Price of riding

MikeC · 07-27-2004, 04:59 PM

Pulled this from a guy's personal internet page/blog ( www.edwardwalker.com )/(aka "Geek" on www.tsba.org )- thought it was interesting. Just food for thought...

Discouragingly, after the lunch break the weekend had an unfortunate incident; a friend crashed fairly dramatically. When something like this happens to a friend, a friend you know, a friend in whom you have complete confidence of their riding abilities, it has to compel one to a personal pause (unless you are a total twit and have no sense of self-preservation).

It leads to personal evaluation and assessment of risk verses reward.

A decision.

Marty destroyed his (beautiful) bike and went to the hospital with numerous broken bones & injuries, some of which were literally millimeters from being paralyzing or even life ending. Thankfully, he is doing well and will make a full recovery but he yielded a fairly hefty premium for a small error at the wrong time in the wrong place. One could contend or analyze whether it was indeed an error (or happenstance) that brought him out of the saddle in a huge way but that is irrelevant. What is relevant is that he is a very, very good rider by anyone's standard; circumstances just did not agree with him at that moment and now he is recovering from those circumstances. Circumstances beyond one's control is the risk all good riders face, have thought about, and accept.

If you are riding a motorcycle and have not considered the potential price, I beleive you should do your loved ones a favor and put your bike key away until you have thoroughly thought about, discussed, and accepted the potential. I personally have re-assesed this on several occasions when I have had good friends hurt and good friends killed while riding.

Of course, like any of us who live to ride and ride to live, as soon as the Medicine-man had some juice in him Marty was discussing which bike to buy to replace the lost 'Replica of a Replica' (tm). When he selects one I will look forward to rubbing elbows with him in the corners again soon.

Personally, with the amount of hard riding I do, I have very little doubt that I will be presented with similar circumstances some day and I'll take a(nother) tumble. I accept that. I took a pretty good one two summers ago while racing at Texas World Speedway, but the environment of the street tends to extract a higher price. I hope that life (and gravity) is kind to me at that time and that I will be back on two wheels shortly thereafter. If fate has other plans, I will accept the hand I'm dealt at that time knowing that I have not just been existing. I've been living.

Lok · 07-27-2004, 05:08 PM

Good article, everyone should assess if they really want to ride every so often. Mine is an astounding YES!

F1R3DR@G0N · 07-27-2004, 05:33 PM

I am currently in the process of deciding if I want to ride again. Here is a post I made to another board giving an update on my accident...

http://www.svrider.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=26196

Ultimately, I'm having a hard time deciding what to do. I really love riding and I miss it but I also love my family and I think about how this whole thing effected them. I don't know if I want to put them through it again. I know its the selfish part of me that wants to win this battle for a new bike.

MikeC · 07-27-2004, 06:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by F1R3DR@G0N

I am currently in the process of deciding if I want to ride again. Here is a post I made to another board giving an update on my accident...

http://www.svrider.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=26196

Ultimately, I'm having a hard time deciding what to do. I really love riding and I miss it but I also love my family and I think about how this whole thing effected them. I don't know if I want to put them through it again. I know its the selfish part of me that wants to win this battle for a new bike.

Glad to hear you recovered so well. I like to think I know what I'll do if I take a serious tumble - but then again I don't have a family to consider. I hope you're able to ride again if it's what you want.

kevinmcdade · 07-27-2004, 07:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MikeC

If fate has other plans, I will accept the hand I'm dealt at that time knowing that I have not just been existing. I've been living.

After my wreck in May, I had to think about the same thing. The above quote is the exact answer I came up with. I made my decision to ride again and am very happy I did. My wife respects my decision and stands behind me 100%.

superman89 · 07-28-2004, 10:16 AM

All some great words. Here is a link to a study, Motorcycle Accidents In Depth Study (MAIDS), finished by a European motorcycle-industry organization. It is hailed as the most comprehensive study as to the cause of accidents with respect to an accident free control group. About the same results as the Hurt Report, but much more interesting. Hope you enjoy this....

http://www.motorcyclecruiser.com/newsandupdates/maids1/

rennsport · 07-28-2004, 11:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MikeC

If you are riding a motorcycle and have not considered the potential price, I beleive you should do your loved ones a favor and put your bike key away until you have thoroughly thought about, discussed, and accepted the potential. I personally have re-assesed this on several occasions when I have had good friends hurt and good friends killed while riding.

I had one near-death accident in 1982. As soon as I was able to ride again, I did so without even considering it. I was a squid then and the mistake was mine. I love riding and I always will ride as long as I am physically able and I do not need to think about it.

What is there to consider? We all know we can die riding, either because of our own error or someone else's error. As a rider once said, "Some people confuse breathing with living."

Patpuma · 07-28-2004, 11:34 AM

Well said, all! Personally, I would rather die young doing what I love than to be sitting there when I'm old regretting that I didn't do the things I wanted to do when I had the chance.

dennisred69 · 07-28-2004, 11:39 AM

very good info for the not so informed newbi. They should read that so they know it happens to every one.

