Only the good die young... Eulogy for a WRR

After just north of 4 months, and 3000km on the clock, my poor WRR has been stricken down in the prime of it's life.

I left the house on bike yesterday evening for the short 5km trip to the grocery store to grab some meat for supper... I coulda took the car, or rode the trails, but I guess fate is a twisted sister sometimes.

A young girl didn't see me coming and cut me off at a green light, resulting in a 15-foot solo flight, a 10-foot tuck-and-roll, an asphalt power nap... And one mangled heap of 2015 WR250R.

On the [relative] bright side, I made it out with nothing but some gnarly road rash, temporary jello legs, and a few scrapes and bruises. Hats off to HJC, my modular IS-MAX helmet took it like a champ and maintained complete structural integrity after sustaining multiple "road bumps", whilst i remain fully un-concussed.

The R2 is a write-off, which will be covered by the young girl's insurance as she is willingly admitting fault, but this sadly means the end of my 2015 riding season, as well as the untimely demise of a spirited young dual-sport steed in the thralls of adolescence.

Farewell sweet VIN# 1323. You will be missed.

As long as your okay, its all good, bikes can be replaced, take care,

Thanks Fiftygrit, I definitely made out alright considering the circumstances. I felt pretty bad for the other driver, she was out practicing driving with her learner's permit and was pretty hysterical after the accident. Hopefully she's not too scarred by the ordeal.

While she may not be scarred, it is safe to say she may be heavily imprinted upon... to check twice.
When I started reading your post I was bracing myself, and can honestly say I rejoiced a bit, as it dawned on me you were well.
Very glad you are well. Very glad.

Kev_OK wrote:

...Hats off to HJC, my modular IS-MAX helmet took it like a champ and maintained complete structural integrity after sustaining multiple "road bumps", whilst i remain fully un-concussed.....

Good to know
That's my "go-to" helmet 99% of the time.

I'm still pretty tender, but on my feet again and hoping to be back to work tomorrow. It took a couple of days to really sink in how bad the situation could have been, and its almost hard to believe how easy I got off in terms of injuries.

I've been contacted by the driver of the car, and she is extremely remorseful. She's claiming full responsibility so the insurance company says that everything should move very quickly, and hopefully will be clued up by early next week.

Thankfully, the young driver will certainly be more aware of bikes in the future, so my relatively minor incident may have prevented something much more serious down the road. The thought of a nice new 2016 WRR also helps to ease the pain, and HJC has definitely earned a lifelong customer.

Can't wait to get back in the saddle and leave this whole experience in the rearview.

Cheers!

Kev_OK wrote:

I'm still pretty tender, but on my feet again and hoping to be back to work tomorrow. It took a couple of days to really sink in how bad the situation could have been, and its almost hard to believe how easy I got off in terms of injuries.

I've been contacted by the driver of the car, and she is extremely remorseful. She's claiming full responsibility so the insurance company says that everything should move very quickly, and hopefully will be clued up by early next week.

Thankfully, the young driver will certainly be more aware of bikes in the future, so my relatively minor incident may have prevented something much more serious down the road. The thought of a nice new 2016 WRR also helps to ease the pain, and HJC has definitely earned a lifelong customer.

Can't wait to get back in the saddle and leave this whole experience in the rearview.

Cheers!

Glad that you are not seriously injured. This sucks.

Two questions for you. Did this incident happen at night or in the daylight? and do you plan on replacing your helmet being that the integrity may be compromised? Was kinda under the impression that if a helmet took a good enough bounce off the pavement that it should be replaced. Good to here your ok.

This happened in broad daylight, around 445pm Sunday. I will absolutely be replacing my helmet.

UPDATE!

After a month of stressful negotiations, a couple of low-ball offers, and a lot of anxious waiting, I finally settled up with the insurance company and have a brand new 2016 WR250R on the way (digging the new YZ-ish graphics)! Last I heard from the dealership (2 weeks ago), the 2016s were still on the boat from Japan, but should arrive pre-December.

We already have a few inches of snow here in Newfoundland, but there's some mild weather coming this weekend, so hopefully I can manage at least a partial break-in before the winter (waiting until spring woulda made the holidays unbearable haha). Plus, according to my dealer, mine will likely be the first 2016 sold in Canada, which is kinda cool.

My injuries have all but subsided, except for some lingering tenderness in the ribs, and I definitely feel ready to hit the dirt again! The insurance settlement was enough to cover the remaining payout on my loan, plus aftermarket accessories at full retail value, AND enough left over to cover the 5 payments that I already made!! Basically, I put 3000km on the bike this past summer free of charge

Insurance has also reimbursed me for a new helmet, jeans, hoodie, backpack, and gloves, and my dealer is going to give me the same "employee price" that I paid for the last bike (I worked in their shop until mid-August). I coulda done a lot worse for sure!

Kev_OK wrote:

After just north of 4 months, and 3000km on the clock, my poor WRR has been stricken down in the prime of it's life.

I left the house on bike yesterday evening for the short 5km trip to the grocery store to grab some meat for supper... I coulda took the car, or rode the trails, but I guess fate is a twisted sister sometimes.

A young girl didn't see me coming and cut me off at a green light, resulting in a 15-foot solo flight, a 10-foot tuck-and-roll, an asphalt power nap... And one mangled heap of 2015 WR250R.

On the [relative] bright side, I made it out with nothing but some gnarly road rash, temporary jello legs, and a few scrapes and bruises. Hats off to HJC, my modular IS-MAX helmet took it like a champ and maintained complete structural integrity after sustaining multiple "road bumps", whilst i remain fully un-concussed.

The R2 is a write-off, which will be covered by the young girl's insurance as she is willingly admitting fault, but this sadly means the end of my 2015 riding season, as well as the untimely demise of a spirited young dual-sport steed in the thralls of adolescence.

Farewell sweet VIN# 1323. You will be missed.

lolz well written, made me chuckle despite the nature of the situation. Glad to hear you're on the mend and that you're getting bike/gear sorted

Welcome back Kev, hope everything works out well, let us know if you see anything interesting with the new bike, cheers

whoa.. just bumped into this thread now.. refreshing to see a good outcome from an off on the slab. Post up some pictures of the new ride!!!

Jeez Kev! I, too, just bumped into this thread, and all I can say is 'Legend'. Mate, you have a great way with words, and a really great attitude. I doubt I would've been so charitable!
Very happy for you that you're relatively unbeaten. And you've got that 2016 coming.