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Scary thought...

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wowren said:
I know the dangers of riding a motorcycle full and well but today I saw a rider down for the first time.

He/she laid down flat on the sidewalk and didn't move the slightest bit as others formed a crowd around him trying to do what they can to help. The bike didn't look too damaged to be honest as it also laid down in the middle of the road. I only managed to get a quick glance because I was on my bus ride home.

My bike is arriving next week and this will be my second season riding, but after seeing what I saw today... How do you prepare yourself for something like that? It's pretty damn traumatizing if you ask me. Especially when people say the 2 types of riders are those that has gone down, and those that hasn't done so yet.

Man... GWS rider...
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There's only two things you can do; reduce the risks, and accept whatever risks remain. That's why when someone goes down, people want to know the details so they can figure out if there was a risk they needed to be aware of, or if they were already prepared for whatever it was that caused the crash. No one has been riding so long that they can't learn something new.

The way you came across that incident in your day-to-day activities can be particularly unsettling. You weren't mentally prepared for the sight and only saw the worst of it, without any context or explanation. It should bother you a little bit, but just remember to learn as much as you can about the risks, (unfortunately this was not a learning opportunity) how you can prepare to avoid them, and finally accept the remaining, unforeseen, risk. Otherwise, you probably shouldn't be riding.
 
This is my first season riding and i do feel scared sometimes when I ride. Here is a few things to think to yourself before and while you are riding that help me enjoy my ride rather than being paranoid all the time:

- Think about the area you are riding in, many accidents happen here lately?
- What time of day/week is it? Rush hour = aggressive drivers wanting to get home, Evening/Night on a Friday/Saturday = higher possibility for drunk drivers.
- Try riding with a random riders on the road. More bikes together, more visible to drivers. (If they pull away, don't try to keep up unless you are confident enough to control the bike at that speed)
- Keep your presence known, get a loud exhaust!
- Don't rely on people to use their mirrors and check blind spots. Always have an escape route. ACCESS PLAN and then ACT when needed.
- See a gap you're tempted to ride through? DON'T DO IT.
- Only get into a road rage incident if it's worth it. (It usually never is, shrug it off and get away)
- Practice some manoeuvres on your bike in an empty parking lot. (I sometimes like to do this and just get used to the bike's weight and agility, Eventually you will be a pro and riding it will be second nature)
- Always say to yourself "Make it home because I want to ride again tomorrow!"

Doing/Thinking like this every time you ride should make you feel more at ease when riding but attentive and confident. Fear is a basic human emotion, use it to your advantage by remembering that thats the reason you didn't do anything stupid and the reason you're still alive. It helps you realize your limitations, ignorance is what can get you killed.
 
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There is healthy fear and unhealthy fear.

One involves respect. The other involves peeing your pants.

Even if you ride a motorbike, it's pretty hard to pick up chicks with a big pee-stain on your crotch. So stick to the first kind of fear if you can.
 
wowren said:
I know the dangers of riding a motorcycle full and well but today I saw a rider down for the first time.

He/she laid down flat on the sidewalk and didn't move the slightest bit as others formed a crowd around him trying to do what they can to help. The bike didn't look too damaged to be honest as it also laid down in the middle of the road. I only managed to get a quick glance because I was on my bus ride home.

My bike is arriving next week and this will be my second season riding, but after seeing what I saw today... How do you prepare yourself for something like that? It's pretty damn traumatizing if you ask me. Especially when people say the 2 types of riders are those that has gone down, and those that hasn't done so yet.

Man... GWS rider...
Click to expand...

This is a reality not only while riding a motorcycle but also in life. Only difference is people generally don't think that anything can happen to them so they don't think about it, however people who ride tend to think more about it.

There is a very good chance, if you keep riding long enough, that you will lose a couple of your friends to an accident, will see someone go down or even be that person.
If you can't get over that then its time to move on.

Also over the years ive noticed that a small percentage of riders actually do this for an extended period of time, a lot of people once they see someone die or get hurt call it quits. Same happens if they go down...
 
Great advice and comments given here already. (edit: Especially ^^^)
The week before i picked mine up (a couple of weeks after i passed the course) i was driving in the car on a nice sunny afternoon- and up ahead i saw a bunch of dust and vehicles pulling over way off in the distance....as i approached i saw it was a motorcycle accident that had literally just occurred. There were plenty of cars pulled over assisting and people with phones out and i didn't actually see what happened so i carefully drove past on the shoulder and tried not to be a gawker. I won't go into graphic detail, but the rider died (it was pretty obvious).
I'm a fan of gore and horror, but i was totally shaken by it. All the way home- trying to decide if i should tell the wife what i had saw---or if that would just cause her to worry about me even more.
Anyway---
Whether you want it or not- the image is burned into your mind. Use that to your advantage.
i think i have a healthy amount of 'scared' when i ride. Probably better word would be cautiousness. No matter how confident i get.
If i forget- a slip of my rear wheel on some gravel in a overly quick turn or an old lady will pulling in front of me from out of nowhere and i'll be reminded very quickly.
There are plenty of guys on these boards who have never been in an accident in many, many years of riding- so don't assume it is inevitable- or it likely will be.
Gear, no booze/drugs, no (excessively) tired or angry rides. Get out of blind spots, block wisely, eye contact when possible, ride intersections with other cars blocking for you when possible, better to take a turn too slow than too fast, extra careful of drunks at night and sleepy, distracted drivers in mornings. Be a courteous driver to others. All the good **** people have already said.
Practice in safe areas until you are 100% sure you are ready. I know guys who have been riding for over 10 yrs who still occasionally hit the parking lots to practice. Don't let other riders dictate your speed if you ride with a group.
The meditative quality and the constantly changing sensory inputs (sights, temperatures, smells, speed) are really addictive. You'll think about it when you aren't doing it- and look forward to the next time as soon as it ends.
 
