TED
Novice Class
Posts: 41
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posted January 18, 2002 05:26 AM
bad accident
hi everyone,
my friends wife who rides a zx6r went down on wed. Nobody else involved her husband was infront of her. I think it was lack of experience no real reson for her to go down.
she's pretty banged up broken wrist and collar bone plus the scary part she has a compression break of her 7th vertibrea. She can move and doctors say she will be ok maybe som back pain in the future but who knows. They are getting a brace for her back then they want her up and walking.
she says she's done riding has three kids and this is it. Her husband may be done also!
I know the risks and I don't bullshit myself I know that when I swing my leg over and start the machine I may never come home but my wife is really worried she says our three kids need a father and no matter who's falt it is, Dead is dead.
I need some input you guys are my sounding board. I love riding and I love my 12.
Ted
   
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silver01bullit
Expert Class
on here too much
Posts: 333
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posted January 18, 2002 05:33 AM
Keep the bike but say a little prayer every time you saddle up and ride a little slower than you used to. Very sorry to hear of your friends, hope she's ok 
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MadMike
Moderator
FEAR THE BLACK FLAG!!!!!!!!
Posts: 6579
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posted January 18, 2002 05:36 AM
You have to look at what riding is doing for you. I have owned a bike since I was 7 yrs old and the longest that I did not have one was 1 month when I traded in my 10 waiting for my 12, I had to go buy a basket case just to have a bike in the garage! for me man I could never Not have a bike. and as for your wife being worried. that is understandable but if it is something you love, youve got to do it! she will understand! if your just doing it for a hobby maybe you can give it up, but I never could! well that is just my .02.. and rember this lady had low experience.. My girlfriend wrecked last year but she was going slow. and she thinks it is all the cars fault. but It was inexperience. but we all have wrecked, and just when and how. I believe that when your ticket is up... The Train Ride is Over!! on your couch or on the road!
mad mike
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TED
Novice Class
Posts: 41
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posted January 18, 2002 05:41 AM
thanks that's how I feel but just wondering if I'm being selfish. I also believe when your time is up its up weather your in bed or doing 120 with a smile from ear to ear.
ted
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harryzx-12
Needs a job
Posts: 3643
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posted January 18, 2002 05:42 AM
I hope she recovers soon
I think similarily to you Ted in that I think every time before I ride that this could be the last time I ride if I don't concentrate.I will not quit riding because I get into an accident,if that was going to happen ,it already would have.
When I crashed in july all I could think of is how long would it take me to get my bike fixed so I could ride again and how long it would be before I healed.To stop riding never crossed my mind.
To ride or not is an individual decision and I wouldn't think any less of a person for making a decision not to ride
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"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways- Body thoroughly used up, totally worn out...Screaming "WOO HOO, What a Ride !!!"
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pat830
Expert Class
Posts: 135
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posted January 18, 2002 06:11 AM
 Edited By: pat830 on 18 Jan 2002 06:12
I hope your friends wife recovers soon and is better than ever.
But you shouldn't be scared to live. You can get killed in a car accident just as easy as on a bike. Just be careful and don't ride in a manner that puts you in danger.
PS. Always make sure you have enough life insurance to take care of the family.
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Koz
Expert Class
Posts: 304
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posted January 18, 2002 08:56 AM
I'm not afraid of dieing, I'm afraid of not living!
Koz
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Otis
Needs a job
Captain Kickstand
Posts: 3028
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posted January 18, 2002 09:34 AM
Very sorry to hear about her accident Ted and I hope she heals quickly. You are going through what thousands have before after seeing a friend go down. If you indeed are a motorcyclist, which I know you are, by riding you're not being selfish you are being true to yourself and your wife and family. Don't second guess that. Just be safe, unlike the fella they are talking about on Labusas that was not wearing a helmet, now THAT'S being selfish.
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It's a free country brother
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Otis
Needs a job
Captain Kickstand
Posts: 3028
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posted January 18, 2002 09:35 AM
quote:
I'm not afraid of dieing, I'm afraid of not living!
Koz
AMEN TO THAT KOZ!!
