Advice sought

I was involved in a minor accident on friday and was riding my motorcycle at the time. This incident happened on a 2 lane road 1 or 2 car lengths from a intersection where the lights were red. I was riding between the cars (still legal) In the right lane was a taxi where the front passenger opened the door which i didnt see and hit with my shin on the corner which imediately stopped me in my tracks and caused me to go over the front of the bike and the bike to fall onto the car to the left of the taxi. When i got up i looked at the bike and wondered what the hell just happened. My initial thought was i clipped the taxis mirror then the kind people's which car (Corolla) i hit said he opened the door. I asked him if he had done this and he just hada dumb expression on his face. A bystander then helped me pick up the bike and wheel it to the side of the road. i briefly spoke to the people in the corolla and noticed the taxi stopped on the other side of the intersection. I was then told the offender left the taxi (without paying). I went in the direction and thought i spotted the person and asked him to come back which he ignored me. I asked several more time to which he replied "are u drunk". I was a lil dazed at this stage and thought have i got the wrong person. The offender then stated he was going to dinner and walked off with me following and i could tell he wasnt happy as he was clenching his fists and pumping them as he walked. I followed him another 30 metres to his desination and was perplexed at this stage. I thought to go check on the bike as keys were in the ignition still and the helmet was still with the bike. As walking back one of the passengers in the corolla came up and said thats the guy after i asked. After some persauding he came back to the scene and his friend which also denied being in the taxi finally admitted to being in the cab. I took this guys licence and called the police while he was abusing me verbally. Police came took details, gave me his details (some were incorrect) and mobile number. This idiot in the time being was saying let it go and ride home (bike wasnt ridable as gear leaver had snapped off). Luckily a friend that lives on the street was walking past at the time and took the bike to his place.
I did a check with white pages and noted a landline number which i called and the guy wasnt home and was told he had lost his mobile (convenient) I gave him 48 hours to call and called back tonight and his mother answered and didnt know of what had happened and said he didnt live there and hang up on me mid sentence and didnt answer when i called back.
I went and got a few quotes today and whent to the house after the mother rudely hung up. There was no answer but i suspected someone was home and left quote wedged in the front door.
Im very annoyed by this guys attitude on friday, when i called sunday (sisters or partners attitude, and mothers attitude tonight.)
I have let a few things go damage wise but if i was to go ahead it would add another 4 thousand approx.
I have a aching leg with huge bruises and painfull gash.
Whats the best way to recoup the costs to fixing the bike?
Should i go all out and add the extra 4 k damage as well as pain and suffering (soft tissue damage)
The people appear to have money as they reside in kooyong.
I just received a call from the police then saying to stay away from the house and they are disputing costs and to take it up with the taxi. (got my number from the quote)
Thanks for reading and any advice is greatly appreciated.

 

This happened in melbourne and rules state you can lane split while traffic is stationary as long as you pass to the right of the car and be in inside the line. im sure i was to the left of the line aswell. I called a local TMU on sunday and the officier said this was correct and also that this guy wrong in the wrong and u cant attemtp to get out of a car in traffic and is liable for damages. The cop said tonight to take it up with the taxi company( Police ought to have knowledge of this as im sure civil matters occur daily) quite frankly his attitude wasnt much better than theirs. This guy needs to take responsibility for what he has done! Taking off without paying a fare isnt good enough either.

 

I have taken photos of my legs and yet to take photos of the bike. I took photos of the bike 2 weeks ago before damage as i was trying to sell it. In those photos they arent close enough to see there was no damage in the first place. The bike was pretty much in new condition except for 3 or 4 minor marks. Il take photos tomorrow anyway.

 

Thankyou for this information,
I was thinking of a letter of demand to be the solution. I just need to be 100% sure of who is liable first to take further action. The passenger in the taxi ought to be the one paying for damages not the taxi company, but at the end of the day my bike needs to be repaired to its original condition.

There would be an easy way to deal with this but im not prepared to write this off just yet.

 

The thread in question was a observation of f chat. Did i specify that it was the Australian section? You drew your own conclusion there.

Why people get torn to shred's here for little or no reason is beyond me.
Scud how do you want me to respond to this anyway??

I'll answer honestly first then il be your yes man.

I asked advice in here because i was at the assumption people in here had there heads screwed on right and could shed more light on what action i may take. I was at the opinion there may be someone with a law degree under their belt or had success in chasing someone for money in the past.

Secondly i wasnt inciting a particular reaction from the above mentioned thread. If i were to stir the pot im sure the donkeys in here would be lining up to bite the carrot!

 

Thanks for the link veloce