Think ive ended my motorcycling career

[hoffy]

Htfu panzy, this will make you a better rider..

[bonester]

I'm sorry that you have been in involved with in this Saki. You have been a victim of someone elses f*ck up. Be suspicious of ALL traffic and don't let them ruin your day. The same can just as easily happen in the car so don't discount riding a bike! The ability to avoid an accident can be higher on a bike (smaller, more manoeuvrable target) so you might be safer on a bike.
I don't know why but I teach a simple strategy to avoid this in my Q-Ride courses and many people don't want to do it. When approaching any intersection, turn your head early and look to see if ANY vehicle is approaching- if there is one, move to position in the lane away from them. Watch their front wheels (easier way to judge their speed) and if they continue to move they are not giving way to you- brake! (Don't fixate on this one thing though- glance back and forth around elsewhere too)
Why turn your head? We are not designed to go at the speed that vehicles travel at. 40km/h is the fastest a human can run- go faster than that and your peripheral vision narrows- tunnel vision. Peripheral vision at 100km/h is 41 degrees and ALL you can see in peripheral vision is colours, NOT what things are! Focal vision- vision you can recognise what things are in is 15-18 degrees- you need to scan this narrow vision around to recognise wankers who aren't giving way to you! A mate of mines brother was killed in the main street of Toowoomba on his TT350 - red light runner got him, poor bastard- picked him up and threw him into a parking meter, crushing his ribcage etc. All he had to do was LOOK and avoid this guy. You can't look by just turning your eyes. Must turn the head. Much wider available field of view that way. Each eye also has a blind spot where the optic nerve enters- looking straight ahead the brain compensates for it (while turning head too) but look off axis and both blindspots (two eyes!) can be a problem as well as the problem of the nose causing another blindspot to one eye! Put it this way- would you cross a street without looking both ways and turning your head? An intersection should be no different!
Anyhow mate I hope you change your mind and return to riding, particularly Kawasakis.

[seiko1]

Jason said it all (and stole my usual reply), but you have to get back on the horse straight away or you will regret it
yr's down the track. There are alway's justifications "why not to ride" but I find these justifications are usually made by SOFTCOCKS!!
Ask Jason, he should know.....he's the one using them at the moment


Get yo ass back in the mo fockin saddle biaaaaatch!

[Mikey84]

Jason said it all (and stole my usual reply), but you have to get back on the horse straight away or you will regret it
yr's down the track. There are alway's justifications "why not to ride" but I find these justifications are usually made by SOFTCOCKS!!
Ask Jason, he should know.....he's the one using them at the moment


Get yo ass back in the mo fockin saddle biaaaaatch!

couldnt have said it better myself

[photomike666]

Sorry to hear of the off Saki, I'm glad you're reasonably OK. It sounds to me like you got hit by an unlicensed driver, who then went and got someone else to take the rap. I've been t-boned twice in my riding career, and I'll admit the second made me stop commuting through London! Both were in the first 5 years, and I had 9 years and well over 120,000Km since of happy riding.

I would also say that I am more cautious on the road than I was - but the track is a different story. Perhaps you could redefine when, where and how you ride rather than simply give it up? I know I could not be without a bike, and I hope I never will be. But, it's a personal choice you have to make.

My philosophy is to take the positives and move forward. Whether these positives are diagnosing your riding style and improving road position, awareness and avoidance skills or simply choosing not be there is something only you can decide.

[aardvark]

Get yo ass back in the mo fockin saddle biaaaaatch!

Don't see you out at the race track, or riding through the tight single trail...

[seiko1]

Get yo ass back in the mo fockin saddle biaaaaatch!

Don't see you out at the race track, or riding through the tight single trail...

That bit was for Saki dopey!

[EDU]

Love Riding, Riding Fast, No cagers = Track Days+ Racing

Problem Solved

+1!!!!

And once you consider insurance + tickets + rego it's prob cheaper too...

[Chitchats]

haha cheers guys nice mixed bag of reactions, but variety is the spice of life and i love it haha.

Na its not that its knocked my confidence and i could go and jump on a bike again right now and go farken flat out everywhere and id feel fine riding. I just kinda feel like i have been given a 2nd chance, cause this stack could have turned out far worse. I love riding its in my blood, but at the same time i love living and being healthy! So its a bit of a double edge sword!

I think its a tough call to make!

Mate glad to hear your OK,

However theres no point living if you dont feel alive, whether that be a squirt on your bike or a bushwalk with wife and kids , no matter what clearly you still have the passion but is maybe its your nerve failing you now?

All that aside i do a large commute daily and besides scanning and yes speeding so that im quiker than all traffic i also check the flavour of the drivers and yes if they are Indian or Asian (and several other " bad driver" breeds) i give them a wide birth and blast past them when possible.

Anyway have fun shopping for new gear, cause i reckon you will be back .

[greenmeanie]

Bugger Nick..i suggest you go have a couple of jim beams to relax & don't make any rash decisions.

As Jason , seiko, hoffy etc have said HTFU.

Seriously though...good to hear you came out in one piece & at the end of the day you have to feel comfortable with the decision you make either way. Good luck! Cheers!

[Nelso]

Na its not that its knocked my confidence and i could go and jump on a bike again right now and go farken flat out everywhere and id feel fine riding.

Just wait until you are on a bike, it WILL knock your confidence a bit as it will be in the back of your mind. After a while the confidence will come back but you will be more aware of other drivers. Think of it as a lucky escape and a lesson to always diligently take into account the stupidity and negligence of other drivers. Glad you came out of it as well as you did.

[blackryder]

dont give up dude, i had an off about 12 months ago, i got back on (as soon as it was fixed...took bloody forever), and haven't looked back...get back on the horse mate, YOU WILL regret it if you dont.

[the kid]

Time to start racing.

Good idea .

[dutchy]

Sorry to hear about your off, but glad to hear there no serious injuries. I reckon there's no use making rash decisions to hang up the helmet. Give it some time especially if you've only just had the stack because at the moment your probably just focused on the negatives. Unfortunately dealing with all the shit that will follow will probably reinforce that, eg the wrecked bike, insurance, other driver blah blah blah.
You'll get back to missing it soon enough, maybe you'll get lucky and get an insurance payout sorted and looking for a new ride might end up being the only motivation you need to get over it and get on with shit!!

Good luck!!

[oldman]

Almost everything I was going to say has already been said. After my crash in 2005 I was going to sell my bike, especially after I got the medical bill ($38,000 plus, U.S.). After a lot of thought and Jim Beam I decided to ride again. It was scarey and the first time I only went about 20 miles. I decided that if I was going to ride again the fear had to go. So I left early in the morning and told myself that I was going to ride until the fear left or quit riding entirely. It took about 200 plus miles but the fear finally went away. Good luck to you on your recovery I hope my story helped. I had a broken ankle, a sprained neck, a concussion, a sprained wrist and a lack of confidence. Jim Beam is what Jesus drinks on Christmas.