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galileo
Ex-Member
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 Posted - 10/28/2009 : 10:39 AM
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Tex,
Maybe the boots didn't give full protection, but I'm guessing that ankle might have had a nasty break without them.
Next time you ride, I expect you will look like the Michelin Man. Maybe now you can get the other bike you were looking at. |
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Indiana Randy
Moderator
1951 Posts
[Mentor]
Fort Wayne, Indiana
USA
Honda
2000 Magna V4 750
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Posted - 10/28/2009 : 3:24 PM
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Tex,
I'm SO glad you survived the crash. I'm SO glad you had a full face helmet and gloves and boots on.
As you heal, you have lots of time to think about the choices you made that day before the ride.
You have lot's of time to think about your future on 2 wheels.
I hope you notice by the post count that there are Many people on this site concerned who care about you. Like the Bud Light commercial; We Love Ya Man.
Hang in there. You'll be up and about in no time. If you choose to close the riding chapter of your life, that's fine. You did it and enjoyed it. I hope you stay around. If you choose to get another bike and mount up again, you'll be wiser. |
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gymnast
Moderator
2805 Posts
[Mentor]
Meridian, Idaho
USA
Harley-Davidson
Sportster Sport
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Posted - 10/28/2009 : 6:04 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Indiana Randy
Tex,
I'm SO glad you survived the crash. I'm SO glad you had a full face helmet and gloves and boots on.
As you heal, you have lots of time to think about the choices you made that day before the ride.
You have lot's of time to think about your future on 2 wheels.
I hope you notice by the post count that there are Many people on this site concerned who care about you. Like the Bud Light commercial; We Love Ya Man.
Hang in there. You'll be up and about in no time. If you choose to close the riding chapter of your life, that's fine. You did it and enjoyed it. I hope you stay around. If you choose to get another bike and mount up again, you'll be wiser.
Second that! |
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Texasphotographer
 Advanced Member
827 Posts
[Mentor]
Copperas Cove, Texas
USA
Honda
2006 GL1800 Trike
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Posted - 10/28/2009 : 10:12 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by gymnast
quote:
Originally posted by Indiana Randy
Tex,
I'm SO glad you survived the crash. I'm SO glad you had a full face helmet and gloves and boots on.
As you heal, you have lots of time to think about the choices you made that day before the ride.
You have lot's of time to think about your future on 2 wheels.
I hope you notice by the post count that there are Many people on this site concerned who care about you. Like the Bud Light commercial; We Love Ya Man.
Hang in there. You'll be up and about in no time. If you choose to close the riding chapter of your life, that's fine. You did it and enjoyed it. I hope you stay around. If you choose to get another bike and mount up again, you'll be wiser.
Second that!
Thank you. Appreciate your concern and I mean that. I occasionally expound here as I want motorcycling to be safer. I have had a few scrapes where if I were more observant I may not have had something to write about. Not making any decisions now, but I love the friends I have made because of rides and motorcycling and that weighs into what I will do. My family thinks its time to graduate to a trike and this is OK with me, but one can still hit or be hit by wildlife. My good buddy Jim has a Goldwing Hanigan trike and he had a couple of buzzards collide with him so a trike is not a panacea. Just another option. Anyway, thanks for taking the time to make me feel part of this select group.
Larry |
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Night Train
Moderator
1332 Posts
[Mentor]
Sydney, Nova Scotia
Canada
Harley-Davidson
03 Electra Glide Std
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Posted - 10/29/2009 : 5:45 AM
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Tex, you have been part of this group for quite awhile and I, for one, don't miss any of your posts and look forward to reading them well into the future. You are fortunate in that your family are not clamoring for you to give up riding altogether but have suggested a Trike as a compromise. That indeed, may be a viable consideration but you will ultimately be the one to make that decision. I find while in pain and recovering from injury, it is difficult to make definite decisions about things such as riding. Good days promote positive thoughts while bad days seem to promote negative thoughts. Best to just concentrate on the healing process and once better there is plenty of time to analyze when and if you get back into the saddle and what type of saddle it would be.
