Knowing when it's "when"?

I ride to keep my sanity.....that's right! You think I'm nuts now just take my bike away from me. My wife kicks me out of the house if I haven't ridden in a while. She knows I'm much more agreeable after a long ride. It's something that has tangible meaning in my life, just like my kids and my wife.

Riding is my therapy and it keeps me centered. I plan to ride for as long as I am able and still interested. Life is short and you only get one shot at it. Do whatever makes you happy.

See the quote in my signature. We don't have control of everything but we do have control of some things.
Mike

Wow , what a heavy thread , exactly what I needed to hear and think about at this moment after my accident this week ! Should I ride again or sit on my butt and do nothing for 29 years like my father did , post retirement - what was the point of living like that ? I think of all the people , including Mom , that died of cancer from being downwind of Fernald ( Uranium to Plutonium processing plant) in Cincinnati where I grew up. I think of a high school friend that stepped out / tripped off a bus the first day of college in 1971 , hit his head on the sidewalk - dead ! They didn't even get the chance to live to do what they enjoyed . Life is short . I'm thinking ; forget the accident and try to live doing what you've enjoyed for the last 44 years.

Like Jimmy Buffet says......"I'd rather die while I'm living, than live while I'm dead".

I have a 103 year old grandmother who hasn't really been "alive" for the last 7 years. But the body will not quit.

T

I ride motorcycles, I fly airplanes, and I'm married... Clearly there is risk in my life... I personally feel that it's worth the risk and I train in all aspects to mitigate those risks to live my life... It's worth it to me

Tankereng said:

I ride motorcycles, I fly airplanes, and I'm married... Clearly there is risk in my life... I personally feel that it's worth the risk and I train in all aspects to mitigate those risks to live my life... It's worth it to me

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Yet... you still tempt fate by adding even more risk... LOL

Tankereng said:

I ride motorcycles, I fly airplanes, and I'm married... Clearly there is risk in my life... I personally feel that it's worth the risk and I train in all aspects to mitigate those risks to live my life... It's worth it to me

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Don't you have a teen or two in the mix too? :4is:

I quit riding when I was 22 because I witnessed two horrible motorcycle accidents the prior week. I decided I had pushed my luck to far. So I did what any sensible person would do, I picked a career flying small aircraft and shooting guns. I've had a broken back, broken neck, 3 knee surgeries, 14 closed head injuries, I got 8 screws in my left shoulder, no bicep tendon in my right alarm and been shot 3 times. I been back on scooters for almost 3 years, seems pretty safe. Maybe you just need a new career path for awhile.

I hope you can learn to live, like you're dying. Peace be with you, but just in case,carry a big gun.

rjs987 said:

I believe in the God of the Bible. ...He is as He claims to be there then He has my life in His hand. When time arrives when my appointment with Him is scheduled it doesn't matter if I'm riding my mc, sitting in a cage, walking down the street on the sidewalk, or sitting in my office chair reading this forum.

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As others in this forum I (we) took a hiatus from riding while our children were young. Wife and I determined two up riding was a risk we did not want with a young family. They are all in their twenties, so we are back enjoying our rides. We all measure when to step in or step out for various reasons. Enjoy Life! Ride safe and far.

STing said:

I quit riding when I was 22 because I witnessed two horrible motorcycle accidents the prior week. I decided I had pushed my luck to far. So I did what any sensible person would do, I picked a career flying small aircraft and shooting guns. I've had a broken back, broken neck, 3 knee surgeries, 14 closed head injuries, I got 8 screws in my left shoulder, no bicep tendon in my right alarm and been shot 3 times. I been back on scooters for almost 3 years, seems pretty safe. Maybe you just need a new career path for awhile.

I hope you can learn to live, like you're dying. Peace be with you, but just in case,carry a big gun.

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^^Interesting reply to the thread
-with all you specified, what happened??!! Did you crash a plane or 2 to get all that injury? How did you get shot? Are you the Terminator?!

Mellow said:

Yet... you still tempt fate by adding even more risk... LOL

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I like to live on the edge

BakerBoy said:

Don't you have a teen or two in the mix too? :4is:

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Yup... 2 teens and a 9 year old...lol

Erdoc48, never bent a plane, did have 2 quit on me. You have heard some say they "stood on the wall", my job was on the other side of the wall. i ride again because I can, I love the peace and tranquility it bestowes upon me. Tomorrow we ride again, yippee ki ye!

ddemair said:

My wife, who passed away 3 years ago, loved me and wanted me to be happy. I've always had a motorcycle. She would never have asked me to not ride, such was her love.

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Thankfully I count myself as one of the lucky ones who also has a wife like this. She has friends who have asked her, "You actually let him ride motorcycles?". The first thing she says is that she would never ask me to not do something that so obviously brings joy to my life. To try and deny me the ability to ride would be like asking me to kill part of who I am.

Sorry to hear of your loss. She must have been a great companion.

Mick said:

Thankfully I count myself as one of the lucky ones who also has a wife like this. She has friends who have asked her, "You actually let him ride motorcycles?". The first thing she says is that she would never ask me to not do something that so obviously brings joy to my life. To try and deny me the ability to ride would be like asking me to kill part of who I am.

