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Riding Again After An Accident


Ryanme17

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I've been down several times, once woke up in the hospital, no recollection of anything from about .25 seconds before the ground apparently attacked me. I was not able to ride the rest of that year (needed to save up to repair her). When I got it rebuilt the next spring, I got back on with no loss of nerve. I cannot say why it seemed to have no effect (other than a large pain in my wallet) on my desire to ride. I suspect a lack of memory helped.

A famous formula 1 driver once said "It takes a certain lack of imagination to do this sort of thing".

All the advice given in this thread is valid. Take the advice, get your head straight, then try to forget fearful part of the experience.

You lived through the experience; focus on that positive!

A MSC basic rider course presented the philosophy: "One starts out with an empty bucket of skill and a full bucket of luck. Your goal is to fill up the experience bucket before the luck bucket is empty.'

The only way to get the experience bucket full is to get back on the machine.

Sending all a wish for a huge bucket of luck.

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It's true what switchblade says that after you've crashed a couple of times you know you'll probably recover and you might as well get on with it.

Something no one else seemed to mention to watch for becoming reckless after a crash. After my last big crash in 03 i proceded to loose my good driver discount in a big way during the year after. I got five tickets for stuff like rolling stops at stop signs and ten over speeding tickets, riding inside the "cone zone" right in front of a black and white, pure stupid stuff, not the Sunday morning ride like your hairs on fire stuff.

I started riding again before the bones were fully knit because I just couldn't sit in a car listening to NPR for one more commute which may have had something to do with it.

I learned to take a zen moment before I got on the bike and clear my mind, trying to be aware of everything but focusing on nothing. It really helped. I try to do it to this day.

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Three of my downers have gone to the foreground of my mind. I start riding again, and working the reasons over.

The 1st was in '72 doing a u-turn on a paved cross over(legal)that I used on a daily basis, this time was at night and some sand truck had been using it, down I went(slow no harm done to me or the bike)lying on my side foot still on the peg, but it was a BMW boxer and the valve cover kept everything from touching the ground. What I learned from it was "If I can't see my exit point I ride as there may be something in my way.(also Colorado gave me 28 years to learn how to roll though sand on the turns in the mountains).

2nd (late '70's) was passing a 3/4 line of of cars in a resi' area when one in line pulled a last sec' left.

What I learned from that was to pull in the clutch when making a power stop so as not to be trying to brake while still giving it the throttle, and the other "TWO" thing was to not pass a line of cars thinking that they'll stay in line, and that passing in a resi' area is not a smooth move in the 1st place. I touched the rear wheel of the left turner with no damage, But had I pulled in the clutch I wouldn't have even touched it.

3rd was a few months ago(key "deer me"), I was riding later than usual and was in the mountains coming around a turn when a bunch(herd) of deer were crossing. I got the speed down to "almost Zero" and instead of not coming to a total stop by choice(was down to about 5 mph or less).... I headed for the last deers butt and would have gone right by, but the deer did a 180º and bumped me in the side which sent me off the pavement into a one foot deep rut/ditch and the bike just fell to the right on a upright bank and pinned my boot between the bike and hill. took a month or two to get back to normal. What I learned from that was not to assume that the deer would keep going. I should have made a complete stop.

So now I'm doing better over-all, from between the sand(1st) and the deer(3rd), I've got my eyes more focused all 'round but keeping more of a long range look going, "and my speed is down", but it's moving back up with time, but I'm doing a lot more power-stops practice (using the clutch)....... And no I don't have abs, and even though I haven't as yet whipped the rear around doing power-stops I wish I had abs, it's got to be better.

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Lots of times you may see a deer crossing , cant assume thats all is there is, there can be delayed stragglers too in a full Jaunt, unless there's good easement to view and rule out, take hede.

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It's true what switchblade says that after you've crashed a couple of times you know you'll probably recover and you might as well get on with it.