You are obviously blessed with a loving and caring family and are looked upon fondly and with respect among your peers. Although this love and support doesn't diminish the levels of pain, it sure helps in one's level of tolerance for the pain and desire to heal.
I wish you and your supportive family all the best. |
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midlife_crisis
Junior Member
91 Posts
[Mentor]
Mineral Springs, NC
USA
Yamaha
YZF600R, YZF1000R
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Posted - 10/30/2009 : 11:18 AM
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I went through a similar period of soul-searching back in late 2006. I had had two completely unnecessary crashes on my YZF600R, one in September and one in November.
I began riding in March 2004 at the age of 49.
In September 2006, I was riding home from a nearby event at 9:00PM or so (after dark). I came to the entrance of my neighborhood and turned right to enter; my mind was wandering (short trip/familiar roads) and for some unknown reason I snapped back to attention, heard my brain telling me "you're taking this turn too fast" (I wasn't), grabbed the brake while turning, and promptly went down in the ditch on the left side of the subdivision road.
I fixed the bike and, in November, I was out for a Saturday afternoon ride with two friends, bringing up the rear. Traveling through a picturesque downtown at ~25-30 MPH, I was looking around and comparing the downtown layout to that of my hometown. I looked forward, saw my friends stopping for an intersection, and again panicked. Again, I grabbed too much brake, went down hard, and had the pleasure of lying on the ground (full leather stopped my slide fairly quickly) and watching my motorcycle slowly slide into the back of one of my stopped friends (she never saw it coming), knocking her bike right out from under her.  At the speed I was traveling, there would have been no problem stopping safely had I not lost focus and then panicked.
After that incident, I posted on my home forum that I was having just too many of these "senior moments", and opining that it was time to give up riding. I had a lot of encouragement not to do so, and I tried to really examine what I was doing wrong.
Of course, a dead giveaway was that I was serving as absolute proof of the Hurt Report statistic that David Hough reports in Proficient Motorcycling: that is, the statistic that riders with 25-36 months of experience have an even greater likelihood of crashing than brand-new riders.
I had been riding for 30 and 32 months, respectively, at the time of those two crashes. 
I was letting my mind wander - not because I was becoming a senior citizen, but just because I was taking the familiarity of riding for granted!
Now, when it comes to things like deer strikes and left-turning cages: those hazards are in a very specific category of motorcycle risks, and I don't think that one's susceptibility to them is necessarily age-dependent. I practice emergency stopping now more than ever, but an unexpected obstacle like a deer will present an almost unavoidable challenge to a young or an old rider indiscriminately.
One thing I have done, though, is to place a lot of extra emphasis on the 100%-attentiveness requirement for riding. As beautiful as some of the mountain roads are that I like to travel, I've re-taught myself that, when riding, I can't be sightseeing or thinking pleasant, but unrelated, thoughts.
Yes, our reflexes slow gradually, but I'd like to believe that most of us old riders are still capable of operating our motorcycles safely: that maybe our experience and inherent caution can make up for a slight slowing of reflexes. |
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scottrnelson
Advanced Member
5247 Posts
[Mentor]
Pleasanton, CA
USA
KTM
990 Adv, ST2, XR650L
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Posted - 10/30/2009 : 11:30 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by midlife_crisis
I was letting my mind wander - not because I was becoming a senior citizen, but just because I was taking the familiarity of riding for granted!
I don't let my mind wander at all when riding.
A few years ago, just after I bought my Mustang convertible, I was driving with my wife on a scenic road that I had ridden on many times on my motorcycles. I was commenting to her that I hadn't realized there were so many windmills in the area along that road. When riding a motorcycle I was always focused on the road and not noticing the rest of the scenery. I'm one of those who has to stop the bike to enjoy the view.
