Should I just stop riding?... | GTAMotorcycle.com

Should I just stop riding?...

M

MSFT

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So I am at a little crossroads here...

Recently took a spill and fractured my arm... This is now the 4th issue I've had in the 2 years I have been riding..

First year... lowsided twice on streetcar tracks braking to hard and quick.. no major injuries.. bruises/scuffs...

Second year.. Hit by a Mac Truck from behind no major injury.. Recent lowside with a fractured forearm..

Honestly should i just stop at this point? Many of my family/girlfriend/co-workers all think i should just hang it up.. sell the bike and move on.. but honestly i don't really want to.. but i have had probably a few more issues than most over my short riding career..

Has anyone else been a little prone to issues, that have continued to ride?
 
I've been told/heard that if you have 3 accidents in under 2 years - give it up; it isn't for you. I know that may seem an arbitrary number but you're either unlucky or you don't have the skill set to safely ride a motorcycle.

Get a sports car.
 
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that is an awful lot of trouble in a short time span
to each their own of course, but if it were me?
yeah, I'd seriously look at packing it in
 
kruzuki said:
I've been told/heard that if you have 3 accidents in under 2 years - give it up; it isn't for you. You're either unlucky or you're not paying attention.

Get a sports car.
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Mind you I did get rear ended by the Mac Truck so it wasn't my fault but still..issue none the less..
This recent one..I dunno I must have braked a little to hard on something slick.

TK4 said:
Maybe try a different type of MC - what are you riding now ?
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Before the Mac Truck a 78 CB400..after the Mac 99 CBR600F4... Maybe I need something with ABS lol
Seems I squeeze to hard...

JavaFan said:
that is an awful lot of trouble in a short time span
to each their own of course, but if it were me?
yeah, I'd seriously look at packing it in
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I feel like if I pack it in I will be really missing it... but ya it is in a short time frame.
 
MSFT said:
So I am at a little crossroads here...

Recently took a spill and fractured my arm... This is now the 4th issue I've had in the 2 years I have been riding..

First year... lowsided twice on streetcar tracks braking to hard and quick.. no major injuries.. bruises/scuffs...

Second year.. Hit by a Mac Truck from behind no major injury.. Recent lowside with a fractured forearm..

Honestly should i just stop at this point? Many of my family/girlfriend/co-workers all think i should just hang it up.. sell the bike and move on.. but honestly i don't really want to.. but i have had probably a few more issues than most over my short riding career..

Has anyone else been a little prone to issues, that have continued to ride?
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Retrain yourself in the dirt. Retry yourself on the street. If you get the same result, stop. If you get a different result, continue. My guess is that you will be allowed to continue. You are smart enough to listen to your inner voice...be smart enough to heed good advice.

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MLadin said:
Retrain yourself in the dirt. Retry yourself on the street. If you get the same result, stop. If you get a different result, continue. My guess is that you will be allowed to continue. You are smart enough to listen to your inner voice...be smart enough to heed good advice.
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+1 on that - maybe get a dualsport ?
 
My friend's girlfriend barely passed her M2 test but watching her ride, it was clear that motorcycles were not meant to be in her future, and if they were, it would be a very short future.

Just because you possess the basic skills to start, stop and turn a motorcycle, doesn't mean you belong on the streets with wet asphalt, pine cones, street car tracks and other vehicles.

She gave up riding after a whole season of close calls and near misses. Nobody told her to hang up her keys but we were all glad when she did.
 
You mentioned street car tracks. Are you from Toronto? I used to love riding into Toronto.
I have been riding for 40 years, but now I try to avoid riding in Toronto, especially alone.
I will occasionally go to LnL with a small group, or the MotoSocial, but just going into Toronto, no.
I made the mistake of watching CP24 as I have my breakfast and I can't believe the increase of motorcycle accidents and deaths in the last 2 years.
It never used to be this bad.
If you still enjoy riding, then try to get out of the city as much as you can and try to ride with at least one other person.
If you feel that it's your skill, then take an advanced motorcycle course, or just go into a large parking lot a couple times a week and improve your skills.
If you really enjoy it, I wouldn't give it up.
 
Lightcycle said:
My friend's girlfriend barely passed her M2 test but watching her ride, it was clear that motorcycles were not meant to be in her future, and if they were, it would be a very short future.

Just because you possess the basic skills to start, stop and turn a motorcycle, doesn't mean you belong on the streets with wet asphalt, pine cones, street car tracks and other vehicles.