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I have this feeling to. Everytime I remember or hear of a rider dying, I can't help but think to myself "what the hell am I doing?"

Riding is fun and it's my first season. I wear my gear and prepare for the worst and hope for the best.
 
Watch youtube motorcycle crashes before you ride each day, knowing your not invincible keep you alive.
 
I don't think you need to watch crashes to have a pretty good idea what would happen if you were involved in one. Doing so would only indicate you require daily lessons in an instinct that should be built in. That and there pretty gross..
 
Respect your bike at all times and expect others to kill you.
Majority of crashes happen when you start fooling around.
 
Paul1000RR said:
Also over the years ive noticed that a small percentage of riders actually do this for an extended period of time, a lot of people once they see someone die or get hurt call it quits. Same happens if they go down...
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what is an extended period of time? 10+ years?
 
Paul1000RR said:
This is a reality not only while riding a motorcycle but also in life. Only difference is people generally don't think that anything can happen to them so they don't think about it, however people who ride tend to think more about it.
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I agree totally. Simple things like crossing the street - look at the stupid risks people take, because they simply don't believe it could happen to them. It's not because they think it won't hurt if they get hit, they simply do not recognize the risk that it could.
Watch the sheep crossing the streets in downtown Toronto - late/early crossing against the signals, or crossing where there is no crossing without even looking. Once the first person steps out, everyone else simply accepts they'll be safe and off they go. One day a dump truck is going to plow through a bunch of these people and there will be a huge crackdown on jaywalking.
Look at the punk-@** kids that stroll across in front of traffic with their pants around their knees daring somebody not to slow down. Perhaps when they step out in front of an impaired or distracted driver, they'll better understand that physics beats gangsta every time.
Wow - sorry I got way off topic. I just meant to agree with Paul....
 
djez said:
Watch youtube motorcycle crashes before you ride each day, knowing your not invincible keep you alive.
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That one where the rider is stopped at a stop sign and a dump truck (driver fell asleep) runs him over at 80kph and you can see his skin get deposited on the road as he gets caught in the tires and dragged for 1000ft. I only watched that one once, didn't ride for a week.

Lesson of the day: Keep an eye on your mirrors when stopped, be prepared to take evasive action, have an escape route.
 
That two types of riders saying is ********.

Ride more, worry less.
 
On my ride to work this morning I saw a number of riders happily cruising along enjoying the morning. No drama.

There are accidents but there are also hundreds or thousands of "rides" that are completely uneventful each day.
 
Stay off this forum as a beginner and you will probably do fine if you have a common sense ... I mean it.

Little googling will lead you to sites and books and video material which will give you a guidance in the right direction. Befriend someone with heaps of experience as this is the single best thing you can do.
 
mxs said:
Stay off this forum as a beginner and you will probably do fine if you have a common sense ... I mean it.

Little googling will lead you to sites and books and video material which will give you a guidance in the right direction. Befriend someone with heaps of experience as this is the single best thing you can do.
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p\People with experience these days want nothing to do with noobs, they are mostly young and so freaking rude and self deserving and self centered, I know I have offered help and won't be doing that ever again.
 
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ZX600 said:
p\People with experience these days want nothing to do with noobs, they are mostly young and so freaking rude and self deserving and self centered, I know I have offered help and won't be doing that ever again.
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wait...is this coming from the same guy always talking down to people for riding small cc bikes??
 
Just relax, be fluid on the bike (being nervous, scared and tense doesn't benefit you in any situation.)

In my job I've seen lots of bike accidents. Normally they are relatively ok. The odd guy is pretty messed up, but generally those are the ones that were doing something stupid.
At the MX track, I see injuries nearly every day. Usually a broken leg or arm, sometimes it's gruesome (buddy was eviscerated by his foot peg a month ago) and I've been there carrying a guy off the track that was dead before he got to the hospital. Been hurt a few times myself.

Basically, if it's your passion you will weigh the risk/reward. Some people ride a couple years and for whatever reason give it up. And some of us know the risks, prepare ourselves for those risk and take action to minimize those risks (gear, training and riding time).
I know that each time I go on the track I stand a chance of messing up my body, but it's what I love and I doubt I'll stop... But I'll probably slow down eventually.
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