Side swiped last year by a 17 year old yammering on his cell phone to a buddy and with his head down in the floorboard looking for something and going waayyy to fast on a gravel road. Then the cops called it a no fault accident???? I HATE cell phones.

Invariably i have at least one nimrod in a suv on a cell phone, usualy female, try to run me out of my lane or run over me on any given trip through town. Did i mention i Really HATE cell phones?

bill67 wrote on 05/05/12 at 16:38:48:



I use to be able to say that.

First bike in '66, so it's been 46 years now.
One accident...cause ? ... lost concentration and awareness of the situation at the moment...NOT GOOD.
Year ago Feb. it was, riding a shiny black Sportster.
Exiting freeway at a place I'd used for 20 years.
On the offramp turn at 50 mph I got too close to the outside of the turn...where the sand and gravel collects and could not turn to keep myself on the pavement.
Straightened it up and headed for the grass/dirt between exit & on ramps in order to slow down and work back to the pavement.
BUT, my front wheel found a hole first.
Bike stopped INSTANTLY
Rear of bike shot up and slammed my butt breaking 4-5 vertebrae in the process
Went airborne doing a forward flip or 3 and landed on my back.
Broken ribs, bruised kidney & spleen, and few other parts.
P A I N ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
Thank God there were 3 people there within seconds; one calling 911; one keeping me stable until EMS arrived; and a lady asking if there was anyone she could call for me.
Could have easily died if the landing had been head first.
Could easily have been paralyzed if the broken back would have severed the spinal cord ...came within 1 mm of that happening.
5 days in ICU; 3 more days upstairs; 10 days in another hospital for therapy; 4 months in a body brace; about a year in total to get back to something of a normal routine.
............................
I had become complacent having never had an accident for so many years.  I am much more watchful again.  Back to stuff learned in military flight training ... ALWAYS BE ALERT and do not exceed your flight/bike parameters

Oldfeller--FSO wrote on 05/07/12 at 16:50:50:


hahaha  I was afraid i was the only one to take  that the wrong way!

In answer to the question, i had 2 low speed gravel "dumps' in my first summer before i figured out why ... none since then (5 years)

Be careful and alert!  

Started riding roughly 35 years ago but there was about a 13 year hiatus in there between about 1990 and 2003 (I think) when I wasn't riding at all.  I've been down in dirt lots when I was a teenager but only twice on street.  One was at about 25 MPH and the other at about 40 MPH, both in light rain on slick roads.  I have to admit that the slick road also made it less abrasive for me to slide down the road wearing a rainsuit over denim.  Both times my helmet smacked the pavement pretty good.  While I'm not sure that it would have done any permanent damage, it would have likely knocked me out and maybe given me a small bald spot each time.  Having observed this in an oddly detached manner while it was happening, I personally make it a point to always wear a helmet.  I should note that I average a lot less miles annually than a lot of these folks, so my statistics are probably not reliable.  The last time was in '88 (there have been a couple of close calls since though) and I have to admit that I ride only slightly more conservatively than I did when I was younger but I wear better gear.

There's a saying something to the effect that there are two kinds of bikers: those who've been down and those who are going to.  I've been down but have been very lucky in both instances to have only had minor road-rash.  I just try to be better skilled and more aware now and wear better gear to mitigate any possible future damage.

Went down 2 years ago due to 92
year old woman. She blew thru the
stop sign, rear ended me. In a brace
for right thumb for couple months then
surgery. Fusion of the joints and in cast
for 3 months. Then back to brace for a
few more. Total recovery time 10 months.
Bike was totaled yet put back together.

I attribute my safety record in a large part to learning how to ride in the dirt. Several times i got crossed up on the street but I instinctively knew what to do because of my dirt riding skills.

Ive read stats that say people who have dirt riding experience drive thru moments that others fall because of.

I did some dirt riding, on other peoples bikes, & I know it saved my a few times,

justin_o_guy2 wrote on 05/08/12 at 07:10:32:


Thanks man, I appreciate the thoughts.
It was one heck of a wakeup call.