Contemplating my mortality (and bike habit)

Essentially, we all have to assess the level of risk we are comfortable with. For some people the level is very low while for others it is very high. Most of us fall somewhere in between.

I grew up on a farm and I still farm and I work for a railroad, both possibly very dangerous professions if not approached in the correct manner. It's the same way for riding.

Recently a 13 year old girl was killed when the pickup her brother was driving left the road, came back on, over corrected, and then rolled on the other side. I came upon the wreck a coupe of hours later as it was being cleaned up and learned later of the fatality. A few days later guy with his 2007 HOG with only a few hundred miles on the clock was riding and drifted left of center and hit a pickup head-on. He was 52. Last night I read that a ham radio operator in New Mexico fell from his tower from about the 90' level. So, I can cite others who were killed recently in activities that I am involved in, but I don't allow their fate to dictate my approach to living.

Also, I don't have a wife or kids, so perhaps my decision making is easier compared to some.

I've been riding the same bike for 27 years, and have had some close calls. Always thought it would never happen to me because I'm experianced, older and careful. NOT!! I thought I was all of the above, yes, I'm experianced but over time you tend to relax a little too much and rest on your laurels. When I had my accident I was doing everything right except for taking my eyes off the road for 3 seconds. I've done it a million times, so have all of you. This time though, no experiance saved me . It happened so fast I had no chance to do anything. I was lucky, broken leg, bike can be fixed. My wife INSISTS that I fix and ride again. It's what I do. It relaxes me, I love it. BUT.... never let your guard down as I did. 3 seconds changed my life. Stay alert for yourself, family and friends. But KEEP riding, it's what we love! Just ride safe!!

Reality Check ---

At least, protect the financial well-being of your loved ones with insurance policies:
life, disability income, and medical.

And ride like you're invisible, or better yet like everbody's trying to hit you.

Of course you've also taken the m/c rider safety course.

Properly maintained bike, especially brakes and tires.

ATGATT.

Admittedly, as traffic increases, therapy decreases.

I don't sell insurance, and hate paying insurance premiums as much as anybody, BUT my motorcycle riding pleasure is not diminished by worrying about the financial aspects of an accident.

And this also applies to SCUBA diving, flying, sky-diving, car-driving, surfing, boating, trick-or-treating, lawn-mower racing, horse-back riding, etc., etc., you-name-it, etc.

Post edited by: Patton, at: 2007/10/25 20:19

Post edited by: Patton, at: 2007/10/25 20:19

The last few years I've been taking flying lessons. The only thing that stopped me from getting my private pilot certificate is my medical. I need to take a med that the FAA frowns upon, and there is no generic available. I have 50+ hours logged, and have already solo-ed. When discussing getting a bike with my wife (and there were several "discussions"), I was comparing riding with landing a Cessna 172, solo, in a crosswind. It really started a great discussion as to which was the greater risk. The risks are very differnt, but very much the same. A wrong move or loss of concentration on either, and you could end up with devastating results. Everything carries a certain degree of risk. It all comes down to what is an acceptable risk ... for you.

Good Topic,
I live in Chicago and worry myself about riding. Every spring I look at new bikes and want to get one really bad but this year I hooked up on a 1000 so the new bike feeling went away. If I were to buy a new bike I would have to ride it. Wouldnt make sence to buy 1 and only use it for 1k or 2k miles a year. A bike is just a joy ride for me. I work 3 miles away from home and I start at 4am. I rarely take it to work. Guys at work bug me about "whats wrong with the bike, you never ride it, you never bring it to work". My riding time is after work between say 1pm and 4pm. Going to work early in the morning on a bike is kinda hairy here. Its only 3 miles but I always run into 2 or 3 idiots out there that are leaving a bar or they figure no cops are out so they fly through intersections at that time of night. The nice thing about an older bike is.... its paid for, didnt spend a fortune so if I ride it 1000 miles a year or less, its not a lot of "money wasted and sitting around". I did feel more tense with smaller bikes I rode on the street, so far Im comfortable with this one.

I searched the archives and did not see a reference to this. Well worth your 12 minutes. Most of the text is in Dutch but there is a translation link in the upper right. Talk about contemplation...

tinyurl.com/37w7mh

in all seriousness,if street riding gives you the heebie geebies,go racing,racing is much safer than street riding.

