It's not "if", It's "when" (long post)

[Bruce in OK]

Saw a guy go down today. He and his wife had gone off for a ride. Before they went, he found his front disc was locked up. He freed it, bled the calipers and added fluid. They got about 3/4 a mile from home when the front started tightening on them. The wife told him to let her off--she would walk home. He said, "I think I can ride it home and get the car to pick you up." He didn't make it. The front locked and he went for a tumble just in front of me.

Paranoid me thought they had an argument and the woman wouldn't ride with him. Neither had any safety gear on. The bike didn't suffer too much. I think the man messed up his knee and needs to see a doctor. He rolled across the road three or four times, crossing the center line. Luckily, there were was no oncoming traffic.

He clearly couldn't ride. I slowly and carefully rode his bike home after loosening the bleeders. Remember, it's not "if"~~it's "when".

Ride Safe.
Let's be careful out there.

[trikebldr]

That wasn't so long, Bruce!

This incident sounds a bit like Darwinism trying to work. Not even a helmet?

[Bruce in OK]

No. Other than his knee, all he had was a minor abrasion on his chin. I couldn't figure why in the world he went down--until he explained it.

[Mr Jensee]

Bruce, a lot of things in this world seem inevitable. If we are born then we will at one point die. If we engage in risky behavior it is assumed that at some point we will succumb to it. However life is more akin to a roulette wheel with an equal number of red and black numbers on which our fate could land. Think of it this way. You could choose a risky career like being a fireman or policeman. You could work your entire career without ever seeing a major fire or have the chance to pull your gun. Then there is the rookie that dies his first year on the job. Should we instead of choosing a career that empowers and fulfills us or do we just choose something safe and boring? Since none of us knows how much time is allotted us on this planet we can't live worried about our every decision. It would drive each of us crazy. I think about something bad happening every time I start up that bike. Maybe it's good that it keeps me aware of consequences if I act stupid or fail to remain observant. But I am now 62 and in failing health. I have been riding a two wheeled motorized vehicle since I was 14. I figure maybe I have logged over a hundred thousand miles on a bike since then and have somehow lived till now. Maybe if I go out tomorrow and for reasons not of my own doing, I don't live. If I for just a little while feel free enjoying the wind on my face, the sun on my skin without any regret, then it would have been worth every minute and every mile.

[Bruce in OK]

I'm right there with you, Michael. I do my best to ride with all the gear. I will confess, sometimes I don't. I am still aware that something could happen. I've had two dumps on bikes. One when I was fifteen and folded the front rim (XL 100 Honda) back to the forks when I tried jumping a concrete box bridge and landed on the wing wall. The other was a slow-speed dump when the front disc locked the front wheel (Kawasaki 550 Zephyr) on a sandy spot on a paved corner next to my house. I haven't ever been seriously injured. I do have several acquaintances that have been, though.

I posted this just remind myself and my friends on the board that we need to be cognizant of what might await us. I didn't ride for about fifteen years. When I took it back up, my music pastor (and riding companion) asked why I started riding again. I told him "Well if God wants to call me home during a motorcycle ride, I have to at least have one and ride it once in a while."

The pleasure I get from riding is indescribable. There are several vivid memories over the years. One in particular was riding to Canon City, Colorado. I was riding a highway paralleling a river. There were onion fields all around me that had been harvested. The smell of onions laying on their pallets permeated the air surrounding me. The aroma and the view are still fresh even today.

For me, it's a risk/reward proposition. Right now, the reward seems greater than the risk.

[Mr Jensee]

It sounds like you and I had some parallel experiences. I had a number of spills on the first 2 bikes I had. Fortunately I did not break anything other than mirrors and an headlight shell in the process. Once was a close call with a tractor. My advice, if you are riding a 50cc 4.5 hp bike and you attempt to pass a slow moving tractor on a major road, make sure he isn't about to make a left turn. I learned early that wet streets and nearly bald tires don't work well together. I also learned that if you try jumping a hill on a 265 pound street scrambler, not made for the dirt, you will land on your head more often that on your tires. I got my first car at age 19 and parked the Yamaha that I had ridden for 4 years. My brother, not being proficient on two wheels decided to ride it to school one day with friends who had bikes. He hit a car that pulled out from a side street. He was going 50 mph at the time and the bike exploded, nearly killed him and left him with debilitating injuries. After that I to stayed off motorcycles for more than ten years. Somehow I have managed to survive riding by remembering what caused me to land on my butt so as not to repeat it. I can control what I do, I just can't control the soccer mom in the SUV texting on her cell phone, and THAT bothers me.