might be retiring

Well, I hate say it but I am seriously thinking about retiring from motorcycling because I just had my third accident in one year. The first accident (last March): after only about 3 months worth of riding under my belt, I was going a little too fast for a turn and went off the side of the road. I got a little banged up, nothing broken, just soreness and could have been much worse. I got back on after about a month- it took that long to repair the bike; I only had liability insurance.

The second fall was not very bad at all. I basically just dropped it and immediately got up. There was some gravel at a turn and I lost control of the front tire. There was some damage to the left side of the bike but absolutely no damage to me.

The third accident and the one that I'm currently recovering from (happened last Wednesday): I was approaching an intersection and that's all I remember. The next thing I know, I'm on the ground in massive amounts of pain surrounded by people. A couple of minutes later the paramedics take off my helmet and cut off my jacket, shirt, and pants. I'm rushed to the hospital and after x-rays and cat scans, I'm told I have suffered a concussion, a broken scapula, and a fractured T9 vertebra.

Like I wrote earlier before, I don't know what happened at that intersection. According to the police report and witnesses (according to the cop) I clipped an oncoming car as I was making a left turn. I don't recall any of this and I always approach intersections with caution, but shit does happen.

Anyways, that's my history. I've been riding for about a year and 4 months. I try to ride as safely as possible but sometimes I let the throttle get the best of me. I love riding and don't want to quit, but I don't want to end up a vegetable. I am very confused because I don't know what to do without riding. I ride almost everyday and I love everything about riding and motorcycles but three accidents in a year is a lot. This last one is pretty bad. I had surgery on my scapula on Tuesday and I'm in a lot of pain. I just got out of the hospital about two hours ago. For my fractured vertebra, I have to wear a brace for 4 months.

I was thinking that maybe I'd limit my riding to only the weekends and no more nightriding, that way I'd reduce the chances of going down.Also, no more speeding or going fast at the twisties. But I don't know if that's enough. Shit can happen no matter how cautious one is.

What do you guys think?

 

Maybe you should pick up a safer hobby like smoking pot and sitting on the couch all day.

Regards,
Rollin

 

Just wondering........how many of the accidents were at night? IMO riding at night does take extra caution, limited visbility and all that, so cutting that out may be a good thing. If you still have the passion, slow down and take it easy for a while, ease back into the throttle a little at a time. According to odds you should be ok........for a little while anyway.

 

yea you could break your back in the shower too. shit can happen and i understand were you are coming from ive wreck twice one bad wreck but i didnt give it up, and im not saying i am better than you but, i think you need to give it another shot you have to ride to get good at it, just weekends you wont improve you skill just riding 10,15 or 20 miles it takes awhile to build skill just heal up and think about it, use some self controll when riding you dont have hit triple digits every time you ride just have fun thats what riding a motorcycle is about having fun with your buddies or by yourself. :thumbsup:

 

It sounds to me that the first couple are rooky types of mistakes. I won't go into how many time I fell of in the first couple of years of riding but it was a lot more than three. Have you done a motorcycles riding course? A big help in avoiding these kinds of things. I wouldn't give up just yet. That your are thinking about giving up is a good sign that you can adjust to the defensive driving thought process that you need to survive an a bike.

 

There are many reasons for not riding and there are even more reasons to keep riding. I would venture to say that three accidents in just over a year for an inexperienced rider is not all that uncommon. I say that because I too wrecked my first bike several times. Experience is everything when it comes to riding and there is only one way to obtain it. One of the first things a good rider learns are his abilities and knowing not to exceed said abilities. Riding classes are very desirable in conjuction with many thousands of miles of "road lessons", some lessons come at the cost of a wipe out. It depends on how easily you learn. I would suggest that doing things like avoiding night and week day riding mean very little in terms of accident prevention. It is however about riding in your comfort zone and knowing what, when, and where to do somethings and not to do other things. If that means no riding at night for you than definately avoid the evening hours. It sounds to me that, if you did in fact turn in front of a car, paying more attention to your surroundings and respecting those conditions at all times would be a good start. I hope you'll continue to ride and do whatever is required to transform yourself into the rider it sounds like you want to be. I gave up riding for three years at one point for differant reasons, and when I started riding again, I couldn't for the life of me figure out why I ever stopped.

