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Took a Spill

GgarryP

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A few weeks ago I took a spill on the berm of a mountain road here in South Carolina. I came away with two broken ribs and strained rotator cuff muscles on the left side, a cracked bone in my right hand. I was out of work for a week and slept in the recliner for a couple weeks since it was less painful to get in and out than laying down in the bed. With damage on both sides even simple daily tasks were excruciating. Things are better now but I'm still recovering.
I attribute the accident primarily to fatigue. I shouldn't have been riding at all. I was in the middle of a planned five week outage at the plant working a 12-hour night shift. I was just getting used to working nights but I had two days off. I should have kept to the schedule by sleeping during the day and staying up all night. But the weather was nice and I didn't know when I'd get to ride again. I had taken a short ride the day before and it was good. So even though I was sleepy, I set off on a two hour ride. I was familiar with the roads. The weather was cool, sunny and clear. There was little traffic and the roads were dry.
The first hour and a half were good but I was getting tired. Coming down the mountain entering a long sweeping left turn a little fast, I panicked. I grabbed the brakes hard and stayed on them while the bike straightened up. When I hit the berm the bike immediately laid down. Fortunately it was soft loamy soil with thick grass, the softest kind of landing possible.
Several people stopped to help. I was running on adrenaline thinking I'd get the bike upright and ride it home. I felt sore but thought it was just a few sore muscles. The bike landed just over the edge of the berm on a downward slope. Had I been much faster I might have ended up in the woods below with no one realizing I was there. We couldn't get the bike upright while on the slope. One guy had a tow strap and we got it back up on the berm and upright.
By then I realized I was not in good shape and the bike wasn't rideable. I called AAA who could be there in an hour. One of the guys stayed with me and I warmed up in his pickup. By then I was coming off the adrenaline with periods of shaking and lightheadedness. He asked me if I had any chest pains and I said 'No' even though the ribs and torn muscles were hurting.
After a couple days I figured out it was more than sore muscles and went to the ER to get checked out. I still haven't cleaned the bike but it looks like only a little real damage. It doesn't start but it likely is associated grass and mud interfering with one of the interlocks.
At 70 I don't bounce like I used to in my 20s riding motocross, enduros, and hare scrambles. And I can't ride without pushing it a little. It may be time to hang it up.
 
Sorry for what happened. Any crash we can walk away from is lucky. May be a life lesson here, pay attention to your feelings and gut - you're the only one you can trust on this.
 
There's no reason to give up doing something that brings you joy just because you can't stop pushing so hard. You're the one doing it; you can change it. You just have to learn to enjoy it a different way
 
Glad you’re OK Garry. “Giving it up” is a personal decision only you can make, and after something like this it’s understandable you’d consider it. Give it some time though, and don’t even think about riding for a while. You’ll miss it, and start again, only with a different mind set. I’m 59, and in good shape (for my age), but I know my reflexes aren’t what they used to be, and what I tell people is I have an old mans bike, and I ride like an old man. Do I enjoy it just as much as when I was 25? You bet I do! Just do it differently that’s all, and I’m thankful for every day, and every thing I can still do! You have my best wishes whatever you decide.

P.S. I still ride the quad you see in my avatar also. Mostly on sand dunes with friends and family. Life is good!
 
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Get well! Also test ride a canam ryker - that 3rd wheel, traction control and much more rubber on the road is welcome when you're tired or in traffic. They steer a hair better on the hiway than the spyder I rode and are cheaper
 
I was only 6 months into riding again after a 30 year absence. Up in the mountains of NC with a bunch of other riders. Ended up doing a high side. Came away relatively unscathed. The bike only had superficial damage. However, my head was a mess. I managed to get back to camp However, how was I going to do the 5 hour ride home. I was shaken. The next morning, I was up early, before everyone else, I left camp and rode home.

I was 56, not 70, I was uninjured, I was lucky. I wish you well in your decisions.
 
Get well! Also test ride a canam ryker - that 3rd wheel, traction control and much more rubber on the road is welcome when you're tired or in traffic. They steer a hair better on the hiway than the spyder I rode and are cheaper
if I was getting something with 3 wheels I'd at least want it to lean properly rather than ride like a quad
 
Sorry to read of your mishap. Get well soon and perhaps you will feel differently about riding in a few weeks.
 
if I was getting something with 3 wheels I'd at least want it to lean properly rather than ride like a quad

:confused:
Hmmmm.....
I wonder if maybe other people have differing opinions about this?
:eek:

Well, in all fairness, Junkie did use the word “I”.

