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[Break shot]

Good for you. Life is risky and some would say the thrill of life is proportional to the risks taken.

The key word there is some ,, at 55 I don't take any risks and I'm just fine
Now if Tom Brady's  wife should roll into my bed tonight , I just might consider Adulty and unprotected sex 

Break shot

[RonandJanet]

Riding Motorcycles is by default more dangerous than cages.  I know we all know this and accept this as a fact.  I have gone down but never anything serious (Started riding in 77). I have been riding with friends that had serious accidents and have had friends just riding having serious accidents. I have seen many people go down. I ride every day to downtown Atlanta and yes I have had many close calls (I just love to ride!). When I was young I did so many stupid things and somehow survived. Now I am much more aware and don't do any serious drinking while riding and watch everyone around me for distracted drivers (text, cell, etc.). I also make sure my bike as in as good a shape as possible with no chances on tires or anything. I am and will do what I can to prevent accidents.  Hopefully I will be able to avoid major issues until I am too old to ride. (yes you do forget to put your feet down or forget any number of things)! Ride safe and always look out for the other guy!   

[Break shot]

I definitely think you can limit your chances of a accident but the threat is always there ,, no guesion I put myself at risk much more when I was younger the only time on the road I laid my bike down was going 5 mph turning at a stop sign just after rain bike it a oil spot and slid right out from under me ,, 
I didn't ride like these guys do now on thier rice rockets ,, but I was know to catch second on my 650 BSA hardtail and ride a short wheelie ..
Now much older  having ridden my 82 FLT for 5 yrs , short runs around the beach and country roads , I aim to venture out farther , of corse I know there are inherited risks , but I'm a defensive driver and keep my squirreling  to straight runs with good views

Break shot

[bigsixman]

I have been riding for 49 years and I have only been down twice back in 1967 while playing around with my CL77 305 Honda scrambler. I feel luck and experience have contributed to my riding history of only going down twice.

I have missed deer by just a few feet and was riding behind a friend who was hit by a car that it would have been me if I would have been in the front of our group. I have been missed by just a few feet by drivers out at Sturgis because others could not keep their bike in their lane on the curves, some luck and some experience helped.

I drive a street glide now and I just started using a helmet on a regular basis this year. The concern that I have now is not having my boots slip on gravel when you are balancing a heavier bike while stopped and going down. I have had it happen a few times while my passenger is getting on or off and almost tipped over. I am going to feel real stupid if that happens.

[Puzzled]

Hit March 29th of 2004. The driver crossed four lanes of traffic. I was on my SERG earlier in the day before jumping on my GSXR 1000.

March 4 2007 I went down being a meathead in Daytona with my Turbo Hayabusa, snapped the chain speed shifting, locked the rear wheel up when the chain jammed between the sprocket and swingarm, barrel rolled down International Blvd..

June-ish 2010 Ditched my Buell once running hard in the rain to avoid hitting the guy in front of me who got loose in a turn.

Picture is of where the car ran into my left side breaking my femur, arm, wrist along with internal bleeding.

Owning the land yacht bagger has slowed me down which is a good thing. With a little luck I'll live longer.

[FLSTFI Dave]

I have been down several times on dirt bikes and ATV's.

I have not been down on a street bike.  I have been very lucky as I have had some very close calls.

First running about 30 over on a very curvy 45 mph road, had a car pull out in front of me.  Lucky nothing was coming and I could go around him on shoulder of opposite side of road.  my mirror hit his suburban.  It was my fault, had I been doing the speed limit, his turn would have been complete.  He could not see me when he pulled out due to the curve I was in.

Second time I hit a dear at 30~35 mph, I was turning into my neighborhood when he ran out. I was turning left and he was coming from left.  We saw each other at the same time, I went right as much as I could and dear went more left.  I got his right hind quarter with my left front.  I did not go down.  Scared the crap out of me.

Last time was last month in FL.  Five lanes going one direction, with the two left most as left turn lanes.  All lights were green, in a 50 zone.  I was in left most straight though lane.  Did not notice car at light stopped with no brake lights or lights.  I could not stop in time, was into the ABS and at last minute truck to left of me saw what was going on and I could swerve left.  I missed the car by inches.  My wife on her bike next to me was able to swerve right.

I count my blessings.  I pray every time I get on the bike.  I have been run off the road, had cars come into my lane.  You just have to figure all cars and trucks are trying to kill you.

