There seems to be an abundance of motorcycling retirement threads lately (okay, maybe not an abundance, but at least two!). Although not their intended aim, they've made me a bit nervous about the hazards of motorbiking (not that I wasn't aware of the dangers before, but maybe they're making the correct decisions many of us are reluctant to make). I've had my wrecks in the past; the latest being about three months ago, and entirely my fault for riding wrecklessly on the mountain twisties, so threads like these hit close to home. Other than my GF and my family, motorcycling is my dearest passion. I'm 30 years old and hope to be riding until I'm 80, but I worry about crashing again. Anyone else feel like this? Not trying to be a downer, just expressing my thoughts.
I now ride much more restrained and enjoy the journey and being on the road. I ride very defensively, use light modulators to make myself more conspicuous, and am aware of my surroundings. I don't need to go fast and drag a knee on the mountain twisties to have fun, and I believe this new perspective will be conducive to riding longevity, but the thought of getting hit by an oncoming concrete truck or a distracted cellphone-wielding motorist is scary. The thought of having to quit motorcycling because of another accident is sad.
Not riding is not an option for me. I know I'd be miserable without it, so I'll do my best to avoid an accident, although I know I'm fighting my instinct for self preservation. Hopefully, I can be lucky enough to be riding 30 years from now.
Not thinking about stopping motorcycling completely, but definitely thinking about doing track days only. This weekend riding up my favorite local rode in southern California, I way cut off by a couple of hunters coming the opposite direction pulling on to my shoulder before a blind corner! It wasn't really that close, as I didn't crash or anything like that, but it definitely got me thinking.
I'll be doing my first track day on the 19th of this month. For 125 bucks, it seems like a no brainer considering I mainly use my bike for fun on the weekends anyway.
Naw, you're not alone. Now that I have kids my perspective has changed. I've always been that safe, courteous rider that you don't really even notice. But, I'm not the guy you need to worry about. Like you said, it's the distracted driver -- or in my case, crystal-clear anti-freeze throughout the apex of a corner.
I don't ride as much as I used to, but I do love it when I get out there. Unfortunately, I've seen firsthand, people running red lights and t-boning the car in the intersection and have seen complete and total asswipes cut inside to pass on 100% blind corners.
Ride. Be smart. Have fun. Take the MSF safety course once in awhile and if you can afford it and have time, do a track day. The former helps identify bad habits you may not realize you've picked up and the latter will help you physically learn how much more there is in the performance of your bike then you will ever need on the street (especially on a VFR -- I swear if I didn't take the mirrors off, they'd be the first part to touch down at the track). And while you don't need all of that performance cushion, it's comforting to know that it's there.
[image: View Post]kostritzer, on 01 November 2010 - 07:22 PM, said:
Not thinking about stopping motorcycling completely, but definitely thinking about doing track days only. This weekend riding up my favorite local rode in southern California, I way cut off by a couple of hunters coming the opposite direction pulling on to my shoulder before a blind corner! It wasn't really that close, as I didn't crash or anything like that, but it definitely got me thinking.
I'll be doing my first track day on the 19th of this month. For 125 bucks, it seems like a no brainer considering I mainly use my bike for fun on the weekends anyway.
Although probably safer than riding on the street, the thought of having to travel 2 hours to the nearest track (Willow Springs), coupled with the expenses associated with track riding, would make riding much less convenient, and I doubt I'd endure the inconvenience too long. I like the idea of being able to leave my garage and ride as far and as long as I want. I love riding through the rural areas, taking in the smells of the oakwoodlands and grasslands, and even the stinky chicken farms. I love taking in the sights and feeling the temperature changes.
[image: View Post]EldoradoBill, on 01 November 2010 - 07:28 PM, said:
Naw, you're not alone. Now that I have kids my perspective has changed. I've always been that safe, courteous rider that you don't really even notice. But, I'm not the guy you need to worry about. Like you said, it's the distracted driver -- or in my case, crystal-clear anti-freeze throughout the apex of a corner.
I don't ride as much as I used to, but I do love it when I get out there. Unfortunately, I've seen firsthand, people running red lights and t-boning the car in the intersection and have seen complete and total asswipes cut inside to pass on 100% blind corners.
Ride. Be smart. Have fun. Take the MSF safety course once in awhile and if you can afford it and have time, do a track day. The former helps identify bad habits you may not realize you've picked up and the latter will help you physically learn how much more there is in the performance of your bike then you will ever need on the street (especially on a VFR -- I swear if I didn't take the mirrors off, they'd be the first part to touch down at the track). And while you don't need all of that performance cushion, it's comforting to know that it's there.
Bill
You're right, I didn't even mention the diesel/antifreeze/oil on the ground!
As far as track schools, I've taken the Keith Code class, and hope to take the Lee Parks class in 2011.
I know where you're coming from, and yeah you can't help but feel a certain sense of foreboding when you read those threads. We all know the risks involved in motorcycling, and these guys are making decisions that are best for their families - I have utmost respect for that! I know how miserable I would be if I stopped riding, I took a 13-year hiatus and it sucked. I can't judge these guys as (knock on wood) I've never had a bad get-off on the street (hoping I got all of those out of the way on the dirt when I was young).
In the end all we can do is keep our skills current and proficient; be as conspicuous as we can while realizing we are invisible; and most importantly, ride within the limits of our ability and our environment. Don't get me wrong, I get freaked every time I commute on the bike and see half-asleep cagers paying more attention to their iPhones than the road - actually I get pissed - but that doesn't do any good either. Just try and keep my distance and stay aware of my surroundings.
I understand why these guys are making the decisions they are making. I just hope I'm never in a position where I have to make the choice between riding or not.
[image: View Post]creggur, on 01 November 2010 - 08:04 PM, said:
I know where you're coming from, and yeah you can't help but feel a certain sense of foreboding when you read those threads. We all know the risks involved in motorcycling, and these guys are making decisions that are best for their families - I have utmost respect for that! I know how miserable I would be if I stopped riding, I took a 13-year hiatus and it sucked. I can't judge these guys as (knock on wood) I've never had a bad get-off on the street (hoping I got all of those out of the way on the dirt when I was young).
In the end all we can do is keep our skills current and proficient; be as conspicuous as we can while realizing we are invisible; and most importantly, ride within the limits of our ability and our environment. Don't get me wrong, I get freaked every time I commute on the bike and see half-asleep cagers paying more attention to their iPhones than the road - actually I get pissed - but that doesn't do any good either. Just try and keep my distance and stay aware of my surroundings.
I understand why these guys are making the decisions they are making. I just hope I'm never in a position where I have to make the choice between riding or not.
