Another lesson, quick on the heels of the last

[alanmcorcoran]

...I just got done with a 5 hour plane ride and my back is bothering me a little... Can I have a picture too?

[patrick_777]

Originally Posted by alanmcorcoran

Can I have a picture too?

[alanmcorcoran]

:sad:

[5th_bike]

Originally Posted by alanmcorcoran

...I just got done with a 5 hour plane ride and my back is bothering me a little... Can I have a picture too?

I recommend an ice pack for your back. Note, since I'm not a doctor, this advice is worth as much as the paper it is written on. And since your wrists are not hurting like Comike's, you are fully capable of clicking away on the internet yourself !

[Comike14]

All,
Thank you for the well wishes. As an update, I am healing as expect, though there is some nerve damage to my wrists. Feel fire shooting down my hands every once in a while, but that's why the Good Lord gave us painkillers. And 5th_Bike, I'd like to extend a definitive "thank you" for that.

I see two camps formed here. The "It's good that you can throw in the towel when you feel you need it" camp, and the "You dummy--get back on the horse again!" camp. Then there are the in-betweener's. To the first camp, I do appreciate your support in my decision. To the second, I appreciate your words of encouragement and confidence. Now I'll post my own thoughts on the subject.

First, I didn't have a lot of money tied up in my bike. The bike, the gear, the safety class, the tags, etc -- everything I bought because of or for the bike -- totals around $2000. The claims adjuster totaled my bike at $2000, so I break even. Well, minus the deductible. But still, that's not bad. So financially, it's not a hard decision for me to make. I need the money right now more than I need the bike itself.

Second, I'm throwing in the towel for now. I'm about to get married and enter a whole new phase in my life. Yes, the accident shook me up a bit, but I've been through worse. Been stabbed, been in car accidents, died in surgery once, been assaulted... I've had my share of trauma in my life. No need for me to list everything, but this little accident itself isn't enough to make me put my tail between my legs.

My reasoning here is (and I only feel I owe an explanation because most you guys are so supportive of everyone else) that I don't NEED the bike. I don't NEED that added element of danger. Let me tell you guys (and ladies if we have them), it broke my heart when they totaled it out. I was going to at least fix it up and sell it to someone who would love it as much as me. But I did sneak up to the junk yard and stole my own tags back to retain that bit of the bike. It kills me to not have the option: "Car, or bike?" I always chose the bike, of course, and never regretted that decision, even on the ambulance ride to the hospital a few weeks ago.

I loved that bike as much as anyone can love a material possession. I treated her right. I technically have been riding for one full year. That's peanuts compared to some of you guys. But I ain't no "one-week rider." I rode everywhere, for everything. You should have seen me trying to come home from Sam's Club with a few boxes bungie-chorded to the back of that little 250.

Point here is, though life day-to-day presents its own dangers, I am not yet ready to ride. I get cocky, I get over-confident, I start feeling invincible. I put myself in more bad situations than I can recount, and this most recent one happened to be one with consequences. And it wasn't enough of a jolt to calm me down. If I keep going right now, I have no doubt that I WILL end up killing myself. But I want to have a my wife to have a husband. I want my children to have a father. I want to retain my physical abilities to protect both. And I can't if I'm dead or otherwise torn up.

So with age will come prudence. With prudence comes a rider who's ready to take on the challenges of the open road. And the challenges aren't just other cars--they're also myself. I know how to ride, but I need to learn more than how to ride before I ride again. I will, my friends. I will. But not until I know my own limits.

[alanmcorcoran]

...now that is a high-risk activity.

Now I *know* you'll be back on the bike.

[Dupo]

Originally Posted by patrick_777

HAHAHAHA. That was GREAT. Had me laughing my ass off. :lol:

[Comike14]

Originally Posted by alanmcorcoran

...now that is a high-risk activity.

Now I *know* you'll be back on the bike.

HA! :2tup:

[davtnn]

Sorry about the accident ..... and the choice to ride or not is yours alone .... personally i would be right back in the saddle riding what ever the insurance check would buy ... and judging from the other responses some equate riding to a religous experience and in their hearts the dont want you to miss out on it.

anyway, what ever you choose to do, at least stay with and contribute to this forum

[davtnn]

Pat .... where did you get that picture of Dupo (looks good in a pink hat)