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ScorpionKing fury down, rider ok

12K views 70 replies 32 participants last post by  Thornhill16 
#1 ·
Hello Bros,
Today as I sat down in the towing truck from Julian to Chula Vista, CA.
I wondered if I should ride again.

I though to share with you and see what would you do? And share what the tow truck driver had to say.
Went on a ride with one of my buddies and his friend who I never met before, both have BMW bikes.
The new guy has not ridden bike for 30 years and just got back into it 2 weeks ago.
Along the way to Julian I noticed he would brakes on the turns so I kept my distance also along the way he almost ran into the lead rider when he did not notice to slow down for his the signal to turn.

So we reach the lodge where we had brunch took some pics and we left.
I totally forgot that this guy brakes on turns. Sure thing as we left there was a sharp turn I was third he was 2nd and he hits the brake in the middle of the turn at the sharpest angle for me to slow down I hit the breaks to and went down dragged about 5 meters.
I had my mesh scorpion jacket on with padding helped protection my shoulder as we dragged, luckily I had a belt with metal zombies head on that hit the asphalt protection my waist. But my hip hit the ground so hard, i walk in pain and it will be bruised for weeks I know. But I am glad no broken bones and no blood and no major rashes. Waited an hour for tow truck and my crazy thoughts started to kick in as I ask the guys to leave me and go I stayed on my own.

The tow truck driver tells me he pick up bikes regularly in the area and many of the riders did not live to tel him what happened especially sports bikes but most cruiser calls are mechanic failures and small accidents.

So as we were towing the bike he asks me if I have kids, and i said yes, I have 3, he ask how old are they I said , 7, 5, and 1.
He paused and shook his head and said don't you want to see your kids graduate and marry and have kids.
I said yes.
He said by riding you are taking too many chances, I said I know but God gives life and God takes it I don't have a say in that. If it was my day to die today there was no way I could have changed it whether I am on my bike or wrapped with bubble wraps and siting at home watching tv.
If it was my day it will happened the only difference it the method of dying and if it was meant for me to die I would rather it be while doing something I like either sex or bike at least riding :).

So the question is he right? Am I taking too many chances and risking not seeing my kids grow, should I quit for a while?

Or just go on with the same attitude I have.....today I am confused.

At the end when we reach the dealer to drop the bike I confessed to the driver that during the time I was quite not engaged with him in conversation my head was going nuts making different assumption and conclusions out of what happens and what to do now;
my wife and kids were out without me and here I am going on a bike ride feeling guilty not being there with them yet I go and get into an accident.
In my though i said if the insurance pay for value of the bike I will take the money and stop for a while.
If they agree to fix it, I may no longer go on twisty roads with sport bikes or other only ride with cruisers.

What would you do, I know every ones life circumstances are different just sharing my thoughts after such an event that could have changed the life of 4 other people I care about.

Your thought ?????






www.chulavistarealestate.org
 
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#4 ·
Glad you're okay Scorpion - nice you had gear on, i'd have been worse off than you for sure...While scary experiences like accidents, make folks want to say things like the tow driver said, it's just like you're original thinking IMO, and what kbuskill said. poeple die in numerable ways, and people will always judge what is an "Okay death" over another - weird , but true.... It is always "unfortunate/terrible" when someone dies in a car accident that wasn't their fault, but somehow not on a motorcycle when it wasn't their fault. WTH, ?? You are right - it's a fact we are going to die one day, you can only hope it's after your kinds marry; bike or no bike...so, heal from your wounds, your fears, get back on that iron horse when you are ready, and enjoy your life :)
 
#5 · (Edited)
Yeah.... I am glad you are OK.
Get back on that bike and enjoy your life.

Only mistake you made was to forget to keep your distance from the newbie .
He brakes on a turn ..... How is it your fault.
I have heard this so many times. Guys with no fault of their own going down cause of such new riders.

Heal from your wounds and continue enjoying your life the way you like it.

Oh I should add this ....
On my very first Skydive ....(about 10 years ago ). I landed on my face .... Had blood coming out of my nose and teeth. Bruised my face pretty bad.
Guess what I did ...... Cleaned up and went back up at 14000 feet to jump again.
I did 3 jumps that day.
I haven't jumped in a while now.
Will be in Australia in November and my wife and I are planning to jump together.
 
#6 ·
I have to agree, get back on. Only fault of yours was forgetting how this guy rode, letting him get to close. This is why I don't enjoy riding in groups.

Is it a risk? I think everybody that rides knows and understand that it is inherently riskier than driving. And cages still have accidents, get hurt, get killed. I think it is about how you approach it. Acknowledge it. Prepare for it, be aware of it, and alert for it.

