Had a bad ride

[braddog]

Sorry to hear of this incident, Ben. Heal up quickly. What a coincidence getting an MOA doc!

When I did my little circus act in 2007, I got the stinkeye from EVERYBODY in the ER, even though I had on ALL the gear.

[Voni]

More healing hugs to you!



Voni
sMiling

[CATHDEAC]

Wow.. thanks for the honesty here.. I think I often have ridden in the "dazed" state and somehow survived...without crash.

This is a heck of a reminder... THANK YOU!

[Newstar]

Along with the rest of us, I wish you a speedy recovery.

[Rob Nye]

Ouch. I hope you heal well and when ready can get the bike you want.

[Visian]

this thread is useless without pics!

veg - sorry you tumbled, and remember, if you need anything, I live right around the corner.

ian

[pmdave]

There are too many of us taking tumbles these days, including myself. I beat you to the ER by a few days, in a remarkably simlar scenario, except that I hit the ground instead of the truck with no brake lights. And, like yourself I've got one hand out of commission (and the other gradually healing from getting bashed.) However, I'm managing to touch type, and retraining my little finger to find the p key.

I suppose one good side to having experienced riders crash is that we serve as a repeated reminder to all our fellow riders that bikes really are potentially dangerous, so it's important to stay on top of the risks.

That includes controlling heat-related problems as well as knowing the affects and symptoms of our illnesses and medications.

Remember our crashes, fellow riders, as you prepare for every ride. Not only ATGATT, but being sure you are physically and mentally fit for "duty." And yes, your prescription meds can affect your condition, which becomes more of an issue as we age.

pmdave

[The_Veg]

Details over a refreshing drink

Yer on!

[The_Veg]

this thread is useless without pics!

Once I get the X-ray CD back from the doctor, I can post a complete study.

sorry you tumbled, and remember, if you need anything, I live right around the corner.

I haven't forgotten! I'm doing pretty well, but I'll definitely ring if I need anything. Thanks for being available.

[The_Veg]

Thanks Dave for putting that so eloquently. If I ever meet you in person we'll have to compare scars.

[Reverse]

If your medical insurance has high deductibles etc. , it might be a good idea to add some medical coverage to your bike insurance to cover that gap. Won't cost very much.

The only downside is that there might be some bitching between the insurances as to who's responsible for what. Still better than paying out of pocket though.

[MAYLETT]

Battle scars, bionic parts, good stories and a new bike come from these sorts of crashes. It's not exactly a fair trade off, but you might as well look at the positive side of it all.

I crashed myself about five weeks ago, but I was on a bicycle, not my motor bike. I hit a hole in the road at about 30 mph and took a quick dive right over the handlebars to the pavement. A separated shoulder, cracked clavicle, some awfully achy ribs and six or seven good-size patches of oozing road rash made for an uncomfortable couple of weeks. The shoulder is gradually getting better, but geech, did it ever hurt.

Motor or no motor, these two-wheeled things we ride are dangerous. Good luck with the recovery ÔÇö I hope it's fast.

[pmdave]

Speaking for myself, when crashes and nasty injuries come my way, I try to think through what it means. As my (bicycle riding) doctor asked, "Do you think there is a message in this?"

However, it's not simply a matter of riding motorcycles or not. A guy died in Port Angeles last Saturday, hit by a left-turning truck. That got the headline, but in the same issue there was a report of a young girl found dead in a tent, and an oldster dying of a heart attack as he stepped out of his trailer. The bottom line is that life isn't safe, and few of us get out of this alive.

So, my thinking is heading in the direction of learning from mistakes, and trying to get smarter rather than dumber. For instance, I will never again swap bikes with someone in the middle of a ride. I will never again allow myself to be talked into doing something I don't want to do. I will do a better job of monitoring my own physical and mental suitability for riding a motorcycle. When I'm tempted to head out when not in the right state, I will remember the terrible feeling of slamming into the pavement.

pmdave

[Paul_F]

Ben, I am glad to hear that you are around to share your story with us. The outcome could have been so much worse. Do everything the doctor tells you to get your arm back into riding form. Take care.

[racer7]

That heat effect stuff is under rated as a cause of problems. Having owned an RT for the past couple years, I'm doing longer runs than ever before and seeing the early signs of it all too frequently. Reminds me very much of being a little buzzed on EtOH- i.e. it reduces situational awareness, increases reaction times, warps judgement, etc etc.

Problem is that I'm not sure that there is anything very satisfactory to do about it on a bike in a climate where evaporative cooling is close to useless unless you want to strip protective gear and ride in a wet blanket. (Some recent rides have exceeded 6 hrs where temps have never gone below 102 and total ride distance was 600-800 miles but I can sometimes notice effects in only 300 miles- that's the type of situation I need to address, not a brief 150 mile lunch run)
So far, I start my rides in the dark and work them around a planned arrival time to stay out of mid afternoon heat, when possible, but that limits range to around 500 miles. (Not many critters or people where/when I start). Have used evapodanna type stuff and have excellent mesh gear. Drink plenty, including from a tube out of my tank bag setup. Still not enough when the temp is maxxed out. I tend to ride out a tank if at speed (about 3 - 3 1/4 hrs run time) so doubling up the stops might help when there is A/C available but there is a limit to what one can do to cool core temp in a short stop. I try to do an extended mid day break on the long ones and drop the core temp. Other than that???

If I towed a trailer, I'd rig lines from an ice cooler to a cool shirt. No room on my bike for that stuff, especially with camping gear on board.

Ben- be interested in your thoughts about what might have prevented yours