Self preservation or fuck it?

[dave_isbald]

I went to see the doctors this week to get an xray and MRI. I had this ridiculous pain start in my left hip which was a old injury from a smashing a bike into a cliff about 5 years ago. The plus of that crash was it was a brand new gixxer that then became my first streetfighter and a shit hot ride.

It turns out though that i tore something in my hip. Whilst i was in the baking machine they scanned some other bits that have been fucking about.
It turns out I now need to get sliced open next year in my hip, my ankle and my shoulder to have shit rebuilt but to add to the grief they tell me I have athritis because of the speed at which the original impacts were caused.

I have obviously been told, don't race bikes and stay off the fuckers if you want to avoid more inevitable injuries.

I must admit this depressed me so fucking much I have actually considered binning the race bike and even getting into choppers (note - not Harleys) - or at least more sedate streetfighters. Maybe a postie bike conversion. I even had the nauseating consideration that maybe I leave bikes alone altogether and start getting into cars.

Equally just stop pushing so hard you don't crash might be a good solution

I am not even sure why the fuck I am outlining this. I just wanted a whine to like minded people rather than the fucking finger wagging I am getting elsewhere

Anyway, I am off home, on my bike, and hopefully some fucker tries to race me to make it entertaining

[fimpBIKES]

do it, it'll suck for a while but your quality of life will be heaps better

but then just keep riding as hard as you want, this experience is just proof that they can always patch u up again :D

[Jup]

I'm not a racer, but I am a fan. From what I've seen in interviews with drivers/riders, they say if you're racing and scared of crashing, you're not going to win, and racers always want to win.

Perhaps participating in events (without striving to win at any cost) will fulfil your passion, but will you continue to push the envelope? I'm not saying "do" or "don't", but if you're going to "do" I hope you don't have second thoughts when the pegs are scraping!

Riders lose legs, and adapt to stay "in the scene", and you are fortunate enough to (perhaps) choose to alter your involvement before you're forced to. The key I suppose is to find something that does ignite your passion.

It would be the easiest thing in the world to take the tough line and say "fuck it, you only live once", but I'm not the one who has to live with the consequences. In my opinion you've hit the nail on the head with your question: it's either "self preservation" or "fuck it" and nobody has the right to look down on you for choosing either.

[Shadowzone]

I chose to go back and play Rugby despite my knee injury being caused by it initially. I left on my terms. I'm now looking 2yrs later at another op to rebuild it because of a work injury, and I'm going back to MMA once it's healed from the next op.

The question I'm going to ask you is this:

Will you regret it if you walk away now, or can you live with it.

Only you can answer that question. I'll tell you and I know from having been diagnosed with it I have arthritis developing in both my knees from my Rugby days and I damn well don't regret a second of the time I spent on the paddock and, if I thought for a second they'd hold up to the punishment of packing into the front row again I'd be there. The reality is Arthritis is there for life. It will get worse over time and that's your lot in life so if you can still ride you may as well make sure you enjoy it because one day you may not be able to. With regards to Rugby - I miss it, but the body can't handle that kind of punishment anymore so it's off to another sport which while taking a toll on the body won't punish it quite as much as the first.

[holyman_999]

^^^ couldn't have said it better myself, so I won't try...

good luck, dude...

[rock hard]

Hey Dave,yeah fair enough having a hard look at the reality of being a motorcyclist.your body looks like it needs some "panel work" but the reality is that you obviously still get off on competing,just a suggestion why dont you try a couple of drag race meetings out at eastern creek the "off street racing" usualy costs around fivety bucks.
i always thought "any bastard can go fast in a straight line" and yes they can.But since i got into it especialy since i started the Fast friday series over here in perth the bug has bitten HARD.the dial your own index racing is quite difficult in as much as one small mistake and your out.as for riding with some injuries there is a very very small chance of crashing.just a suggestion man. as the thought of not riding is something i dont contemplate till they hammer the last nail into my coffin..FUCK DEPRESSION..JUST RIDE! Good luck man the people of this forum will always support you... sincerely Morry

[ashcook]

I got hit head on by a car 8 and a half years ago. My hip is fucked too. Was told there is nothing they can do to fix it until arthritis kicks in. The nail in my femur is still in and the ligaments in my knee are still torn, also not repairable.

