Like it says on the tin........ A good friend of mine was killed a few years ago on his bike and it was the one day I decided not to go on the ride-out cos I had a worn rear tyre. It affected me a lot knowing that I could have been out there with him. All of the others that were with him promptly sold their bikes and have stayed off them since, but I kept mine. It has however made me alter my riding style and I dont razz around like a lunitic as I once did, prefering to do things a lot smoother and less frenetically. My missus has been very supportive and doesnt nag me about my bike (unless its cos I'm going out on the bike when she wants something doing :wink because she knows that the bike and riding means a lot to me. So what would make you think twice about riding and/or pack in?
Have seen the after effects of crashes, in fact a good friend has been knocked off recently, bad brake to tib and fib (pins) but i love my riding and my bike, these things happen, you could give up riding and be knocked over by a bus how will not riding have helped/hindered. It may be a selfish way of looking at it but it is my freedom to go where i like, it would take an awful lot to stop me doing that. (I haven't found what would yet!)
As you know I'm a current victim of a SMIDSY and 3 weeks into a long recovery, would it stop me riding again... No As has been said I could slip on a wet floor, run over by a bus so why give up what I love?
A really difficult question to answer - I think I'll only know the answer when something really bad happens, if it ever does (in 30 years, it hasn't). I did have to fish a friend out of a ravine once. He's failed to negotiate a corner, banged into a parapet with his leg and went over into the gorge. Fortunately, he held on to a tree branch on the way down. Had to phone the SAMU (French ambulance/firemen people) to get him lifted out. Leg quite badly broken. But I was imagining that I'd be helping to lift out a corpse when I saw his bike lying on the road and him nowhere to be seen. I don't think I immediately thought - "right, that's it, I'm giving up biking now" - I just got on with what needed doing. And frankly, his accident didn't put me off in any shape or form. But then it was his fault. If I was an eye-witness to a fatal with a friend of mine, through no fault of his own, hmmm. That might get me thinking. Still love riding my Ducati, but it is no longer the be-all and end-all it once was. I now spend a lot of time gardening (big garden, it has to be done) and guitar-playing.
I did think twice about riding never again was my reply when asked. Kids faces and nightmares said it all But....... It's in the blood it wont go away it's an itch you have to scratch Luckily my family know how much it means to me to ride and are very supportive. Think we all have lost friends to bikes. Life is short it's for living and you dont just loose your life to bikes there are many dangerous opportunities out there just because we deal with them everyday that makes people complacent. Biking is just in your face dangerous to some
It's strange really how people react. I've lost friends on bikes, but I've also lost friends to car accidents and no one seems to consider giving up cars. I realise we are more vulnerable on bikes but as people above have said you never know when or how you're going to go. I had one really big accident which could easily have killed me, but it never occurred to me to stop riding, just put it in the box marked "shit happens" and move on.
Have to add a young couple were walking on the main road near me a year or so ago. Just dropped their young child at nursery and walking home. Who would have thought that a lorry of trusses would be dangerous They fell off when going under a bridge killed the guy outright mum died later They were as venerable as a biker only it's looked upon differently Fate plays a part too when your time is up ....
whats the point of living if you dont feel alive? Riding gives me that feeling in bucket loads. The only way I would think twice is if I didnt have anything to ride
Tricky one. When I got back in the saddle after my accident I wasn't scared as such, just super wary and nervous, every car, bus, van and perambulator was out on a mission to get me! When I got home after a ride I really wasn't sure I was enjoying it or not. More trepidation than enjoyment! Pretty much made up my mind to knock it on the head as it wasn't any fun at all. I remember coming home and actually thinking "phew, made it home". But I kept at it, as I didn't want to surrender to fear, if you see what I mean? What would make me stop? Probably if something else happened (f'ing hope not!) not sure my relationship with my GF would cope with another trip to A&E! Ride safe, take it steady and watch out for tractors this time of year!
I work with a guy who buys cars based on their safety rating - he gets the 'safest'. He won't travel on the tube, because he doesn't want to get blown up, won't ride a bike, let alone a motorbike. The guy lives his life by wrapping himself and his family in cotton wool. Is he happy? No. He is the most miserable sod I know. No ambition, no desire to push himself in any way. Me, I prefer to live life properly. That means having fun, riding bikes and motorbikes safely, but pushing the boundaries of what I can do. Personally, I think his kids will rebel as soon as they see that there's a world out there. Without being given the training to manage risk early in their lives, they'll either end up as blancmanges or on drugs.
If track days disappeared, I'd seriously consider kicking bikes into touch. I know that will be hard for most to appreciate, as it sounds like I'm dismissing road riding, but frankly I get little pleasure riding on the roads at speeds that don't risk serious injury or a ban. Roads around Surrey are generally so busy and speed restricted, the short bursts of freedom on my 1098 are few and far between. I haven't got the time or money (or ability) to take up racing, so track days are the perfect answer for me, and if they get strangled through increasing noise restrictions or because TDOs can't make them profitable,it would be a very sad day, in my book. It doesn't help that only race reps/superbikes have ever appealed to me for some reason...clearly not a true biker :smile:
I know that feeling :wink: However I do enjoy road riding now that I dont feel as though I have to travel at warp factor 7 all the time. The traffic and road configurations all add to the enjoyment IMO. However we are blessed with some stupendous roads and scenery up here that make it all worthwhile. :tongue:
Havent found anything yet that would stop me, I have been a victim of a SMIDSY when I was younger but was back on a mates bike 3 days later. Even my current back injury hasn't stopped me but if it got worse who knows? I have never been one to ride mega fast as I don't consider myself a good enough rider to cope with the idiots out there in their cars. Living in rural Norfolk means tractors etc are a year round problem and having had a seriously sideways moment on a CX500 I tempered my riding and learnt to enjoy riding within my limits and taking in more of the sights, sounds and smells ( some good, some bad).
When I was younger I was mental, proper mental. No-one came past me, I'd rather have died than come second. But one big accident put a stop to that; I still ride swiftly, but not anywhere near the same level of stupidity. And I don't think another accident would stop me; might slow me down some more, but not stop me. What might stop me is the Honda NC700. If this is the future of biking, I may as well hang my leathers up now And traction control, etc. All these rider aids are all well and good, and I'm sure they make you safer or faster, but I don't want them. I'm not after the pinnacle of sporting prowess, or the safety net of ABS, CBS, traction control, et al; give me a nice fruity engine in a capable chassis and I'll make my own luck, thankyou very much.
OK, we all seem to be aware of the risk of accidents. Away from the accidents, it would be a hefty set of points for speeding, or worse, a ban. I drive for a living, about 35k this year. Without my license I lose my job and my career that I have spent 15 years building. I know I could find another job, but, the limitations of no license would have a major effect on my life style, and earning ability. As I live alone, I have a single income, loss of job etc could even cost me my house if I could not pay the mortgage.
The idea is not to turn up at the pearly gates or hells pits in a pristine body that has not a mark on it. I want to turn up in a body on its last legs that is battered and scratched and worn out. A physical attribute would be the only thing that would stop me, no legs, loss of sight etc etc. Mark