Sorry to hear of your loss. She must have been a great companion.

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Thank you

Great posts..... There's risk in every activity, including getting out of bed. As soon as we get into or onto a moving vehicle the risk factor goes up. We just have to manage the risk using our skills to be alert, etc. One shouldn't live in fear, that just takes away the enjoyment. So we should raise our skill level to have the confidence to participate in things like motorcycle riding. Other things we can do is ride when there's less risk, e.g., commuting on a motorcycle is very high risk in my opinion (BTDT, not for me). Maybe slow down a little or take less risk in those blind corners..... travel where the commuters aren't.

As for death, I want to be able to say I lived a full life doing those things that I like to do. I'll die of something one day, not worried about that. The ones left behind should be able to say at least most of the time I enjoyed what I was doing.. I'll likely quit motorcycles when I physically can't do it any more....... a huge part of riding is all the great people we've met and shared bits of our lives with.... I'd surely miss that if I quit riding tomorrow.

I believe further training by professional riders can mitigate many dangers. Although, I don't see how to avoid someone pulling out right in front of you, other than going the speed limit and swerving a bit to provide lateral movement. When I was 21 and 24 cars pulled out in front of me and I broadsided both. I learned the hard way that drivers expect certain speeds and couldn't judge where a speeding vehicle is; just like where vehicles misjudge a train's speed at a railroad crossing. I've seen several cars get the same treatment. When cars pull quickly up to a road intersection or are preparing for a left turn, I weave a bit in the lane and slow down so the headlights provide some lateral movement to the driver and better react to a pull-out.

The night I spent in Lubbock following my wreck I had some of these thoughts. I've thought my accident through and am now in the process of disassembly to identify parts needing replacement. I know what caused the wreck, indecision at the point of the turn and unfamiliarity with the load I was carrying; it was last September that I had carried a load. Construction block my view of the turn until I was right upon it and it was tight, should have gone straight and taken the next exit. I was not speeding.

I can fix my short comings by practicing with a load more and slowing down more for a upcoming curves in construction zones.

6/20/2015, Sunday, I had attended a Total Control MC class to keep improving my skills on the ST. Boy did it ever, I was scraping my pegs all over the place. I'll just continue practicing my riding skills more!

To really put this into perspective, remember more life threating accidents occur around the home than anywhere else. By training, practicing, and good riding habits most hazards can be mitigated. I will ride again when the bike is fixed. If I feared it, no fun, I wouldn't ride again. Enjoy your life and go with your gut.

Reginald said:

Enjoy your life and go with your gut.

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Sound advice.....when the time comes that I continuously walk by the bike without even thinking about riding will probably be the time.....ain't happening yet..........ride well, ride safe......ff

Reginald said:

I believe further training by professional riders can mitigate many dangers.

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In addition, don't forget the value of risk management (taught in the MSF training).

One of my risk management strategies was to never commute on a MC in Houston (before I retired). I had to 2-wheel commute a few times when my car was in the shop, and I hated it... too many folks not paying attention, aggressively driving, hugging your rear end, cutting in and out of lanes, texting, surfing the internet on their cell phones, etc. Why take the highly elevated risk when it's just not fun? And then there was the unpleasant aspect of our long, 100+- degree summers in stop and go traffic. Since retirement, I also don't ride in the city on purpose (except to get out or come back in). I find no pleasure in it at all, so again, why accept high risk for basically no reward? I'd much rather be on two wheels where I'm having fun... among the sweepers in the countryside where there is nice scenery and little traffic.

Great question. Lots of thoughtful replies too.

I think you stop when you want to stop. For whatever reason. I don't think it's necessary to justify that decision. There's no question that there is risk involved in this hobbie/sport. It falls somewhere in the middle of the danger spectrum. It's more dangerous than driving a car. It's also less dangerous than, say, hang-gliding.

For a lot of hang-gliders, that hobbie is worth the risk. For me, it wasn't. My hang-gliding friend used to tell me all kinds of stories about people he used to fly with. Seems like about half of those stories ended with, "he's dead now." I quit hang-gliding after I crashed on take-off by running directly into the wind-sock! I decided it was too dangerous for me, considering the small amount of joy it brought me. It was actually...terrifying. You have no brakes. There's no real steering control to speak of --- you push your weight a few inches left or right to change the center of gravity and this 20-foot-wingspan craft "tends in that direction." Then there's wind gusts. Imagine trying to drive a bike while the road is in motion. So compared with that, I feel very much in control on the bike.

And yet, I can't control everything. Plus, my vision is getting worse, my reflexes are slowing. It probably won't be for a while but one day, when it's more terror than joy, I'll stop.

I remember reading a story about a great race driver from the ancient past, Tazio Nuvolari. Guy's driving style involved lots of sliding and bouncing off curbs and a lot of people thought he had a death wish. One day this reporter asked him "How can you even get into a race car, knowing that sooner or later you will die in it?" Nuvolari asked the reporter," How do you expect to die?" The reporter replied that he hoped and expected to die in bed. "Then how," asked Nuvolari, "do you find the courage to get into that bed every night?"...