Took me about a year to get back on a bike which hurt like hell but I did it. Did some motorcross for a while, then that started hurting too much so I set my 450 up for supermoto. That lasted about a year and stuck to road bikes after that. Sold my last roadie 3 years ago just before my daughter was born and I also went back to rehab for my previous injuries (all workers comp). I haven't thrown a leg over since. I do miss it but I miss not being able to run with my kids more.

I think if I get another, I'll just behave. Yeah right, like that will happen. So now if I do have some spare time I have a couple of V8's to tinker with and drive.

[Jockney Rebel]

dave .....do it while you can cos once you cant youll be regretting the time you didnt..mate

[Fight_fan]

^^^ My thoughts exactly!
Its sad news Dave but ur not a cripple yet! I'd be gettin amongst it! If ur worried about goin to fast on the road you could always get a smaller bike... old skool Cafe racer maybe??? Anyway, best of luck mate! I hope u can find a happy medium!

[RevHead]

hey dave just do it youl survive anyway were all here waiting for you to come back and abliterate all of us,,like u do ,,

[dave_isbald]

You guys are fucking legends. A lot of decent advice

You're right. Better to drop dead early but be able to say you always spent time with what you loved, be that your bikes, your rugby or indeed your kids.

Have an awesome Xmas if I don't speak to you before and thanks for the kick in the arse

[rod185651]

Plus lets face facts Dave, even on a Cafe Racer or Cruiser you'd still ride it beyond it's design capabilities. I'd hate to hear you were constantly taking your cruiser to the shop for repairs because you are constantly scraping holes into the frame ;)

[hooligan]

quote:Originally posted by rod185651

Plus lets face facts Dave, even on a Cafe Racer or Cruiser you'd still ride it beyond it's design capabilities. I'd hate to hear you were constantly taking your cruiser to the shop for repairs because you are constantly scraping holes into the frame ;)


Why would you repair it, it would be a weight saving, right?

I say keep riding if you enjoy it. After my knee recon 13 years ago, i had teh surgeon yelling at me after I turned up for my follow up/physio visits on my 996.
After my (quite horrendous) crash last year, i went to watch a track day that I had been booked into, but had to miss a couple days after I got out of hospital. A bit high on painkillers, but glad to be around bikes.
I was back on the bike doing laps in my carpark as soon as the leg brace came off.
I've been told that since the titanium is staying in, if I crash again, the bone may shatter off the ti rod, which will be a hell of a lot worse than a break.
But I've always ridden, and never had a car license.

At Bunnings the other day, before I even got off the bike, I was speaking to a 71 year old lady about her riding her 1000cc Guzzi on the old road. Not as a pillion, riding. And her daughter, who was older than me, telling her that now she's only allowed her VW golf.

Keep riding for as long as you can.

[Fight_fan]

quote:Originally posted by rod185651

Plus lets face facts Dave, even on a Cafe Racer or Cruiser you'd still ride it beyond it's design capabilities. I'd hate to hear you were constantly taking your cruiser to the shop for repairs because you are constantly scraping holes into the frame ;)


LOL :D

[nick76]

I say Dave,just keep riding,fuck it.
No one can ride 10/10ths on the road,unless you'r an IOM hero,or a fuckin idiot.
Ride,have fun,and just keep a reasonable margin for error up ur sleave.I ride fairly fast,when i feel like it,and i never have those "life flash before my eyes" moments,coz im well aware of the shit around me,and never panic if something happens,coz im never on the limit,so have time to sort it out.
Also,just wear good riding gear.
This is something i witnessed on the w'end,and the guys injuries would've been far less if he'd worn better gear,and didnt panic.
Bloke in front of him braked,this fella panic'd,locked up the wheels,went down on a straight bit of road,wrote off his Gixxer 1000,rolled about 200m down the road into oncoming traffic,oncoming car just missed him(i thought i was gonna see i guy get run over and die infront of me!!!)all his fingers were either broken,cut up,or had skin off all of them(coz he was wearing fingerless type of woollen gloves)bottom of his leg near the ankle clean broken,and through the skin(wearing blundstone type of boots!)And all his forearms/elbows had a fuckin shit load of skin off,and i think a broken elbow/forearm(coz he was wearing a hardly style leather vest over his jumper!!)
You though you had some issues??This guy is now well fucked for a long long time.

