Motorcycling - Is it worth the risk?

[Rams]

I agree with others that riding is a individual choice. Riding is one of my greatest pleasures. I have adopted a saying I saw on a church sign which said "Some people are so afraid of dying they can't enjoy life." I refuse to live in fear. I, like someone on here said will quit riding when I no longer enjoy it.

Absolute Truth.  This does not only apply to riding but to anything we enjoy in life.    I ride because............   I'll quit when it no longer fulfills that void.    I suspect that will be shortly after my heart stops beating.

[Former BMW Guy]

I don't think about it....

JP

[da prez]

  I have been riding for over 50 years , 8 accidents on the road . My wife was with me in the last one. When I can no longer safely handle the Valk, then maybe I will downsize or quit.
 We still ride . When my number is up, ?

              I've been shot , stabbed and divorced. I'm still here , but who knows what tomorrow will bring. Artheritis may take me first!

                                da prez

[hubcapsc]

Whatever guides you, only you know what the answer to the question is.....Is riding (or anything else for that matter) RIGHT for me?



-Mike

[Robert]

 I was riding in a bus one day and looking out at all the people just going places in cars. All going about their lives, missing all that was out there the wind the smell of the air the changes in temp. The destination was important but the trip wasn't. So at that moment I vowed to enjoy the ride to where ever I go, what ever I'm in or what ever I do. Death the final destination waits for everyone I want to enjoy the ride, the moments till I cannot. So yes, I will ride till I cannot with the risks just like life. Every time I leave my house I stop look at it and thank God that I have been richly blessed, but that it can all be gone in a second. One day when you leave you may never be back this way again so enjoy and value what you have. Hold on but not so tight that, what you have becomes the object of your life. Make life the object of living and understand that its precious but we are not the ones who decide when the time is up.

[cookiedough]

I ride a cycle because I enjoy it, puts a smile on my face.  The day I don't enjoy it anymore (or unable to ride)  time to give it up, just like fishing or any other hobby one partakes in.

Could I live without a cycle, yes, but not as good of living, at least for now.   

A few years ago when I had knee surgery,  I was off bike for around 2 months straight during the springtime no less had the urge, but unable to support my weight on bike.  Boy, I'll never forget come June when I finally was able to lift my leg over the girl and fire it up for the first time that year, it put a smile on my face and for me, that is what it is all about.   

As far as risks,  I don't think about it too much but am sure if I did ever tip it over or get into a wreck getting hurt pretty bad,   I think I would highly consider giving it up for good, but to each their own.  Everyone is different and has their own opinions which is perfectly fine that way as it should be.

[Spirited-6]

You don`t know until it is taken away from you. In my case it is tuff to work with. !!! Would love to spend $$$$$ on a Valk. and be able to ride it. Bottom line, I would spend big bucks to ride again like years ago. What night is the Power Ball ???    

[R J]

I have been riding since I was 12, I'm currently 81, you do the math.

In that time I have rode well over a million miles.     I've been in some very serious get offs, Quad bypass surgery, COPD, Arthur-I-Tis, knee replacement,  VERY SEVERE allergies and etc.

I've seriously considered to quit riding, and 30 seconds later I think of something I need at Ace Hdwe and off to the store on the bike or Trike.

I figure I'll quit riding when they pry my cold dead fingers off of the grips.       That is one reason MGM got Triked out.   I told the wife the reason for that conversion was so the kids wouldn't have to fight over who gets the Chevy Trike.

I got MGM 2 days after they released me from the hospital for the Quad Bypass and 2 days after that I put over 20,000 miles on MGM before I came home.

I maxed out 3 credit cards on that trip.   1st of the month rolled around and I paid them all off.    Was ready to go again but I hated to admit, but I wasn't really up to a LONG ride again.

Would I do it again, you damn betcha I would.

MGM:

[Daniel Meyer]

Is it worth the risk?

That's a question I ask myself each and every day...and not just about motorcycling.

