well, I came back to let you all you guys know that my SM and I had a little "encounter" with a 1977 Mercedes 450 convertible, driven by a 95 year old man, and here I see a (tounge in cheek) pool about wether you think Supoermotos are the safest motorcycles... If you didn't already know I'm here to provide a timely reminder that no matter how safe your bike is, other drivers are the real danger. I'm not saying "Don't ride a motor cycle", in fact i plan to be back on a bike as soon as I can pull the clutch again and my left wrist has decent bone integrity. Just saying "Be carefull ou there!"
Even in a low speed collision with a car (mine was less than 20 mph), a motorcycle looses. My poor little SM wasn't too badly damaged, but when it fell over the shift lever took a good whack and the tranny is leaking oil, due to the low value of the bike the insurance company wants to call it a total loss, even though there was no frame or even plastic damage! The forks got twisted in the clamps, the clutch lever was mangled and the mirrors got badly bent (by my low-flying pass over the top of them)... The other driver is totaly at fault and his insurance is going to pay for my trip to the emergency room via ambulance, the re-constructuve surgury on my wrist, and some pain and suffering too, but in the mean time my riding season is over before summer even really hit!
Be carefull out there guys, and watch out for old men behind the wheel of big old german cars!