hello, new guy here, 1st post. i rode a dirt bike a little as a kid, but i'm a new rider on the street, its been almost 2 years. had my 1st wreck 2 weeks ago; jackass turned left right infront of me at the very last moment, i went over his hood; broken leg & 3 broken ribs, 5 days in the hospital, looking at ~3 months off my feet.

riding really has been a huge pleasure in my life, i really needed something to take away the midlife blahs and make me feel alive again. i'm afraid that this wreck might ruin riding for me.

how many of you went on to enjoy riding again after a bad accident?
how many know some folks who hung it up for good after a bad wreck?

thanx.

A buddy of mine has had 3 wrecks in as many years...granted he's not had a broken leg and ribs but he's been hurt. He can't stay away from 2 wheels though...guess it's just in his blood.

I like your assessment that you feel alive on a bike! To me that speaks volumes and would seem like you will ride again. There's not much you can do "legally" to feel like you do on a bike...like anything it'll be a while before you are as confident or enjoying it as much. Perhaps you give yourself 6 months and if you just can't shake feeling like you don't want to do it anymore, then you give it up?!?

Just my .02 but that's what I'd do...good luck man!

A couple real bad ones and a couple small ones over the years. I'm not a bad driver. What I have learned from all that is to see frames ahead before it happens. You know the what ifs at certain situations/junctures, stale green lights, intersections, traffic flow situations.

As well I realize all to well how not bullet proof I use to think I was. Like you I simply just love a motorcycle to much to stop right just yet. I always felt and still do I will probably die on a motorcycle.

Brooks, I'm new to this website and just catching up on older posts. Sorry to hear about your bad luck. as they say, it's not if but when you have wreck. I had a bad one in 1978, drunk driver pulled in front of me and i hit his front bumper, almost got around him. it ripped my left foot off. They stuck it back on and 3 months in the hospital. I got off the road and went to dirt bikes for 20 years. Now i am back on the road and just recently bought a second harley. The risk is well worth the freedom and piece of mind that I get when riding. If I have to go, I hope it is on a Harley Davidson. Stay with it and stay out of town!!
Dave lowry

The worst I was injured was in a car. I broke my neck in five places driving a company car in 1987. Didn't even know I was hurt until a week later.

The most pain I've felt when riding a Harley is when I noticed a black part that I had forgotten to replace with chrome. The feeling was excruciating!

I guess when is right...
way back in '78 a drunk driver ran a stop sign and saw me at the last minute and stopped dead in the middle of the road, t-boned him and launched over the hood... broken back.
'94, the fng on the road crew let me through - why I just dont know, but as I went up the road a mile they were paving with those really big dump trucks and steam rollers, as I went on the shoulder to not get run over i sank in oil covered sand, bike stopped dead fell over and my right foot got caught between the folding floor board and the brake pedal broken big toe... hurt like hell the whole way home.
Couple years ago I launched from a green light and UFO turned left in front of me, guardian angle helped that night, put it sideways and just missed the rear bumper. Did a couple really cool fish tails during turns after hitting oil in the road but saved it both times... Some times you get lucky, sometimes not so much. I'm a firm believer of when its your time the shadow is going to get you even if you're tucked tight in your bed so why not light your hair on fire and got out in a blaze of glory. I love riddin' 2 wheels even if I got to pedal or push.