I can show...statistically...that the most dangerous thing I do each day is come to work and park my ass in this chair for 12 hours. It has been fatal to most of my colleagues. Seriously...in my company, in IT...only two people have ever made it to retirement. Everybody else gets laid off or dies.

But specific to the ride...yes, I ask myself every day. It's a tough question.

Not only do the risks change daily, my tolerance for risk is not a constant thing.

But in the end...I live for the fight...the challenge...

Maybe the only consistent and enduring statistic throughout history, natural or otherwise, is that 100% of life ends in death.

The data are not all yet in.... (we're still here)

CUAgain,
Daniel Meyer "gonna live forever or die trying"

[BF]

Motorcycling - Is it worth the risk?

Nope.

But I do it anyway.   

[Tx Bohemian]

I asked that question everytime the wife and I were sitting in the doctors waiting room, wondering if the doctor is going to tell us this time that there is nothing that can be done and he'll have to take her leg off!

It was touch and go for about a year after she, on her bike going to work, was "T-boned" by a cell phone talking 18 yr old, 1-6-06.  Her left leg was almost severed completely in the collision.
1-1/2" of both bones was crushed so bad they couldn't piece it together!

Complications set in and we were sent to a specialsit "salvage" doctor, that's where the waiting room was.

Thank the Good Lord, He has plans for her (as was stated earlier by another member). 
After 7 surgeries, many trips to 3 specialists in Houston, and the loss of her job she still has her leg, although its a bum leg.  If she keeps it down too long (like standing or walking) the ankle swells to 1-1/2 it's normal size and its painful!

Because of her I keep riding! 
She's the one who talked me out of selling my bike everytime this came up on these long trips back home from seeing the doctor and having a bad report, and me deciding "it's not worth it".

She is the REAL biker in my family!  After all this she STILL wants to ride, although limited and not her own, with me. That is one reason I got the Valk, way smoother than a V (as we all know).

[Coot]

A sobering thought and well said.

I'm gonna keep on rollin' the dice.  However, I have
resolved to limit my high-risk behavior to solo rides
and track days.  I would have a hard time living with the
guilt of leading somebody else into harm.  I know I am not
immune to self inflicted disaster.

Some of you will be surprised to hear this coming from
me and I understand any skepticism.

Is riding worth the risk?  Hell Yes!

[old2soon]

I have been thinking about quiting by selling everything I have that is bike and bike related.  I had a near fatal in 03' which drastically changed my life.  I quit drinking and smoking and finally divorced a woman that was no god for me.  What scares me now are other drivers.  Ten years ago cell phones were a problem  but now its a plague.  The soccer mommies around here wreck into everything while texting about their fifth child they are pregnant with.  Hell, they can't even negotiate a shopping cart at the grocery store let alone care who they run over on the road.

I have been lying to my parents that I sold my bike seven years go so they would not worry.  For the exception of a few rides here and there (one HotGlue ride) and haven't thrown a leg over in three years.  It just sits in the garage waiting for a rebuilt carb bank.

I do miss the fun and the comradery that comes with motorcycling.  I have met so many great people and visited so many places that I would have never been able to do without the bike.

I am at a crossroad

Real easy for me to sit here and pontificate.  If you are uncomfortable on two wheels AND it sounds like you are-maybe it is time to actually sell her. BUT the end decision is ultimately yours and yours alone. As to the worthless asswipes TRYING TO drive and TRYING to text and most likely texting better than they are driving the solution is so damn simple it's scary. The Qualcom(satellite communication) in my last truck would not work while I was driving. I know they could do the same durn thing with cell phones. The REALLY big question is-WHY don't they have them shut off once a vehicle is rolling??  RIDE SAFE.

[north-aurora]

According to the Insurance Information Institute you are 30 times more likely to die on a bike vs in a car per mile driven (see stats below). However, I ride a lot less than I drive. I don't take the bike everywhere, it's more of an event for me on weekends. Your personal odds increase the more miles you ride.