Glad you're well, all things considered.

 

I hate to hear of anyone giving up a passion like riding but ultimatly thats a personal decision we all have to make.

Luckily I have not had an accident yet. If I had a bad accident I would probably reconsider riding too because my kids mean so much to me. I still think that after they were grown up a little more I would be back riding though...I just want to be around to help guide them in their developing years of life.

With that said, it sounds like maybe you just need to slow down and reasses your skills vs speed and awareness. Not meant to be a jab of any kind but riding requires concentration, constant awareness of what dangers are there and what dangers might occur, the "what if" scenario. I'm not sure how you exactly clip a car when your making a left hand turn unless either you did not see the car or the car slowed unexpectedly and you did not have time to readjust your turn. Either way, awareness and considering the "what if" scenario would have helped. If the car slowed you would have been okay because your defensive riding would have left time to make sure the car was out of the way. By no means am I an expert on this subject and I certainly do not mean to claim I've never made mistakes while riding! I have so much to learn its :crazy:. I guess I'm just saying I'd keep riding but I'd slow everything down for a while and act like everyone was out to kill me. :thumbsup:

 

Sorry for your pain brother... physically and mentally. It's an extremely tough decision and can only be made by yourself as stated by those above. When I read threads like this one it gets me thinking as well. I'm sitting here now thinking about it and it's extremely difficult. Obviously riding everyday increases your odds of crashing no matter how good you are. The more you push the limit the better chance of crashing... it's all a game of chance. If your not gonna miss it then let her go. If you will miss it then try taking measures to reduce the odds. Ride less, ride safer.

Your a new rider like myself and I can attest that it's easy... very easy to get complacent and comfortable when you shouldn't be. I had a slow wipeout (almost saved it) at the end of the season and am I ever glad I did. I needed the reality check...

 

This might sound a bit off the wall, but it might be worth getting a small dirt bike (100-150cc) and putting in some time on some off road trails, if that is an available option.

My reasoning is that once you become accustomed to sliding around and reacting to limited traction, it becomes much more of an automatic reaction and requires less concentration on the motorcycle's basic functions, and allows you to focus more on the riding environment.

Many times, especially for a newer rider, an unexpected situation is made a lot worse by not remembering which lever to pull and what pedal to push, etc. There is also the confidence that one develops by sliding around a bit and recovering from near falls. And when you DO fall (you will), it doesn't hurt too much.

Just a thought. Self-appraisal of one's abilities is a good thing; if you feel that you need additional tools to be more comfortable or more equipped to pursue an interest, you probably do. So the choice is whether or not the the additional training is worth the effort to you.

 

I think that this is a question that only you can answer. We can give advice, words of wisdom, and all the other nonsense but in the end it doesn't matter a bit what we think or what we say. All that matters is do YOU want to hang up your helmet?

Personally I'd look at the three accidents and try to find the common thread among them. It's there somewhere. You were riding into the sun in all three or you were tired in all three or they were all the same time of day or something. I'd be willing to bet there is a common thread. Find it, avoid those situations, and keep on riding.

But, that's just my opinion.

 

I'm not saying riding is for me, but it isn't for everyone. If controling your speed is a problem then you should find something different.

 

take a training course... even though the vfr is not a rocket it can get you into trouble through inexperience.....i started with a 72 cb175.......get some experience on something you can handle better......might save you some $....if you really love riding..youll be back to it..its in the blood.

 

I'm going to expand on Lgn001's idea. Pick up a small dual sport bike. You'll be able to ride in the dirt, which is a great way to learn bike handling, and you can still ride on the street.

Take a basic riding class if you haven't already. If you have taken the BRC take an experienced rider course. The ERC usually is geared more toward sharpening basic skills and teaching street riding strategies.

Use the healing process to decide if this is something you want to keep riding. If the answer is yes, learn from your mistakes and grow to be a better biker.

Out of curiosity, what gear were you wearing? Did the jacket have a back protector?

