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Well, I went down on the bike on the morning of August 13. 64 years old and riding since '73, this was my first time going down. I've just been lucky I guess. I was cruising on a back country road I had never been on, and I had navigated a couple of sharp turns with ease. I wasn't paying attention to my speed and came to a hill and tapped the rear brake to slow down a bit. The road was slick and the wheel "locked" up. Not a big deal but it caught me by surprise and distracted me. I got to the top of the hill and saw a guardrail dead ahead with a sharp left I knew I would never make so I hit both brakes and went down, sliding between the guardrail and a telephone pole into a soybean field. Very fortunate indeed. The problem I believe is that I am spacing out while riding and end up having to react quickly in situations. It is happening more frequently. I downsized to a Sportster 1200R last year and it has been a very forgiving, quick reacting bike that has allowed me to recover quickly until now. Now I am wondering if it is time to hang it up or is this a phase. At 64 I can't afford or handle being tossed around like a rag doll. Anybody experienced this?
Tell ya what buddy, I'm a couple of years older than you are and I've caught myself daydreaming once in a while, I think it might happen to a lot of us. I believe that you still have some good riding time left in you, so I wouldn't worry too much about it. Also, look on the bright side, your accident could have been worse. Glad to hear that you didn't get seriously hurt.
I'm 70, so I hear your words. We ride two up, so when I start to feel unsafe, we'll make our decision then. But, each spring, I practice emergency stops, swerves, and slow speed handling. If you don't practice, it is not instinctive. If you react in panic instead of as trained, you will go down. Maintaining focus is also something you can practice. Learn to ride condition yellow, relaxed but alert and ready.
Emergency braking takes more riders and few practice it, at any age. Locking the rear is panic, only way to do it right is practice. Putting the bike vertical before braking is also important, a hard braking a leaning bike is a garauntee to go down. Posted elsewhere on this site is the story of rounded a triple curve only to see a herd of elk crossing the road. Only training saved me.
Same way with swerves. I practice each spring at 40-45. Saved me from hitting a deer at 70+.
You short changed yourself. You down sized but left you skills and bad habits unchecked. This was a wake up. If you desire to keep riding, refresh your skill sets. Just because we ride for 10, 20, even 40 years, men learn shortcuts and continue to use them. Break the bad habits, refresh good technique. Make it fun, and get back in the saddle, or not, your choice.
Been there, done that. More than once I have encouraged a buddy to
keep riding and later he went down harder.
Just guessing from the picture your bike has minor damage.
Ponder it a while, you must be true to yourself.
Just me, but I went from big rig touring to sport touring and back to big
boat Electra Glide. Hardly ever scrape now in corners.
Just to point out the obvious, the danger is part of the fun.
Best wishes and how about a damage report, both you and the bike.
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I agree that it's just an eye opener to let you think and overcome the next time. There's always a next time, and as long you learn you'll be fine. but of course you need to be comfortable.
Some people may like twisting and winding roads but I don't care for them, if there's a lot of downshifting and hills. And if I'm on one of those roads and I'm unfamiliar with it, I'll go the speed limit, so don't get behind me, thinking I'm going to drag my pegs because I won't.
One thing that happens to most all of us, that have ridden for awhile, is complacency.
Usually, reflection after an event will show things we could have done differently.
It's rarely a single factor that causes a crash. Usually, it's a series of factors that cause a crash.
It sounds like the OP has dissected his crash event, and discovered causation. So, you see, even after riding for 40 years, there are things still to be learned.
OP~ Since health can change at anytime, a visit to your doctor might be in order. Balance issues may be a precursor to other brain functions. Get looked after, sooner rather than later.
At the hospital where I work, I see this issue daily.
I was riding along a winding river road a couple of months ago. Beautiful sunny day just taking in the fresh air and putting along about 45 MPH when a huge eagle swooped down and grabbed a big trout from the river. I HAD to watch and when I looked back at the road I was on the shoulder heading for the ditch. Managed to get stopped without damage (except my shorts) and sat there until my blood pressure came down a bit. I was a victim of awesomeness overload. I could probably take a more boring route or slow down even more but I enjoy it too much. It will probably kill me some day. Oh, by the way I'm 65.
I feel ya.... you are the only one who can make this decision. I too find my self getting lost in myself on some of the back roads I ride on.... fortunately nothing has happened. yet. but I too to some swerve riding and quick braking each spring. i'll swerve around pot holes, and some junk in the road...I bet some think that old fart is nuts! But it does help to keep some riding skills in tune...
Get back up and make your decision on how you feel. Take your time. You will make the right decision at the right time.
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Developing bad habits while riding?