Statistically we (in the US) ride around 20 billion miles every year. About 4,500 riders die in motorcycle related accidents each year. So for every 4 million miles traveled on a motorcycle, someone dies. If you travel 100,000 miles, your odds are 1 in 40. Now obviously those are just numbers and your risk is obviously different depending on what you ride, your skill level, etc.

But I feel pretty good about riding with gear and in rural areas while I avoid highways and cities whenever I can, and to me that minimizes the risk I am willing to take.

"2011 Crash Data: According to the U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in 2011, 4612 people died in motorcycle crashes, up 2.1 percent from 4,518 in 2010.
According to the latest data available from the Federal Highway Administration, there were 8.2 million private and commercial motorcycles on U.S. roads in 2010, compared with 8.0 million in 2009.
Fatalities among motorcyclists age 50 and older increased by 119 in 2010, compared with 2009, whereas fatalities among motorcyclists under age 55 decreased by 1,391.
Some 96,600 motorcycles were involved in crashes in 2010, including property damage-only crashes, according to latest data from the NHTSA.
Motorcyclists were about 30 times more likely than passenger car occupants to die in a crash per vehicle mile traveled in 2010 and five times more likely to be injured, according to NHTSA.
The fatality rate per registered vehicle for motorcyclists in 2010 was six times the fatality rate for passenger car occupants, according to NHTSA."
(http://www.iii.org/issues_updates/motorcycle-crashes.html)

[Mr Whiskey]

"And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years."
Abraham Lincoln

Peace, Whiskey.

[Willow]

If you have any conception that riding a  motorcycle isn't dangerous you're blowing smoke up your own skirt.

Contrary to what statistics seem to indicate the less you ride, the higher your chances of being in an accident.  Statistics tend to not include such factors as how one handles the bike and how comfortable one is in the saddle.

Take that with a grain of salt.  I have good skills and have been near the reaper twice.

[FryeVRCCDS0067]

If you have any conception that riding a  motorcycle isn't dangerous you're blowing smoke up your own skirt.

Contrary to what statistics seem to indicate the less you ride, the higher your chances of being in an accident.  Statistics tend to not include such factors as how one handles the bike and how comfortable one is in the saddle.

Take that with a grain of salt.  I have good skills and have been near the reaper twice.

Couldn't agree more. Just from my seat of the pants observations. Riders seem most likely to be in an accident during their first couple years of riding. When co-workers and friends take up riding as adults without having previous dirt bike experience it always worries me. And unfortunately many are wearing road rash before long.

[Mallett]

I am 62 & enjoy riding as much, maybe even more than when I was 16....I am more afraid of out living the boy that is inside of me than of dying on a motorcycle....

[FryeVRCCDS0067]

I am 62 & enjoy riding as much, maybe even more than when I was 16....I am more afraid of out living the boy that is inside of me than of dying on a motorcycle....

[Serk]

One can obviously never eliminate the risk, but you can take measures to mitigate it...

Two things, may I suggest you read the Hurt Report. It's getting a bit long in the tooth now, but IMHO the results are still rather valid.

About the Hurt Report - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurt_Report

Summary of findings - http://www.clarity.net/adam/hurt-report.html

Few interesting tidbits from the report:

24. The motorcycle riders involved in accidents are essentially without training; 92% were self-taught or learned from family or friends. Motorcycle rider training experience reduces accident involvement and is related to reduced injuries in the event of accidents.

25. More than half of the accident-involved motorcycle riders had less than 5 months experience on the accident motorcycle, although the total street riding experience was almost 3 years. Motorcycle riders with dirt bike experience are significantly underrepresented in the accident data.