My $.02:
When the ride stops being fun - for whatever reason - it's time to re-evaluate your choice of transportation.
As we get older, we change. More aches/pains, more sensitive to the cold, vision gets worse, and we know we're not immortal anymore.
I like to ride, but I no longer enjoy commuting to work on my bike. Too many crazies on the road, and a crappy 55-mile (one way) slab run.
So I ride on the weekends, mostly around home. Or I hook up with the other SoCal riders when I can. No guarantee that I'll never die on a bike, but it may improve my odds some...

I'm definitely not scared to ride anymore. I still love riding. It was just a matter of trying to justify my potentially dangerous hobby with a wife and soon-t-be two young kids. You guys reminded me of the danger in other things, too. I highly doubt I'll stop riding, but I may put the bike away for the year. I got my shop manual for the KZ 400 in the mail today so I can try my hand at the other side of motorcycling for the winter.

Well, Talman, I was put in toch with my mortality this Spring when I had my get-off with my Bandit. I ended up in a ditch with the bike on top of my left leg. Fortunately the end result was only a dislocated left shoulder, a couple of cracked ribs and the usual bruises. I had proper gear on and the speed was low so that's what made the injuries minimal.
It was all due to operator error. Like Bluemeanie, I took my eye off the ball for about 3-5 seconds, drifted over to the right shoulder and.....BAM.....arse over tit into the ditch. First street bike accident in 45+ years of riding.....so it CAN happen, even after all that time/experience.
Having said all that, I still commute to work most days when it's warm (20 minutes-mostly surface streets with little traffic) but if I had to play dodge'em-cars every morning I'd probably be driving my cage most days. As I've gotten older, I've found that outta-town roads look a lot more attractive.
I understand your dilemma and you are the only one who can make the decision. Good luck with whatever path you choose....but don't sell the bike if you can avoid having to. You WILL end up kicking yourself if you sell it, that I DO know.

I don't have children but I'm married and thought a lot about the risks involved before I committed to getting a bike. I decided that it was/is worth it to me. My wife outright says she's not crazy about me riding but she also understands that it is just something I love to do.

I bought a good life insurance policy a couple of years ago because I was starting hang gliding lessons. I lost interest in that but kept the policy in force. Now, I'm not concerned about the financial impact on my wife if I die. She won't be forced to sell the house or move if she doesn't want to which makes me feel better.

Of course, I don't have a death wish so I ride as safely as I can and wear my Kevlar gear from cycleport all the time. For me, that brings the risks down to acceptable levels.

I wasnt sure if there was an answer to this question until I read Kawaskiman's reply. Like alot of you, myself(and my brother Melvis) got our love of riding from our parents, who both rode. in the summer of 93, it was working out for me, Melvis, and dad to all have bikes. Before it all happened, our father passed away at 52, and he hadnt really rode in about 10 years. I ALMOST wish, knowing now that was going going to die suddenly, that he could have gone out on a bike. I hope that doesnt sound weird, cruel, or sick, but I know dad loved riding and I hated that he left before getting back ona bike regulerly.

Which leads me to the current things........ I think when it is our time to go, a way will be found for it to happen. I BELIEVE that my father was going to die on Oct 20th 1993 NO MATTER what he was doing, so WHY NOT let it have been riding(or any of the other things he loved to do). And for that matter, why NOT do what you love to do and take life as it is and enjoy the day. You WILL live to be old, and ride with your kids, or you WILL be picked to leave this world early, and if the latter is the case, I dont believe riding or NOT riding will change that. I do hope that you ALL love to be a good old age though.


kawsakiman wrote:

i have often thought the same way as you.
a lot of members here know i lost my father to a motorcycle accident in 1986.
i did not ride again for 11 years.
sooner or later you will get the bug again.
it's in our blood. we are hardwired to ride.
not all accidents are fatal.
just ask bluemeanie or mark wing.
they were fucked up pretty good but are alive to tell the story.
i often weigh the difference between riding and leaving my wife a widow and my kids without a father.
it was real hard for us as a family to go on with life after my dad went down but we did.
the only thing i can tell you is everyday make sure you tell your wife and kids you love them before you leave home because you never know if your comming home that night.
it does not have to be bike related either.
i had one of my best friends die of a massive heart attack at the age of 29.
time's up it's up.
i am not trying to tell you what to do in any way, shape or form.
i am just saying you will regret it.
take the bike and squirrel it away in the garage somewhere. then there will be no regrets. it is always there if you change your mind.

you are not having any thoughts we all have had at one point or another.

the thought of never comming home is always with me . it scares the hell out of me.
but like was said, if it is my time, i will go doing what i love. some people never get that chance .