Those of you who know me, knew I loved my bikes, I lived and breathed bikes.
I don’t feel that anymore, what happened? I had an accident (I’ve had a few and broke myself too but got up and got better) I am having trouble this time though.
Is it because it was totally out of my control, a driver looked at me (we made eye contact) but just did not register and pulled out, I hit him without a chance to even brake.
Now I cannot relax while riding. When I ride all my accidents run through my head, and everytime I smell a bad drain (I landed by a stinky drain) I am back heading into that silver sharan, the passenger on her phone looking at me and the driver seeing through me, f;ying through the air and thinking “I’m going to have a nose bleed”?
I have been riding bikes since I was a young boy, I have despatched and worked on a bike now for over 10 years, ia this it?
why not get yourself on a refresher course ( one day with instructor type of thing ) just have that reassuring nagging voice in your ear may help restore that confidence
Dude I ride every day for a living, I appreciate the thought but I think I maybe a bit beyond that, I am on a bike safe course but don’t think they will tell me anything I don’t already know. I have riden with alot of IAM guys, my road craft is good and I feel I have done well all these years, this has just freaked me out more than any others.
i got knocked off october 08, totally no fault on my part, car just like ya self pulled out on me, i went out and bought a bigger bike…learned to ride faster, smoother, and betetr than i ever have…i did the despatch for 6 months…that NEARLY killed my passion…but everytime i got off eeyore(CBF500) on got on me Thumper2 i knew why i love bikes:D Bikes for me are not my sole interest, i have other passions that helps keep the passion alive in bikes, maybe you been fishing too much!
come warmer dryer roads, with warmth in the tyres…freshly scraped knee sliders…and a big 1000cc Vee lump comign on song strong…BBBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRP:w00t:
the passion will come back, i know it will, i’ve rode with ya;)
Sorry to hear about your off, hope physically you’re all OK now.
I had a small off shortly after passing my test, minor one really but it affected me for at least 18 months, probably because it happened so soon after starting riding. I came off on gravel and from then on was unable to lean the bike, I looked pretty stupid riding I think. But it passed eventually.
Borrow me scoot and tear it up round town for the day shouting at taxi’s and buses and generally pee all other road users off…amazing how much better you’ll feel:P;)
it will pass eventually, this one just freaked you out a bit by the sounds of it. The only thing i’d say is do the advanced if you haven’t already. Any accident is 50/50. It was the drivers fault on insurance papers and not yours, but you should have expected it if you were planning at an advanced level, and therefore wouldn’t have been there, in the position you were in to get knocked off.
If you didnt have time to hit the brakes, you must have been doing one of 3 things.
Too fast OR on the gas as you got to the car.
you’re positioning was too close to the car. If there was more gap to the side of you you could have got out of the way maybe?
you presumed she saw you, and switched off from the hazard. It wasn’t gone until you’d passed her.
I appreciate all the comments, I guess I will relax again in time…
In nearly every case accidents can be avoided, I can assure you Mel this one was 100% his fault. I was doing 30mph as I know that junction is an issue (riding it at least twice a day). I would like to see anybody avoid what happened.
I was riding along headlight on as usual and with a bright orange helmet on, I saw the mini cab waiting on the left to turn right and made eye contact with the driver. The traffic heading into Wandsworth one way system was nose to tail, I was less than 20 feet away from the junction and he just drove straight into my path, I did get off the gas and tried to go to the right (around the front of him) but there were cars there, I had nothing else to do but relax and fly. By doing that I avoided more serious injury.
The fact that we made eye contact and he still pulled out is what has freaked me out. This accident happened a year ago and I ride my work bike through town shouting at everyone and on occasion I scrape the pegs for fun, I cover just south of Birmingham to the south coast so on the sunny days I am out down some country road and should be loving it but in the back of my head there it is.
Every time I am behind a mini cab people carrier I check and see if it the same model, everytime I smell a drain (I landed by a smelly drain) I am right back to the point of impact.
I have come to terms with every other accident I have had because they all could’ve been avoided and I have thefore concluded the 50/50 as noted. This was totally out of my (or even the worlds greatest riders) control. The only thing to do to avoid another one the same as this would be to stop and let every car pull out prior to passing a junction so I may as well just walk!