Something no one else seemed to mention to watch for becoming reckless after a crash. After my last big crash in 03 i proceded to loose my good driver discount in a big way during the year after. I got five tickets for stuff like rolling stops at stop signs and ten over speeding tickets, riding inside the "cone zone" right in front of a black and white, pure stupid stuff, not the Sunday morning ride like your hairs on fire stuff.

I started riding again before the bones were fully knit because I just couldn't sit in a car listening to NPR for one more commute which may have had something to do with it.

I learned to take a zen moment before I got on the bike and clear my mind, trying to be aware of everything but focusing on nothing. It really helped. I try to do it to this day.

+1 stop and take a zen moment.

I find myself pulling off the road and relaxing for a couple minutes.

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Smoking a Fat one has always helped me relax! :rolleyes:

Just take your time when re-entering after a crash. Track days, MSF courses and dirt biking can all help.

BR

I Kid about the Fat one, sober is the only way to ride IMO.

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Another year later and I'm 10 times the rider that I used to be. It seems like a lifetime ago that I was so nervous and twitchy after the accident. I'm glad I had people's advice to take it slow and to work on technique. It was that working on technique that made me a better rider.

If I could go back and do it all over again, I would have done a track day sooner. I'm sure that would have made me a more confident (and less twitchy and therefore safer) rider. But hindsight is 20/20, and maybe I needed that time to work on technique before doing a track day. The Lee Parks Course, and going to another TMAC really made a big difference.

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I sometimes have those same feeling but it usually when I realize I have put myself it a bad position. You know the hair on the back of neck stands up. The little inside warning that says hey the last time this happened I spent two weeks in intensive care unit. I back off or pull over or grab two gears and get the hell out of dodge.

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No road crashes, but did on the track early on, then several later as I pushed it to learn more at the edge. It kind of gets it out of your system to see where a reasonable limit is and survive the error, having learned from it. I am not saying that one needs to crash to learn not to crash, but rather saying that focusing on NOT crashing is a good way to sap your attention to actual riding needs and make it more likely to crash. Getting good at leaning and braking on the track prepares your skill set so much that it is way more than you should ever need on the highway. It builds confidence and gets the "tentative" cobwebs of doubt out of your head. I totally agree that seat time heals much, but I heartily endorse those "do a trackday" urgings posted here.

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Interesting reading. I have spent more time on VFRD in the past 2 months than ever, as I lay here in a hospital bed in my den wishing I could sleep. It's great to hear all the success stories, and I hope to get back on a bike someday. But like they say, you've got to walk before you can run, and I'm still not able to walk! My head-on accident Nov 25 almost killed me, and I don't know if my wife (my wonderful nurse) could take it again. No matter how good my tires are, or how polished my skills are, I will have a hard time getting over the thought of a car crossing the yellow line. Maybe if this thread stays alive for a few years, I'll post my own success story. So for now, I enjoy watching all the videos you guys post and reminiscing of the good old days. Hope to see you guys at TMAC!

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Do you ever get the feeling that you are thread killer? It's like being the last one picked in a school yard ball game.

Mike,

This thread has died and been resurrected enough times that I'm not sure you've killed it. Each time it's resurrected I reflect back on it after however many months have passed. I am not yet convinced that you might not resurrect this thread yourself with tales of you out riding again. Even if it's only on a closed course at slower speeds.

Though I was uninjured (and therefore can't even begin to imagine what you've gone through these past few months), there were times I almost quit riding, but I am glad now that I stuck it out. I'm not ready to give up on you yet.

Hang in there. It's too soon to talk about riding now, but take it one step at a time. First the bathroom, then the world.

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+100 on replacing those badly cupped Duncraps.......

I ruined a whole season of riding trying to extend the road life of my also badly cupped front Dunlop tire a couple of years ago. The bike's nervous handling totally took all the pleasure away from riding my VFR.

It was like rediscovering real riding again after I replaced it with new PR2CTs. Night and Day!