You've already figured out that riding a motorcycle requires undivided attention. Hopefully other newer riders will read of your experience and pay better attention as well. |
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Guzzimundi
Senior Member
260 Posts
[Mentor]
Palmeira, Coruna
Spain
Moto Guzzi
Breva 750
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Posted - 11/01/2009 : 2:12 PM
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Dear Tex,
So much has been said and so well. I was so sorry to hear about this, having before read about your other accidents and about how hard you've worked to improve your riding and safety skills. Not much can be done about deer--not much at all--so I won't comment on that. Only you know or will know where you stand and where you want to go with your riding. People unfortunately get seriously hurt or worse for many reasons and due to many causes. We never know what awaits us. We can only do our best with our lives. Its your life. Having read your posts over the years I am sure you will do what's right and only you will know what that is.
Heal soon and well.
Alberto |
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Texasphotographer
Advanced Member
827 Posts
[Mentor]
Copperas Cove, Texas
USA
Honda
2006 GL1800 Trike
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Posted - 11/02/2009 : 6:18 PM
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Being totally conscious of your surroundings is what the SEE we learned in the basic riders course, reinforced in the experienced riders course and hopefully practiced every time we ride.
I do appreciate each of your comments and believe you mean well. But, I think it is being taken a bit far at my expense. Today, I was riding in a cage driven by my wife on our own country road. A large doe ran out in front of us and neither of us saw the deer before it came onto the road. The fact that there is woods and brush on both sides of the road and no more than 3 feet from each side has a lot to do with not seeing the animal before it leapt in front of us. So one can be as alert as a fighter pilot and undesirable things can happen. This is the case today and was the case when I hit the deer on October 18 th.
I do not want to seem unappreciative at the concern I have been shown I sincerely thank you all for that, but am getting a bit tired of comments like the one about sight seeing while riding that some what insinuates I or others were too busy enjoying scenery which led to our not being aware of traps to inhibit our riding. Believe me, there is little to no scenery on Texas Rural route 4137 that would have lulled me into not being aware of a mad crazed deer that was so panicked it ran hell bent away from the danger it sensed. Unfortunately, that deer was hidden from view in the half-tall corn stalks from which it emerged.
Sorry for the rant. |
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haithabu
Standard Member
232 Posts
Canmore, Alberta
Canada
Honda
Varadero
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Posted - 11/02/2009 : 7:00 PM
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Hi Texas,
Far from only looking at the road, I believe that the best defense against being blindsided by a deer is to constantly monitor the scenery. In deer country every bush is like an intersection.
I don't believe that your encounter with the deer in itself reflects on your ability to ride safely. Some very select riders have been taken out by deer, so you're in good company.
The one consideration I think is whether you are still willing to incur the same risk of the unexpected in continuing to ride now that you have experienced it first hand as opposed to appreciating it in the abstract. The same thought process that any rider goes through after a serious accident. |
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midlife_crisis
Junior Member
91 Posts
[Mentor]
Mineral Springs, NC
USA
Yamaha
YZF600R, YZF1000R
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Posted - 11/02/2009 : 7:05 PM
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Texphotog,
I hope you didn't take my comments relating some of my own experiences where some crashes were totally my fault as some sort of indication that I thought you were "sightseeing" or that I was insinuating something along those lines...I wasn't.
Please accept my apologies if my wording was unclear enough to be interpreted that way.
I thought I had emphasized the unavoidable and dangerous nature of the "totally invisible until it jumps in front of you" deer:
quote:
Originally posted by midlife_crisis
...Now, when it comes to things like deer strikes and left-turning cages: those hazards are in a very specific category of motorcycle risks, and I don't think that one's susceptibility to them is necessarily age-dependent. I practice emergency stopping now more than ever, but an unexpected obstacle like a deer will present an almost unavoidable challenge to a young or an old rider indiscriminately.
Many of the comments prior to mine seemed to contain varying degrees of self-examination in terms of people's comfort level with continuing to ride; I was just trying to relate some of my feelings and experiences. There was absolutely no disrespect toward or insinuation about you intended.