I, too, completely understand why they've made these decisions; I've been close to making the same one (actually, I did quit for about a month, but that didn't last). I hope I don't have to make that decision either. Good points! Thanks.
When we ride, we accept the risks. Sometimes the experiences related by others remind us just what those risks are. I think being aware of those risks and adjusting our riding appropriately is the best response we can have. Riding without being aware of the risks, makes us a danger to ourselves. Each time I get on the bike I accept the risks. I have had a few really good scares out on the road, which make me re-evaluate what I am doing, but in the end I keep on riding because for me the rewards outweigh the risks.
In the end it comes down to a question of riding your own ride - and for some, that ride is retiring the bike. I respect that decision because I know most riders struggle to arrive at that point.
One of the bonuses of riding a street bike is that I'm doing what I like as soon as I leave my driveway, unlike track/dirt biking/skydiving/kayaking/skiing(water-snow)/flying in fighters/landing on carriers/hiking in rough country/being extracted off the ground by a C-130 fly over/Para-sailing/cliff-climbing/darts/shooting/hunting/dating girls I didn't know were married.......... All of these, but part of one, are fun activates.......... and some could say all of them are dangerous.......... So is blue ice.......... most of all staying inside the limit, or margin of error is helpful..... There have been times when all of these activates though the years have brought forth thoughts of should I quit or should I keep doing it, but do it with a safer frame of mind........... When each activity got to the point of close/scarey I had to see if there is a safer option so I can still "do' my thing"..... slowly as I get older and having been operated on It's not leaving me with a whole lot things to do....... But, at 65 and overweight with faulty body parts, the motorcycle turns me into a wide receiver, and any other athlete that is graceful.............
Point being....... We don't have to quit as soon, if we can tune it down..........
Here's the thing. You can be maimed, hurt ,killed, etc. doing the most mundane things. Yeah, maybe motorcycling is a bit more risky, but how many people die from the horrors of cancer or other evil diseases per year. We take the risk because we love the ride. I understand and support anyones decision to hang up their helmet, as long as they think it through and it's what they really want and not just giving into pressure from someone. As for me, I'll continue to ride for as long as I'm able. Lord willing.
I have a wife / son and family, and it of irks me when people say to me "don't you think of them when your being selfish riding your toy". I take a risk driving my bike ( motor or pedal ) or my truck. It's the other person that I hope is doing the right thing.
I had an uncle who rode bikes until the very end. He was always safe, didn't speed, used his head and always checked his bike to ensure it was good to go. He taught me the motorcycle wave, A bike is NOT a toy, makes no matter what you ride as long as you ride, help the other biker. Sadly, he was killed in Kamloops BC by a drunk driver. That driver came around a corner, went straight thru the median and hit him. He always said that if he died, he did so doing something he loved and enjoyed. Better than locking yourself in your home.
Back in the days when I was in the MC biz, I had a female customer who lost control on a rainy day, crashed, but walked away pretty much unhurt. Aside from the bruises, it scared the SH*t out of her. Short time later, she was inside a bank, at the instant teller, and some newbie learning to drive a cage, panicked and hit the gas, going into the building, thru the glass and just missed her. She did get some cuts from the glass. She bought a new Yamaha Virago 1100 in 1998. "Life is too short to not live" she told me
Nov 18 in 2009, some little bastard in his vehicle blew thru a red light while�.. texting. Hit me dead center of my F150 driver's door, pushed the arm rest right to the middle of my steering wheel. I only had a second and I leaned right over to the passenger side and avoided the brunt of the hit. I had a concussion, shoulder and back took the brunt of me flying around the cab (wearing seatbelt). 7 months of healing.
I walked away from the biz in Oct of 2006, sick and tired of dealing with the customers and a few bad experiences with group ridings. I did not even want to look at a bike.That was a Looooooooooong for years. My first group ride was the 2011 Kootenay and I was a little nervous. But I always had the option of going the opposite way if I felt like there could be problems. No problems and everyone waited for the last rider to show up.It was good to be back in the saddle. Even the ride in the Kootenays, a deer can jump out in front of you in a heartbeat or a logging truck cut the corner because he is in a rush to get home.
Self presentation is using your head. Don't drink and drive, drive tired, do 180km into a corner marked 40.. etc etc.You can not control the guy next to you, front, behind or oncoming, if you are in a vehicle or on a bike, walking. If its your time, its your time. Respect the reason why someone leaves the ranks, be it family, accident or whatever.
Sorry to ramble, its been a long day.
[image: View Post]Gerrys02800, on 01 November 2010 - 09:05 PM, said:
I have a wife / son and family, and it of irks me when people say to me "don't you think of them when your being selfish riding your toy". I take a risk driving my bike ( motor or pedal ) or my truck. It's the other person that I hope is doing the right thing.
I had an uncle who rode bikes until the very end. He was always safe, didn't speed, used his head and always checked his bike to ensure it was good to go. He taught me the motorcycle wave, A bike is NOT a toy, makes no matter what you ride as long as you ride, help the other biker. Sadly, he was killed in Kamloops BC by a drunk driver. That driver came around a corner, went straight thru the median and hit him. He always said that if he died, he did so doing something he loved and enjoyed. Better than locking yourself in your home.
Back in the days when I was in the MC biz, I had a female customer who lost control on a rainy day, crashed, but walked away pretty much unhurt. Aside from the bruises, it scared the SH*t out of her. Short time later, she was inside a bank, at the instant teller, and some newbie learning to drive a cage, panicked and hit the gas, going into the building, thru the glass and just missed her. She did get some cuts from the glass. She bought a new Yamaha Virago 1100 in 1998. "Life is too short to not live" she told me
Nov 18 in 2009, some little bastard in his vehicle blew thru a red light while�.. texting. Hit me dead center of my F150 driver's door, pushed the arm rest right to the middle of my steering wheel. I only had a second and I leaned right over to the passenger side and avoided the brunt of the hit. I had a concussion, shoulder and back took the brunt of me flying around the cab (wearing seatbelt). 7 months of healing.
I walked away from the biz in Oct of 2006, sick and tired of dealing with the customers and a few bad experiences with group ridings. I did not even want to look at a bike.That was a Looooooooooong for years. My first group ride was the 2011 Kootenay and I was a little nervous. But I always had the option of going the opposite way if I felt like there could be problems. No problems and everyone waited for the last rider to show up.It was good to be back in the saddle. Even the ride in the Kootenays, a deer can jump out in front of you in a heartbeat or a logging truck cut the corner because he is in a rush to get home.
Self presentation is using your head. Don't drink and drive, drive tired, do 180km into a corner marked 40.. etc etc.You can not control the guy next to you, front, behind or oncoming, if you are in a vehicle or on a bike, walking. If its your time, its your time. Respect the reason why someone leaves the ranks, be it family, accident or whatever.