The whole Hurt Report if you feel so inclined - http://isddc.dot.gov/OLPFiles/NHTSA/013695.pdf

The other thing I'll suggest is get a copy of "Proficient Motorcycling: The Ultimate Guide to Riding Well" by David L. Hough.

http://www.amazon.com/Proficient-Motorcycling-Ultimate-Guide-Riding/dp/1889540536

And... here's the tricky bit... read it. (Just having the book doesn't help)

I re-read it at least once a year. It might seem elementary, but I credit the wisdom in that book from helping me avoid many potential get offs over the years.

[Oldfishguy]

It happened again yesterday.

I was out for a ride running a few errands, heading for home.  A case of motor oil strapped down on the back seat, three gallons of antifreeze in the bikes trunk, and a couple of Hoover vacuum cleaner belts in my pocket.  The rural stretch of two lane I was on was a rolling twisting series I knew well, and I was moving through them at a brisk pace.   That's when I saw it, up ahead, a hundred yards or so, off in the high side of the road ditch on my right . . . a bouquet of flowers.  I relaxed my grip on the throttle and let the springs unwind the engine, coasting now.  It was more than one boutique; I could see better now moving within a hundred feet or so.  There are reds, yellows, and white flowers.  And a small wooden cross.  But that was not what I was looking for as I glided by.  I say out loud to myself, "Do not stop no matter what . . . Do not stop!"

And then, I see what I was looking for: As I passed by, ever so quite, out of the corner of my eye next to the flowers in the side bank of the road was a door.  The door was an old barn door about three feet by three feet made of the wide vertical barn planks so common in this area.  Like a storm shelter, but it is not, and it is out of place.  It was hinged by two large hinges attached to the ground and swung open exposing the backside of the door.  And next to the door  . . . a hole in the ground.  Like a large rabbit hole, only the sun didn't penetrate in beyond the entry.  It was opaque but dark, and I couldn't see in. I know I was coasting by for just a second, but time slowed, and I saw it clearly.  I still shiver thinking about it.  This hasn't been the first time.

And just like that I'm past it, but this time I caught a whiff of something.  I wear a full face helmet with the visor up most days and the aromas tend to linger and swirl in front of my face.  It was the boutique of flowers; I instinctively inhaled deeper taking the remnants with me.  Black Eyed Susan's I think, my favorite. 

As I shift down and roll on the throttle my mind is clear of what I saw again . . .  and I slow my pace.  Maybe if I think of only the flowers.   Yup, that's it, think of just the flowers.   

[Edvalk]

After a close call I sometimes ask myself that question. Yes is the answer and I try to figure out how to be a little safer. There is not always an answer . All my close calls are in the city so I try to ride in the country . I know there will be a time when I will stop riding I'm 57 so hopefully not for 10 years anyway. You never know when it will be your time, live everyday  to it's fullest .

[Daniel Meyer]

It happened again yesterday.

I was out for a ride running a few errands, heading for home.  A case of motor oil strapped down on the back seat, three gallons of antifreeze in the bikes trunk, and a couple of Hoover vacuum cleaner belts in my pocket.  The rural stretch of two lane I was on was a rolling twisting series I knew well, and I was moving through them at a brisk pace.   That's when I saw it, up ahead, a hundred yards or so, off in the high side of the road ditch on my right . . . a bouquet of flowers.  I relaxed my grip on the throttle and let the springs unwind the engine, coasting now.  It was more than one boutique; I could see better now moving within a hundred feet or so.  There are reds, yellows, and white flowers.  And a small wooden cross.  But that was not what I was looking for as I glided by.  I say out loud to myself, "Do not stop no matter what . . . Do not stop!"

And then, I see what I was looking for: As I passed by, ever so quite, out of the corner of my eye next to the flowers in the side bank of the road was a door.  The door was an old barn door about three feet by three feet made of the wide vertical barn planks so common in this area.  Like a storm shelter, but it is not, and it is out of place.  It was hinged by two large hinges attached to the ground and swung open exposing the backside of the door.  And next to the door  . . . a hole in the ground.  Like a large rabbit hole, only the sun didn't penetrate in beyond the entry.  It was opaque but dark, and I couldn't see in. I know I was coasting by for just a second, but time slowed, and I saw it clearly.  I still shiver thinking about it.  This hasn't been the first time.

