to reveal more of your bike and not just its rear end which is slim compared to cars. Move your head and body, moving around will catch the eye of motorists and increase the chances that they will see you stopped. Finally, you could also put a brake light modulator on your brake light that causes it to flash if it is legal to do so where you live. There are ones that will flash five times then hold it on. Another thing to consider if you get a topcase, is to install a brake light on the topcase and put a modulator on that light so that it flashes. People tend to notice flashing lights.

Great news Jim! Glad to hear that you are back on the road. I must say that night rides are my favourite. Just be diligent and relax- you'll be fine.

Glad to hear that it turned out ok and that you are back on your new scooter!
Remember that you can ask the person at fault directly for your deductible, and if they refuse to pay, take them to small claims court (it's a slam dunk, as most judges hate miscreants) to recover your deductible. I've had to do this twice out of the three times that I've been in an accident within the last 10 years (none of them my fault, none on the scooters!)

Now, get out there!