Sorry to ramble, its been a long day.
All good points. The only thing I would disagree with is the part about when it's your time, it's your time. By not riding, you dramatically decrease the risk of being injured or dead, compared to not riding. Sure, one can be crashed into by an errant drunk driver or texter if in a car, but the odds of that happening are much less probable than taking a turn too hot and going off the road, a tire losing grip due to some debris, a driver rear-ending you, etc. Plus, if you get hit in a car, the odds are in your favor that you'll come out okay compared to on a moto. But I do agree that we all assume differing degrees of risk. Some of us crash once and quit, others crash five times and keep on going. To quote the move The Girl Next Door, "Is the juice worth the squeeze?" For me, and many others, it is. I just wonder if it's smart to keep on squeezing when the risk is so high. In the end, it's a personal decision, and I hope that my comments are not interpreted as being critical of those who choose to retire. My intentions are the opposite. I'm wondering if they're making the decision I should make. But I won't. It's too much fun.
[image: View Post]Monk, on 01 November 2010 - 08:47 PM, said:
dating girls I didn't know were married..........
Point being....... We don't have to quit as soon, if we can tune it down..........
That's dangerous?!?!??! I swear I didn't know.... http://www.vfrdiscussion.com/forum/public/style_emoticons/default/laughing6-hehe.gif Well, what can I say, I'm French... http://www.vfrdiscussion.com/forum/public/style_emoticons/default/cheerleader.gif
No no no. I hear you. IN all seriousness, I am becoming more aware of my own mortality too. And as I read these threads, I am more aware of all the dangers out there. However, maybe if we ride very carefully, we can still smell the chicken and cow farms, mushroom farms, ocean breeze and the such a little while longer. I'm not giving it up just yet. But I do ride more cardefully each year...
When my classic left-hand turn baptism happened at age 18, I was almost done. My DR350 flew over the car and I landed on my Arai-clad head in the middle of the intersection. Maybe mom was right...
I rode an FZR (sorry) into my 30s and thought I came up with a solution to the potential danger... Buy a fat, slow bike and take it easy. That is what I did for 8 years, but it wasn't meant to be. I found a cool SuperMagna V4 and rode that... And then bought a matching VFR (kinda).
This is what I discovered- I actually did end up riding in a tamer manner, and a bike like a VFR is quite safe due to weight, stopping power and being bright red! I feel in control again, but I ride smart and am over the hill now.
Listen to the advice on MSF courses and I TOTALLY agree with the strands related to off-and-away rides in the country. Once we all get past our hero stage, I believe risks related to rider error become much lower. If you then remove additional risks related to the distracted/drunk cagers, you are doing a lot of risk mitigation. Where I'm from, (Minnesota), you also have to watch for the Flying Vennison in the evening, so a country, midday ride may be the way to keep practicing your passion.
[image: View Post]StillwaterVFR, on 01 November 2010 - 11:08 PM, said:
Once we all get past our hero stage, I believe risks related to rider error become much lower. If you then remove additional risks related to the distracted/drunk cagers, you are doing a lot of risk mitigation. Where I'm from, (Minnesota), you also have to watch for the Flying Vennison in the evening, so a country, midday ride may be the way to keep practicing your passion.
That sounds good to me! I think I'm past my hero stage.
Over the past 12 years I have endured meningitis, two knee surgeries, rebuilt shoulder, thumb surgery, a pseudomonas infection, Cushing�s Disease and had my gall bladder removed last week, most could be consider job related but none of which were motorcycle related. Three of the above have a mortality rate near that of motorcycle riding. I prefer riding than any of the above so I feel living is just a gamble. What the hell, I�m a wimp rider anyway.
Jaime,
We've talked a time or two and I always enjoy reading your posts. It's obvious you love our sport. It's also obvious that you see it as a sport, not a past-time, not as a method of transportation. Your head is on right and, at 30, "retirement" (at least as a permanent state of being) is a loooonnnngg way off. It's natural to be apprehensive after a spill no matter how slight. Take a break if you want to but the rest of us know you'll be back...that's who you are dude.
I'm 52 years old, been riding for forty years with a bit of time off here and there. I quit for awhile when my daughters were small, too fragile and precious in my mind for their dad to take any unnecessary risks. At that same time I was busy playing that silly Corporate ladder climbing game and taking myself entirely too seriously ( I even forgot that I like Rock-N-Roll for a couple years)! Well, when my sons joined the family it was time to saddle up again, this time with future riding buddies in waiting (I always had a great time riding with my dad...some of my best memories of that great guy). The boys got their first dirtbikes at 3 and 5. At 12 years old the youngest one ran over me after I had fallen directly in front of him in my overzealous attempt to actually beat him on a motocross track. I spent a week in the hospital and 6 months at home so bored I actually watched Jerry Springer for my own sick amusement. I gave up dirtbikes after that, the tradeoff being multiple road bikes and longer and longer trips. A couple months ago I made the decision that it was time to return to dirtbiking, I love the excercise, the challenge, and the fact that my sons will come home to ride with us again (wife rides dirt only...street has always terrified her). There is nothing to prove at this point, only the desire to do what I love for as long as I can. Sure cages are scarey but no more unpredictable than deer, dogs, or those damned evergreens out in the woods.
Giving yourself a reality check from time to time is healthy, you have to have your head on anytime you ride. You love it and you know it. As they say, "This too shall pass" Ride-On!
[image: View Post]jaimev34, on 01 November 2010 - 07:07 PM, said:
The thought of having to quit motorcycling because of another accident is sad.
Not riding is not an option for me. I know I'd be miserable without it, so I'll do my best to avoid an accident, although I know I'm fighting my instinct for self preservation. Hopefully, I can be lucky enough to be riding 30 years from now.
REAL TALK!
Even after this...
My first and only Motorcycle Accident! @ 31. First Vehicle accident in 12 years. (one rear end bump @ 19 y.o.
& I Will Still Ride!
You only go around once, Make it count... Enjoy it!
I have seen an overall lack of awareness on the roads due mainly to cell phone usage while driving, people not comming to complete stops, pulling left hand turns when its not safe, pulling out onto the road with no warning, and other such nonsense and always I see this person with a Fricken phone up to their ear! I am torn cause cell phones are a huge portion of our buisness at work, without them I would not have a job but then again I am not safe riding to work cause of the really really bad driving. So I avoid riding in big cities whenever possible and ride in the backcountry for my sport.
