Sorry, it's probably because I am not used to how people are in cali....but umm......how the hell do you hit other peoples mirrors......on a motorcycle? That sounds pretty damn stupid close to be riding through or around or next to someone....but that's just me. I read just a line or two and thought this whole thing was going to be about someone not seeing a motorcyclist and the motorcycle dude or dudet intentionally taking off the cars mirror as a result of idiots not paying attention....but then I read more and seen that I was jumping to conclusions way too early =p
But still....I don't get it, how again are people not able to miss a large object such as a car or truck while riding a tiny vehicle?
Things get awful tight while lane sharing (legal here in California), especially when distracted drivers drift a little close to you while you're approaching. Sometimes, the clear line you've got planned perfectly can disappear, and you run the risk of smacking a mirror with one of yours. And sometimes, the cager drifts over on purpose. Frankly, with a driver who does that, I wouldn't mind if I DID hit his mirror.
Stupid close? Not really, not at low speeds, done with absolute focus, lots of skill, and a good deal of lanesharing experience.
Risky? Sure. But so is walking in a crosswalk:
Sad irony - Antioch teen motorcyclist killed by hit-run driver
Ilana DeBare, Chronicle Staff Writer
Monday, November 26, 2007
Russell Scott had been riding motorbikes with his son, J.R., since the boy was 5 years old. He had brought home a new Honda for J.R. to try out over the Thanksgiving weekend, to see if his son liked it better than his Kawasaki.
He will never get to find that out.
J.R. Scott, a 16-year-old sophomore at Antioch High School, died Sunday at John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek from injuries received in a hit-and-run accident Friday morning.
J.R. was an avid Motocross rider and had won the California Motorcycle Club competition for his age and class in 2006. He loved other active outdoor pursuits that some parents might worry about as potentially dangerous, such as skateboarding and parasailing.
But J.R. was killed in a way that had nothing to do with those activities. He was in the intersection of James Donlon Boulevard and Gentrytown Drive in Antioch, not far from his home. He had his small foot-powered scooter and was with a friend who was on a bicycle.
J.R. was hit by a white four-door car that immediately fled the scene.
Antioch police said Sunday that they are seeking leads on the driver of the car, possibly a 2000 Toyota Avalon with front-end damage to one of the headlights and hood.
Meanwhile, more than a dozen of J.R.'s friends and relatives gathered at the hospital Sunday afternoon to say private goodbyes to him.
They painted a picture of a young man who - while excelling at a loud, risky sport - was dependable and thoughtful, and an astute observer of the people around him.
Neighbors left their house keys with him when they went on vacation without worrying that he would host parties at their houses.
"He would rather sit and talk than go out to party," said Jonathan Aguilar, J.R.'s friend who was nearby on a bike when he was hit.
"He was a very calculated rider, very smart," his father said. "He was precise. He was not necessarily impressed with very fast speed, but with being controlled and smooth."
J.R. - as Joseph Russell Scott was known since he was a baby - learned about motorcycles from his father, a former professional rider. As a young child, he used to make tracks out of dirt and twigs for tiny model bikes and cars.
But he also loved hanging out with his friends and going fishing.
In the wake of Friday's accident, J.R's family decided to donate his organs. A spokeswoman for the California Transplant Donor Network said the family's gift could save as many as eight lives.
"I thought about if the roles were reversed, and I needed something to save my daughter's life or J.R.'s life," Russell Scott said. "It would be selfish of me not to (donate the organs). I know J.R. would want that, even though we never talked about it."
Club Moto, a motorcycle track in Livermore, held a moment of silence in memory of J.R. on Saturday night.
"Whoever did this doesn't realize that they not only killed a little boy, they killed a lot of people," said Gwen Brooks, J.R.'s grandmother, putting her hands to her face to cover a sob as she sat in the hospital lobby. "Whoever did this has got to live with it. And at the end of the day, they can't live with it. It will eat that person up alive."
I am sure a good majority of us have a deductable, therefore, money comes out of pocket. Not to mention the risk of the rates going up, if one chooses to go that route 
Nice restoration.