After riding with you at NFR,i know you have the good gear,you were one of the few that had race leathers etc,and as fast as we were going,you weren't being fucking dangerous,so fuck it,enjoy bikes while you still can,and if the joints start feeling sore,just start pumping down good quality Shark Cartilage,and your joints will feel better!!!

[Azrael]

Hip hurts? Old injuries playing up? Life got ya down? Theres a help group for that its called EVERYBODY.. we meet at the pub..

[Redmohawk]

I used to love my work, lived for it, traveled heaps doing cool shit with great guys. Then I fucked both my knees at home being stupid, no compo no insurance and the public hospital to be told yep there fucked. Work said sorry if your not 150% fit bye bye still miss it now big time, was a bigger rush than anything I can discribe. Done many things to fill the hole , raced rally (was average to pore at it) raced off road buggies (was better but very expesive and still not good enough for sponsorship) Now I ride bikes have done for 20 years but now Fighters and fun stuff mostly in the hills alone outa everyones way. Is the closed thing I can find to the buzz I got from the work I miss.

Do what makes you happy, when you can't anymore find the next best thing or work till you can do it. Your a long time dead mate.

[NoZ]

It didn't stop Barry Sheene......... nuff said!

[yoda]

Its really one of those shitty questions..

One one hand, like everyone has said, do it while you can etc, but you have to live with the risk. Is it worth not being able to walk properly in ten years? Or would you regret not doing what you are doing?

In my experience(im 23 and need a full knee replacement which i can't get for a long time yet), i'm going with the 'live it up theory'.. I had about 2 years away form competitive racing, gave up football when i was 18, not doing anything to stress it further- the result- i was going fucking mad! Since biting the buller, i've been racing again, now on a supersport bike, doing the odd downhill mtb race, riding trials etc etc. and couldn't be happier.
Yes, some days it all hurts and you consider giving it away again, but in the scheme of things, i'll take that as a trade for the enjoyment i get from bikes.

[ashcook]

Can I ask those who have had big hits and have got back on and say fuck it, just ride. Do you have kids?
I rode for a long time after my big hit and surgery but since my two kids have come along, I'm in no rush to get back on.
I also had surgery last year on my head, had a complete mastoidectomy on my left ear. It was a close call as I had brain fluid coming from my ear cavity. After this also, the desire to get back on a bike has become even less. I do miss riding, I love it. I just can't see me getting another bike anytime soon. If I didn't have a young family I would say my outlook would be different though and I would have been riding again as soon as the helmet would have fitted back on.

[nick76]

Thats all understood ash,family,no family argument.But,if you just enjoy riding,and your mature enough to realise you have responsibilities,family,children etc,why cant you just go out and have a ride,without being a fucking idiot on the roads??
If you're a competent rider,are aware of whats around you,theres nothing stopping you riding at 80%,where its a comfortable pace,and where its still a hell of a lot more fun than riding with the Harley set pace,you can enjoy it,and still make it home in one piece.
Doing this,is no more dangerous than driving to work in the morning???
If you're competent,mature about it,and scan the road well for fuckin idiots,you can still well enjoy a ride without trying to set Isle of Man lap records!
Most guys that ride,scan the roads well,and can tell when cars are gonna merge etc even before the put the indicator on etc,as riders,you sort of become programmed to scan everything,especially the faster you ride.
If you ride with a fair margin for error up your sleave,there's no reason to sell up bikes.
Unless you've been spooked by them,and then if you worry about everything,if it gets to that stage,maybe sell the bike,coz you'll only end up being a danger to yourself,and any other poor sucker on the road you may get involoved with??