Unfortuntatly riding on the track around here requires more money then I have right now, not feasable with all the new track rules - basically you have to join the race series even to run a trackday around here, get tech certified, track school, get full racing leathers...too much money for a darned track day...and racing is not in the cards for me. I used to just be able to ride down to pueblo sign a waver and ride the track for half the day for $40, it was great, not too many people on the track in the morning and when it picked up and got too crowded it was about time for me to stop anyway as I was getting tired. Those days are gone. I was going faster then I ever have on the street and learning my motorcycle, there were track experts there usually who were willing to give you pointers and watch your lines as you went by give you some advice if you needed it, but now its at least $2000 just to get started again? No way! Thats a whole lot of tires for 2 years of sport touring! So I slow down, avoid the big cities and the high traffic and just tour around the back roads. It bit me in the ass and backfired on me though in Centerville Tennesse, a small town and yes the dude was on a cell phone last May but I am not quitting because of one idiot, he totalled my old bike but where there is a will there is a way...I got a 1200 courtesy of the vfrd forum and I still want to ride. But I am darned sure riding like everybody is out to kill me!
[image: View Post]Ottoman, on 02 November 2010 - 12:18 AM, said:
Jaime,
We've talked a time or two and I always enjoy reading your posts. It's obvious you love our sport. It's also obvious that you see it as a sport, not a past-time, not as a method of transportation. Your head is on right and, at 30, "retirement" (at least as a permanent state of being) is a loooonnnngg way off. It's natural to be apprehensive after a spill no matter how slight. Take a break if you want to but the rest of us know you'll be back...that's who you are dude.
I'm 52 years old, been riding for forty years with a bit of time off here and there. I quit for awhile when my daughters were small, too fragile and precious in my mind for their dad to take any unnecessary risks. At that same time I was busy playing that silly Corporate ladder climbing game and taking myself entirely too seriously ( I even forgot that I like Rock-N-Roll for a couple years)! Well, when my sons joined the family it was time to saddle up again, this time with future riding buddies in waiting (I always had a great time riding with my dad...some of my best memories of that great guy). The boys got their first dirtbikes at 3 and 5. At 12 years old the youngest one ran over me after I had fallen directly in front of him in my overzealous attempt to actually beat him on a motocross track. I spent a week in the hospital and 6 months at home so bored I actually watched Jerry Springer for my own sick amusement. I gave up dirtbikes after that, the tradeoff being multiple road bikes and longer and longer trips. A couple months ago I made the decision that it was time to return to dirtbiking, I love the excercise, the challenge, and the fact that my sons will come home to ride with us again (wife rides dirt only...street has always terrified her). There is nothing to prove at this point, only the desire to do what I love for as long as I can. Sure cages are scarey but no more unpredictable than deer, dogs, or those damned evergreens out in the woods.
Giving yourself a reality check from time to time is healthy, you have to have your head on anytime you ride. You love it and you know it. As they say, "This too shall pass" Ride-On!
Some really good words Ottoman, best part for me is "Giving yourself a reality check from time to time is healthy ..." and I agree wholeheartedly.
I too am a MC tragic and I couldn't imagine a life without at least one bike in the garage - but that doesn't stop that uneasy, questioning, hair-on-the-back-of-the-neck feeling that I get from time to time and I reckon that's actually a good thing.
I think Jamie's questioning is both normal and healthy. We probably should all be in a near permanent state of self review when it comes to MCs. That's ongoing review of our motives to ride, our risk taking habits (as individuals and when we ride in groups), our basic and advanced skill levels (remembering that these skills are perishable and need refreshing from time to time), the condition of our motorcycle/equipment, our own physical and mental capacities, the routes/roads we take, and the weather in which we're prepared to ride.
Good post Jamie - valuable think music for everyone I reckon.
Great posts and comments. Over the past 5 years, I have been trimming my stable until I was left with one bike, a Valkyrie Interstate. Then I bought a CanAm Spyder and feel comfortable enough to ride anywhere at anytime, but still cautiously, because of the distracted drivers others have mentioned. Whilst the Spyder satisfied my safety soul, my riding soul was far from finished with 2 wheels and I dug back to my roots and bought a 2007 VFR, because of the enjoyment I had for a few years with my 2000 VFR. I'm 62 years old and will ride on 2 wheels as long as I can safely do so, but if I carry a passenger (read wife), I will be sticking with my Spyder.
I am currently spending a bit of time visiting a friend who was simply rolling down the road one second then flying in the air the next due to a cell phone talking 19 year old who turned into him as he reached for the ringing phone.
His leg was amputated just below the now re-constructed knee and they can't seem to control the infection after more than 3 months. Everything is being done to save the knee so when he does get the prosthetic, it will be better to have the knee than to not have the joint.
I belong to a retirement community M.C. group and there are a lot of bikes up for sale after that event. I am one of the few sport bike riders and found myself riding a bit less. A few years ago a deer decided to occupy the same space and time as my VFR and that cost me a separated shoulder that I will have to live with because it is only a stage 2 separation and the docs don't usually go in to fix them unless they go to stage 3 or higher.
On the very first ride after getting the bike fixed up, a large buck darted out in front of me and I just missed hitting him. Yup, deer magnet here.
Deer and cell phone drivers are about equal in stupidity and are equally as hard to control. Larry Grodski (the safety writer for MC Consumer News) said it well. "I can handle the car drivers but if anything gets me it will most likely be a deer". It did.
I now think just a little bit harder each time I swing a leg over the seat.
I've crashed and suffered damage on both bikes and in cars as well as sustained injuries in numerous other activities ranging in "risk" from next to nothing (child pulling on your shirt tail while using a nail gun...who'd have guessed) to outright retarded. I also have a friend who's wife was killed by an errant driver while she was walking their dog down the sidewalk in their quiet neighborhood...a seemingly risk free activity.
Point is, there is risk, whether realized or not, in each and every action you take...no matter how mundane or extreme they may seem on the surface.
As stated before, the decision to accept the risk of riding is up to each of us individually and I would never fault someone for deciding it was time to stop. For me, that's just not an option as long as I'm physically able to throw a leg over the seat.
Ride smart, ride safe, and treat everyone else like they're going to make every mistake possible.
It seems like as I get older, riding gets more dear to me. I can't physically excel like I used to, but the bike doesn't know that.
While I definately ride more sedately every year, it still is my favorite pastime and passion. I don't plan to quit.
[image: View Post]jaimev34, on 01 November 2010 - 07:07 PM, said:
There seems to be an abundance of motorcycling retirement threads lately (okay, maybe not an abundance, but at least two!). Although not their intended aim, they've made me a bit nervous about the hazards of motorbiking (not that I wasn't aware of the dangers before, but maybe they're making the correct decisions many of us are reluctant to make). I've had my wrecks in the past; the latest being about three months ago, and entirely my fault for riding wrecklessly on the mountain twisties, so threads like these hit close to home. Other than my GF and my family, motorcycling is my dearest passion. I'm 30 years old and hope to be riding until I'm 80, but I worry about crashing again. Anyone else feel like this? Not trying to be a downer, just expressing my thoughts.