[68 XLCH]

Three weeks ago, returning from a about 150 mile leisurely ride in the country, i was about 5 miles from the house on a fairly narrow paved road, and doing 40 miles per hr.   It was almost dark so being extra careful for deer etc. when an Eagle flew across the road, about 8 feet in the air and 10 feet in front of me.  I rolled off the throttle, but nothing else, because he was just about in front of me when i saw him.  Never experienced that before.   Then today after about 2 weeks of daily rain, dry yesterday, but cloudy.  Full sunshine, 50 degrees i decided at about 2 PM to take the bike out.  My drive way is about 1/2 mile long, windy crowned, stay in the wheel track road and elevated, mostly covered by pines, sand, thick pine needles and the the last 1/8th is gravel.

The sand drys out well, the pine needles are fine as long as you don't have to make a quick stop, but where the sand is worn down and the dirt, nice fertile black dirt has worn thru in a few spots is as slick as snot.   I was going 7 or 8 mph, being very careful, but the front tire still slipped around, got my pucker factor up, continued on for a short ride and knew that i had to get back before dark so that i could see the area and go very slow thru the one or two spots like this.

Just before i got to the longest area that caused my tire to slip, about 10 feet long, i slowed to about a slow roll took both feet of the boards and rode thru it with no problem.  I'll need to get some sand on he area after it dries out good.

Always things to be wary of and but for the grace of God either could have gotten me.

[spada84]

Ok I'm in a mood for doom forecasting.

Sure you're going down and you gonna die someday and most likely have pain and suffering before the end comes. Logic then says since your still alive sell the bike and quit riding so you can die another way.

If I did that, I'd die a little every day, and soon be dead - at least on the inside.

[spada84]

1973, Trying to climb too steep a hill on my 175 Yamaha. Stalled about 25' up. Tried to ease it down, but loose dirt caused a wheels first slide. That was pretty OK, until the wheels caught traction, and the slide became a "rider first" slide. I believe the transition could be called a high-side. Yeah, that hurt, but being 17 at the time, it was ignored. This was off-road, so not sure it counted. 

About 1984, riding some back roads in the VA mountains. Came around a decreasing radius turn too fast. Went off the left side of the road into the ditch. Still up, bouncing from side to side in the ditch, trying to stop, when I see I'm approaching a culvert. This would be bad. Fastest prayer I've ever said in my life. Suddenly, the bike shoots to the right, back up on the road. I get the bike stopped about 20 feet past the culvert. So I'm thinking "what the heck just happened?". Park the bike to pull all the grass off of the pegs and lower controls, and walk back to the ditch to see if I can figure this out. Apparently, sometime in the recent past, when the ground was wet and soft, a car had run off the road into the ditch. One of the tires had left a "ramp" from the bottom of the ditch, which was squarish, to the road. My front wheel was turned just so to catch that "ramp" and guide me back to the road.

Believe what you will, but it's pretty easy to say that a higher power knew and was looking out for me in advance. One of the building blocks of my testimony.

Since that time, have had plenty of close calls, and a few parking lot/driveway drops; gravel, oil, etc. Left a 10' front wheel skid mark in an oil patch that might have left a shorter skid mark elsewhere.  But nothing serious. I know it could happen at any time. Try to mitigate the risk with skills practice and proper gear.

[Hugh Janis]

From a guy who's been struck by lightning and had a transmission lock up while riding. 

Anyone who says they'll never go down is being foolish.  No matter how skilled and/or lucky you are sometimes it's not up to you.  Tires blow, engines seize (thank you mother Harley), road conditions can suddenly deteriorate or be pot-holed, others may not pay attention or your BSR can just suddenly see something so interesting it needs to be leaned over and pointed at as your slowly going through a parking lot; and none of that even begins to consider traffic, deer or other such hazards.

I've gone down, dropped or laid over enough times I could be foolish and say I'm pre-disastered now so it can't happen to me again.  And it can't; right up until the next time.

[Twolanerider]

From a guy who's been struck by lightning and had a transmission lock up while riding. 

Yeah, but not at the same time  .

[sadunbar]

Yeah, but not at the same time  .

Not yet, anyway...   

[Twolanerider]

Not yet, anyway...   

The trick is to avoid locking up the transmission and then sliding on to a boat with a miter saw that cuts off your finger as the now single digit gets struck by lightning.  Just so long as you don't get it all at once you're good .