Thinking of giving up riding

Guys I need your help (as usual),

There was a bad accident outsise our camp the other night where a rider was sadly killed. Initial reports look like he came out of a 60 into a 30 without slowing down where he met a sharp left and lost control hitting a telegraph pole. No other vehicles were involved.

Sorry to be graphic but this has hit home a bit and has made me think twice about riding on the road and ultimately, selling the mille.

Whilst the accident, on the facts available, looks like the riders fault, it's made me realise that anything can happen. I've had a few accidents in the past as I'm sure we all have but this has clicked for some reason. Maybe because it was so close to home.

Still got a Track day booked for the 13th July at Cadwell so maybe that'll help get my head round it. Who knows.

I love bikes and giving it up will be harder than quitting heroin (I assume) but I'm dreading going out there again as, just like Oli has found out recently, anything can happen on the roads.

I live and breathe bikes and it's what seperates me from everyone else. It makes me that bit unique and individual over most others. Without bikes I'd feel like everyone else. A number.

What do you think?

Mate, do you ride at 60 in a 30? Do you 'read' bends that you don't know? If you're at all unsure about riding safely, go and get some training/more training. Part of riding a bike on the road is to be much better than your average car driver - you have to be. These skills can be learned and there are a lot of people out there who can teach them to you.
Sure things can happen beyond your control - just tonight I came sweeping round a bend on a country road - well within 'stopping in the distance I could see' - only to be confronted with a police car on a blue light run doing about 90 on my side of the road, overtaking someone who had pulled over (we're infested with filth tonight as it's the Solstice and we're right near the Henge).
I reacted, he reacted, moment over but lucky.
My point? Feck it, it's Saturday night; I don't have one. But only you know whether you want to go on or not.

MM,
Ultimately you have to make your own decision. Same as the poor guy who bought it. I rode past the scene yesterday and paid my respects.Will it make me think of giving up??? No, but it makes you think...We are all vunerable even more so people like our selves by the nature of our jobs but as they say life goes on. Bikes only go as fast as your right hand dictates, the wiser ones recognise the red mist and back off, its called experience...What I'm trying to say is if we all learn then the poor guy didn't die in vain.
If your up for it give us a bell and Viper and I will go out for a spin and hopefully help you make a decision. :cheers

Hi MM, I know what you mean here as I've gone through it myself a couple of times. Go with your instincts and don't ride just yet. The first time I felt this way I stayed off my bike for a couple of months then went out on my own to 'test' the feel etc. The second time I went straight out but it just felt rubbish. I just kept thinking 'what if' all the time.

Wait until after your Cadwell day then, if you still feel wary you know what you need to do.

By the way, I never gave it up but as someone said above, I learnt from the incidents and also realised I don't make the same mistakes they had made.

i understand where your comming from, after that car hit me i felt a bit like that, i have a 2y/o boy n thinking what could have happend.

This is what my WIFE said to me:

"You have had 2 friends killed in a car crash, 1 killed on a bike, your mother is fighting cancer, you have one life so go and live it do what you love to do, plus you will be hell to live with wihout a bike..."

We all take chances and now i tend to weigh them up a little better

Stay save guys

i have to say i do stupid things on the road like on friday evening with smiffy and hooked had my son on the back doing speeds on A roads which i aint saying my point is: everytime i get home i feel i was being stupid especially with my lad on the back at night where you can't see much on the road or some corners for that ! but is it people around you that you feel you have to prove yourself all the time well i've slowed down alot and still get the little digs and i know they say they are joking but any rider takes it personnaly and thinks fook it i'll show you how slow you really are ? is this dumb yes it is!
biking for me is all LUCK ! part commonsense aswell ,me i couldn't give up biking and ive seen some bad accidents ,just stops and makes you think what you do!
it can only be your decision mate .

live your life to the full

The very fact that you have taken in the accident details and questioned your own riding technique/skills has already made you a better rider.

The details you have of this accident will be stored in your memory and will therefore have a bearing on your decisions regarding speed and reading the road ahead.