I am going to fix the fuel leak on the TL and get back out on it, I have an appointment on Harley Street to get assessed pshcologocally and maybe they will help.
Once again thanks for the kind comments and support…I may just have to quit road riding and go for some dirtbike action, but as I am leaving this country in a year or so maybe I should just lump it and get on huh.
Just life telling you that you need a change mate - like a lot of us you’ve been doing the same old thing for a long time and you feel a bit stale - it usually takes a life changing event like an accident to bring out these underlying feelings and concerns which we usually manage to suppress.
The fact that you have decided to leave the country and do something different proves that you have already recognised this problem and acted on it - so well done.
I got hit by a car in a similar accident to you - not my fault, easily should have seen me etc - it’s resulted in me riding ultra defensively around cars - I don’t trust any other vehicles these days and only feel relaxed on the bike when it’s just me and no one else around.
The fact that you ride for a living obviously has something to do with it - you just need a break from bikes for a bit - then the passion will return in full force believe me.
First off, I’m really sorry to hear of what’t happened and what you’re going through.
A friend of mine has had a really bad run of luck the last six months on his bike (hospital twice, write offs twice). After the last hospital visit and write off (he was pillion) he didn’t want to get back on a bike at all and didn’t touch his bike for two weeks. However, that was enforced by the snow and by the time it cleared he was itching to get back on and is now happy as larry.
I think part of the problem you have is that you’re on the bike every day. You don’t get a break and therefore you don’t get a chance for that itch to to build and the passion to come back. Unfortuantely I can’t offer much of a solution as I doubt you can just suddenly decide not to be on the bike again.
I hope you manage to fix it soon. Perhaps some track riding is in order?
Hopefully, you’ll get to a point where you feel confident around the worst MPV drivers and smelly drains. The mind is a powerful thing.
I cannot look at or eat Celebrations chocs. Someone bought me some while i was ill in hospital and they made me feel sick. Have the same reaction 10 years on…
Is it because it was totally out of my control, a driver looked at me (we made eye contact) but just did not register and pulled out, I hit him without a chance to even brake.
I guess this doesn’t help. Feeling powerless and helpless about one’s situation, only serves to drive fear.
Whereas I can see (no pun intended) you made eye contact…it left me wondering…whether you had guaged his intention…and if so, then the basics of motorcycle riding need to be applied.
Perhaps you still need basic things like covering the brakes; keeping your daylight lamps on; retaining a stopping distance; using the horn to honk and warn him, as well as slowing down sufficiently to proceed cautiously rather than being engaged in a battle of ‘rights’ for a 1.5 square metre of tarmac. Perhaps riding defensively, is the only solution, next to calling the police and reporting him for dangerous driving. Perhaps none of these factors would ever had made a difference in this kind of circumstance.
Maybe mostly, none of this matters. It still feels like you’ve been re-playing the broken tape of the incident in your head so much, that it won’t leave. In which case, it’s perhaps better to find ways to build your confidence up and riding. The same sort of driver is likely to strike again: maybe this is why defensive riding is the only way we can narrow the odds, so that life on a motorcycle is better than just a game of chance.
did not mean that i was questioning your ability to ride or anything like that all i meant was to have someone else on the bike so to speak with you as such as a new rider would have the instructor in their ear raising confidence to conquer that "nervous " feeling … .
As with any psych work beware that it does not cover over the natural fear that is present when riding that makes us aware of hazards and respond to those … it may install a false sense of security .
maybe youve just had that one too many off over the years and now your experience is tellign you to leave em alone for a bit dude?
i stopped doing the BCR/lanes a lil while last year for several reasons, one of them was that there around 3-4 fatal accidents on my fave roads, really hit home for me, so i stopped.
but i got back on it, and you will do, its a phase, i get it with bikes and fishing, i go mad for fishign for a bit then i drift away from it, yet i ALWAYS go back to it…its the same with bikes i think.
tho in your case slightly diffrent, having an off and seeign it unfold infront of you knwing you cant do anything is horrible, but no one but you can make he decision to stay on the bikes or not, tis a tough call.
BTW thumper says where that shitheap:w00t: of a TLS…she wants to play:D
