This is what happens when you think you don't need safety equipment.

[BudManLXXIX]

Hi everyone I'm new here and thought I'd share my own safety experience's with all those who would listen. I've been riding motorized bicycles for years and never wore any safety equipment. I'm a very careful person and for years I got away with not wearing safety equipment. Thought I didn't really need it, until I did that is. No matter how careful you are you can't account for everything that could happen. Which is what happened to me one day, I've had fenders on new bikes rattle off before. On the front tire and back, with very little happening other than some damage to the wheel and skidding to a stop. But this particular day I was pulling into my drive way when suddenly the fender on a new bike build I had broke lose and tangled it's self into my front tire. Because I was coming to a stop I so happened to be going slow enough for the tire to grab the pavement instead of skidding, which sent me flipping forward . And before I could even try to remove my hands for the handlebars I was flipped forward slamming my face into the pavement. I got away pretty lucky with a 4" laceration across my left eyebrow, which left the whole top left side of my head with permeant numbness. Not fun, that. I also tore some ligaments in my neck and broke my check bone in three different places. I for a bit there the doc's were talking about facial reconstruction because my sinus cavity was like connected to my eye socket. Don't know the technical term for that I just know when I tried blowing my nose the clear the blood out of it at the hospital my eyeball almost pop out of it's socket. I call that a lessen learned or so I thought. But about 6 months later after smarting up about the safety equipment I had a dumb moment. Other than thinking one day, "It just a quick ride to the store, I'll be fine, just this once", and I left my helmet behind. Well a dog decides to run out in front of me and lucking I reacted quick enough to aimed my self into the ditch, so when I hit the stupid dog I wasn't injured to bad. But while I did save my self, my bike wasn't so lucky. And for those dog lover out there, the dog was fine, which is more than I can say for the irresponsible owners of the dog were after I tore into there ass and took them to court for the replacement of my bike plus court and lawyer fees. But yet again I got lucky it could have been a lot worse. So I will say this time, now my lesson is learned. Never again will I doubt the need for safety equipment. " Lets hope so anyways." A while back I made a safety video with the footage I took of my accident to share with some friends cautioning them about safety equipment. For those who would like to see my actual injury's, can view it here.----> Motorized bicycle Accident Be warned those it's gruesome. And I hope this whole ordeal which taught me my lesson can help someone else learn theirs before it's to late like me and my half numb head. The worst feeling in the world is a pair of clipper on my numb scalp. Give me chill just thinking about it.

 

[BudManLXXIX]

It's been some time before I last posted something on a forum. Over a decade at least. But after just reading what I wrote above and noticing all the mistakes. In hindsight I should have done a proof read first. But for the same reason I didn't do a proof read I also am not going to make the effort to fix them. I'm tired and need to hit the sack. I just wanted to say that I was aware of them. I just didn't want my first post give a bad impression of me and lead people into thinking that I'm a moron or something. But yes I am aware there are some awful grammar up there, but just chalk it to my tiredness. I also didn't proof read this. FYI

 

[Tom from Rubicon]

Well Bud, have you ever bruised your d!ck? I have riding my 1983XL250.
My builds don't have fender fails.
Just by chance , do you know mousy?

 

[Tom from Rubicon]

One chance pard and you ignore.

 

[Greg58]

I often repeat a saying a friend of mine said one time about a snake, if you kill his head his"a$$" will die! The same applies to us.

 

[Sidewinder Jerry]

I often tell people helmets are only for people who have brains worth protecting. People who are trying to be cool don't need them.

As for the fenders, well stay a regular on the forum. We here often warn people about fenders and other safety issues. I tell others, if you insist on having them, at least research the forum for threads about how to reinforce them.

Glad you're back and looking forward to more post from you.

 

[Tom from Rubicon]

1971, a young man named Ted. showing off for girls, T boned a v dub. instead .
Had he rode a Harley, the V dub would folded more smartly'

 

[fasteddy]

Haven't told this story here in a long time but this seems to be the time and place. I lived in a small town that had two health care facilities. One was for people with mental difficulties but could function on their own and the second one was for people with traumatic brain injuries who could function on their own with help.

I live behind a gas station and I was in and out of the convenience store a few times a day. The head trauma bus would drop people of around town and pick them up when they were finished doing what they needed to do. There was one young chap who was in his late twenties that I'd talk to when we saw each other. It was a little hard given his brain injury but with time he could get what he wanted to say out and one time he said as he waited for the bus that he wanted to tell me what had happened to him.

He lived in a large city and traveled around on his bicycle since it was easier than owning a car and waiting for a bus. He had to go to the store and as he was going out the door he looked at his bike helmet and decided not to wear it since he wasn't going far. On his way someone opened their car door and and as he swerved to avoid the door and cut back in front of the car to avoid traffic, his tires slid on the pavement and he went down with the bike.