His perspective is highly skewed. He admitted that he picked up wrecked bikes all the time. He has seen plenty of people that were not prepared and alert. Rest assured he will not see you again, as you will prepared and alert next time.

Plenty of people have quit over things like what happened to you. If you or they are no longer comfortable on two wheels, that is fine. That is for them. If you want to keep riding, more power to you. Take what happened and learn from it, grow as a rider, and you will be a better rider once the bike is fixed.

It is your call in the end. I would ride.
 
#7 ·
Glad your ok Scorpion. Nah blow off the doubts. Heal up and ride on. You are better riding for your piece of mind to be better for your kids when your with them. My bike and my rides make me more happy to be happy about more things, even the scares I've had.

Be well Bro

Tigger
 
#8 ·
I would ask you one thing, do you skill get the rush and excitement from riding? As said before we all know the risks when we mount our bikes. I have been riding well over 40 years, my kids are all grown, and now it's my grandkids I think about. But the peace of mind and freedom I feel when I ride, I believe makes me a better person overall. Take a break if you need to brother, but in your heart everytime you see a bike go by, you will get that feeling.
 
#9 ·
Glad you are OK. Its just like riding a horse. When you get bucked off you get right back in the saddle and ride again. Only the man upstairs can say when its your time to go. That truck driver is a person that worries from sunup to sundown every day about what is going to happen to him next. Ride and enjoy life.
 
#10 ·
Glad you're OK and the bike can be fixed. If it were me I'd be back on the bike as soon as I could. I'm not giving up riding for anything, I'll go out in the saddle and I'll never stay home and wait to die.

When it comes to riding in groups I'm very very careful who I'll ride with. I ride SoCal regularly with the SoCal fury crew and they are good safe riders. I have also done many miles with my Canadian buddies Gar and T-Mod. I will trust these guys with my life. Many times I have started on a ride with the motorcycle connect group from my church and more often than not I just took a "wrong" turn and let them go as they were riding much faster than the conditions would allow. I also have another rule and that is I never ride with anyone on a sports bike. Lastly if I don't like the roads planned for the ride, I won't go. It's all about surviving the ride.
 
#13 ·
Glad to hear you'r alright brother. And I know EXACLYT where you went down as I have riddent that particular route to Julian many a times. And many a rider, evne season one's, go down hard. Don't hold yourself accountable for what happened. There are two types of riders in this world, those who have been down, and those who are going to go down. It's inevitable. Take this experience and learn from it. I have had a couple narly wrecks myself. One involving putting my wife at the time in the hospital for a week. Thoguht about giving it up, tried to when the insurance totaled it out. But every time I saw a bike I got that itch back and eventually bought another one and got back on the horse. Utlimately it's your decision but let me add this quote I heard a while back.

'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 and screaming

'WOO HOO, What a Ride.'!!!!!

Life is short for all of us; enjoy it in what ever way you see fit. :moto3:
 
#14 ·
Glad your ok brother, but don't let this discourage you from riding just be more aware of everything. I have a wife and 3 kids as well, but we all know the risk that come with riding a motorcycle. Wear your gear right and enjoy. If I worried like the tow truck guy I wouldn't be riding today. I laud mine down the 2nd day at 40mph taking an exit of the interstate and hit just a little bit of gravel. I picked up the bike and rode to the closet truck stop got some bungee cords and apoxy and kept riding to my buddy's house an hour away and fixed it back up until I could buy new parts. It's been a year and half since and I'm enjoying riding even more now. It's just the way you take things. I'm more relaxed on the bike since I laid her down.
 
#15 ·
In 2010 I took a nasty fall back going up whoopty do's on my Honda Rincon 650. It was an accident caused by being too careful. End result I completely broke my sternum and overlapped the bones. It would have killed most people. A few months later I was riding it again except this time it was modded and not stock. I considered stopping all together. I considered how lucky I was. I currently don't have an atv, but for different reasons.

I live out in the country on a section that's a long straight away. Yesterday while coming home on my bike I did what I normally do. About 4 neighbors down I get off the gas. I put my turn signal on. I start easing on my brake. The car behind me was at least 1/2 mile back. I check my mirrors. She's getting closer. About 100 ft from my driveway I check again. She's still closing and doesn't seem to be slowing. My driveway is gravel so I don't just fly into it. I'm all the way to the right with no oncoming traffic. Car behind me isn't slowing or getting in the next lane. As I'm halfway off the road I hear her brakes lock for a second. I turn my head and she's laying on her horn. This young black girl with a car full of young friends. I could hear the music with the windows up. She never saw me. Never saw me. I'm wearing a light green shirt and khaki pants.