Again, sorry to come across so awkwardly. I'm new here; I'll work on more precision in communication.  |
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rayg50
Advanced Member
851 Posts
[Mentor]
NYC, NY
USA
Honda
Shadow Spirit 750DC
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Posted - 11/03/2009 : 6:22 AM
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Texasphotographer, I do not believe any of the posts to have been mean spirited but I can see the basis for your rant.
The topic heading "I am not sure what to do anymore" invited advice. IMO, what you overwhelmingly received were well wishes for your recovery, the suggestion that once you recover you do some reflecting, offers to support whatever decision you make, and the desire that you continue on this forum regardless of what you decide.
Personally, I wish you a speedy recovery. I would hope that once a little distance from this incident is established and you have a position of greater impartiality that will you do a little soul searching. Something that only you can do having greatest knowledge of the event. Dismiss points that have no basis but consider those that may, regardless of how distasteful. Make whatever decision you feel to be the right one while knowing that it need not be a forever one. Whatever you decide I will be happy for you. Whatever you decide I believe your contributions to this forum, have been, are, and will continue to be valuable additions.
My one concern is that you are taking the suggestion to re-evaluate riding as a negative. Please do not. For what it is worth at about the age of 6 I claimed my birthday as my own to do as I pleased. I have worked it only once in my working life and that was a huge mistake I have not and will not repeat.
On that day, I do as I please and one of the things that I do is to take stock of the prior year and my life to date, both the good and the bad. I re-evaluate everything. This past September one of those things was riding a motorcycle. The end result is that I am asking advice on cold weather gear, saddlebags, and windscreens. Next year I may be asking if anyone wants to buy a bike in excellent condition. The year after I may be looking to buy one. My experience has been that doing periodic soul searching has allowed my life to be what it is today. Re-evaluation is a very good thing.
my .02
be well
Ray
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Night Train
Moderator
1332 Posts
[Mentor]
Sydney, Nova Scotia
Canada
Harley-Davidson
03 Electra Glide Std
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Posted - 11/03/2009 : 6:40 AM
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| Tex, I agree with Rayg50. I don't think any of us think that you should not ride or that you are wrought with mistakes that have caused your recent incidents. I believe all of us are relieved that you weren't more seriously injured and sincerely wish you a speedy and full recovery. Every one of us make mistakes along the line and we learn from them. I don't believe there is anyone here that has ridden any miles at all that haven't experienced similar incidents as you have. Some may have been avoided others may not have. I looked at your situation as if it were mine, and if I had a series on incidents in a short period of time, whether I was totally blameless or not, I would have to do some reflecting. The important thing is that you heal well and when and if you return to riding I would hope that you would stay among us. You would surely be missed from this group. |
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Texasphotographer
Advanced Member
827 Posts
[Mentor]
Copperas Cove, Texas
USA
Honda
2006 GL1800 Trike
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Posted - 11/03/2009 : 11:37 AM
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Again, All - thanks. Maybe I tend to become defensive. I genuinely know that everyone here has one primary interest: That is to promote and assist motorcyclists in staying safe. This is an incredible forum that Mr. Davis has put his soul and a lot of money into to help all of us achieve that purpose.
I will definitely ride again whether it be on two or three wheels. My fun is not so much being on the bike although that is exhilarating, but sharing time and friendships I have made with the people whom I have met through riding. That is my real plus.
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Texasphotographer
Advanced Member
827 Posts
[Mentor]
Copperas Cove, Texas
USA
Honda
2006 GL1800 Trike
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Posted - 11/03/2009 : 11:42 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by galileo
Tex,
Maybe the boots didn't give full protection, but I'm guessing that ankle might have had a nasty break without them.
You are so right. Yesterday, the physical therapist whom is helping me strengthen my ankle asked to see my boots. She observed a bulge or something stretched in my left boot which she said my ankle would have been a lot worse had it not been for the heavy leather I was wearing. I was not looking at my boots objectively as I am in pain and wanted these to be "miracle leather". The are not, but are just plain good protection. Thanks for helping me be a bit more objective.
Larry |
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I am not sure what to do anymore