I now ride much more restrained and enjoy the journey and being on the road. I ride very defensively, use light modulators to make myself more conspicuous, and am aware of my surroundings. I don't need to go fast and drag a knee on the mountain twisties to have fun, and I believe this new perspective will be conducive to riding longevity, but the thought of getting hit by an oncoming concrete truck or a distracted cellphone-wielding motorist is scary. The thought of having to quit motorcycling because of another accident is sad.
Not riding is not an option for me. I know I'd be miserable without it, so I'll do my best to avoid an accident, although I know I'm fighting my instinct for self preservation. Hopefully, I can be lucky enough to be riding 30 years from now.
It seems I have been having this conversation you started more often these days as well. I started riding when I was 60. I am now 65. I hope to be riding 30 years from now as well. I live in the inner city of Atlanta. Every day someone gets killed in an auto accident on the expressway or walking across the street in the crossing zone that many drivers choose to ignore. Occasionally, some, sadly, are victims of stray gun shots. Yesterday someone was severely injured stepping down off one of our brand spanking new spiffy super safer-for-the-rider transit buses. Freakish events are going to happen to people who are 14, 24,34,64,74. We can decide to live in hope or in fear. I choose hope.
For those of us who have taken the MSF courses, chances of death or severe injury and at about 3%. These odds are as good or better than in an automobile. People who love us but have never ridden a bike and don't know anything about them will collect and recount freak events to us. They will tell us all about the squids who came down the highway in a T-shirt ,flip flops, a helmet, and no license and killed themselves on a bike. These things take on the same profile as airplane horror stories.
What is more important to me is the interaction with all these wonderful guys and gals I have met that I would not have, even in my people intensive vocation. I absolutely love the guys I ride with and love to be with them. I hope they feel the same about me. I feel bad when duty keeps either me or them from a ride. This little two wheeler takes me places I would never go and introduces me to reflections and people I would never have on the my usual trek. So I put on my gear (ATTATG) and my good sense, and ride.
At 65 I no longer take the stairs two at a time, although I can. I no longer walk across campus at double speed, although I can. My body is in amazingly good shape for my age and so I choose to use the gift that I have been given in this way and many others that open me to new people, places, and opportunities. It takes more energy and will power to resist being a couch potato but once I throw my leg over the VFR it is a little piece of heaven. I guess I am trying to say that in my view, we are all going to die doing something. It may as well be something we love, and prosper doing.
I prefer not to think about it.
If I go riding with the weight of all the obligations and responsibilities, I probably won't enjoy it any way.
The 'weight' is always there though. I just manage to burry it temporarily under a few layers of 'now fun'.
Dad gone, I'm sitting here eating lunch at work and after all these posts, I was about ready to put both bikes up for sale. Then I came to my senses.
As has been said, it's healthy to hone skills, practice safety, evaluate risk, etc. routinely. But when one gets to be obsessed with the possibility of something bad happening, it's time to hang it up. Riding scared will get you hurt faster than anything.
Thanks for all the considerate replies guys. I can always count on thoughtful, non-combative replies from the VFRD community. Although I've never met any of you in person, I consider you guys and gals friends and a great group of people.
Let's all ride safetly as if we were invisible; as if every cager, deer, dog, oil slick, spec of gravel and sand, sheet of ice, misplaced nail, falling tree, etc. is out to get us. Some of us, though (i.e., ME), need to keep our right hand in check also, and not treat the local mountain twisties like a race track (or not; as was stated before: we each assume the risk we deem appropriate to have fun). We need to remember that faster speeds reduce the precious reaction time necessary to avoid that buck/concrete truck/dog/tree/rock/gravel patch/etc. around the corner.
40+ years of ridin' Motorcycles....through each decade and thousands up on thousands of miles of ridin', each decade has made me a more seasoned veteran, and my mindset a little different than the decade before. Motorcycles have been, and still are basically my Life and who I am. It's what I do, and how I travel daily. Having raced Cars as part of, and at times, all of my Living, produced a mindset of You had to "Strap-Back-In" regardless of what just happened or went terribly wrong. Had it not been for developing this "reflex/instinct", several incidents and wrecks on Motorcycles would have easily caused me to simply walk away from the Sport. I also fully realize, and understand that it's perfectly OK for Someone to get up one morning and say, "OK, it's time to stop riding, and sell the Bike".
Everyone has to evaluate Their Lives and Priorities, making personal decisions based on Their experiences. I've had lotsa' Motorcycle Friends retire from the Sport over the years because of Wrecks, Injuries, Family Wishes, and simply because it was "Time".....it happens. They are all still my Friends, and I owe the Sport of Motorcycling a huge debt for enriching my Life with ever knowing all of Them. I owe this Forum a huge debt for opening up my avenues for being able to meet more Friends, learning how to post and post Pics (...OK, I realize this may have not been a "blessing" for Everyone... :laughing6-hehe: ), and use the Internet for the expression of my passion for Motorcycles.
I have only experienced two days, that after leaving Home on a Bike, I got a really bad, unexplainable feeling that took the enthusiasm out of my ride...both days I promptly turned around, and went Home, turning one into a Beer/Popcorn/NASCAR on TV Day, the Other into a Fishing Day. Never ride Your Motorcycle if Your head isn't fully into it... :fing02: I generally take "Young Folks" posts of "I'll NEVER stop riding, and if You wreck, You need to just dust Yourself off and climb back on like I did" with a "grain of salt"......."because", at those ages, so did I, each and every time, both Car and Motorcycle Wrecks never phased me as far as continuing, even some very severe ones. If You continue to ride, You will continue to "veteranize" Yourself, and You will view things differently along the way...."TRUST ME"....as little as 5 years ago, You couldn't have given me a Trike, but I love mine. Not because of less chance of "fallin' down", but simply for the 2-up comfort of unlimited miles per day, and the extra visibility to "Idiot car drivers" that You notice immediately while on it.
Need to quit riding...QUIT...need to sell Your motorcycle...SELL IT.....think You need to justify Your decision...YOU DON'T....You justified it with Yourself, and if there is one, with Your Family...It's OK to quit....at some point, I will too, for some reason or other...I realize this now at 58 years old...I had no realization of it at 38 years old..."How it works"..... :fing02:
[image: View Post]veefer02, on 01 November 2010 - 07:54 PM, said:
To the OP...welcome to getting older! :wheel:
As one ages, one tends to consider his/her mortality. We didn't do that so much as when we were in our twenties.
I've had two accidents on the street, the first one nearly killed me & the second not so bad thanks to good gear.