As far as I'm concerned the old saying "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger/better" is very true, this experience will have made you take stock of your normal actions on the bike and perhaps adapt them a little to prevent you making the same mistakes as this poor soul.

In short, live for the moment and be as safe as you can, no one can predict what will happen tomorrow so live life to the full at every opportunity.

RIP that poor rider!

oli said:

i understand where your comming from, after that car hit me i felt a bit like that, i have a 2y/o boy n thinking what could have happend.

This is what my WIFE said to me:

"You have had 2 friends killed in a car crash, 1 killed on a bike, your mother is fighting cancer, you have one life so go and live it do what you love to do, plus you will be hell to live with wihout a bike..."

We all take chances and now i tend to weigh them up a little better

Stay save guys

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Mate, your wife is cool:thumbup

she has her moments..:thumbup

You could be crossing the road and something happens, can't say you'll never walk across the road again? we all know the risks, weither you ride on road or track, keep it in your pants and you'll be fine, its when you start doing stupid things is where the accidents start to happen.

I had a couple of VERY low speed spills when I first passed my test, then nothing for 7 years. Partly because I had a bike stolen which left me without a bike for some time - then the getting used to riding slowed me down a bit, then the wife and I spent a year without a bikes whilst saving up for our wedding (she still hasn't got one but she's preggers so can't ride anyway) and again getting used to it slowed me down a bit. But I soon got used to my '99 blade, one of the bikes I always wanted and some mates even commented how much faster I was riding on it. It felt great, and I was starting to really relax into corners.
Then one morning out with one of my mates I came off at 60 (I slowed down for the corner as it was a 90deg left). Fortunately, there was nothing coming the other way, fortunately, the road was wide enough and I stopped sliding soon enough that I didn't launch over the grassy bank into the **** on the other side. Fortunately my mate managed not to run me over- he got target fixation on me sliding down the road and was lucky not to hit me or crash trying to avoid me.
I know that 7 years without accident says a lot about my riding, but I also know that I was very lucky not to be very seriously injured at that speed. Since the accident I have been riding slower, keeping within speed limits or near enough that my license is in no danger. I have had trouble with left hand corners. But I know that i will probably speed up a bit as I get used to the new bike. What was said up there is right, you can either be very cautious, or you can enjoy life.

I have, however, promised myself that if I do have another accident within a set time frame that I will be seriously reviewing my riding and type of bike that I ride. I have a 10 year old son, and my wife is pregnant with our first child together. **** happens from time to time. I've chopped vegetables thousands of times, but every now and then I manage to get my finger! I've walked thousands and thousands of miles but every now and then I'll trip over an ant! I'm not particularly accident prone, stuff happens. All I can do is make sure my bike is well maintained and I keep up my observations as I ride. One accident doesn't make a careless or dangerous rider but even one accident can end your life, not just on a bike though, so why stop riding?

Sorry to go on but it's something I've thought long and hard about recently too. A friend was killed a couple of years ago, and another broke his top 2 vertebrae in a 130mph off at Brands last year (he's pretty much fine now though). Then I had my off and I've got a baby on the way.......

we all do some silly things but when your time comes it will come i drive lorries for a living and on my travels i've seen some sights at accident sights and some of my mates have been involved in some accidents that have involved fatalities but i wouldn't stop driving your missus has the same opinion as mine i'd be a beasr with a sore head without a bike..............

oli said:

This is what my WIFE said to me:

"You have had 2 friends killed in a car crash, 1 killed on a bike, your mother is fighting cancer, you have one life so go and live it do what you love to do, plus you will be hell to live with wihout a bike..."

Click to expand...

I concur with the other Oli. You're a lucky barsteward.

Think i'll take Bob's advice and wait out until after Cadwell. Will let you know then.

I couldn;t sleep last night thinking about it. Speaking of which, looking at the timings of some of the replies Do you lot ever sleep? Or let me guess, you were up all night fixing yet another problem with the mille.

Oh, and cheers for your thoughts all. some mahoosive posts there.

My wife has got me well insured.

She loves it when I go out on my bike!

My misses says you can't polish a turd! So I'm stuck with bikes for the long term!
Dude confidence in yourself is all it requires! You be cool no worries!

