I'm not sure what to tell you.

I had a friend not see traffic stopped in front of him and I literally turned around to see him high side his bike and the bike and him come tumbling toward me. Both me and the other guy who was with us had trouble riding home and riding for some time after.

There is one thing that you have to take into consideration it's where you live. I did not own a bike for the fifteen years after I came back from college because when living in Staten Island, Manhattan and Jersey City, it was simply too dangerous to ride. People are crazy and the worst part is they have no concern for anyone else. They'll run over you and keep going. I used to live on a 30 degree bend on a major street in Staten Island and people would blow by at 70. I've spent a lot of time in Long Island (going out, girlfriends, cousins, friend, and now my in-laws). It is very similar to NYC. My in laws live in Massapequa, south of Merrick Road. I've come to the light at Merrick and watched people blow the light, 3 or 4 seconds after it's gone full red in their direction, at 45 or 50 mph. I've seen kids racing BMW's on the Southern State coming within inches of cars at 100+. You constantly hear about someone who ran a light a t-boned some limo on the way to a wedding or something else awful like that.

I live in New Jersey, about an hour from the city. While not perfect, the driving is more like what it's like in the rest of the country. It's reasonable enough that you can watch out for people. And you can spend most of your riding time on back roads. I even think the Turnpike and the Parkway are reasonable compared to LI roads (Belt Parkway, Southern State and LIE are three of the worst in my opinion).

Living in both of these places has let me compare them - someone who lives anywhere else cannot know how irresponsible these spoiled NYC folks can be, and how the cops are so overwhelmed that what they do goes without a glance.

I'm not telling you to stop riding - it is the thing that I enjoy most after spending time with my family. I'm just saying that you have to consider where you are riding as well.

I'll be in LI over Christmas - let me know if you want to grab a beer and chat..

 

Had an 18 wheeler blow a rear inside tire last weekend when I was 20 feet behind in the next lane over. Scary but all part of the riding experience. I have had several very close calls in 41 years of riding, since I was 9 years old! Everytime something happens it startles the instincts for a few minutes but the riding fever comes back.

"Life with no riks is no life at all"

Glad to hear you are OK and safe. Do what your heart tells you. Safe riding to you if you decide to get back on.

 

One of the things I have learned in many driving classes is visual scanning. I try to be extremely aware of all my surroundings whether on my bike or in my car.

I am sorry for your close call and only you can decide if you want to ride again. If it is not fun and enjoyable, then it makes no sense to ride.

For me, I take all my training in cars for tracks very seriously and I use it. A car is dangerous too! There are too many people out there that just don't pay attention! You have to be on the lookout for them all the time.

 

Go with your gut if thats how you feel. But, do yourself a favor and hold onto the bike. You may find after your own designated time period that you want to try it again. If so than so be it. If not you can always sell her at a later date. Good luck with your decision and remember that we will still be here when your ready to ride again.

 

I have had many close calls, if it wasn't for me watching the other guy closelyI would have probably been seriously injured or dead by now. There are alot of inconsiderate idiots out there. You have to be alert at all times and think every cager is out to get ya.....

 

Hi Joe, I understand completely. I have been fortunate enough to have never been in anything more than a mild dump on a scooter (mostly on dirt bikes when I was young), but was behind my younger brother when he collided with a van (idiot van driver) back in '75 or '76. This happened at night, doing about 50 on a 4-lane, unlit road. My brother was riding one of his choppers (don't remember which one, probably a shovel, may have been a pan) with a springer front end and a spool (no front brake), the fashion of the day. He had adequate distance from the van, but the guy in the van hit his brakes so hard the rear end of it came a good 3 feet or more off the ground (he'd picked up some chick, they were going to her place, and was passing the intersection when she yelled "turnHERE!". Scott had nowhere to go (oncoming traffic to the left, traffic coming up too fast in the right lane), tried to stop, but I got to watch his headlight hit the van, turn upwards, then go out. I can still see every detail in my mind. I came up and blocked traffic, or he'd of been run over, 'cause it was so dark you couldn't see him (unconscious in the road) or his scooter. To make a long story short, I checked his pulse, no visible injuries, but he was unconscious for a while. He was wearing a helmet (actually, a WWII German Army helmet which, fortunately, had its original leather webbing intact), and it saved his life - you should have seen the huge dent in the back of that van where his helmet hit it (yep, over the bars he went, headfirst). Anyway, he came out of it OK (when he woke up, he was lying in the road looking up at 3 or 4 cops, jumped up, yelled "F**** YOU, COPS" and ran off through, of all things, a cemetery. He came to his senses a minute or two later and came back, apologizing. Anyway, I think I may have ridden a few times after that, but I don't remember for sure. I pretty much stopped riding then, and actually didn't ride again at all until I got interested in it again a few years ago. Bought a bike, took the MSF course, and gradually started getting acclimated to riding on the street. It was pretty spooky for a while, but I knew it would get better if I just took control.

