Had a wee crash today

[Nasty]

Always interesting to see responses to these questions.

Personally, you are in a relationship - that is your choice - the fact that you are married means that you have taken quite a serious step in that relationship (I think thats cool btw).

This is also something that my partner Grub (dec) and i discussed in length. That is whether or not either of us should ride. I am lucky he had ridden for years before he met me but had been off the road while he had children and a wife etc.

I chose to ride - and I undertook and acknowledged the full risks of riding - it is the risks to you yourself - your life - your partners life. This is a lot to take into account - and for me having lost my sisters partner on a bike when I was younger and her having quite bad injuries which have affected her for life it was a lot to consider.

Discussion with your partner is the main thing .. .coming to a compromise is key. I discussed this with my best mate prior to posting - as she - and many others - supported me when Grub had his accident and died. He had previous accidents - breaking the odd bone - and I had to live with him when that happened - and trust me that is not easy. A number of factors mental, physical had to be taken into account during recovery - and these add pressure to any relationship. It is not only you taking the risks - but your hubby understanding the risks, pros and cons of riding.

We are all passionate about riding, and I still ride, my friends and family generally understand that I know the risks I am taking - but they also agree there is an inherent risk in stepping out the door or even waking each day.

My angle is risk mitigation - I have the right gear - maintain my bikes well - and did a lot of training in learning to ride. Accidents do happen - but if you learn from what happened to you and what happened to others - then you are in a good position to mitigate (as much as you can) the risks, and accept them.

I also like what a mate says - oxygen kills - from the day we are born we take our first breath and our first steps towards death.

[Bald Eagle]

Recently had an off, hit and run driver took me out. Initial reaction from wife when she came to pick me up from the hospital was, thats it no more bikes for you. Then after a day or two of counting blessings and acknowledging it was the other driver at fault entirely, softened to you can catch the train to work and have a bike for weekends.

Now we have talked this through at length and she knows and understands why I ride, and I acknowledge the selfness of the need to ride so we have both accepted it's the way it is.

Talk it through with the significant other/wifie/hubby whatever and go from there.

Hope you keep on riding.

[Jokmokk]

otherwise we'd call them 'purposes'.

A year's worth of riding is not a great deal and as several others have said, it's also prime falling-off time. The first year and a half is also the time when most who try out riding give it up.
Personally, I'd get back out there (maybe on something cheaper, always handy when learning) and see how you both feel after the 18month mark. You certainly will gain nothing in skill & confidence if you don't ride.
And - if you don't want to be pushed beyond your comfort zone by faster/gnarlier/stupider riders - pick someone who'll stay with you, or make appropriate arrangements & ride by yourself. Nothing worse for shaky confidence than being nagged to go faster (or, slower) by other riders. A wise bloke once observed that once you get past that magic 18 month mark, the biggest danger to riders on the road is actually each other...pick your company well!

[Mom]

Calm down Mom. ....It means that we can hold you up as an example. ...

I am calm, very calm infact. And whatever you do, do NOT hold me up as an example of anything. I made more mistakes than you can shake a stick at when I was starting out, infact I still do.

I get frustrated when I see or hear people saying that you will bin your bike, get a shitter because you will put it down the road, get something without fairings as you will destroy them. Honestly what is wrong with telling people they wont fall off, they wont damage their pride and joy and teaching them to ride so they dont?

My first bike was a trail bike, the first lesson I had on it (apart from the one where I learned how the clutch worked) was learning how brakes work. Got told to go hell for leather down a grassy slope and when I heard a shout to jamb the brakes on front and back as hard as I could. Bet you cant guess the coutcome of that excercise I came up friggen wild, spitting venom hard out. Why the hell would you tell someone to do that? Well apparently that taught me how NOT to brake It worked fwiw I was determined to never hit the dirt again. Of course I did, hit the dirt I mean.

I have had the wind knocked out of me, I know what it feels like to be sideways. I think I may have even experienced the crossed up sideways you hear about I recognise the feelings of I am about to fall off and I can tell you I avoid them like the plague on the road. I have also been riding a long time. Until last Saturday 23/10/10 I had never fallen off on the road, ever! I pride myself on that, but am really embarrassed it happened. I have had many, many times it could have been, but I avoided it by riding within my limits and abilities and with a healthy and well developed "spidey sense". I have also been very lucky. Sure I have taken risks, we all do if we are honest. Sometimes that feeling of "yeeha" overides common sense, the difference between coming to grief and crashing has to be down to experience and practise of skills learned.

OK for who? Unpalatabnle maybe but it's statistically likely that that's exactly what will happen. Anyone buying their first bike thinking otherwise is drawing to an inside straight.

This:

is fookin' good advice.

And that is why statistcally we have to be seen to be encouraging our newbies and our returning riders to take their time and learn and relearn the skills needed to survive on our roads. Sure as shit is going to happen, but it does not need to as a given.