And just like that I'm past it, but this time I caught a whiff of something.  I wear a full face helmet with the visor up most days and the aromas tend to linger and swirl in front of my face.  It was the boutique of flowers; I instinctively inhaled deeper taking the remnants with me.  Black Eyed Susan's I think, my favorite. 

As I shift down and roll on the throttle my mind is clear of what I saw again . . .  and I slow my pace.  Maybe if I think of only the flowers.   Yup, that's it, think of just the flowers.   

Awesome write.

[Daniel Meyer]

Buy the ticket. Take the ride.

-Hunter S. Thompson

[~ Timbrwolf]

. ...I thought thats why we ride....coming home late at night last summer on the Interstate, we
were banging along in the deep, dark woods at 85 mph...had passed everyone and everything and
we were in lone Wolf mode coming round the bend....I was on high alert as I kept my eyes on the
road that was lit up right in front of us....suddenly a BIG raccoon appeared in the road...dead.
I missed hitting him at high speed by about an inch....dont wanna think about what wouldve/couldve
happened....thought about that one for the rest of the week....did I slow down?...nope


....Had a cager hang a left right in front of me about 30 years ago...locked up the brakes,
and hit him almost head on....shot me off my bike like I was shot out of a canon....
Thought I was dead for sure....and the last thing Id see in this world was the front end
of a Pinto Station Wagon....I lived...but it scared me enough to stay off of bikes for 8 years..


....Im back


....my ol man turned me onto bikes when I was 8 years old. He rode all his life and
belonged to a Club called "The Road Riders" ....when he turned 72 he started losing
concentration and started blowing through red lights and such. He came home one
day with tears in his eyes and told my mom what happened and how he had to stop
riding....riding was his life. My mom told him not to sell his bike.....just park it in the
garage and he could pull it out on sunny daze and polish it. He pulled it into the garage,
but he never did pull it back out again. Instead he set a lawn chair up in the driveway
and glared out at the world that was now passing him by. He did that for about a
year....then stroked out and died.



...my feelings are...there are a lot worse ways to check out when your time comes.
I,ll ride till I cant anymore....and I hope to Hell...there wont be much time left after that.  

[Hooter]

Do it today, might not be a tomorrow!

[FryeVRCCDS0067]

I guess it's time for the "Song of the Sausage Creature" again.   

http://www.latexnet.org/~csmith/sausage.html

[KY,Dave (AKA Misunderstood)]

If you have any conception that riding a  motorcycle isn't dangerous you're blowing smoke up your own skirt.

Seems like all those years ago when I took that MSF course they tell you riding and how you ride is accepted risk. We all have to decide how much risk we wish to take/accept in life. Started riding 33 years ago and have had 2 accidents that could have taken my life. I was a young stupid teenager. Now I like to think I have matured to some extent and am willing to accept the risk I take riding. Good question to ponder 

[Moonshot_1]

Leading cause of death worldwide is Birth.

You've already taken the first step.

Life is nothing but risk.

When the time comes, the time comes.

Putting risk aside, do you enjoy the ride?

Was in a wreck about 4 years ago. Got busted up some.
Was probably the worst wreck you could be in without it being that bad. Broke ribs, collar bone, bruised up something terrible. Surgeries, therapy, and off work for 8 months.

Did I get back on? You bet. Was I scared and apprehensive? To this day.
In fact, about t-boned a deer a couple nights ago. Blinded by oncoming semi truck and TADA! DEER!

For me, it intensifies Life. Makes it worth getting up in the morning.

Went on an early morning ride the other day. Riding to a PGR mission.
The scents of Fall and the sunrise were spectacular.

yeah, it's worth it.

[Serk]

Leading cause of death worldwide is Birth.

Another favorite quote of mine:

Life is a 100% fatal sexually transmitted disease.

