Death, taxes and crashes

**red675** · 9th February 2009, 06:45

It's with some foreboding I go to work today - after the 3 day weekend there'll be rash of crash claims to tackle - some time back I read an article in BIKE about the World's most stupid crashes, but they also had one story about a man who hadn't fallen off in 46 years ... is there anyone out there who can make a similar claim ?

**vgcspares** · 9th February 2009, 08:24

6 months (oops) .....

**DarkLord** · 9th February 2009, 08:51

Erm...10 months?

A friend of mine has been riding for 17 years I think and has never come off. Mind you, I'm not sure how hard he rides but still, 17 years is a good record.

**Insanity_rules** · 9th February 2009, 09:16

Err nearly a year...

**R6_kid:Me** · 9th February 2009, 09:19

I've never fallen off, I always seem to fly.

**GSXR Trace** · 9th February 2009, 09:30

i use to be proud of my 6 years without crashing, and then it happened 4 weeks ago... and a van took it upon its self to ensure it was written off
so only 2 weeks riding for me

**vifferman** · 9th February 2009, 10:19

I wrote off my first bike, and was incident-free on subsequent bikes, until I moved to D'Auckland, and started communtering.
On a pre-crashed bike.
I think it had a taste for lying down in the middle of the road for a rest.
Ruined a nearly 25-year accident free run of sweetness.

**dpex** · 9th February 2009, 10:37

Apart from on the track, and that doesn't count, I haven't been involved in a crash in 41 years and gazillions of miles of road-use.

I got my bike licence from the Glenfield MOT on November 13th, I think, 1967. Back on those days there were no rules about protective gear, so I used to ride, in high summer, in shorts only. No shoes, nothing, on a 350 single, Royal Enfield.

Being a stupid youth I refused to wear my much need glasses. Didn't see the '55 Vauxhall till I started eating some of the panel work. That hurt. Munted the bike, too.

Since then, nothing. Fingers crossed I shall maintain the record till I stop breathing. Mind you, breaking the record could also be the cause for me stopping breathing. :--(((

**Nasty** · 9th February 2009, 11:15

Whats strange is it don't matter how long since a crash .. its if you have a crash that you can survive .. or if it will be one that kills you. Nothing to do with how long you been riding .. or even if you have crashed or laid a bike down before.

Might sound cynical ... but it is fact, if you survive - well done, if you don't ... its really thoughts to the family left behind.

**DarkLord** · 9th February 2009, 11:29

Originally Posted by vifferman

...and started communtering.

Hehe.

That's a good way to describe it.

**Morcs** · 9th February 2009, 11:32

Depends how and where you ride.

Id be more impressed by someone not crashing in a few years from commuting in auckland, or
someone not crashing in 6 months who does a coro gp hard every weekend, than
an old fart who tootles along highways.

**Brian d marge** · 9th February 2009, 14:31

if the track isn't included ...then 9 years

Stephen

**slofox** · 9th February 2009, 15:06

Thirty four years between crashes.....course, twenty of those years I didn't have a bike.....

**vifferman** · 9th February 2009, 15:38

Originally Posted by DarkLord

Hehe.

That's a good way to describe it.

I don't think I invented it - IIRC it's a KBism, like gargre, sprotsbike, crusier, prak, worngA, etc.
But commuting in D'Auckland is fraught with danger. When I first moved here and collected my bike, I decided, "I'll give communtering a go, and if it's not too dangerous, I'll keep the bike, otherwise I'll trade it on a couple of dirt bikes".

Nearly got squashed by a bus on my very first commute.

I think I got addicted to the excitement....