Well, you _did_ ask for critique so I'm going to give it - but you won't like what I have to say...

>So, doing about 50 km/h I notoiced a large, blue sedan placed perpendicular in the line
>of traffic - obviously doing a u-turn.
>Honking, I slowed a bit, and went to go around him, as he had stopped
> p.s. It was entirely the other guys fault, which makes me feel a little bit better, but
> still, you have to wonder, is this a critique against my driving style? Could I
> have prevented it?

You were going 50 KMH, or about 30 mph. A typical street bike doing that speed can come to a complete stop in about 30 feet, or 10 metres. Unless this guy made a sudden U-turn from less than 10 metres away, you should have been able to come to a complete stop in time to avoid the crash.

I'm not a traffic cop, but I suspect that the police will assess you as being at least partly at fault.

>Will it get written off? What are the odds od structural damage? Can my confidence be
>restored to a bike that was in an accident?

I don't know how insurance works in Ontario, but my guess is that they'll offer you a cash payment equivalent to the blue book value of your bike (ie. not much for a ten year old bike).

You don't mention your level of experience or training. Drivers in North America are far more friendly and law-abiding than those in the 3rd world. My suggestion would be to get a lot more practice riding in heavy street traffic before you go off on your trip.


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Bruce Clarke
brclarke@islandnet.com
www.islandnet.com/~brclarke

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Bruce Clarke - 2020 Yamaha XV250