BillfromBothell · 07-28-2004, 12:23 PM

I have been riding various types of street bikes for quite a few years now. I have never had a serious crash. I did hit the street once a few years ago when a women pulled out in front of me at an intersection. I hit the brakes but still hit her car broadside at slow speed. She pulled up about a block or so and watched me. When she saw me get up off the ground she took off.

I'm a pretty good rider and usually cautious. Skill and caution will only get you so far when you're on two wheels. It's certainly a matter of luck as much as skills that I have never been hurt in any way while riding. There is no controlling other drivers, the weather, road conditions, wild animals or the million other factors that can cause an accident. Those are simply the risks that have to be assumed if you want to ride. Maybe those risks add to the excitement factor of riding too.

I did fall off my motorcycle ramp while loading a Harley in the back of my truck and the bike landed right on my chest, but I don't consider that a riding accident just a stupid me accident.

superman89 · 07-28-2004, 12:55 PM

Here's another bit of info I just got from a bud and wanted to share - great for riders new and old. Update on US Motorcycle Statistics.

Latest, (July 2004) Motorcycle Consumer News had a good article on
motorcycle fatalities.
In a nutshell,
The good news,
number of bikes/riders are up,
helmet use is up,
training is up,
number of accidents are down,
non-fatal injuries and property damage are down....

The bad news,
BUT, number of Fatalities per motorcycle accident have doubled in the last
five years.
Pedestrian versus LTV fatalities have also increased 10%.

Why???
The number of Light truck vehicles (LTV)(which includes SUVs) have
increased 200X since 1990.
SUV's are now 50% of new passenger vehicle sales.

Impact with an LTV is like hitting a brick wall.
Impacts with passenger cars typically caused riders/pedestrians to fly over
the car.
Though injuries were suffered due to impact, going airborne, landing
impacts....
An LTV is as tall as, or taller than a rider or pedestrian.
So, hitting a solid vertical wall is still worse.

There is also an article about the diminished visibility in an LTV.

rennsport · 07-28-2004, 01:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by superman89

Here's another bit of info I just got from a bud and wanted to share - great for riders new and old. Update on US Motorcycle Statistics.

Latest, (July 2004) Motorcycle Consumer News had a good article on
motorcycle fatalities.
In a nutshell,
The good news,
number of bikes/riders are up,
helmet use is up,
training is up,
number of accidents are down,
non-fatal injuries and property damage are down....

The bad news,
BUT, number of Fatalities per motorcycle accident have doubled in the last
five years.
Pedestrian versus LTV fatalities have also increased 10%.

Why???
The number of Light truck vehicles (LTV)(which includes SUVs) have
increased 200X since 1990.

capricious "data" deleted...

The correlation between the number of SUVs and motorcycle fatalities is suspect. There are a lot of other factors that are not considered or otherwise ignored. I have seen that study questioned on other moto mailing lists/forums and I do not "buy" it. It is merely the rant of someone who dislikes SUVs.

How did they determine helmet use was up? Everything I have read states that in every state that has repealed their helmet law, helmet use has plummeted and fatalities have skyrocketed.

ripthenightopen · 07-28-2004, 01:57 PM

I live in a rather rich area and it seems that here, there is more than 50% suvs. It is defintaly used as a status symbol, and it makes me sick to think that people are driving them with out ever concidering that they don't "need" it. I have no need for a large vehical and will keep driving my small car until I do need one. I know that everyone has preferences, but I just hate seing so many suvs on the road... oh well what can you do

rennsport · 07-28-2004, 02:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ripthenightopen

I live in a rather rich area and it seems that here, there is more than 50% suvs. It is defintaly used as a status symbol, and it makes me sick to think that people are driving them with out ever concidering that they don't "need" it. I have no need for a large vehical and will keep driving my small car until I do need one. I know that everyone has preferences, but I just hate seing so many suvs on the road... oh well what can you do

Well I don't *NEED* a motorcycle, but, I own one anyway. How are you or I any different from the person who does not *NEED* that SUV?

He who is without sin...

Just another viewpoint.

superman89 · 07-28-2004, 02:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rennsport

capricious "data" deleted...

The correlation between the number of SUVs and motorcycle fatalities is suspect. There are a lot of other factors that are not considered or otherwise ignored. I have seen that study questioned on other moto mailing lists/forums and I do not "buy" it. It is merely the rant of someone who dislikes SUVs.

How did they determine helmet use was up? Everything I have read states that in every state that has repealed their helmet law, helmet use has plummeted and fatalities have skyrocketed.

I posted that for those interested to refer to the source... also, I was more concerned with the realization that American drivers (compared to Europeans drivers) generally suck while drawing a comparison to the previous post about the MAIDS results. With more SUV's on the road... well you read what it said...