Post-crash apprehension

All:

Have any of you suffered from any post-crash apprehension? I can't wait to ride again, but just thinking about other cars, the inherent risks involved in motorcycling, and the possibility of ending up in the hospital again, makes me worry. Sometimes even driving my car on the freeway makes me cringe when I get passed by a large truck.

I hope that once I start riding again, a lot of this will go away. Any thoughts?

 

Its a tough recovery it took me a couple years to enjoy being on the bike again. I know I never want to have the wirebrush taking gravel out of my ass ever again. Its possible to get over it but you will never ride the same, you have to ride like you are invisible.

 

Time

It takes time. That is about all there is to it.Don't let it stop you but you can't keep it from messin with your head a bit.

 

I freaking out evry turn after the crash, But my love to ride beat the fear.......
Time will heal

 

Practice at smaller roads and over time, you'll gain back the confidence.

 

Thanks, guys. When I do get back on the saddle, I'm going to take it slow. I'm re-reading some of my riding books so that I can refresh all the concepts. I'll definitely go to an empty parking lot and practice my slow speed maneuvering. Basically get reacquainted with the bike.

 

I am curious. I have a couple of questions for you. Do you need to ask other people about this? It is well known most everyone suffers from post-crash apprehension. Isn't it common sense to take it slow and easy taking time to get reaquainted when you come back from an accident? Not trying to be a impolite, just curious.

I guess I just don't understand why you need to ask other people this. You sound like a grown man with a good head on your shoulders. Surely you can figure this out on your own.

 

I don't think he is looking for information, but reassurance. If you go into it too scared, then you also put yourself at risk, so it is a good and even mature thing to seek the reassurance.

I haven't had an accident on my motorcycle, but I was hit riding my bicycle. I was a bit surprised by how apprehensive I was in situations like the one where I got hit. I expected some apprehension, but I had been riding for years and teaching bicycle safety for years, so it did catch me off guard to find myself being jumpy at times. It did pass in a matter of a few months, and now I don't think about it any more.

 

Sometimes it's just nice to know that your not the only one and others have gone through the same. One of the greatest things about a forum is that you can share such things.

 

Yes, this is exactly why I started this thread. It's probably very common to have some post-crash apprehension, but it's great to get some feedback from others who may have experienced something similar. This forum allows us to gain so much knowledge that we wouldn't have otherwise.

 

It is great we have such members here too, no matter the situation someone is always there for you.

When I was a bit younger I was bucked off a horse and blacked out for a couple of minutes. It was hard for me to ride the same horse but after a couple of rides I felt very reassured that it was just a one time thing. I am sure it is harder on a bike though and wish your recovery goes smoothly.

Threads like this always remind me of how thankful I am that I didn't crash when my tranny blew to pieces and everything else that happened. If I did have a nasty crash then I probably wouldn't have my son now.

 

I found that riding with friends that I trust felt better than riding alone after my last crash. Safety in numbers OR misery loves company. Either way it helped me. It happened about 3 weeks before I left for a 2 week, 3000 mile trip. Logging on that much seat time helped also. As long as you still wanna ride you'll get your groove back in your own time. Good luck.

 

i knwo how you feel bro, after over cooking a corner and dumping the bike it took me a little while before i could just get on it and enjoy myself and not second guess myself, like scubalong said time will heal.....stay safe

 

The best thing I can say is GET BACK ON THE BIKE. I was very apprehensive after flying over the bars on my old CB after clipping the rear wheels of a truck with my foot peg. I still get a little nervous when i have to pass a "duelie" pick up truck because of it. If you feel a little worried about getting on the horse again take your time. Only YOU can gauge when the time is right but just don't wait too long!

 

practice

watch out for oil spots and thick paint lines. practice+reading improves self confidence.

+1 on riding with trusted buddies. take it easy first and slowly progress to your comfort level. :thumbsup:

 

I'm right there with you, buddy! Peer support can be good remedy. I'll be reading one of my books I got when I started riding and taking the intermediate MSF course after I fix the bike. Take care.

 

i crashed my ninja 250 in my first year of riding. took a turn too fast and ended up in the woods at 45mph. thankfully i was in full gear and suffered no injuries; however i was sore all over for about a week. i wanted to get back to riding right away. in my first week or 2 back on the bike i must have taking all the turns at half the speed limit. but that was the right thing to do, take it slow and build up you skills again. and the best thing to do is to learn from your mistakes.

 

What you mean...?

"When I was a bit younger" What you mean.......You still a baby LOL:biggrin::biggrin:
How is little John there shorty?

 

I know several other folks responded to this and I would add that our Thread starter asked the question in the most basic way possible. I tend to overthink the process of putting words onto paper (er, screen) and I would have carefully worded the question to acknowledge the obvious nature of his question, the near-universal nature of his experience and concerns, and the possibility of being ridiculed here.
In other words: The dude just wants needs some friendly advice.
My experience that I added to a recent and similar Thread is that I once was bicycling to work and had a pretty co-ed pedestrian jaywalk right in front of me. We both went down and I hurt myself in an attempt to shield her from my body momentum. She ended up being fine despite an ambulance ride and E-room visit. And then her family's high-powered lawyer came sniffing around for an easy score. After that I didn't want to bicycle, I didn't want to drive or be a passenger in a car, heck, I didn't even want to walk down a street! (And I didn't even want to look or speak to pretty girls!) It passes in time by slowly re-exposing oneself to the difficult stimulus; the appropriate realization is that the fear/concern is a normal self-preservation response and is only detrimental when allowed to become a phobia because one does not confront the situation, process one's feelings, and learn from the event.
Translation: jump back on that horse that threw Shorty.

Oh, and conversationally speaking, sometimes the best start to a fascinating conversation or Thread is a unique and complex idea but sometimes the best conversations paradoxically come out of mundane and obvious observations. Stretching the mind to look past the obvious is always a good thing. Even oil threads have their merit!

 

Well I haven't crashed in my 2 years riding on my first bike ever to boot (and I've racked up 34K miles!). Maybe this will help you from crashing again but what really helps is to constantly try to evaluate yourself after each ride and remember that your brakes are your back up. If you ever feel like you're going too hot just grab some brakes. There's always tomorrow to try again.

This is gonna sound boring but try to find a road that doesn't have much traffic and just go back and forth on it. Ride so much that it almost becomes second nature. That's what I did when starting out, I'd almost know the road like the back of my hand and after each pass I'd kind of do a mini self-evaluation on how I did. Did I use too much brakes, too much gas, push too hard, etc...

And if you know someone familiar with bikes see if you can get them to ride with you and give you pointers. Hell, if you're really serious you can get a buddy to videotape/photograph you as you ride by so you can look at yourself more objectively. And of course, buy them lunch to return the favor!

MOST important of all, I would not recommend riding when you feel scared. In my opinion that makes it worse because it'll make you overreact and panic. Your hands shouldn't be shaking; it's healthy though to have some heightened awareness but the moment you lose your cool you can literally lose it.