[Mallett]

In the last 27 months I've put 47,000 miles on mc's...14,000 on a Harley & 33,000 on my Valk...some close calls but no wrecks...hope I didn't just jinx myself...

Yep, it is worth the risk...

[old2soon]

That fear monster that lives in us-the trick here-I think/believe/hope/gamble-is NOT to let him/her/it take over completely. Just enough to increase the heart rate a tad and a slight increase in resperation. I can tell the difference in my sensitivity motorcycle compared to the cage-i'm more frikkin ALIVE on the motorcycle.  Our entire life from the moment we leave that warm wet place is a huge frikkin risk. Some of this I've read since this thread opened has been about the best description of the WHY of motorcycling I've ever read.  Even after all these years with the exception of my brother and his wife-a lot of my family still don't get it.  As long as I can continue to throw a leg over-I intend to for as long as possible.  RIDE SAFE.

[Firefighter]

I have been a firefighter for 24 years. Have seen many  deaths, there is so many ways people die. Have seen many from motorcycles, but it doesn't seem to be a higher percentage than other ways. Usually reasons other than just being on a bike. I never thought of it as a risk for me, at least no more than anything else I do. If traffic is too hairy, I ride away from it, I try to be careful and safe. I know I could be next, could be struck by a falling satellite too! My son had a crash on his motorcycle with a car, was the car's fault, but my son was going to fast also, and after four leg operations he still rides every day. i"m sure everyone is different, but I love to ride and plan to continue for a long time. Firefighter

[Tailgate Tommy]

Yes, yes it is.

[CoachDoc]

The is a question I have asked myself this year for the first time ever...........after 47 years of riding. Until this year, I had only been down once, a relatively benign skid out and low side fall in the rain. This year I have wrecked 2 of my bikes, both times due to circumstances none of us would have been able to avoid no matter how skilled and/or defensive we ride. The second time was on a group ride where a rider in a tightly bunched group starting from a light went down for unknown reasons, and 5 or 6 of us behind had to lay our bikes down to avoid the fallen rider(s) in front of us. I avoided serious injury both times, just skinned and bruised, but I have begun to question my riding. The question is one all of us should ponder. I have continued to ride, but I am chastened by this years experiences for sure.

[Popeye]

In a word "YES".  

Lizzie (wife) and I were talking the other day.  She made the comment that I seemed happiest when I was doing something motorcycle related or hanging with my motorcycle friends. I love my family but
if I am not with them, rather be riding.  Survived a bad wreck 3 years ago. It does make you think
but in the end I knew I would not quit.  

It's as much a part of me as breathing.

Popeye

[cma1]

hmm, not much else to say you guys ain't said. when I was a kid someone said, "hey dude, why not volunteer to go to viet nam"? I did, came home hurt pretty bad, got cancer from the weed spray, but lived through it. someone said, hey bro. why not join the police dept. I did, got got shot, stabbed, and beat half sensless several times, but lived through it. then someone said hey bro. why not try rodeo as a sport, I did, got every square inch of me stepped on, kicked, or otherwise disrespected by professional farm animals, lived through it. then someone asked why I ride a motorcycle, I laugh inside. me, well I ride about 25,000 miles a year working with the CMA ministry, I never worry about if its safe or not, it's what God expects me to do. I work with every outlaw club in the country at one time or the other, I marry em, bury em, and pray for them when I can, I tell them all about Jesus and how they don't have to die in a puddle of guts the way so many of them do. I am pretty darned public about my faith, if that bothers people I invite them to ignore what my boss wants me to tell them. I don't recommend it though. in my life I have found that indeed it was hard to find an aithiest in a foxhole, behind a chute gate, or in a police car, and darned few of them on motorcycles. if you think anything you do is dangerous, by all means invite God along.

[Jess from VA]

Great post.... and great life CMA, thanks for sharing that and your service.   

[saddlesore]

I'd say that since I'm still riding, it IS worth the risk.