In reality, I, too, would want a leaning trike, if I had to get a trike. But obviously many people enjoy quads and non-leaning trikes, as is evident by the vast sales numbers.
 
:confused:
Hmmmm.....
I wonder if maybe other people have differing opinions about this?
:eek:

It's funny, with all the hate. Personally, I really like the looks of the new Can-Am Ryker, and the price is actually reasonable. But everyone has their own views. If I ever get to where I can't do 2 wheels, something like that, for me, is a viable alternative to being caged up.
 
that Ryker is pretty cool looking. Now if we could just shoe-horn one of our NC motors into it and get the mileage we all have come to love and enjoy!! (sorry, now back to our regularly scheduled program). :{)
 
Wow Garry, that was a pretty wild spill. So glad you were not hurt further and seem to be on the mends fairly quickly. Even at 54 i am realizing i am not as agile as i was years ago and am noticing my own challenges. Here's to your speedy recovery and to continued riding confidence! Stay in the saddle as long as you can Garry as you contemplate your options. :{)
 
It's funny, with all the hate. Personally, I really like the looks of the new Can-Am Ryker, and the price is actually reasonable. But everyone has their own views. If I ever get to where I can't do 2 wheels, something like that, for me, is a viable alternative to being caged up.

I’ve looked at the Ryker with the idea of getting one not for me, but for my wife when she no longer wants to ride a big scooter. I applaud CanAm’s effort to make an affordable “entry” level machine to attract a new crop of riders (Ryder’s?). Here CanAm can bring in new riders, many who don’t already possess the automatic reactions inherent in riding a two wheeler and will feel at home on a non-leaning machine the steers right to go right. Also, their idea of using a stripped base model to keep the price down is a good concept, but watch out, as those extras could really run up the price.

Sorry to hijack the thread with three wheel talk, Garry. I wish you a speedy recovery.

Garry, you mentioned “pushing it a little.” I haven’t reached your age yet, but even so I’ve never been an aggressive rider. I ride very well within the limits of me and machine, and I actually enjoy the ride better that way. If I should begin to ride agressively, I’m later remorseful of my behavior. I guess it keeps my in line. Your story, while tragic for you, reminds me and others to ride with our safety in mind.

Again, take care of yourself, mentally and physically. Stay in touch.
 
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Hated to read of your spill - but relieved to see that you weren’t hurt worse. Unfortunately, while age alone isn’t necessarily a predictor of poor judgement as a cause of an accident - age does seem to have a lot to do with recovery times and ones mental state in the aftermath.

I’m sure I’d be thinking similar thoughts if I were in your shoes - that’s one old guy to another - but since motorcycling is pretty much my only passion/hobby/pastime, I’m also pretty sure I’d try to transition to a three wheel of some sort (sidecar being one) before giving up on the sport.

Hope you heal up quick and “find your way back”. Best wishes to you.
 
There is a three wheeler that leans, the review I read said it was a much better ride than they thought it would be.

Yamaha Niken

Niken-2.jpg
 
Sorry to hear of your spill Gary. I can understand how painful broken ribs can be, I have broken them twice. The first time I was about thirty and broke two, those weren't too bad but I had also broken a vertebrae and that took a month to heal. The second time was last summer when I broke four. The initial xrays showed only two and we found out later that two more were broken but closer to the spine so the entire ribs were moving and causing damage. Now that I'm 54 it was two months before I was able to feel like a person again, get back to work and get back up on the bike.

Of course we are different people and only you know you but I need certain things to keep me going. I'm not sure that riding is it for me because I could probably do without but for you it may be what keeps you young. That said, we do need to learn from our mistakes to keep growing and of course, be more careful as we age because our bodies get more fragile no matter what we do.
 
Thanks for sharing your story. I think it is good for rides new and experienced to share in someone else's accident. Your story could be the thing that makes a person think twice before making a similar mistake. I wish you a speedy recovery although I hear it takes some time for rib injuries to fully recover.

As for your "calling it quits". Only you can make that decision. I have been in three very bad motorcycle accidents with the first being when I was 22. I am now 54. Directly after the wreck, I was very shaken and there was a period where I was much more apprehensive and nervous while riding but after a couple months I was better. I had leaned from my mistake though and have never put myself back in a similar situation. We all know the inherent risk of riding a bike, there are those situation we cannot control and there are those that we can. Yours sounds like one you could have controlled and you WILL learn from that mistake. I'm a very aggressive rider too but I still learned from my wrecks and try to avoid similar situation while still riding this bike as hard as it will let me. Like the others said, give yourself some time.
 
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