Mike's Reviews On Google
I was involved in a motorcycle accident late last year, and had some injuries as a result. Michael and team helped me through the whole process, and dealt with all the different insurance companies and medical providers. The team is outstanding, kind and stellar at communication. It was truly wonderful to have Mike & team by our side during one of the most stressful times.
rafid chowdhury
I am an experienced motorcycle accident lawyer with proven results. I have tried over 140 jury trials. I have 31 years of courtroom experience. I am exclusively dedicated to practicing personal injury law. As of November 2026 I have been practicing personal injury law for 24 years. I advance all costs associated with pursuing your case and I do not ask you for a penny until we recover from the other side. I offer one-on-one service, and I limit my case load so that I can focus on your case.
I have ridden thousands of miles on my street motorcycle and know the dangers that motorcyclists face every time they get on a bike. In my experience, most motorcycle riders are very safe and cautious, as our life is on the line if we are not.
Mike Colbach, Portland motorcycle accident attorney, on lead motorcycle riding at Portland International Raceway track day
Most personal injury lawyers base their fee on the entire settlement amount.
This does not seem fair to me.
If your medical bills are $66,666 and your settlement is $100,000,
their attorney fee at 33% is $33,333 and you get nothing.
I base my attorney fees on what is left after your medical bills are paid which puts more money into your monetary recovery.
In the above example, my attorney fees would be after your medical bills were paid, so you would get 2/3 of that remaining $33,333 which is $22,222 and my fees would be $11,111 not the $33,333 from the 33% attorney fee charged against the entire settlement recovery before that is substantially reduced by paid medical bills.
Two years ago, as I was riding my motorcycle, on my year long journey from Chile to Canada, I got very badly injured. After over 35,000 miles, my journey was abruptly interrupted, as a distracted truck driver failed to yield and cut the road a few meters ahead of me. -->More
David Denis Make sure the attorney you hire for your case actually files and tries cases.
If a lawyer tells you that filing a lawsuit is a bad idea, they either do not have faith in your case or do not want to work for their money.
Time and time again, I have heard other personal injury lawyers tell me that negotiating is the only way to resolve cases. These lawyers always take what the insurance company offers them.
Many, many times, I have seen insurance companies significantly increase their offer because a lawsuit was filed. If they know you are serious, they are more likely to pay a fair amount.
I recently used Mike and his team due to a motorcycle accident that I was injured in. I can't say enough about the professionalism and level of knowledge that Mike brought to the table. Without Mike at the helm of this incident there is no way I would have been fairly treated. He's very objective and clear with what the possible outcomes could be. I knew what to expect down to each and every detail. -->More
Kris Preble In one motorcycle case the insurance company originally blamed my client and would not even fix his motorcycle. I filed a lawsuit and a month before trial they offered $2 Million and said they would never pay a penny more. After picking a jury and presenting witnesses, they nearly tripled their offer and the case settled.
In another case where my client, an injured cyclist, before trial they did not even offer to pay his medical bills. In 2024 a jury awarded my client over $4 million. (PDF of the Marion County Jury Verdict)
$340,000 recovered for injured motorcyclist in motorcycle accident. His offer was zero before he hired me.
$350,000 policy limits settlement motorcycle accident. Before he hired me the insurance company blamed him and refused to pay a penny.
$374,500 jury verdict for motorcyclist hit by an underinsured motorist. State Farm's final offer before trial was $113K.
$50,000 policy limit settlement for motorcycle accident.
$100,000 policy limits settlement for injured motorcycle rider.
$750,000 policy limits settlement for motorcycle accident.
$1.1 Million recovery for injured motorcyclist in motorcycle accident.
$1.5 Million recovered for injured motorcyclist in motorcycle accident.
If you have the minimum PIP coverage of $15,000, it will cover your medical expenses for reasonable and necessary care up to two years after your accident.
I suggest getting as much PIP coverage as you can afford, especially if you have a high deductible medical insurance plan. Adding the additional PIP coverage is really not that much more additional expense to your motorcycle insurance and PIP provides more benefits beyond the no-fault medical bill coverage.