[RevHead]

100percent right nick,^^^^^^

[rod185651]

Well said Nick

[Shadowzone]

quote:Originally posted by ashcook

Can I ask those who have had big hits and have got back on and say fuck it, just ride. Do you have kids?
I rode for a long time after my big hit and surgery but since my two kids have come along, I'm in no rush to get back on.
I also had surgery last year on my head, had a complete mastoidectomy on my left ear. It was a close call as I had brain fluid coming from my ear cavity. After this also, the desire to get back on a bike has become even less. I do miss riding, I love it. I just can't see me getting another bike anytime soon. If I didn't have a young family I would say my outlook would be different though and I would have been riding again as soon as the helmet would have fitted back on.



Yep. I have 4 kids and one on the way.

I still love riding and wouldn't have it any other way. My Mrs knows it something I do and something that stops me going stir crazy and becoming a monster. If you're that worried about dying I have 2 words for you - Life Insurance.

If you stop doing everything in life which may be dangerous then you have stopped living. I'm not talking about taking adverse risks either mate, I'm talking about getting out of bed in the morning. More people die slipping over in the bathroom than you could possibly imagine and yet, I'll bet you still shower don't you? People get run over crossing the road on foot, cars crash into bedrooms of houses and you still walk across the road and go to bed and sleep don't you.

Everything we do while living has an element of risk involved to it. There is no action in life without risk so enjoy yourself mitigate the risks where ever possible like we do by wearing riding protective gear, and enjoy the time you spend on the bike. And then enjoy the time you get to spend with your kids and family. Everyone needs a little "me time". It's not selfish, it's part of being a human being.

[ashcook]

I'm not afraid of dying from a bike, that's the last thought I had. I'm not scared of them either. I've done probably 95% of my road riding after I had my head on crash with the car. I only sold my last road bike to have some time off for physio rehab which could have resulted in further surgery but in the end didn't.
Kids came after I sold my last bike. I'm more concerned about death from the disease (Cholesteatoma) that was surgically removed from my head coming back and killing me.
What I meant was having kids killed the motivation to get straight back on. That's why I asked the question for those who also have kids.
I'm keen to even get my kids on bikes and when the day comes they too can go for a ride with me. Way off yet though.
I just never thought I would ever here the words coming from my mouth, "I don't miss having a bike". I worked in the industry, have been riding for 21 years and at one point owned 7.

[RevHead]

i got taken out by a police car in 1984,,,i must have flown 30 metres through the air b4 i hit the ground,,,i remember the big boobs that were just above my helmet,when i awoke, as this chic had my head in her lap;,no idea to this day who she was,i got taken off to mt druitt hospitail,2x broken little finger,gear shift went straight through my left foot and broke 4 bones and cut the shit outta the foot,tore my leather jacket completely off me,i had gravel rash,all over my back,on both sides of my hips,,chipped the left side of my hips,broke my left ankle and dislocated my right knee,and paralised my whole left side,,,then proceeded to spend the next 9 months learning how to walk again,,,look i choose to ride because i love it and thats about the story of it,death comes to all eventually,

[el sammo]

shel be right mate

[Jockney Rebel]

death happens to us all ...so do you go out and meet it on your own terms or wait for it to catch up with you ..it amounts to the same
stats time
statistically speaking your more likely to die of :
cancer,aids,car accident,plane crash ,being hit by a falling piano than getting killed riding a motorcycle

[el sammo]

quote:Originally posted by Jockney Rebel

death happens to us all ...so do you go out and meet it on your own terms or wait for it to catch up with you ..it amounts to the same
stats time
statistically speaking your more likely to die of :
cancer,aids,car accident,plane crash ,being hit by a falling piano than getting killed riding a motorcycle


so as long as i stay away from pianos i should be sweet yeh?