Everyone has their risk limits, and its for each to decide for himself.
I've had two close calls myself, and another very serious one with a month stay hospital unrelated to riding.
And I'm not going to stop riding. Altho I see an unbelievable increase on drivers attending phone calls and not the road while their 1 ton missile hurdles forth. This alone scares me more than diesel, oncoming traffic on my lane etc.
But what scares me the most, is the thought of a season gone without riding, or a year, or when I'm 84 and looking back on roads not ridden!. That alone is unacceptable, and no I didn't get that idea from some song or moti poster.
I don't care if I end up in a box tomorrow, if I rode today. But I will die of sadness if I didn't ride at all.
/edit PS; People who don't ride die too. Or does anyone know someone who doesn't smoke, drink, bungee jump or doesn't do a day of twisties onboard a sportbike and is immortal because of their restraint?
No, they didn't live at all.
As one who recently got "smacked" while riding and stating I am retiring, we'll see. I just took a Percocet as I continue to heal. My bike will be hauled off to a salvage yard tomorrow. There's NOTHING to take off of it and save but the license plate.
Having said all that, I can see me getting another bike when the time is right. :biggrin:
To sum up my philosophy on this kind of thing, I would rather live to be 50 and have a fun life than live to be 100 and be miserable as life passed me by.
Any guy that isn't banged up a bit is a dud IMHO. Got my first stitches when I was 6 y. o. and it went from there. My body is pretty beat up but I can honestly say, I don't regret anything from football, wrestling, motorcycles, getting banged up doing whitewater, falling out of trees as a kid, a few fights where it was a toss up who got the worst of it, and whatever happens next.
The good thing about your post is that you do think about and respect risk. And like some other poster said, I HATE it when people seem to be compelled to tell me that motorcycles will kill me. It died and I didn't....... :goofy:
[image: View Post]Bent, on 03 November 2010 - 05:01 PM, said:
As one who recently got "smacked" while riding and stating I am retiring, we'll see. I just took a Percocet as I continue to heal. My bike will be hauled off to a salvage yard tomorrow. There's NOTHING to take off of it and save but the license plate.
Having said all that, I can see me getting another bike when the time is right. :biggrin:
To sum up my philosophy on this kind of thing, I would rather live to be 50 and have a fun life than live to be 100 and be miserable as life passed me by.
Any guy that isn't banged up a bit is a dud IMHO. Got my first stitches when I was 6 y. o. and it went from there. My body is pretty beat up but I can honestly say, I don't regret anything from football, wrestling, motorcycles, getting banged up doing whitewater, falling out of trees as a kid, a few fights where it was a toss up who got the worst of it, and whatever happens next.
The good thing about your post is that you do think about and respect risk. And like some other poster said, I HATE it when people seem to be compelled to tell me that motorcycles will kill me. It died and I didn't....... :goofy:
All good points, Bent. I know you'll be back to riding; it's too much fun!
I hope you didn't take this thread as an attempt to tell you or others that motorcycles will kill you. Like you say, yours obviously didn't. I was just venting my nervousness about riding after reading threads like yours and after having experienced 3 wrecks (one of which fractured my shoulder and a vertebra).
I'm not the fastest guy around. Not the slowest either.
I've found I don't have to go balls to the wall fast to have fun riding.
About 30 years riding for me, and I'll gladly stop when they pry my cold dead hands off the grips. :pissed:
In other words I have no intention of stopping. There are many roads I have not yet taken.
Bikes are in my blood, always have been. They are part of who I am. :fing02:
I fell in love with motorcycles from the first time I saw one. I remember my uncles riding down the country road in front of my grandmothers house standing on the seat, arms out like wings by his side then back the other direction leaning back with his feet on the handlebars of the MotoGuzzi he had swapped some mechanic work for....
...have been down a few times but bounced back up, pretty scary left turn oldsmobuick in front of me in San Diego in 1986 but after I dropped trow and realized that all the blood was coming from a cut from the hood ornament very high on my right thigh, and that i had still had my "brains" intact i was okay...
...there were a few years that I could not afford to have a mototrcycle while my kids were younger and I was self employed but I never ever felt as though I wouldn't ride again...
...old dogs may move slowly across the porch but put one in the truck with the window down and he will still stick his head out into the wind and smile. :biggrin:
[image: View Post]jaimev34, on 02 November 2010 - 12:01 PM, said:
Let's all ride safetly as if we were invisible;
Make up your mind, ride safely or ride like I am invisible? :goofy: 'cause if the traffic enforcement authorities couldn't see me I would still be riding quite a bit faster. I guess maybe if the the LEO's and the general public were to have a "Freaky Friday" experience and suddenly the nose picking phone jockey was keenly aware of my presence but the traffic cops could not care less the world would be an ideal place to ride.
great posts here but that is what we come to expect from VFRD, insightfull honest answers from people who get you instead of the knee jerk co-worker or friend of a spouse who thinks you crazy for riding when clearly every ninja bike ever built explodes into a fiery death ball...
...do a few track days and the street riding seems to slow down, maybe the speed on the street actually slows down and maybe it just seems slower in your head because you are looking farther ahead and using an improved skill set.
[image: View Post]jaimev34, on 03 November 2010 - 05:29 PM, said:
[image: View Post]Bent, on 03 November 2010 - 05:01 PM, said:
As one who recently got "smacked" while riding and stating I am retiring, we'll see. I just took a Percocet as I continue to heal. My bike will be hauled off to a salvage yard tomorrow. There's NOTHING to take off of it and save but the license plate.
Having said all that, I can see me getting another bike when the time is right. :biggrin:
To sum up my philosophy on this kind of thing, I would rather live to be 50 and have a fun life than live to be 100 and be miserable as life passed me by.
Any guy that isn't banged up a bit is a dud IMHO. Got my first stitches when I was 6 y. o. and it went from there. My body is pretty beat up but I can honestly say, I don't regret anything from football, wrestling, motorcycles, getting banged up doing whitewater, falling out of trees as a kid, a few fights where it was a toss up who got the worst of it, and whatever happens next.
The good thing about your post is that you do think about and respect risk. And like some other poster said, I HATE it when people seem to be compelled to tell me that motorcycles will kill me. It died and I didn't....... :goofy:
All good points, Bent. I know you'll be back to riding; it's too much fun!
I hope you didn't take this thread as an attempt to tell you or others that motorcycles will kill you. Like you say, yours obviously didn't. I was just venting my nervousness about riding after reading threads like yours and after having experienced 3 wrecks (one of which fractured my shoulder and a vertebra).
No I didn't take it wrong. People kill people....not objects unless a rock falls on ya or something weird like that. I think you posted up some good stuff we all need to think about now and then..... :fing02:
Hi there. Only approaching 30 and thinking of jacking it in??