 

If you want to quit, that's up to you. We all know what the world thinks of quitters.

If you decide to continue riding, I have a single word:

TRAINING

www.msf-usa.org
www.superbikeschool.com
www.starmotorcycle.com
www.sportrider.com/ride/146_riding_schools_racing_organizations/index.html

KC-10 FE out...
lane: :usa2:

 

Don't quit . you've just had a run of bad luck. It'll get better

Most of us with any time in the saddle at all have crashed numerous times.

Even if you quit now, you'll wind up coming back eventually, no one can stay away.

So don't quit, just take a break till you heal up.

Get well soon bro

 

Thanks for all of the replies. Ultimately I'll be making the decision, but it's good to get some feedback and words or encouragement, or discouragement for that matter, from others on this site.

I took the MSF course when I began riding to get my license. I've also read some books such as Total Control, Twist of the Wrist, and More Proficient Motorcycling so I have tried to gain some riding knowledge other than riding.

I guess what happens is one gets comfortable and confident, which is a mistake on a motorcycle. This is what happened to me. All three accidents were mistakes of inattention due to confidence. I don't do too much riding at night but it is def less safe than in the day, that's why i mentioned that I could do without night riding.

I have been known to go pretty fast on the freeway and to lane split, which in in hindsight is just begging for an accident.

If i were to continue riding I would limit it to weekend cruises with my dad. I would def slow it down and not try to race up the mountain.

This experience has really shaken me up. These are some real injuries with real rehab time. I don't want to quit riding because it is so important to me but if something serious were to happen to me (such as paralisys) I would not be able to forgive myself. And it's not like I'm some squid. I'm willing to bet that all of us have done some questionable riding from time to time.

I guess I've got some thinking to do.

 

My life's philosophy is summed up by two words, I follow no bible or doctrine and funny enough, I learned it from Forrest Gump; "Shit Happens."

Why was I born? Shit happens
Why did I grab the brake in my very first turn on a public road and tuck the front. Shit Happens and holy fuck was I a squid.
Why did I pick the bike up, tweak the bar back and ride it home? I'm stubborn as shit and shit happens.

I've done 21k miles on two wheels since getting my endorsement last year. Aside from that aforementioned get off and the 3 times I dropped my first bike at 0 to 3 MPH, I haven't had anything severe; though many times where I've avoided near certain death.

You could die tomorrow in a non-bike realted incident. For all we know you'll die because someone farts on you. You're going to go at some point, if I had the option of death by getting farted on or death by motorcycle; I'd vote for the bike. It's a good way to go and it's going to happen at some point.

If you quit now, I think ultimately what'll happen is you'll end up in your 70s thinking about all that time you could have been riding. Who knows, you might not even make it to your 70s?

Just take it easy, let her rip when the time is right and the conditions appropriate; I think that's how I've survived so far

I dunno about you, I don't believe in a heaven or hell or eternity ever after; the life you have is a one shot deal, don't waste it.

 

I was wearing a helmet, gloves, and jacket. Even though I have boots, riding pants, and a back protector, I wasn't wearing them. I wish I would have worn the back protector to see if it would have helped.

That's the other thing I would change about my riding: ATGATT. If I continue riding I will wear everything.

 

If you decide you're going to ride again,I'd recommend buying some of David L. Hough's ('cough) books on street survival."Proficient motorcycling",and "More Proficient Motorcycling". Read them a few times,I'd say if you can't be bothered to study what others have learned at at their own expense to help us,then maybe you should give it up.I find these books to be a lot of help,and injoy reading every couple of years....Monk

 

I don't believe in heaven or hell either, but I bet living with paralisys is pretty close to hell. I agree with you, shit does happen and I could die driving my car to work (once I get of the vicodine and can drive again) but riding a bike is dangerous and one starts to question if it's worth it after a serious injury.

On the other hand, life is short and riding is fun. In riding a motorcycle, I have found something that completes me. I am obsessed. A big part of me wants to continue riding, albeit more conservatively. I've got about 4 months to make my decision since I'm not allowed to stand up without my back brace. Once again, thanks for all the input.