You've gotta be shitting me... again!

**kneescraper** · 25th June 2007, 08:19

Well off to work I go, happy as larry with a short leg.

The son waves good bye as a putt putt out onto the main road, I bring on a little throttle. Bikes doing around 3,000rpm and then all I hear is sliding metal and plastics. Before I get up, my heart sinks and I a tear drops from my eye., its happened again.

I get the bike up and push it back over the road to my house, sons in tears...he doesnt know what to think and my wife is running to me with a shock horror look on her face. I check over the bike, lucky I had the fairings off, some marks on the engine casing and a broke front brake lever.

What Ive learnt from this is how even the smallest fall can affect your family, I was going slow but still fast enough to fuck my knee up..but still the look on my sons face was enough to break the hardest mans heart.

Reason for the slide; brand new rear tyre, still had the grease and shit on it.

2 drops in 2 months, its tough on the ego to say the least!

**NZsarge** · 25th June 2007, 08:25

That rough man! sorry to hear 'bout that. Was it wet? As you said lucky I guess the you did'nt have your fairings on.

**NZsarge** · 25th June 2007, 08:27

It's also bad news you youngin' had to see that, poor fella.

**BarBender** · 25th June 2007, 08:29

Originally Posted by NZsarge

It's also bad news you youngin' had to see that, poor fella.

Thats it right there.
You may need to do some work on that.

Hows the wife taking it??

**Chickadee** · 25th June 2007, 08:32

Don't feel jinxed, I had 3 things happen to me in a short space of time, you get over it with time. Sorry to hear you buggered your knee and family were watching and of course upset, no one likes to see family, let alone anyone on a bike hitting the deck.

May the rest of your riding be uneventful!

**yungatart** · 25th June 2007, 08:41

Beware the new rubber!
I'm sure you have learned your lesson on that one.
Tis tough when your family see you drop it, I felt really bad when hXc and Mstrs saw me go down...I was more concerned about them, than my own broken bones.
Ride safe, dude!

**kneescraper** · 25th June 2007, 08:41

It wasnt wet...

Yeah Im going to sit down with the young one tonight and have a good talk, he saw it all happen, he watches me everytime I leave so it would have came as a real suprise to him

He loves bikes more than I do so I really hope this doesnt put a damper on this.

I feel like shit, its smacked my confidence in riding back big time.
Live and learn I spose.

**007XX** · 25th June 2007, 09:00

Originally Posted by kneescraper

It wasnt wet...

Yeah Im going to sit down with the young one tonight and have a good talk, he saw it all happen, he watches me everytime I leave so it would have came as a real suprise to him

He loves bikes more than I do so I really hope this doesnt put a damper on this.

I feel like shit, its smacked my confidence in riding back big time.
Live and learn I spose.

Man, I'm really sorry to hear your trouble.

My son is the same as yours (albeit a bit older), but at the end of the day, they are surprisingly resilient to ups and downs....More than we adults!
Just explain to him that falling is part of the learning process and make sure you appear very calm about it. He will be accepting of it as long as he feels that you are.
He will very likely bring the subject back from time to time
but just to get further reassurance, so be free and honnest about the whole : "it's ok, it happens, but I am ok now" discussion.
Far too often nowadays, our children are too protected from seeing the consequences of taking risks, and therefor don't know what to expect....and fear the unexpected!

Take comfort in knowing that you are showing your son NOT to be afraid to get back on that bike and it will motivate you to get back in...

At the end of the day, fear is healthy...it keeps you alive!
Just don't let it rule you or stop you from living!

Hope I helped with my ranting....and that you don't forgo riding because of a couple of bad moments.

All the best!

**kneescraper** · 25th June 2007, 09:06

Thanks so much 007XX, your so right and has given me ideas on how to deal with it. Your suggestions make alot of sense, I didnt think about the points you have bought up.

I want him to feel ok when I leave the house to ride to work as biking is such a big passion of mine and his. But with the PC world we live in I just thought it was best to protect him from seeing what happens when things go wrong. Your post, 007XX has make me think more about this subject.

Cheers guys!

**Macktheknife** · 25th June 2007, 09:33

Originally Posted by kneescraper

I

I feel like shit, its smacked my confidence in riding back big time.
Live and learn I spose.

Ummmmm really?
You have lost confidence because of making a mistake most riders make at least once?
Maybe you are being a bit hard on yourself; you screwed up, it happens. Sometimes it happens a lot, but the only way you can take this kind of experience is to look at it, analyse what you did wrong and how to fix it for next time.
Doing this process in front of your family shows them how to deal with their own mistakes and experiences that don't go to plan and empowers all concerned. It lets them know that you do not expect perfection in anyone including yourself, and that you can take the knocks and not lose your courage.
It also gives kids in particular a really good model for learning and dealing with shit when it (inevitably) comes their way.
Good luck and sorry to hear about the spill.

**kneescraper** · 25th June 2007, 10:01

I delt with the fall real bad, I swore and got angry at the bike and my self in font on my son. This is the bit that I am pissed off at my self about.

I did think the tyre would be slick-ish but never thought it would be enough to slide out and cause damage.

Thanks so much for the positive feedback, one needs peoples thoughts when when one goes through their first few drops.

Cheers guys and gals..

**007XX** · 25th June 2007, 10:10

Originally Posted by kneescraper

Thanks so much 007XX, your so right and has given me ideas on how to deal with it. Your suggestions make alot of sense, I didnt think about the points you have bought up.

I want him to feel ok when I leave the house to ride to work as biking is such a big passion of mine and his. But with the PC world we live in I just thought it was best to protect him from seeing what happens when things go wrong. Your post, 007XX has make me think more about this subject.

Cheers guys!

You're very welcome, anytime mate.

**Trudes** · 25th June 2007, 10:26

Geeze that's some bad luck!! Glad you're all relatively ok though!

**F5 Dave** · 25th June 2007, 10:48

I always clean off a new tyre, some are slicker than others from the mould release compound, maybe some clean their tyres first, but the slicker ones look better on the shelf.

Light wipe of brake clean or meths will take off slippery stuff (don't go silly with the stuff or some of the crazies will post how it will make your tyres vaporise & cause 3rd WWar). Then I use a cheapo sander to dress off the tyre. Makes the tyre bed in quicker.

Maybe I'm paranoid, but I hate that new tyre feel until bedded in. . . Except in the dirt, new tyres every time would be heaven.