To All

[Kieran R1200R]

To all, I am not a paid member so I am not very active on this site, this is the first time in nearly twelve months I have logged on.
So for all that have messaged me I have just replied, sorry for the wait.
The carbon wheels are from BST made in South Africa but look around because you can find them cheaper.
The bars are from Rizoma, same look around for price. They are a lot flatter so there is a issue with the throttle touching. What I did is to rotate it until it doesn't.
I lost a very close Mate early this year who had a head on with another bike, both ended up dead.
It shook me to my core! I am 50 years old and have been riding since I was 16. In that time I have come off badly 3 times but was able to walk away. After attending my mates funeral I haven't been back on my bike, so much so it has been sitting in the BMW show room for sale. Six months on and I am ready to get back on, i am lucky it has not sold.
What shook me the most about my friends death was his comments while his was alive.
We use to ride most Sundays together and I have to say you could not find a more accomplished rider anywhere.
He was so good I could follow him into any blind corner and as long as I didn't see his brake light come on I new there was no danger.
His comment was to me ( How many guys do you know that have died ridding ) now he is one.
I cant get that out of my head.
The head on was caused by the other ridder cutting his corner and being on the wrong side, both ridders had no children or wifes.
I have a wife and 2 young boys, it scared me for them.
Time is a good healer and I have now missed the one thing that has kept me sane for all these years.
One questions the risk of being on bikes that we take.
I have never been able to replace the excitment I get from riding a bike with anything else, not to mention the family of other riders you meet and some that you keep as friends, so here is to another 20 years of it!!!

[deilenberger]

That can shake you up. And I hate going to those wakes (been to way too many of them.. one a few weeks ago actually.)

Riding is a real risk/reward equation. As you noted - I'm much saner (calmer, more easy going, relaxed, etc..) when I ride regularly. Strangely (or not) riding in bad weather is one of the most calming things I can do - the zen like concentration it requires puts everything except the task at hand out of my mind.

When the reward no longer balances the risk - it's time to hang up the helmet. I have a few rules to myself that I try to help keep the scale on the reward side - not the risk side: Never take a corner faster then you can see (think a pickup truck dropped a refrigerator in the turn - right out of sight - what would you do?); Never have to be anywhere on a bike - no schedule means you have the time to ride safely; and assume the worst - of traffic, roads, other vehicles, other bikers - and plan for your escape.

That said - there are times when nothing is going to help. Somehow the rush we all get riding makes that risk worthwhile - it's probably more addicting then any drug.

Good to see you back. Ride safe!

[Sander Abernathy]

I'm sorry for your loss. That must be a very hard thing to deal with.

Riding is very dangerous to be sure. In 2008, 5,091 riders in the US died when it is someone you know it must really make you wonder if exposing yourself to such risk is even worth considering. The fact that got me on a bike was that the number of people killed every year in the high risk activity of motorcycling is equal to the number of people killed in motor vehicle accidents while participating in the low risk activities of walking or bicycling.

Welcome back and enjoy the ride.

[Rolando33]

Thanks Kieran. I appreciate your reply to my question. Riding is dangerous, but so is life. Consider this an eye opener, and a 'second chance.' Do not quit riding. It makes life more "appreciable." I had a small crash too, and learned from it. I appreciate life so much more, BUT know running from things like that do not keep the risks in life away. Life is a gift, make the best of it, and enjoy every second of it. You will be sooooooooooooooo happy when you do.

Roland

[ka5ysy]

Kieran I am also sorry for the loss of your friend. Something like that is never easy, and is always painful. While it is a tragedy, find the bright spot in this that your friend died doing something he loved. I ride these bikes, fly aircraft, scuba dive in mid-ocean, and engage in several other activities that give my wife and insurance agent serious angst. I accept the fact that what I do contains risk, and I am very big on risk management to the extent that I can mitigate its possible effects. We are all dying from the instant of birth, so I figured out a long time ago that you better use the somewhat limited time we have and grab life by the ass and have a lot of fun in the process, and maybe do something good or useful. If I punch out doing something I love, that isn't a bad way to go. I would much rather go out that way than stuck in some bed with arms full of tubes being an invalid for a long time trying to stave off the inevitable. Being an invalid scares the hell out of me. Death, not so much because I have seen a lot of it. I also accept the fact that sometime, somewhere my number will come up and there is absolutely nothing I can do about it. Stuff happens and I do not worry about that golden BB that will hit me in the nose some day, and worrying about it wastes energy and good oxygen!.