Riding on the road can be fun without being dangerous. Even keeping to the speed limits can be satisfying in a perverse way - just try and ride within them, but without using brakes and being as smooth as possible. Come home safe knowing that you've kept up the highest average speed possible within the law.
Other than that, choose your road and riding time/day to avoid the cops and the other traffic on the road. I know what you mean though, particularly if you're riding with mates and it turns into a race...
The best place to get involved in those kind of antics is definitely to do trackdays, but even so you should do these at your own pace and build up slowly. We've all seen the gung-ho idiot on his new brand-new Gixer throw it into the gravel on lap 1. Give it a try, it's far more comfortable to ride quick on a track than on the public road, though it's no more forgiving to bad riding.
If bikes are in your blood there's no good reason to give them up. If you think your riding style/attitude is going to land you in trouble then take it to a track and/or modify your style. A bike on its own will remain upright and in a perfectly straight line until you (the rider) do something to change that - a bike in a bend will (once you put it there) go around the bend until you (as the rider) do something to change that.
One of the best things I have ever done on a bike (and some of the most fun I've had on one) was an advanced motorcycle control course which was advertised as being in the name of road safety. In fact it enabled me to do my first "stoppie", get both my boots down in not much more than a straight line and ride over a deep pot-hole at 60mph whilst sitting on the pillion of my bike with my arms above my head. Gosh, I learned so much that day about the behaviour and ability of a motorcycle without human input. If you get the chance to go on this type of course then do it.
At the end of the day, don't be put off bikes and riding because of somebody else's misfortune or (possibly) mistake.
[image: View Post]Bent, on 03 November 2010 - 05:01 PM, said:
As one who recently got "smacked" while riding and stating I am retiring, we'll see. I just took a Percocet as I continue to heal. My bike will be hauled off to a salvage yard tomorrow. There's NOTHING to take off of it and save but the license plate.
.edit...
And like some other poster said, I HATE it when people seem to be compelled to tell me that motorcycles will kill me. It died and I didn't....... :goofy:
Duude, can I pilfer that phrase please. We're working on a script about this very thing*; Getting back on and keeping on.
Very recently I argued with a cousin of mine who absolutely believes this is a needless pursuit of risk for risk's sake. "forget that evel knievel trike", bastard!. (he's a lawyer after all). My final argument to the guy was; 30 years of motorcycling and I'm still here. I've lost friends who had a bike accident yes, but I have never known of anyone who lost their life on a VFR.
That alone is an interesting stat. Yeah I know, just like sensible Accords, (I have one), VFRs tend to attract a different kind of bike rider, and that will be reflected in the accident stats for this model. Still, I think I will print this on shirts and stickers;
"People who don't ride die too". -And now adding: "My bike died and I didn't." :laughing6-hehe:
[image: View Post]VFRSuperfreak, on 04 November 2010 - 02:54 PM, said:
[image: View Post]Bent, on 03 November 2010 - 05:01 PM, said:
As one who recently got "smacked" while riding and stating I am retiring, we'll see. I just took a Percocet as I continue to heal. My bike will be hauled off to a salvage yard tomorrow. There's NOTHING to take off of it and save but the license plate.
.edit...
And like some other poster said, I HATE it when people seem to be compelled to tell me that motorcycles will kill me. It died and I didn't....... :goofy:
Duude, can I pilfer that phrase please. We're working on a script about this very thing*; Getting back on and keeping on.
Very recently I argued with a cousin of mine who absolutely believes this is a needless pursuit of risk for risk's sake. "forget that evel knievel trike", bastard!. (he's a lawyer after all). My final argument to the guy was; 30 years of motorcycling and I'm still here. I've lost friends who had a bike accident yes, but I have never known of anyone who lost their life on a VFR.
That alone is an interesting stat. Yeah I know, just like sensible Accords, (I have one), VFRs tend to attract a different kind of bike rider, and that will be reflected in the accident stats for this model. Still, I think I will print this on shirts and stickers;
"People who don't ride die too". -And now adding: "My bike died and I didn't." :laughing6-hehe:
I'm sure we can work out a fair royalty agreement.... :fing02:
Be aware though that TMAC exists to memorialize and celebrate the life of someone that died when riding his VFR.
To kind of summarize things in a different way though, what someone does with their time is very personal unless it's illegal, immoral, or unethical.....or I don't like it..... :goofy:
Ok i admit i havent read all the responses in this topc but something happened at work today that may put things into perspective ( or not) A collegue of mine , sitting in a chair when numb, couldn't move ,talk , nothing. Rushed to hosptal , thankfully she was released and sent home with instructions to go to the stroke clnic tomorrow for further tests.
So the moral of this story s ..... were all mortal and well you don't know when it's your time so enjoy the things you enjoy while you can , because you never know what tomorrow brings.
Just my 2 cents
Gary
[image: View Post]dude, on 04 November 2010 - 04:06 PM, said:
Ok i admit i havent read all the responses in this topc but something happened at work today that may put things into perspective ( or not) A collegue of mine , sitting in a chair when numb, couldn't move ,talk , nothing. Rushed to hosptal , thankfully she was released and sent home with instructions to go to the stroke clnic tomorrow for further tests.
So the moral of this story s ..... were all mortal and well you don't know when it's your time so enjoy the things you enjoy while you can , because you never know what tomorrow brings.
Just my 2 cents
Gary
Amen bro. Sums up some of my general philosophy.....that and make peace.... :goofy:
[image: View Post]IntAceptor, on 02 November 2010 - 07:34 AM, said:
I am currently spending a bit of time visiting a friend who was simply rolling down the road one second then flying in the air the next due to a cell phone talking 19 year old who turned into him as he reached for the ringing phone.
His leg was amputated just below the now re-constructed knee and they can't seem to control the infection after more than 3 months. Everything is being done to save the knee so when he does get the prosthetic, it will be better to have the knee than to not have the joint.
I belong to a retirement community M.C. group and there are a lot of bikes up for sale after that event. I am one of the few sport bike riders and found myself riding a bit less. A few years ago a deer decided to occupy the same space and time as my VFR and that cost me a separated shoulder that I will have to live with because it is only a stage 2 separation and the docs don't usually go in to fix them unless they go to stage 3 or higher.
On the very first ride after getting the bike fixed up, a large buck darted out in front of me and I just missed hitting him. Yup, deer magnet here.
Deer and cell phone drivers are about equal in stupidity and are equally as hard to control. Larry Grodski (the safety writer for MC Consumer News) said it well. "I can handle the car drivers but if anything gets me it will most likely be a deer". It did.
