Originally Posted by Birdwatcher
Originally Posted by JSTUART
Originally Posted by Hammer2506
His day will come.


Definitely, but looking at that vid I would be willing to bet he skids into it with shit flying everywhere whilst laughing maniacally.


The one time I went off the outside of a 30mph curve at 60 I'll admit it was fun.

I have read every pilot about to crash says "oh sh$t", I did too,then a moment of really rough riding, then sliding in tall grass next to the bike, no helmet, leather jacket, blue jeans, Doc Marten's on my feet. Got up, long grass sticking out everywhere. It was fun, like getting knocked over in football (or rugby in Australia). On the motorcycle the handlebars were pointed 45 degrees off of the direction of travel, turn signals, windshield broken, and I had crushed in the gas tank on both sides with my knees (no bruising on my knees, no idea how I did that). So ya, you could go out laughing if it was instantly fatal.

Problem is when it ain't.

Good friend of mine, after 35 years of trouble free riding, in a moment's inattention finally got taken out by that old lady turning left ( his wife was following him in their car and he was looking in his mirrors). Hit the right front quarterpanel, left side of bike slammed up against side of car, buddy, wearing full protective gear, went across the hood, landed in the road. Woulda been unhurt except his left foot got trapped for a microsecond between car and bike.

Complete compound fracture of tibia and fibula just above the ankle, spiral fracture of femur. They had to do an incision from thigh to ankle or else the swelling woulda cut off the circulation. Six months of agony, he was just lucky his boss kept his position open at work and he had good insurance. Six months unable to work followed by chronic pain and now a leg so fragile he's gotta worry every time he steps off a curb. If he breaks it again there ain't enough bone left in the ankle for another screw, he'd be looking at amputation.

I ain't spoken to split pelvis guy in years, but I heard they bolted it back together, I doubt it was fun.

So there IS a downside.




Just this past week a local young man riding a motorcycle on a major U.S. highway here attempted to pass a 1 ton pickup truck that happened to be turning left at the same time. Young man's obituary and tributes sounded like he was probably a real nice person. Not wearing helmet -- coroner said he most likely died instantly.


Back in the late '50s watched a man riding a big Harley lay it over and slide it and himself on a blacktop residential street and finally jumped the curb landing on the front lawn of a house. He apparently didn't realize the street he was on was a dead end street when he fired it up. Long, straight no traffic street that ended and "T-d" into a cross street. He lived, got up and sat back down on the curb but with what I'm sure had to be some very painful, raw, bloody road rash reminders, embedded with sand, dirt, etc., all down that side of his body. Shredded the jeans and shirt he was wearing.