I stand by this, it is not OK to bin your bike, ever, for what ever reason. It is also not acceptable to say it is a given for newbies, ot BAB's it simply should NOT happen EVER!

[Ocean1]

I stand by this, it is not OK to bin your bike, ever, for what ever reason. It is also not acceptable to say it is a given for newbies, ot BAB's it simply should NOT happen EVER!

Of course it's not OK. well, I'd certainly rather not indulge.

Neither did I say it's a "given".

It IS however more likely than otherwise, no matter what spin we'd like to impart.

And my own advice was, (has always been) like you, to practice fucking up on the soft(er) stuff as long and as often as possible. You simply can't learn how to respond to sudden loss of comtrol issues without experiencing them. Lots.

You can do that on hard stuff, but I'd strongly suggest the less painful option: buy a cheap 125 dirt bike and spend a couple of hundred hours experiencing multiple fuckups.

Once the ratio of fuckups to riding speed / hours reach a level acceptible to you then take to the road, and not until.

I'm not interested in how acceptable different people might find this, or how convenient or practical the training regime seems. Anything else is simply asking for some broken bones.

[porky]

and that is why statistcally we have to be seen to be encouraging our newbies and our returning riders to take their time and learn and relearn the skills needed to survive on our roads. Sure as shit is going to happen, but it does not need to as a given.

WOW..... i hope you are not saying that only these two groups need to learn and relearn the skills. Every day one should be learning, re learning and honing ones road craft regardless if they have been riding 2 years or twenty, otherwise the casket is calling.

[chanceyy]

does hubby ride as well ??

[pearlygirl]

does hubby ride as well ??

Yes he does and of course hes never dropped his bike and never crashed

[chanceyy]

Yes he does and of course hes never dropped his bike and never crashed

He had a terrible shock never nice watching a loved one go bouncing down the road, I agree with both Nasty & Bald Eage, once the shock has worn off & a few days down the track talking bout it and how to ensure this may not happen again would be wise.

After all he wants to make sure your safe & alive for many yrs to come, we never know when our time is up, but we can not wrap ourselves in cotton wool either. However reaching a compromise is doable

[DJSin]

Glad to hear you are okay.

I agree with the advice of talking it through with your husband and looking for a compromise. It may take some time, he would have got the fright of his life seeing you crash.

It's great that you are keen to get back to riding.

All the best

[Tink]

Well I had a wee crash today- well to be honest I hit the road after losing control of my bike while trying to dodge a large pothole(and failing) I think I may have written bike off but thanks to my leathers I only have bruised ribs and a very sore shoulder. My problem is this Hubby doesn't want me to ride any more I can understand he mustv'e freaked out quite seriously but I have only been riding a year and think with experience I can only improve- I am prepared to slow things down and do rider training but he is not keen- what to do?

I am not going to read any other post..... and say this... I have crashed... so get back up .. .learn from it... listen to him... and watch out for potholes!

[DIN PELENDA]

Well I had a wee crash today- . My problem is this Hubby doesn't want me to ride any more I can understand he mustv'e freaked out quite seriously but I have only been riding a year and think with experience I can only improve- I am prepared to slow things down and do rider training but he is not keen- what to do?

Get divorced and keep on riding !

[Antonio]

I bet you saw that pot hole and looked at it and then hit it and fell off.

Yes you are so right I did just that, it was so big (The pothole) I tried to go round it but instead rode straight for it-

First of all, im happy that you are ok,
2ndly, Mom is right, unfortunately, there are lots of riders out there who don't think about learning how to ride till its late. You can get lots of advice from riders which most of them are bad ones. Get real traning by the people who are meant to give traning.
I am totally against the advice "practice more, you will improve" befor that you need to undrestand the art of riding and rules of physics related to ridding. Master them in you mind, grow them in yourself then you can practice.

I have said it before, i will say it again: if you can ride a bike it doesn't mean you are a rider.

Good luck and take care, be happy cuz you are the lucky one.

[willytheekid]

Good to hear your ok .....and the riding gear did its job

Ask Hubby to book into a rider training course for both of you to attend
I learn't on dirt bikes and thought I knew it all when I shifted to road bikes, attended a couple of rider training course's and guess what...turns out I didn't know S@$#!.
I HIGHLY recommend these course's as they teach valuable skills and give you an insight into bikes that you just can't learn anywhere else....and the course's are LOTS of fun!
Hubby might just learn some new tricks as well ...and you both get to spend a few days together sharing your love of bikes & riding....and ensuring both of you get to do so for many, many years to come.

[LBD]

If my dear old Dad had not picked me up dusted me of and plonked me back on his bike I had just binned... against my protestations...at the age of 8....I would not have had the subsequent 40....something (Cough cough) years of fantastic riding ....with a few more bins early on.

Stick with it and push the point with hubby that "Riding is something we share ...it is good for us to have this together"