Quit street riding, have only a track bike if you are so worried.

You sooner(usualy this) or later run out of good roads, its dangerous, incoming trafic , always something on the tarmac that doesnt bellong there and so on... You can never ride the way your bike was meant to.

On the track if you fall, its you fault, or you were just to fast and even if you fall you get away with some scratches on your leather and fairings. And its also a lot more fun

I use the bike for both, slow on the street and to get to work, very minimal risk . On the the track I go as fast as my brains an tyres let me , you do a trackday once or twice a month and you wont even feel the need for riding on the street all that you will feel is the pain from the trackday .

Rob

I was out on shift in RAF2 on Thursday, and we were called to attend the motorcycle incident. Due to a balls up with MDT and information, although only 400 yards away we went via Carterton then Foxbury Farm to the incident.

When we arrived (after being told 3 bikes were involved) we came across the scene, the Witney solo paramedic (We were on cover at Brize) had already arrived and was just checking for signs of life, We had already been told there was 1 probable fatality and to expect 2 more serious casualties. Fortunately the other 2 riders were not involved.

Now, I don't want to get into the mechanism of injury and all the other stuff about the scene and the rider involved, and to be honest it would be negligent of me to do so, as that stuff is not for public broadcast and is patient/ doctor personal as it were, however I had a chance to think about the scene, the rider, his very, very serious injuries (He died very quickly), his mates, the 2 girls of about 15 who gave first aid (They were just out for a cycle ride), etc and to be honest I did not sleep at all well myself...................However, suffice to say in my opinion, and it is only an opinion, the guy (Who was RAF) seemed to be riding irresponsibly and way, way, too fast for the road or conditions, the bend was not severe but I suspect panic braking had alot to do with the cause, also in my opinion he was second in a group of 3 and was trying to catch up with the "leader".
He appeared not to know the road as he made no significant attempt to slow down ready for the "T" junction he was rapidly approacing a mere 150 - 200 yards ahead after the bend. (And it's clearly signposted)

Now, I still hold to my opinion, and if it is wrong then I apologise, however I guess the point I am trying to make is, don't ride beyond your ability, I don't anymore, I used to try to catch up with "Mr speed demon" once, but now, well, I will meet him again eventually during the ride, at a junction or traffic light, roundabout, traffic, cow, sheep, pedestrian crossing, or any other obstruction put in the way of a simple ride out with mates.

Mate, I thought hard about it, it's not nice seeing a very recently dead person, less so when he is a fellow rider, even less so when you are a volunteer ambulance responder, but you have to get on with life.

Come and see me in my office or I'll pop over for a chat and coffee (In Afghan Tue/Wed though) or Andy and I will take you out for a ride, we are old fuckers now so we can't ride too fast..................it makes our pee bags flap in the wind, but whatever you decide, make sure you are positive it's what you want.

Cheers Rob

Ps get out on 3rd manning you skiver!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks Ian.

Already booked on one on weds and will be speaking to taff tomorrow to do the day shift on the thursday too.

Anyway. Cheers for the advice. All of you. I can't imagine what was going through your mind at the scene Ian. Or after. I'm on days monday and tuesday so i'll pop up and see you.

Cheers.

In pretty much in agreement with the rest really.

Life is full of risks in everything we do you just do what you can do personally to minimise them, be that training, slowing down etc etc.

For me it has a bit to do with faith in your ability to ride within your limits and not put yourself in situations where it can get ugly. Sure we all like a hoon but at mid afternoon on the local tourist route on a sunny Sunday it's gonna be full of codgers looking at the fields and not the roads etc.

3 times more people in the UK commit suicide than are involved in fatal road accidents so you more likely to do yourself in than have an accident.
Just keep it real and don't try to turn your local road into the TT and you'll be fine.

Yes there are some reckless riders that you will hear fatalaty stories about and a few very unlucky people involved in other peoples accidents but if you go through life thinking your gonna be one then you wouldn't do anything.
I've never met anyone over 60 that said they did too much with their lives but lots that didn't feel they did enough or lived it to the full.