As he slid on the pavement, he went head first went into the curb and hit the top of his head. He had been fighting his way back for 6 years to get to where he was then. You read this most likely in less than a minute. It took him probably close to 15 minutes tell me what happened. He was wearing a helmet every time I saw his in case he fell.

He and his caregiver would go to schools and anywhere else and he would give talks about bike safety and the importance of bike helmets.

Steve.

 

[fasteddy]

Tom,
In the 1960's I knew an A** H*** who was as cocky and arrogant as they came. We got into some car trading and like a fool I trusted him for the money which never came. I snatched him up one night when he was trying to impress some young ladies in front of his house with the intention of giving him a warning then decided against it and told him that Karma would deliver a better payment and didn't see him for over two years.

Stopped at a friends gas station and as was walking back to my car I noticed the lad sitting in his car in the parking lot. I walked over and when I got there his right arm is in one of those permanent injury slings. Seems he had a Yamaha and he was working on it when some young ladies came by and saw him and stopped to talk. Mr. Big Shot decides when he's finish with the bike that he'd show the girls a spectacular wheel stand.

His street was short and exited onto a very busy four lane road. It seems that just as he gave it full throttle the throttle cable cable jammed and he had probably about a second to decide what to do. He hit a telephone pole with the throttle wide open rather than go out on the street. He was slammed into the pole. He would never use his arm again and he was twenty two at the time. Never did see him again.

Karma is an unforgiving mistress.

Steve.

 

[Mossy]

There was place I would go and drink and do kereioke songs... A long a bar hop down the beach... It was usually the first and last place after a long stretch from my storage... In St Pete beach I had a storage at the end of the line.. but this was on the other coast... Over a few years of doing this there was this one guy that just didn't like me...
None of the locals will friend anyone it's a tourist trap they just want your money... A lot of fun can be had with it...
It was this one day... The bike was running perfect... I got it to not loose any speed and hold it's ground going over the intercoastal bridge... Hair blowing like a flame buzzing in to the plaza... He must have heard the run over the bridge and as I came into the parking lot he was walking up to the front... Chrome stay true wheels just put on and fenders were chrome and gleaming I made it look easy... So about a week later he gets one... And about a week after that he's in a coma

 

[fasteddy]

I did feel sorry for the lad. He have a decent future ahead of him with the right family and connections from the right part of town but if it was to happen to anyone, it was him. I wasn't the only person he used over and there were a couple of fellas who were the type that would have left him in the trunk of his car at the airport except for his family connections who would have had a lot of people looking for you and they had the law on their side when they caught you.

Steve.

 

[Tom from Rubicon]

Back in the early 2000's one of Mona's coworkers son mounted a friends crotch rocket. Totally unprepared for what happened next. He lived for maybe 6 more years in a nursing home.

I only ever wore a helmet for weather protection. I became aware that when wearing a helmet, my riding style put me at risk of serious injury. Hence a closet shelf with a couple thousand dollars worth of helmets on it.

I have a genuine in the box Harley leather helmet. Think WWI pilot style. Sadly it was too small for me but fit my Dad perfectly. I have photos of he and I two up on my 750 Yamaha and 800 BMW.
Dad was a great passenger and we had fun together that made for great memories.

Tom

 

[Greg58]

I worked with a guy that suffered a head injury riding a motorcycle, he was in a coma for a month after the crash. The first time I met him I though he was drunk, if you've ever talked to someone that has had too much to drink you know what he sounded like. He was a good guy but never got the ability to speak clearly back, if I remember correctly he was playing on his bike and someone backed out in front of him and he T-boned them.

 

[Mossy]

Growing up on fast engines and drum brakes with manual steering we all learned to drive that way... Today's people have always had good brakes and suspension and depend on them... So when something happens it's the only time they have ever reacted to a situation... We worked on everything and you notice things aren't right sooner than someone who has a dealership service plan... Our society today has created a distance between man and machine... If the light turns green you go... If there's something crossing halfway through the light they get hit... It just creates situations where nobody is looking out for each other and one mistake is all it takes everyone disconnected from the chain of events leading up to it...

 

[BudManLXXIX]

Great stories, thanks you guys. Trust me I'll never ride without my gear again. Like I said this as lucky...

...it could have been far worse. Oh and FYI, I wasn't trying to look cool, if anything I was being a bit narcissistic. I didn't think I needed one because I was overly confident I could account for others and their mistakes. But it wasn't some else's mistake or mine that got me, it was a genuine accident. Until it happened I didn't think it could. But I know better now. Thanks again for sharing your stories.

 

[fasteddy]

A picture or a thousand words? Once again the picture speaks louder than any amount of words. I hope you are or did heal well.

Steve.