Will I stop riding? No. What I wanted to do was get in my 250 and chase her down. Wouldn't have solved anything especially with today's racial tensions.

If you feel it in your heart to stop riding then stop. Don't wait and return. Rider #2 should have been ahead of the pack. Obviously he was rusty and lacked confidence in his turns. Your only fault is that you forgot to give him enough room in the curves. A hard lesson to learn. I'm glad you're ok. The bike can be replaced. Kiss your kids and wife. Go do something nice with them. Talk to your wife about your concerns. The answer will come to you.
 
#16 ·
I've laid down nearly every bike I've ever owned. Must have learned from those mistakes, because I'm much more cautious on this one.


The last bike I laid down, while not too serious with just a good patch of skin ripped from my arm, still shook me up for some strange reason. All I had to do was replace a handle bar and a foot peg.


Weird feeling though when I got back on for that first ride. I wasn't a kid anymore and I was married. Thought about getting rid of the bike. Glad I didn't. Pushed through those thoughts and doubts and hit the road. Doubts went away pretty quick.


Get back on your bike, or another one, and next time ride ahead of the inexperienced rider.
 
#18 ·
Glad you're okay ScorpionKing and sharing your thoughts.
At the company I work for is a small riding group. They asked me to join them for a ride. I did and afterwards I told them I didn't like watching someone elses brakelights all of the time. I wanna see and enjoy the countrysides. The lead was riding one of them new 6 cylinder Beemers and he said he was riding easy. I politely declined the next invitation. Allthough the riders were okay, it wasn't my style.
Check your 6 and keep your distance.
 
#19 · (Edited)
not trying to preach for sure, the book says, you already have an appointment, the day and hour you will not know............have always believed that..........do what u enjoy, when the time comes you dont have anything to say about it, its one appointment you wont miss or be late for.............AGAIN this is MY beliefs, i dont expect anyone to endorse or otherwise............ i am so glad you are ok................t
 
#20 ·
Thank you all for the well wishes, I am reading all your comments and will continue to read them time and again to hopefully make a reasonable choice.
Keep them coming as I will share this post and comments with my family.



Www.ChulaVistaRealEstate.Org
 
#21 ·
Hey just remember bro; Im only 15 or 20 minutes away if you need a FURY fix while you make a decision. Come over, stare, hang out, have a cold beverage, take a ride if you need to, what ever. I've been there myself (wife and 2 kids) so if you need an outside influence or assistance with making a decison we are all here to lean on. THe best decision is the one YOU are happy with.
 
#22 ·
Glad you're ok, man. Four of my friends were in a bad crash on their way to Sturgis over the weekend. One didn't survive. I agree with what others have posted, you just never know when it's your time, and we all know the risks of riding. Personally, I feel that in this day and age there is so much shit we do that can/will kill you. Not to mention the shit that other people do that can kill you. We might as well enjoy life as much as we can, while we can. Hell, we can get killed at a movie theatre. Hang in there, Scorpionking.
 
#27 ·
Glad you're ok, man. Four of my friends were in a bad crash on their way to Sturgis over the weekend. One didn't survive. I agree with what others have posted, you just never know when it's your time, and we all know the risks of riding. Personally, I feel that in this day and age there is so much shit we do that can/will kill you. Not to mention the shit that other people do that can kill you. We might as well enjoy life as much as we can, while we can. Hell, we can get killed at a movie theatre. Hang in there, Scorpionking.
Yep. Well said.


Who knows though.....if I ever get in another accident with this bike, I may give it up for good. Hopefully I'll either give it to my son or sell it before that happens though. LOL
 
#24 ·
I took a nasty spill a few tears ago, started having second thoughts about whether I should climb back on and ride again. I made the choice to continue to ride. I must say I feel I am a much better and safer rider now than I was before the accident. Chalk it up to experience and climb back on....
 
#29 ·
This is a tough call. I feel for you and your family and how you must be struggling. I'd carry on riding but then I'm not in a situation where I have dependants, young kids to see growing up. I've got friends who stopped riding when they started a family and others who've carried on. I guess if you and your wife have been brought up with biking then it's easier to say carry on as you'll both know the thoughts shared on this thread about fate, the book already written for us, and we've all got to go sometime, somehow. Not so easy when a partner isn't a biker but loves the person who is; they'll want that person to carry on but they'll fear for their safety - that's a natural human response, not wanting to cage the bird that should be free. Like Scott has said, all you can do is share your thoughts with your family and move on with the decision you make together. You've chosen a life with someone and decided to raise a family. They need to be a part of what you decide to do next, for your own peace and for theirs. Hope you get where you need to be bro.
 
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