I also was hit head-on in '81 or '82 while driving my "new" Corvette. This was at night, during a rainstorm, and a little girl going waaaay too fast in the opposite direction hit a puddle. I saw her car start to swerve, then it took a BIG swerve, and came right at me from only about 20 feet away. I cranked the wheel to the right and punched the accelerator, but I could see there was no missing this one (tachyphsycia definitely set in. the whole thing played out in slow motion for me, except her car hit me so hard the spin following impact was so extreme that I saw the contact, then immediately going over/through an embankment at a 90* angle to my original direction of travel. My back was pretty messed up for quite some time, with lots of pain, and it was a long time before I could drive in the rain at night without almost jumping out of my skin. It still makes me a bit wary, but the effect does dissipate with time.

Only you can decide whether or not to hang up the keys to the scoot. I've had quite a few close calls since getting back into riding, but a whole lot less since moving to a small town in the mountains then when I lived in the Phoenix area, so I can understand your feellings, especially with regard to where you live and the traffic and crazy people in cars you have to deal with. I will say, give it some time, but whichever way you go, we'll all respect you.

Jim

 

I posted this in another thread, but I figured you could use
reading it....


[blockquote]quote:

ORIGINAL: shorty07ultra

This is my first postto the forum.Me and the Mrs.were involved in a crash in July 06. Guy cutus off on the Interstate and took out the front end. Totaled a 03 Yamaha Venture.Broken bones andlayes of skin taken off. Yes Ouch. Once I felt good enough to walk out to the bike I got behind thehandlebars and it was like deja vu. Everything came back about the crash.I have ridden my wife's bike three times and didn't have too much flash back stuff going on while riding. I hope that when I take delivery of my 07 Cobalt and Pewter baby on 12-29-06 I can put the experience behind me. I have waited 5 long months to have my own bike again. I am happy with my decision to go with HD so far. Iloved riding my venture even though that transmission screamed due to the straight cut gears also. I guess I got tone deaf and it didn't bother me. Anyways I have already added to the bike D&D Fat Cat and SERT withK&N filter kit to be installed at time of delivery. I can't wait to get back on the road again,on my own bike. Sorry about the long post but I think this was verytheraputic for me. Thanks for being an informative understanding group.
[/blockquote]






I know how you feel my friend, I crashed many times when I
road raced motorcycles for a living, those areeasyerto get over
because someone is paying you to get over it and you have full
safety gear on so it is much safer. Also everyone is on motorcycles
and going the same direction you are..

I have rode motorcycles over 40 years, every year 50,000 to
100,000 miles a year, I ride every day 365 a year even when
I lived in Canada.

My worst ever street wreck was in 1988 July 3rd, my wife and I
on one Goldwing,our best friends on their Goldwing . We were
hit head on by a drunk driver going 117MPH on a two lane highway
our friends were killed at the scene but not instantly. My wife and I
lived but with more mental scares then outer scares. My wife had
cancer at the time and it was under control (at that time) but due to
the trama from the crash the cancer went wild and she died in 1989.
We had to go to our friends home and tell their two children their
mother and father were never coming home again (worst thing I've
ever had do in my life) I don't wish that on anyone EVER" To this
day I still get scared sometimes when I see a pick up truck coming
toward me. I don't think you ever get over a bad wreck or any
wreck for that matter, the trick my friend is to get back on ASAP
and ride again. My wife and I rode a borrowed Goldwing to our
friends funeral less then a week later.

My 2nd wife today loves to ride as much as I do so I've been
blessed twice in my life to have ladies who love toride 50 to
100,000 miles a year on motorcycles with me. My wife now
has been down twice this year with me and got right back on
without hesitating at all. One at 75MPH (hit 1,000 gallons of oil
on the road in the rain pulling our trailer behind our Wing in
rush hour traffic) we got back on in less then 10 minutes. 2

 

Have no reply for you, I have had 2 "biggies" andalot of close calls in my 33 years of riding, I even laid off for a couple of years while my kids were growin up so as not to tempt fate. I still ride, its in my blood, and as long as I can figure out a way to I will. But thats me.

If you feel that strongly that you should not ride then you probably shouldnt ride. Like others have said, you might take an advanced skills course to help you with your riding ability. Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

I came as close as I have ever come to the BIG SPLAT in 33 years of riding this past summer. I must have a screw loose or two but it hardly affected me other than yelling @#$% when I thought it was all over. Within a few minutes I was completely zoned back into the road again. I did walk into work Monday morning with a little more spring in my step though, thinking that this living thing aint so bad.

 

i'm sitting here lookin at a fugged up pinky,,, hole in my chest from chest tube,,bad left knee,
pins in other knee,,scar on calf,,rotator cuff tears,bone chips in my ankle,,ALL seperate incidences,,
and I gotta come up with a close call story?????? wtf, where do I start???
LOL!!!