Thread: Being alive, motorcycles and brain buckets...

About a month ago, on a deserted country road in the Sinlahekin wilderness (north central Washington) a 4x3 point buck decided to meet me in mid road. Normally I'd have been on my Harley Forty Eight with my old thin stupid mushroom shaped skid lid, and probably would have died. This is a road a little too much for a nice cruiser and I was riding my BMW 1200GS. I'm really glad for all that upright steel high and in front of the rider instead of cool to look at and low to the ground.

I would like to encourage everyone riding motorcycles to pay whatever it takes to buy the best brain bucket you can get. I was wearing a Schuberth C3 and still had a glorious concussion - I don't remember several hours or the accident at all - but I am also very glad to be able to type this today. I also fractured C7, T7 and my right femur.

I'm alive and in pretty good shape despite how the injuries sound. No surgery and no residual except the concussion. At my age, 61, I should be dead. Believe me, I am happy with my present state although my family is giving me all the grief they can for scaring them like I did. For the record, I can hardly wait to get back on the bike.

I don't normally advertise but I will always have good things to say about a good helmet and bike equipment. The full face helmet I had on has deep gouges entirely around the circumference and the road rash, and multiple contusions, because I did not have on my jacket, confirms I had to have rolled several times after leaving the comfort of the bike.

Buy the best, you'll only cry once.

Great advice and Thank God you came out of that as well as you did.

I was going to interject some funny but the seriousness of the situation stopped me. And I will wait till it doesn't hurt to laugh :<0)

Glad to know you're doing well, all things considered.

I am so happy your ok. I live in eastern Washington myself and know the area you were in very well. About a year ago a young man asked my advice about a bike he wanted to buy. I asked him how much and he said a grand. My reply to him was, how much money do you have. He replied, 1000 dollars. I said wait till you have 3000 dollars. He wanted to know why. I told him so he could afford safety equipment. IMO if you spend 1000 on a bike, spend 2000 on helmet, shoes, jacket, pants, what ever you can to protect yourself on the road. This equipment is all that stands between you and the elements, road, and other vehicles. modern equipment can be both warm in the winter and cool in the summer, and with the padding can be a life saver. I have a good friend who is alive today because of this equipment. He slid 250 to 300 feet in a wreck that destroyed his bike and he walked away with a bruise on his butt and ruined riding pants and jacket. yes, the asphalt even rubbed a hole in his helmet, however he didn't even have a road rash. I think the extra he paid for the clothing re-payed him in full.

Not too many Deer where I ride, but we have plenty of overgrown field mice and mobile feather dusters (Kangaroo's and Emu's). Glad you're safe Mike. It can happen to any one of us two wheelers, and it doesn't have to be a dumb animal...Unless the driver of the vehicle that pulls out in front of you is one as well.


Mick

That's a heck of a spill man, glad you are patched up and on the mend.

I'm one of those bad boys, sans helmet most of the time. When my wife rides with me though, she's got her helmet on though.

Your advice is spot on Mike as I lost a good friend about 4 years ago, no helmet. Car pulled out in front of him on the highway and he had no place to go, not a broken bone anywhere except for his skull...the first part that came into contact with him. I've got his helmet actually now. Maybe it's time for me to start wearing one again, haven't worn one since I left riding sport-bikes in 2006.

What's the hardest part of riding a Bike ??? The asphalt...

Went down in 1985 totaled a V65 Magna into the side of car, she pulled out right in front of me, never knew I was there until my front wheel buried itself in her door.. I was almost clear of the bike before impact though, the handlebar snapped back and cracked a few ribs...

Took a few months of healing up, but I took the insurance money and bought a 1100 Virago after that followed by a V-Max.. This is the first place I have lived that I haven't owned a bike, have no intention of getting another if we stay up here, just to many things to run into that run out on the road..

Glad you are doing well after that spill. I've been riding for 13 years and have had my share of close calls. When I raced in the CMRA I went down a number of times. But the fact that always kept me going is that - even though I ride ATGATT (All the gear, all the time) it still shouldn't give you a sense of invincibility. I've got an Arai Corsair V and its a great helmet - I swear by their helmets. I sold my last race prepped bike to a guy I used to work with - it was his first bike and I knocked $1000.00 off of the price so he could go and get a quality helmet. I told him I wouldn't sell him the bike unless he brought the helmet to me as proof that he bought it. Most people don't realize that helmets have a shelf life of about 5 years. After that, their protective qualities diminish over time.

I've lost several friends to accidents - almost all of them were wearing full gear (Helmet, leathers, boots, etc) - but no matter how much gear you wear; it can't protect you from stupidity - either your own - or the stupidity of others.

Keep the shiny side up and always remember ATGATT.

Glad to hear you're still with us!

I gave up my HD in 1984. Economical stuff at the time. Intended to get another but got into the kind of bicycles you pedal. Got into them heavy and helmets were for kids. So in 2004 I was going along on a Litespeed Vortex at about 21 mph when what appeared to be a thin patch of sand on the asphalt turned out to be a thick patch. Grabbed my 23mm front tire like a vise and I went down.

The first point of impact, I was ass over tea kettle, was the tip of my scapula, breaking my collar bone, and I could see the asphalt coming at my head out of the corner of my eye. I remember stiffening my neck muscles, trying to keep my head from hitting the pavement. No such luck. Smacked into the asphalt hard enough to knock me out. No permanent damage other than the collar bone break and it healed eventually. A little shorter on that side. I've never gone riding without a helmet since.

Glad you were wearing that helmet Mike, and that you are recovering from your injuries. We need you around here to keep us straight on metallurgy and I need to PM you once in awhile for free medical advice.

Get well soon !