No more Dunlops on my bike ever! Every set of Dunlops I have put on the bike, including the originals cupped badly and never seem to have performed to anywhere near what the bike's real potential is.

Beck

95 VFR

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Beck, The Q2 is a very good tire, probably the best Dunlop has to offer(other than track tires).

It handles very good, has excellent grip and didn't have the normal cupping issues most of their other tires had.

I tried a set and enjoyed them, but they don't exceed the performance in any noticeable way of my current PP/PR2 combo and don't last near as long so I won't buy another set until they update them again.

A very good tire though.

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Took me several years before I felt comfortable on a bike again after a nasty spill. You'll gradually get more and more confident over time. I take it much, much easier now that I've had a get-off - slower pace, enjoy the scenery, and stay alive.

I think the suggestion of a track day would be a good place to start too. Although I've never done one, I've done lots of training for a local motorcycle training class. Having a place to push things and find out what you and your bike can do made a big difference.

Ditto.

Better confidence inspiring tires, some seat time, and lots of left-handed (side I spilled on) sweepers helped me a lot.

And patience.

The key was to overcome my panic instinct (to let up off the throttle when I felt threatened: almost always a bad thing for you and the bike) and push my comfort level SLOWLY.

I still get that feeling once in a blue moon it turns out. Like when I was pushing a corner hard in Utah and experienced some noticeable front tire slide over tar snakes, it kicked in again. I drifted wide in the corner and crossed the centerline, much to my disgust.

I really think track days would help, and I plan on taking part in some next riding season, if possible.

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I crashed pretty bad back in 2009, 5 weeks before my wedding. Compound fracture of my femur, and also broke tib and fib. My foot was up near my hip somewhere. Sliding into the guard rail was better than sliding off the edge, though.

I remember the road was smooth then bumpy, then i was on the side of the road wondering who took my gloves off, apparently it was me. I managed to take off my belt and wrap it around my leg as a tourniquet, wasn't sure if my femur had torn the artery on its way out or not.

Choppered to hospital (my mates i was riding with almost beat the chopper), 3 weeks in hospital, a lot of conversations with my then fiancee about me still riding, and then married on crutches.

A month out of hospital and i was back on my other bike (gsxr 600 srad) doing laps around the carpark in my apartment block, I just wanted to get back on the horse, so to speak.

I had 2 minor crashes since then ( in the first 6 months after the crash) when i panicked for one reason or another, and then picked the bike up and continued on my merry way; low speed stupid stuff.

I knew i was panicking because of the accident, so i did a california superbike school which helped a lot, it also got me positioning my body better, especially my leg. After it's rebuild my foot isn't quite straight, and it's not a flexible as it was. I've done a few track days on the vfr as well to get used to it - the bike i totaled i had owned for 10 years, a gsxr 711, 185kgs wet weight and 130hp at the wheel. Lovely for a 20 year old bike.

It takes time to get the confidence back, but if you work at it, it'll come.

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After my prang on the Nurburgring, my thoughts at max lean are still about crashing. Gotta stop that

I've been there several times, but only as spectator. In normal weekends the ring is full of idiots driving like crazy. Every time i watched, i saw motorcylce's crashing. 20 kilometers of curves is difficult to learn. And knowing myself i am a crash candidate too. Crashed twice on the open road and hate it. Only professional riders, who know every curve are really fast.

Not his fastest lap time of 7.49.71. but 10 seconds slower, caused by the camera equipment of the ninetys. His trackrecord dates from 1993 on a RC30

My advice for the ring is a good bike with upgraded suspension and a set of supercorsa's or newest pilot powers. On normal roadtyres forget it speeds are to high. I have nearly melted dunlop tyres on the autobahn, only straight out. Make a few rounds before you open up the trothle.

Every year a lot of the Dutch sportriders go to the ring and many of them crash their bikes. It is a challenging circuit.

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