For the newbies: our motorcycle injuries -
March 3, 2013, 09:13 AM
Reading the post about motorcycle safety course fails, I figured it could help new members looking to make their first steps in this world to understand that it's just not some friend of a friend who got hurt on a motorcycle, it happens to almost all of us.
I have lost 2 friends and 1 more is paralyzed from the neck down. I've been luckier:
on top of various tumbles trying to learn to ride, at 14 an 80 y/o didn't stop at a crossing and I ended up breaking my writs, my left knee ligaments and a head concussion + multitude of bruises.
at 17, riding back home after putting down my downpayment for my Aprilia RS 125cc I did a celebratory monster stoppie but misjudged the distance from the cars in front of me at the light, and did the other knee...
Later same year, a guy just jumped out in front of me from his house with his Audi 100 Avant (immensly long car), I hit him doing over 60, flipped over 3 times in the air like a ragdoll, broke collar bone as I smashed his windshield with my shoulder, broke left wrist, cracked skull on his roof and had a number of deep cuts in arm from (I think) my front fairing.
Then I calmed down and realized that as good of a rider as I was, other people were not discerning of that. I've had my share of other slips and slides, but then at 20 I started taking it to the track, and that was the BEST school ever: it resets one's danger threshold and when you get back to open roads you see all the dangers.
Now I ride like a fortune teller: it's like more than defensive driving, I try to precog what other drivers will do based on racial profiling, LOL
Yup, seems like it takes a few pretty big crashes before the sense of immortality gets knocked down a couple of notches and ones sense spidey sense gets a boost. However it may be that MC riders just tend to be slow learners...
Like you, all my big ones involved a cager. Broken pelvis, two cracked ankles, broken arm, spleen, etc...
As far as "teaching" goes. It's been my experiance that you can preach all day long but those inclined to press their luck will do so - and they'll learn, or die, from it on their own just as most of us have.
There's old riders and there's bold riders but damn few bold old riders.
Last edited by windblown; March 3, 2013 at 09:38 AM..
I have a permanent list to port of about 10 degrees, one shoulder is higher than the other and my right leg has hurt most every day for the last 38 years,(broken hip, pelvis and 2 lumbar vertebrae) all because I wasn't paying attention for 5 seconds......
I was thinking about my first very troubled marriage rather than paying attention to the squirrel driving the VW Jetta in front of me... he spun, I grabbed a handful of brake, I highsided and now I predict changes in weather.............
TNT: So in summation, yes, 600 ss for your first bike can be done, but it's stupid. It's like eating pasta with a knife - you're just making it harder for no good reason.
Location: Over to the left, up a little more....right there!!....FFX
March 3, 2013, 06:34 PM
One of the best lessons I learned was right when I first got a bike. Was trying to take things slow and practice in a parking lot, was working on turning, felt like my throttle stuck open (I probably screwed up and misjudged my speed and panicked) next thing you know I am grabbing tons of brake and finding out just how good the brakes on a 600 are. Needless to say, stoppied like a BAWSE all the was up past 12 o'clock at which point the bike went one way and I landed on my head, shoulder, wrist.
Came away lucky with chipped bone in my wrist, a soar shoulder and a freaked out wife. All this happened at less than 25 mph.
Leslie
XBOX 360 - Neros Lament
"I'm pretty sure God would consider it a sin not to glorify that ass."
I don't have any bad experiences on the street knock on wood but could give plenty of advice of what not to do at the track lol. Last crash did put me in the hospital for 10 days
showing off to my brother and a friend they were driving in the car next me, i was on a 2005 gsxr 750. at around 25 mph i made sure they were looking and then i "yut huh'd" banged into second gear and then an 87 yr old lady turned left in front of me. she admitted in court she never saw me. i left two skid marks aprrox 20 feet and t-boned her RSX at about 70-80 mph. my friend paul and my brother said it looked like the bike exploded into dust like fireworks. i flew 180 feet approx 60 feet of that was in the air. of course it was to hot to have my jacket on so it was in my backpack, no gloves either. my shirt was ripped and melted to shreds, my shoe laces literally melted against the pavement and then broke and shoes flew off. scratched and melted one side of my cell phone through my jeans without making a hole in them. lots of rash of course, blood pouring from my elbow, left knee blew up and the rag doll effect ruined my joints and made pain all over my body but i didnt break anything. still was in hospital for 9 days and didnt walk for a month didnt work for two months and i still have residual effects from it. seized up my left shoulder joint and between that and my knee was horrible rehab. oh yeah and once you rash all the skin off your palm and knuckles you tend to wear gloves.
i definitely dont ride the same, way more defensive and slow down for intersections and i expect people to pull out so i plan for it. had i not been excessively speeding it wouldnt have happened even though she was charged.
07 S3 1050
Last edited by 1is2many; March 3, 2013 at 06:47 PM..
Broken my back twice. In 2009, fractured T2 through T10, actually crushed T10 and I'm an inch shorter. Broke my whole right rib cage and tore a lot of muscles in between my shoulders, damaged a lot of nerves and do not have feeling in between my shoulders. Fractured right scapula (shoulder blade). During this accident I was knocked out for three days.
2010, Broke my back again, along with my neck. Destroyed L1 and needed emergency surgery due to the amount of damage. I now have titanium holding me together. Broke C7 in my neck, the front and back and the doctors still don't believe Im not paralyzed. There is a piece of the vertebrae from C7 just floating in the back of my neck.
Broken my back twice. In 2009, fractured T2 through T10, actually crushed T10 and I'm an inch shorter. Broke my whole right rib cage and tore a lot of muscles in between my shoulders, damaged a lot of nerves and do not have feeling in between my shoulders. Fractured right scapula (shoulder blade). During this accident I was knocked out for three days.
2010, Broke my back again, along with my neck. Destroyed L1 and needed emergency surgery due to the amount of damage. I now have titanium holding me together. Broke C7 in my neck, the front and back and the doctors still don't believe Im not paralyzed. There is a piece of the vertebrae from C7 just floating in the back of my neck.
Broken my back twice. In 2009, fractured T2 through T10, actually crushed T10 and I'm an inch shorter. Broke my whole right rib cage and tore a lot of muscles in between my shoulders, damaged a lot of nerves and do not have feeling in between my shoulders. Fractured right scapula (shoulder blade). During this accident I was knocked out for three days.
2010, Broke my back again, along with my neck. Destroyed L1 and needed emergency surgery due to the amount of damage. I now have titanium holding me together. Broke C7 in my neck, the front and back and the doctors still don't believe Im not paralyzed. There is a piece of the vertebrae from C7 just floating in the back of my neck.
dude...you still ride? Fawk man, glad you're still alive.
2006 GTO 6spd, 1 of 390 Silver, SpinTech Exhaust, X-pipe, purchased 5/7/13
2001 R1; blue, Yoshi slip on (sold Jan 12, 2012)
(RIP) 2000 Camaro SS Auto, SLP Air Lid, Edelbrock Shortys, Catco cats, stock Y-pipe, SLP Loud Mouth 1, OEwheels ZR1 Deep dish 17x11 315's in rear, 275's in front.
1999 Trans Am Ws6 30k miles, 6spd (sold)
1999 Camaro coupe 6 cyl (traded in after a week to get the SS)
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