I hope member artiglieri returns to our forums
Here's his one and only post. I copied and pasted. Worth the read, imo.
Post subject: Re: Accidents PostPosted: Sat Jul 30, 2016 5:50 pm
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Hi, I saw this site & thread by chance and thought I might have some advice valuable to others.
Firstly, the "two types of rider.." phrase may seem pithy and a bit unpleasant, but from my experience it is pretty accurate. Crashes are not indicative of rider skill, nor is the bike they ride, nor their licence status. You can do everything perfectly and still be involved in a crash. At the end of the day, if you're not prepared to risk a crash you shouldn't be riding. Never think "I'm too good/too careful/too well-equipped to crash". It happens. And if it hasn't happened yet, don't get complacent or arrogant - you've only been lucky!
Back to my point, I've been riding (commuting and social, in the UK) for several years now. I do about 30 miles a day, every day, all year. The vast brunt of it on a PCX125, but some of a range of bikes. I also work in physiotherapy, so I see a lot of motorcycle accident reports and injuries. You're right about that already - don't read accident reports, nothing good will come of it. You're not reading facts, you're reading someone's version of events. It's unreliable and you can't take anything away from it.
I've crashed 5 times in total (I think), all different scenarios, but I've learned something from each time and it hasn't deterred me from riding at all. In fact, it's quite the opposite - I'm determined to keep improving (my riding skill, my decision-making, and my contingency planning). I have sustained bad injuries - fractures, dislocations, muscle tears, concussion, and I have had titanium plates and screws put in my shoulder and clavicle.
This is my advice to you:
-With regard to adverse weather, always trust your instincts and never overrule it with advice from car-drivers, weather reports or pedestrians. If you have an inclination that the weather is unsuitable - don't ride. Only ever take advice from other motorcycle riders who have been through those exact conditions i.e. same day, same time, same roads. I would have avoided one crash if I had followed this rule.
-Never assume a car driver will do what they're telling you they'll do - they can be dipping their lights, waving you across a road, indicating .etc. it doesn't matter. Only go into the gap when you know 100% you can get out of it if they do the opposite of what they're telling you. In my case, I had a van driver in traffic wave me across the gap in front of him, only to accelerate straight into me and cause terminal damage to my scooter. These days, I only turn across the path of traffic if they are completely stationary and I'm satisfied they literally couldn't hit me even if they tried. Be paranoid! Very rarely car-drivers basically will show such a blatant disregard for your safety that they are essentially guilty of homicidal behaviour.
-Film everything! I've been hit and had car drivers & their insurers claim it never happened. If you're the only one with significant damage, and no reliable witnesses (mine gave all details and then wouldn't return any contact), expect to have a fight on your hands to prove it ever happened. I now ride with a shoulder-mounted GoPro at all times. It could have saved me thousands of pounds in insurance fees if I'd had it earlier.
-Watch motorcyle racing. It always astounds me how few riders actually watch racing. It's like a park footballer not watching the world cup. You will pick up so many tips and helpful bits to improve your skill and your outlook. I'm a Jorge Lorenzo fan and watching him has given me an ultra-smooth riding style all about momentum and balance, it's given me the two-finger breaking technique (four fingers seems ridiculous now), and when I broke my leg & shattered my clavicle & dislocated my shoulder, I was so much more knowledgeable about the injury, the surgery, how to best recuperate & minimise recovery time, I knew how it would affect me, and it gave me inspiration and morale. In short, watching motorsport has made me a far better and more confident rider.
-Buy a premium brand helmet. When you're riding frequently it becomes about the most important thing in the world to you, and I echo what the others have said. You might get some funny comments made, but the tarmac doesn't care what you used to be sitting on when you're about to hit it.
..and, by the way, with regard to the PCX: it's fantastic. You couldn't have a more forgiving, more capable (pound-for-pound) ride! I hope there's something helpful for you here
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hope you're ok 
Leave it to You!!You!!)