When that time comes, I have a working epitaph: "What an E-ticket Ride I've had ! Now for the next great adventure..."

Mourn the loss of your friend and go for a nice ride in his honor and remember the good times you had together.

[websterize]

I have never been able to replace the excitment I get from riding a bike with anything else, not to mention the family of other riders you meet and some that you keep as friends, so here is to another 20 years of it!!!

I would guess your friend would want you to keep riding. All the best.

[mogu83]

Kieran - I would hope that your riding buddy enjoyed his lifelong ride, from the sounds of it I would assume he would want you to enjoy what's left of yours. It seems to me, that many of the members on this list are closer to their last ride than they are to their first motorcycle ride, so why not enjoy what's left.
On another list (I've been on for a long time) one of the members related a story of some daring stunt he did on his bike. He was severely chastised by many members for being reckless and acting in an unsafe manner. I know a lot of these guys personally and most of the complainers are guys that started riding in their late 40s and fifties and have never ridden over 100MPH or went into a turn 10MPH faster than they knew they should have, just to see if they could make it. When you talk to these people about an adrenaline pump they think your talking about something you find in a hardware store. I've always felt a motorcycle was about the power,speed and yes - the risk, and wonder why people that always worry about being safe, all the time, even ride a motorcycle in the first place. Many small cars get better gas mileage and offer better weather protection, the windshields also offer a very quiet ride without buffeting. Do these people ride just to assume the persona of a risk taker?
You'll ride again because that's what we do and if you believe in something after this life, maybe some of it will be on smooth twisty rodes with old riding buddies.

Here's a picture I have on my wall. On the back are they names of buddies I've ridden with (motorcyclists all) that are gone now. After 50 years the list is getting pretty long, every now and then I flip it over and remember some of the good times we've had on our machines.

[gibbo111]

Hi there Keiran, sounds an awful lot like your mate was Greg Pretty. such a sad loss. I rode a bit with Greg in the seventies , he was a top bloke always a great friend. Although I had lost touch with him many years ago it certainly shook me up when I heard about the accident. I've ridden all my life and have lost too many over the years , but I guess the balance factor still weighs in riding and taking care, i'm not as fast as I used to be!

[blueviewlaguna]

Greg Petty was a racing legend - the accident is easy to Google, a bit harder was the other person.

Here is a link to information on the rider that collided with Greg Petty by crossing the line:

http://adelaidescuba.blogspot.com/2010/ ... r-rip.html

Looking at the comments, it seemed that he was an experienced rider with 240,000 Kilometers under his belt. Perhaps too many miles can create overconfidence?

[Kieran R1200R]

Pretty cut the corner and was on the wrong side of the road. The first Policeman that attended the accident identified Pretty and assumed he did no wrong because of his past reputation. The other riders also did not speak out until after the funeral then the truth surfaced. That is a fact! All that new Pretty know this!
Mostyn my mate just happened to be the other rider that he collided with. The whole thing was a terrable tragedy.

[craigleo]

I am sorry to hear of your loss. I've lost a few friends to car crashes, surfing and motorcycling. One has been dead for over 25 years. I still miss him. I never stopped riding or surfing or any other 'fun' for very long because fun and adrenaline acts of lunacy are what bonds me with my friends. The fun also helps me remember the few that are gone as well.

Perhaps you might consider treating yourself to a track day in honor of your friend. Bring along any mutal motorcycle nutters who may want to participate.

I think grieving is important. I also think your friend would want to be remembered joyfully by you while you are enjoying life.

[Rolando33]

I've been looking at all these replies, and so many make great points. I think the best thing we can do is remember the good times we have had riding with our friends, and keep "living" when we ride. I sincerely believe that the friends we have lost would tell us that if they could.