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It's a free country brother
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Bagster
Zone Head
Posts: 630
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posted January 18, 2002 10:25 AM
ouchies!
sorry to hear about your wife ted.
give her all of our best wishes for a quick and full recovery.
is she desperately against you ever riding again or do you think that the promise of taking it easier than normal, and extending those imaginary buffer zones around you on the street would be enough to quell her fears?
if you have to give it up, i am very sorry for you 8^(
although it IS in the best interest of the children (who will probably all be bikers when they grow up anyhow. ;-)
take EXTRA care of that wife now, ya hear!
sincerely,
bags
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Bagster
Zone Head
Posts: 630
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posted January 18, 2002 10:31 AM
oops!
i just noticed...
your FRIENDS wife was hurt, not YOURS!
thats still a very bad deal.
be sure to cook up a lasagna and take it over there.
its the worlds most "healing" food.
well, it makes me feel good! ;-)
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TED
Novice Class
Posts: 41
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posted January 18, 2002 11:04 AM
thanks for all the input.
your all great and I'm pretty sure when the weather around here gets a little warmer I will be taking my Big green monster back out and live life. My mother died at 49 and I told myself then that I was going to live my life and not worry I guess I just needed a little reminder. take care all.
Ted
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princesskiwi
Administrator
MISTRESS of SMACK
Posts: 7688
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posted January 18, 2002 11:45 AM
Riding is Selfish, and if you have kids, even more so.
How does riding a Motorcycle make you a better parent?
A better husband/wife?
A better person?
I ride, I ride for me. I don't ride for the person infront, beside or behind me.
I don't ride for all the people I leave behind when I get on my bike.
I hope your friend heals fast and if she makes the choice to give up the bike, he should too.
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princesskiwi
Administrator
MISTRESS of SMACK
Posts: 7688
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posted January 18, 2002 11:58 AM
oh, and thanks for saying that she had an accident on her ZX6-R.....
I already had one phone call from the husband to me at work freeking out cause someone's wife died while riding a 6, and now her children are motherless...
(Proving that sometimes even Fish doesn't read)
Now I know I will go home to the old battle that a woman shouldn't ride if she is a mom, but for some fucked up reason it's ok if your a dad....
Are Dad's not as important to their kids as Mom's???
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The dose differentiates a poison and a remedy....
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hondo
Expert Class
Posts: 140
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posted January 18, 2002 12:09 PM
I guess my outlook has a little different perspective than most. Roughly 17 years ago I was told that I only had 3-6 months to live. The good lord wasn't done with me yet I guess, because I'm still around. To me the risks riding a motorcycle are miniscule compared to some of the other things I've went through, so I'm going to ride. I'm trying to understand if riding a motorcycle can be called selfish. I think in the general sense, no. Riding a motorcycle in the simplist terms, it's just transportation. Now if you're riding and depriving your family food on the table then that is a different story. If it came down to not riding to save my marriage, then I would quit, but my wife wouldn't ask me to quit. She understands.
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Candy Persimmon Red may be slower, but I'm trying!
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TED
Novice Class
Posts: 41
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posted January 18, 2002 12:13 PM
Princess,
I don't think it makes a difference wheather its a mother/father sister,brother friend etc. I think if you want to Ride by all means a person should ride. I also think that a father is just as important as a mother and I wouldn't want to have to tell my Kid's their mother was dead just as I don't want her to have to tell them their father is dead. I will have no problem if both of them give up riding I am making my decisions based on how I feel.
I think it great that women ride it a great sport all to enjoy.
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speednuts
Novice Class
Posts: 37
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posted January 18, 2002 12:20 PM
May God Look Over All Two Wheelers...
I was a paramedic for eight years. I've seen my share of vehicle accidents which claimed many lives, maimed many others and destroyed families, realtionships and lives altogether. My family too has had tradgedies due to motorcycle accidents. This is my third Ninja. The other two were sold to make way for the new bike. My family doesn't know about this latest one but if they did I'm sure they would be calling everyday to beg me to sell it. I know because they did when they found out about the first. I have ridden all my life and I hope to continue to always. I also think about what I'm about to do each time I ride. I find comfort in believing that the man upstairs has it all planned out. If it's my time then it doens't matter what I'm doing...it's my time. Some may call it denial. I call it faith. That said, I don't tempt my fate by acting like a total ass either. Sure I ride fast and occassionally act up, but I spend most of my time in the twisties and away from others who mighht be injured as a result of my imprudence should I err in judgement. I wish others would follow suit and ride more responsibly. God bless us all (and I don't even attend church, but I do take riding and all its' consequences very seriously)!
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Scooter
Zone Head
Posts: 899
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posted January 18, 2002 01:45 PM
Edited By: Scooter on 18 Jan 2002 13:46
Hope she recovers fully.
Somebody somewhere is gonna crash. It may be very minor but eventually your turn will come. Best thing you can do is be prepared. Brush up your skills, read whats available, wear gear, and be alert( we need more lerts out there).
