motorcyclemeditation.com

Sheaf of documents in the post today, my attendance demanded at court, collision with Cayenne in February. Oh yes, the six inch scratch. Latest estimate, twelve thousand pounds of damage. Also in the post, a letter from my insurance company, they’ve decided to settle.

A quick call to the insurance company, aren’t you interested in my side of the story. Oh, yes we are sir. So who says it’s twelve grand of damage. Well, sir, engineer’s report. Well, all that damage to what amounts to a truck, we’re talking about a motorcycle that’s supposed to have caused it. Mmmm, just let me check the records sir, yes, good point. Yes, a motorcycle, dammit, not a bulldozer, the motorcycle not having sustained any damage itself, how likely is that. Oh, not very likely sir.

Pause. Then, sir, would you be happy to appear in court to make these points.

My spoken answer, sure. My thoughts, you bet your sweet life my good friend. These guys are trying to pull a fast one. Plus, worse, there’s all the bullying, the lawyers letters, court documents, engineers reports. Gee, scary. The assumption being, I’ll roll over and surrender. Well, wrong person.

A final point to make. Yes sir. That engineer’s report, it quantifies the damage, what it doesn’t do is establish that the motorcycle caused it. These engineers, smart guys they must be, why didn’t they inspect the motorcycle, maybe match the damage against possible points of contact. The short version, where’s the goddam evidence.

Oh yes, that’s true sir. Sure is, my good friend. Bit of a missing causal link there, isn’t there. Damage was probably done subsequently. Or if not, prove it. We’re going to court, fine, play by those rules.

Quite relish the prospect of standing before the beak, suit, tie, earnest, paint a picture of a big nasty overbearing gas guzzling truck, alongside it a poor vulnerable little motorcycle. The coming together, so gentle as hardly to deflect the motorcycle, the truck supposedly disintegrating.