I now think just a little bit harder each time I swing a leg over the seat.
I use Bell Deer Warning whistles on all my vehicles- VFR included. ( They tuck nicely up under the headlight cowling) They work! IOn many occasions I've seen the deer stop and watch me go by or turn away from the road and reenter the bush. In Canada they are available at Canadian Tire for less than $10, in the U.S. I believe you can get them at Pet Boys. If you want some and are having difficulty finding them send me a PM.
As far as giving up my bike, never. I'll ride until I can't get on it anymore. ( Same goes for the wife and ruefully, she knows it- sorry if I've offended anyone).
Well said Wrestler
I agree that there are times where you need to step back and say 'whoa' this can be really dangerous. Then again so are 850 other things we do in the day. Inherent risk is involved in every aspect of every day in everyone's life.
The guy that doesn't smoke, drinks two beers on the weekend, goes to church three times a week and dedicates his life to his community get's, dies just the same as the guy that does the opposite.
Life is very fragile, and while it is completely natural to feel a sense of self preservation in everything we do, that's why adrenaline is such a great high and riding can be so enjoyable.
If you live a clean life, live every day for everything it is worth and don't have any regrets, you will be a much happier person. I was on the corporate ladder for 8 years, took myself way too seriously and was far too worried about money for someone my age. I now work for a small company (much less money), have far less stress, and realized that success has a TOTALLY different meaning than I ever would have thought. Point being is you can't put too much weight on what can happen, life is not 'what if's' it's 'what is'
You can win the lottery tomorrow, get a paper cut and die of staph infection just as easily as you can be eaten by an escaped lion, get struck by lighting while you are talking on the cell phone cutting someone off, get your foot caught in an escalator, or have a dryer fall out of a ten story building.
If you close the door to opportunities that come from riding I think you are doing yourself a huge disservice. I love meeting new people, riding with friends, shooting the shit about bikes and what we are going to blow money on them next and the sheer enjoyment of passing on a double yellow and getting pulled over by some jack wagon in Tennessee!
Life is an adventure, you can enjoy it and grow, or you can watch it (or us) pass you by
Good luck in your quest to find YOUR right answer, but either way I hope we are able to help a bit.
Well said Wrestler
I agree that there are times where you need to step back and say 'whoa' this can be really dangerous. Then again so are 850 other things we do in the day. Inherent risk is involved in every aspect of every day in everyone's life.
The guy that doesn't smoke, drinks two beers on the weekend, goes to church three times a week and dedicates his life to his community get's, dies just the same as the guy that does the opposite.
Life is very fragile, and while it is completely natural to feel a sense of self preservation in everything we do, that's why adrenaline is such a great high and riding can be so enjoyable.
If you live a clean life, live every day for everything it is worth and don't have any regrets, you will be a much happier person. I was on the corporate ladder for 8 years, took myself way too seriously and was far too worried about money for someone my age. I now work for a small company (much less money), have far less stress, and realized that success has a TOTALLY different meaning than I ever would have thought. Point being is you can't put too much weight on what can happen, life is not 'what if's' it's 'what is'
You can win the lottery tomorrow, get a paper cut and die of staph infection just as easily as you can be eaten by an escaped lion, get struck by lighting while you are talking on the cell phone cutting someone off, get your foot caught in an escalator, or have a dryer fall out of a ten story building.
If you close the door to opportunities that come from riding I think you are doing yourself a huge disservice. I love meeting new people, riding with friends, shooting the shit about bikes and what we are going to blow money on them next and the sheer enjoyment of passing on a double yellow and getting pulled over by some jack wagon in Tennessee!
Life is an adventure, you can enjoy it and grow, or you can watch it (or us) pass you by
Good luck in your quest to find YOUR right answer, but either way I hope we are able to help a bit.
[image: View Post]Bent, on 03 November 2010 - 05:01 PM, said:
As one who recently got "smacked" while riding and stating I am retiring, we'll see. I just took a Percocet as I continue to heal. My bike will be hauled off to a salvage yard tomorrow. There's NOTHING to take off of it and save but the license plate.
To sum up my philosophy on this kind of thing, I would rather live to be 50 and have a fun life than live to be 100 and be miserable as life passed me by.
Jimmer,
As you know, I don't get on here as often seeing as how I'm now "married".... and of course have the Bird, (the poor man's BMW KRS, don't I wish)...
I want you to know that I called "T" pronto after reading your post, as I don't seem to have your # handy, how the heck did that happen? I hope you're ok. I wish I could talk with you at this very moment!
Guys, I went down pretty hard and was damn near death a few years ago... it wasn't fun and it wasn't pretty, took me a loooong time to get over it and recover. After riding for some many years... I used to think I was "invincible," which is BS.... As a side, I like to say I owe a few guys on here some extra special thanks, those who went above and beyond and helped me out in my dark time. Tiny, JeremyRocket, T, Bent, VFRiderGal, and all the others who sent cards and such, y'know who you are...
I continue to ride now, against most of my family's wishes... I do it because, well, it's what I do and have done most of my life. I enjoy riding above and beyond most of what I do in this world, and I find it's my escape, my solace, my rejuvenation, if you will, to recharge after all the BS one runs into in daily life. I admit, I don't ride like I used to, and well I've decided that's ok. I still get to ride.
As has been said, we all make our own personal decisions about riding, some wise points within this thread... not that it makes any sense, but I remember laying in the hospital bed, not real conscious of everything going on at the time, but I remember my father saying he had sold his motorcycle as he feared what I was going though.... then a year or so later, him jumping on my Bird to take it for a spin around Orlando! And he's 66....
VFR4Lee... I've ridden with you man, and some of the other VFRD So Cal faithful (Das Bone, et al), back in the Flaf days around the Rock House, and well, you're pretty damn fast... all I can say is, you haven't slowed down at all!
Jimmer - would love to talk with you.. please pm me your #...
[image: View Post]jaimev34, on 01 November 2010 - 07:07 PM, said:
There seems to be an abundance of motorcycling retirement threads lately (okay, maybe not an abundance, but at least two!).
Not surprising. No one around here is getting any younger, and you can't always expect people to have the same interest in something forever. Just another step in the journey, I'd say.
[image: View Post]SAFE-T, on 05 November 2010 - 11:51 AM, said:
[image: View Post]jaimev34, on 01 November 2010 - 07:07 PM, said:
There seems to be an abundance of motorcycling retirement threads lately (okay, maybe not an abundance, but at least two!).
Not surprising. No one around here is getting any younger, and you can't always expect people to have the same interest in something forever. Just another step in the journey, I'd say.
ssnapp!, I was half thru the video going,,, benches!? wtf!. that's the simplest piece of advice I've ever plagiarized. brb my local riding mail list...