That being said, my wife rides a ZR7. We take our daughters on weekend trips once in a while. Every time I think "What if...". Gives me shivers but it really puts you in the frame of mind to ride responsibly, take no chances, watch out for the other guy and leave your ego at home. Wearing communicators helps too. You never have to second guess each other.
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"Growing old is inevitable, growing up is optional."
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12RPilot
Pro
Posts: 1094
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posted January 18, 2002 02:10 PM
I think if you consider riding a motorcycle inherently quite dangerous then it would be a selfish act to ride. I am careful to the point that I don't think my life is at any more risk than during other daily activities.
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If you aren't an AMA member, you're part of the problem.
NESBA #209
http://www.bikepics.com/members/12rpilot/04zx10r/
 
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VINCE12
Expert Class
Designated Drinker.
Posts: 298
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posted January 18, 2002 02:42 PM
"I refuse to tiptoe through life only to arrive safely at death"
This sums up my feelings on riding!!!
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2012 Metallic Spark Black ZX14R
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ZX12Girl
Pro
Adrenaline Junkie
Posts: 1740
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posted January 18, 2002 05:07 PM
quote:
"I refuse to tiptoe through life only to arrive safely at death"
This sums up my feelings on riding!!!
I'm with you Vince.... Life is too short not to do what you enjoy!!!
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Life is an adventure. Are you driving?
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ZX12Girl
Pro
Adrenaline Junkie
Posts: 1740
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posted January 18, 2002 05:08 PM
Ted
Very sorry to hear of this!!! I hope that she is ok!!!
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Life is an adventure. Are you driving?
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redelk
Moderator
Please... speak to the hand.
Posts: 3212
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posted January 18, 2002 05:38 PM
I've actually been thinkin' on this one (scarry thought)
First, my condolences, to your friend's wife. Thankfully, it appears that she will recover. Only time will till if it will be a "full" recovery. I also understand their reasoning on forgoing any future riding. It is solely their choice and I respect that. I doesn't matter if I agree with it or not. I'm not "them".
Second, would it affect my views toward my riding a motorcycle or how I ride? No. It's not that I'm under some stupid belief that it would not happen to me, because I'm not. I remember a while back, Dirty Pete said in a post on LA Busa that EVERY motorcycle accident could have been avoided. I understood the logic in his belief that if we were forever vigilant while riding, it would be possible to avoid just about any possible accident scenario.
I found only one fault in he belief. Motorcycles are usually operated by "humans". "Humans" have a tendency not to be perfect. To be forever vigilant for every nano second that one was operating a motorcycle would require perfection. This is not possible, due to the second sentence in this paragraph.
Still, there is so much one can do to greatly improve one's odds of a serious or even fatal injury. Every one of them is just plain ole common sense.
1. Do not drink alcohol or consume mind or physically altering drugs (legal or otherwise) and operate a motorcycle.
2. Always dress appropriately for the type of riding you plan on doing.
Blue jeans and a t-shirt might not be a wise choice for doing a few high speed runs or a spirited ride on the back roads. Many times, I've found that wearing full gear (one piece leathers, boots, gloves, full face helmet AND a spine protector) to be less the comfortable. In the heat of the summer, it could almost be miserable. Still, I've never rode in weather that was so hot that it was equal to the heat of my body sliding across the pavement at 100 mph. Since I choose to ride in a spirited manner, I dress accordingly.
3. Always have a properly maintained bike. 'nuff said.
4. Race schools, open track days and MSF safety courses. When I did my MSF experienced rider course, I was the only sportbike among 30 cruisers and Gold Wings. I thought it to be a sad commentary of sportbike riders. Did I learn volumes of information from the course? No, not really. At the time, they were still using the teaching methods that were written in the late 80's (four fingers on the brake lever and such). Still, it was worth it as a refresher to some aspects that I had forgotten or taken for granted.
When I got my CMRA novice license, I assure you that I set no track records. I will not embarrass myself in telling you what type of bikes regularly stuffed me in the corners. What I did learn was what I was capable of (nowhere close to the bike's capabilities) and actually had an opportunity to improve upon them in a controlled environment.
I later went to a different track on an open track day and got a chance to apply what I had learned earlier. I was extremely proud that I had smoked Tommy Hayden's track record by a full five seconds or more. Of course, his track record was set riding a YSR50, but I still BEAT Tommy Hayden. That's all that mattered to me.
Sadly, I have not gone back to the nearby (meaning 400 miles or less) tracks as often as I would like or really need to. I also haven't gone to a school like STARS, either. Not that I don't think I need it, but time and money has always gotten in the way. It won't forever though and I will find a way to go back... SOON!
SO....