If you do not have PIP as part of your motorcycle insurance policy, and do not have health insurance, than the other driver's auto insurance should pay your medical bills.
If your Oregon personal injury protection coverage limits are reached, the other driver's personal injury protection may also cover you if you do not have healthcare insurance.
Lost Wages: PIP insurance provides for wage loss up to 70% of your lost income, up to $3,000 monthly (after a 14-day disability period, up to 52 weeks after your accident).
PIP insurance also provides for essential services up to $30 daily for household assistance for up to 52 weeks.
Additionally, if you are hospitalized for 24 consecutive hours (or more) due to your motorcycle accident injuries, and you are the parent or legal guardian of a minor child, PIP coverage will pay up to $25/day for child care expenses. Child care PIP benefits are capped at a maximum of $750, but child care can also be covered under the essential services coverages provided by PIP.
PIP insurance also provides funeral expenses up to $5,000 incurred within one year after the motorcycle accident.
I also encourage everyone to increase their Under Insured Motorist (UIM) coverage as well as your Uninsured Motorist (UM) insurance coverage. This is a way that you can protect yourself, and it won't add that much to your existing motorcycle insurance rate.
If you do not file a report when required, Oregon law requires DMV to issue a suspension notice. If you were in an accident and the damages were less than $2,500, you can report to DMV if the other party doesn't have insurance. Be sure to clearly note on the accident report that it doesn't meet mandatory reporting criteria.
Regardless of a police officer's reporting, you are required, as outlined in ORS 811.720 and 811.725, to complete and submit the Oregon Traffic Accident and Insurance Report to DMV. The report must be completed using the form designated by DMV which is the Oregon Traffic Accident and Insurance Report.
Make sure to retain copies of the accident and insurance report for your records.
Contact the police department that responded to your motorcycle accident. The procedure for recovering the police report will vary from one jurisdiction to the other.
In Portland, you can get a copy of your accident report usually by contacting the Portland Police Bureau's Records Division at 503-823-0043 or the Police Report Request and Help Line at 503-823-0041.
Another way you can get a copy of your accident report in Portland is by filling out a request on the official website of the City of Portland.
If your motorcycle accident happened outside of Portland, then call DMV Customer Assistance at 503-945-5000 and request DMV send (snail mail/fax/email) you the accident report. You can also pick up a paper form from a DMV field office or your local law enforcement department.
The first motorcycle crash causation study was the Hurt Study conducted in 1976 and released in 1981 and found,
"The most common motorcycle accident involves another vehicle causing the collision by violating the right-of-way of the motorcycle at an intersection, usually by turning left in front of the oncoming motorcycle because the car driver did not see the motorcycle."
Validity of Evasive Action for the Situation
Competent Execution of Evasive Action
Currently we also have track days offered by Moto Corsa which are scheduled at Portland International Raceway and at The Ridge Raceway not too far away in Washington; we also have another facility where Skip Track Days offers motorcycle track days. And more track day providers and riding schools and rider coaching offered by: Optimum Performance, MotoVixen, 2Fast, Pacific Track Time, MotoFit, and Ken Hill Coaching.
The help of other riders and coaches is also invaluable in helping you gain confidence and build new skills.
Get more quality motorcycle seat time with no cars, it's a fun time too with other motorcycle riders, and perfect place to push yourself and your motorcycle skills.
Andy held a couple special events, June 1, and June 29 in 2026 to coincide with the MotoAmerica / Super Hooligans at The Ridge in Washington and he hoped some of the professional MotoAmerica riders and friends of his, would come out for the fun as special guests. Andy also held a full season schedule of both coaching and his own track days as well as coaching with some other organizations.
Pictured below from Andy's June 1 event womens-only Superpole Laptime Shootout for $500 in price money which I was proud to sponsor (1st got $300, 2nd $150, 3rd $50 -winners are pictured on their podiums at Pat's Acres). Andy puts on fun events. He had tshirts for Kelly #303, stickers, and more.