[Jup]

As long as you stay away fom Nespresso stores you're pretty safe from falling pianos ;)

[NoZ]

I'm a single mum to a 13 year old... but I still go out on my bike and I won't have it any other way. I take him out on it too. I refuse to live in fear of 'what if'. Granted those who have been really hurt in crashes, then fair enough. The memory of pain lasts longer than the memory of the thrills I guess. I think if I had that op on my head with brain juice coming out my ear, I'd take it a bit easier too... but you're still here mate. I say carry on living, it's not fun just surviving day to day to be safe. Granted you might not physically be able to but I'd hate to be faced with that dilema, I'd like to think I'd keep getting back on.

Prime example is my dad who is 73 years old. Had several minor heart attacks 5 years ago, has COPD and emyshema and still rides... infact he got a Rocket 3 last year and only sold it because it literally took his breath away.. that and the weight was too much for him. He's about to buy another Guzzi California... so inspite of his illnesses, his big family and age - he still does what he loves to do. He's just a bit more careful. I say do what you love or what's the point of being alive?

[KATO ZX7]

lol
ok, heres me. Mum of a 3yr old and a 5 month old.
I ride.
I rode while i was pregnant with both. I rode my bike to pregnancy doc apointments...
I couldnt wait to go riding as soon as i healed up from c-section surgeries.
I even obtained my 1st Streetfighter when i was 4 months pregnant with my first child. So...

Do you stop living when you have kids??

[ashcook]

quote:Originally posted by NoZ I say do what you love or what's the point of being alive?


I agree 100%. Spending what free time I have with my kids is what is winning over going out on my own for a ride. I do try to not do any work over the weekend and keep that time for my family. I use to use my bike to commute a lot. But I now live in a rural town so if I do travel anywhere I either have a kid with me or I need to carry materials/tools/whatever that a bike simply can not do.

We live in a prime area for bikes, road or dirt. Every day there are groups going through. And that day will come again I'm sure for me to go out there too. I still have all my riding gear, my leathers, even my complete CRF supermoto set-up, I don't plan on getting rid of any of it. I am however sick of half finished car projects laying around so they are getting parted out and sold off. I just don't have the time.

I guess what I'm saying is I use to live, breath bikes. Ever since I was a kid it was all I have ever done. If I wasn't riding one, I was fixing one or doing something related to my bikes. I have no hesitation for my kids to ride. Some of you may even remember the bike I made my daughter.
http://www.streetfighters.com.au/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=15913&SearchTerms=timber
Seeing this thread made me relate to obviously the minority (by the looks of it, just me). I understand what you are all saying, those words have come from my mouth too. But right now I guess I see teaching my 1 year old son to ride his tricycle or to let my 3 year old daughter ride with me on the ride on and have a steer, my higher priority. I just don't want to miss them growing up while spending my little free time without them. I've watched my older kids grow up way too quickly and have missed it all. All I get now from them is a "fuck you" look if I'm lucky.

[Shadowzone]

quote:Originally posted by ashcook
All I get now from them is a "fuck you" look if I'm lucky.




So you've got Teenagers too then mate.

Welcome to my world. I love the housework debate. I work and pay for the house so I therefore am exempt from cleaning it. Until you have a job and are able to contribute to the household in some other way you will do the housework. If you choose not to do said housework you also chose to walk everywhere because you're not riding the bike I paid for and I'm sure as fuck not driving you anywhere. Oh and you get zero cash, phone credit and internet time. And you can hand over your mobile phone and fuck off and sulk in your room.

Works every time without fail. Just a pain in the ass saying it every second day...

[ashcook]

Yep, one very ungrateful 13 year old step son who would happily kick his own mother, my wife, under a bus if he thought it would mean getting out of washing up or even showering. And a daughter who is 7 going on 20 where everything in the world is second to her Mum. To not help the situation with these 2, we only have them on the weekends. So they live in their own worlds where they get whatever they want during the week then see us on the weekends where they don't.

[bladehunter]

I've a bit unwell this year, barely ridden, haven't wanted anything to do with bikes....been holed up in the house only wanting to work


IT FUCKEN SUX

RIDE RIDE RIDE RIDE