Having said all that, it's very possible that all of the above would not have made any difference in what happened to your friend's wife. I use my experience as a gauge of how I will ride. Because of what I lack in experience, I am usually the one that most of the group has to wait on. Even after over 100,000 miles of riding (in the past 5 years), I still try to acknowledge what my limitations are and ride accordingly.
Guess what? The very next ride I take, I still could just as easily do something stupid or have something happen that was completely out of my control... and end up dead. I've often said that due to the stupid thing I did while doin' cocaine and meth (which was stupid in itself), I should have died many times over. It could have been an OD (I'd do a WHOLE lot at once) or from the times a gun was held against my head (damn those unhappy "clients"). The thing is... I didn't. It wasn't like I wasn't trying, but someone up above saw fit to give me some "bonus time". They just didn't bother to tell me how much.
I'm lucky in the fact that my childern are grown and I'm a grandfather. Still, I do have responsibilites to them (they all still live with me) and to my employees that work for my company. I just spoke with my father (who has retired, but still comes down every once and a while) about this very thing. He doesn't ride motorcycles and the only time he did, he wrecked. Still, has has done so many things in his 75 years on this planet that many would say were reckless or life endangering.
He's stormed the beaches during D-Day and he's been on almost a dozen safaris in various parts of Africa (and not the "photographic" kind either!). Several of these safaris were during I and my siblings childhood. Were they as dangerous a riding a bike at 150 mph? That will always be debatable. The point is that now at his age, he knows he'll never be able to go on another safari or even hunt ducks in south Arkansas again.
What he does know is that on those mornings when his fragile body will not even allow him to get out of bed (he's not in the best of health), that he can still look back at those things he enjoyed doing so much, those very things that some call "senseless risks" and realize that he has "lived" life. He was "alive" and not just "living".
We all take risks everytime we pull the covers off and attempt to get out of bed. The results of the risks we take can even sometimes be something unexpected or beyond our control. Should this be what determines us taking the risk in the first place? For me... no. My object with the "bonus time" is not to take risks and die. It is to make any "risk" a calculated one and live.
"Risk" is just another name for "Opportunity". If I live long enough, there will come a time when I will no longer be able to take advantage of these "opportunities". I can not bear to think that I chose to forgo these opportunities to be alive, just because I wanted to remain among living. If it gets to the point where they have to roll me over to change my Depends, I'm going to be the one that's laying there with a big smile on my face. That's because I'll be able to think back to that time I smoked Tommy Hayden's record.
One must always choose if it is a "risk" or an "opportunity" and act accordingly. It must be remembered, this is also a choice of being alive or just living. If one was to choose living, I tip my helmet to them. I hope they will enjoy living as much as I enjoy being alive!
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There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing, and mountaineering; all the rest are merely games.
-Ernest Hemingway
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BFLY
Expert Class
Posts: 188
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posted January 20, 2002 09:08 PM
having three boys myself i find my self asking more and more if or when that day comes how would they feel.
how would there lives be without me?
well for me my dad died when i was 8 thinking back there are many times i wish he would have been around would my life have been diffrent for sure better or worse unknown.
i can say one thing for sure i would be missed and it would be harder on my famliy. so knowing all this i'm i being selfish when i go out riding sure am.
do i talk with my boys about all that i've stated above all the time. truth be known if just one would say hey dad please dont ride tonight ect. i would consider it and ask them why.
if the day comes and they ask me to give it up till there older i would in a heartbeat. i can also say i've given up street racing and move it to a track i go alot slower do to all this being more up front in my mind. pluse the fact that i've been down three times and know my luck just might be running out. ride or be there for my boys.
i'll try and do both as long as i can god willing.
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ZXtra
Expert Class
Posts: 490
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posted January 20, 2002 09:47 PM
TED...Sorry to hear about your friend. I hope she makes a full recovery.
Riding motorcycles is a very passionate undertaking. Motorcycle riders experience a sense of freedom, power, and adrenaline rush that is pretty unique. And you don't have to be a millionaire to appreciate it.
The flip side is people who don't like motorcycles really hate them. This usually derives from numerous news articles they've read about accidents or from bad experiences from people they know.
Asking someone to give up something that is an important part of their life style is not the answer. Motorcycle accidents can be tragic but you can make adjustments. If you enjoy riding enough that you don't want to quit, even when you're being pressured, there certainly are things that you can do to safegaurd yourself and reassure your significant other. Always wear your riding gear. Make sure you drive defensively. Just in case the worst does happen, make sure that your insurances are adequate and paid up.-ZXtra
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The sixth sick sheik's sixth sheep's sick!
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