Casualties: ER-5 left mirror, few chips of paint on engine bar + Honda Civic bonnet. <sigh> Background: Half day holiday today, set off from work at 12:40. Just got out of Alford Bros. motorcycle shoppe in Folkestone as I was trying to sort out a test ride of a Suzuki DL1000 V-Strom. They had none in stock, so I was setting off on my journey home on ER-5. Bright and sunny day, not much wind, just before 1pm. Not speeding. Headlamp on. Map: [URL]http://hayn.gotadsl.co.uk/bike/smidsy/map.gif[/URL] Story: Just set off from Alford Bros. in Folkestone, heading clockwise around The Saga Building in Middleburg Square. Silver Honda Civic stops at Give Way line in Bouvery Place (next to bus station) and looks left, then right in my direction. Confident that he has seen my large frame + bike with active headlamp I carry on at the usual speed, which isn't fast on that road (Lozzo probably knows it?) when it's busy. Quite close to the junction now, I notice movement from the wheel on the Civic and it edges forward about a foot on the give way line, so I move further to the right on my lane in case he does anything funny. Civic then pulls out of junction and then stops quickly, covering the whole lane. I can't get past. I do some creative braking and look for an escape route which is now only possible in front of the stationary car if I try really hard. While trying to shave off some speed I have a quick internal debate about which part of the car would be most soft and aim for just in front of the bumper (wishful thinking) and manage to aim for a 'clean' pass but the car starts to edge forward again. Now sure the Civic has got it in for me I stick out my left steel-capped boot and place it firmly on the bonnet of the car (to straighten up the bike, officer) while heavily pushing on the rear brake. I pass the car, rear wheel locks up and I whack the road with bike on my left leg still in the sitting position. After a quick glance around to see if anything is likely to run me over I see the Civic is still blocking the lane. Hit kill switch, remove hand from clutch, and extract leg from under bike. Quickly look around to see if anything unexpected is likely to happen. There's another bike very close to the other side of the Civic. Not only had the Civic pulled out in front of me, but a GSXR 750 too. I got a nod from the bloke on the Suzuki and I nodded back, removed my helmet, placed a Dunhill International between my lips and found my lighter. My New Best Mate Dave on the Suzuki walked his bike in front of the Civic, much to the annoyance of the driver (who now couldn't escape without knocking it over) and helped me get the ER-5 shiny side up. He assures me that the Civic pulled out after the driver looked right and that he had to brake heavily to avoid planting his bike in the side of it and remarks that had he been as close as I was then he wouldn't have had many options apart from riding into the car or try to escape around it. We walked around to the other side of the car and the Civic driver got out and I introduced myself, "Hello there. I'm Nick and that's my bike over there. Please look where you're going in the future as one day you're really going to hurt someone." "I didn't see you" says Mr. Civic "You didn't see *us*," My New Best Mate Dave chips in, "and Nick's big." Mr. Civic and I swap telephone numbers/addresses as he doesn't have his insurance details to hand. He's shaking so much that I think about offering to move his car out of the way so he can get something to drink. Just as I'm about to open my mouth he adds "I only moved out because you were indicating right." MNBMDave and I look at each other and he says "You've already let us know you didn't see him." I glance over at my bike and the headlamp is on, key is in the ignition ON position, signals are off. Keeping an open mind I rewind and remember signalling left to park on the pavement down the side of Alford Bros. as when I returned to my bike to go home it was still signalling left, I cancelled the signal and then set off on my journey. "I wasn't signalling at all, I was going straight on." Mr. Civic gets all indignant and decides the damage to his car is all my fault. I am confident that someone pulling out from a side road into a main road in front of two motorcycles and not seeing either of them is probably slightly off his rocker. Tomorrow I'm going to call the police to get a reference. I haven't yet told my insurance company, but as he's disputing the fault and changed his story from "SMIDSY" to "You were indicating right" already I guess it would be a good move. I'm only insured TPF&T, there's no real damage to my bike (apart from the mirror) or clothing and I've got away with only a painful arm, but I have paid for their Legal Protection which chould come in handy. I think MNBMDave's eyewitness account will be very useful if Mr. Civic decides something else has happened.