She gave up riding after a whole season of close calls and near misses. Nobody told her to hang up her keys but we were all glad when she did.
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I do believe I have more than basic skill, and I do not over do myself. I really haven't had any issues between the Mac Truck and now tbh. My falls in my first season happened within the first few months of riding and after the second one I was fine up until the Mac earlier this summer. I feel like those were due to inexperience, but this recent I feel due to bad luck. It was morning after it rained the night before.. I was actually not planning on riding in until I saw that it had past.

Klaatu said:
You mentioned street car tracks. Are you from Toronto? I used to love riding into Toronto.
I have been riding for 40 years, but now I try to avoid riding in Toronto, especially alone.
I will occasionally go to LnL with a small group, or the MotoSocial, but just going into Toronto, no.
I made the mistake of watching CP24 as I have my breakfast and I can't believe the increase of motorcycle accidents and deaths in the last 2 years.
It never used to be this bad.
If you still enjoy riding, then try to get out of the city as much as you can and try to ride with at least one other person.
If you feel that it's your skill, then take an advanced motorcycle course, or just go into a large parking lot a couple times a week and improve your skills.
If you really enjoy it, I wouldn't give it up.
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Yes I live in East York and work in the downtown core. Been living in Toronto for 35 years. I ride as a daily commute because the subway into the core is just horrible, I have gone outside of the city but even there I dont push it.
 
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I am with the majority. In the interest of a long and happy life, I would seriously consider giving up riding on the street. Even getting hit from behind can generally be avoided with situational awareness and it appears that yours may not be up to snuff. If you want to stay on two wheels, dirt or track give you that option while mitigating the downside (maybe not of minor injuries like broken bones, but you are much less likely to die). Take care.
 
You at least need to review your riding skills....that includes situational awareness habits, etc. If you can't improve on those, might be time to give up riding.
 
MSFT said:
...
I feel like if I pack it in I will be really missing it... ...
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:D you Should buy a trials bike and learn to ride real good,
although I guarantee you will crash lots in the process.
 
MSFT said:
I do believe I have more than basic skill, and I do not over do myself. I really haven't had any issues between the Mac Truck and now tbh. My falls in my first season happened within the first few months of riding and after the second one I was fine up until the Mac earlier this summer. I feel like those were due to inexperience, but this recent I feel due to bad luck.
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Well then there's your answer then. :dontknow:
 
Don't give up slow it down. Ride slower so you'll less likely to brake hard. And you ride into dt Toronto almost everyday? maybe don't do that yet do that after you get more experience. Dt Toronto is a mess
 
There is nothing wrong with taking a break. You can always return to riding another time. Such as you miss it and want to do it.




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Ocean said:
Don't give up slow it down. Ride slower so you'll less likely to brake hard. And you ride into dt Toronto almost everyday? maybe don't do that yet do that after you get more experience. Dt Toronto is a mess
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Good advice, along with those who said you may not be aware enough of your surroundings. You've mentioned that you're often "hard on the brakes", perhaps you're a bit close to the vehicle in front of you. I realize that if you leave space some jack#$s is likely to fill it but it's still better than always braking hard.
 
By the standards you mentioned, I probably should have quit riding too when I was much younger. In a way, I did. With low paying jobs, school, new family, new business, back to school, kids, I didn't have the time or money to ride, so returned to riding after a 20 year absence.

Looking back on it, I was lucky to survive my first round of mc riding. I rode a lot, gained a lot of skill but wasn't able to understand that I couldn't be an expert street rider within two years. Yet I rode and behaved like I was an expert. I rode too aggressively and took too many chances.

I don't know you, or your behaviors, but I think we may have some common issues. You're riding a 600cc bike(higher risk bike) in downtown toronto(higher risk area) in the rain(higher risk conditions). Sure, lots of people do that and don't have accidents, but you do. I would consider in future riding (I doubt you're going to stop) to eliminate one or two of those risk factors every time you ride.

As for me, I got back into it after more than 20 years, and I did have a not at fault accident within two years. It did make me re-evaluate my skills and attitudes. I realized commuting every single day is a higher risk activity, and I started to drive the cage when I was feeling tired and not committed to being extra vigilant on the road. I still ride a lot. This summer I recognized that my old habits were kicking in when I took air off of some railroad tracks on the Southwood road.

I decided I needed to take it to the track, or to find some other way to get an adrenaline rush. It was actually cheaper for me to buy a sailing catamaran and join a sailing club than to buy gear and commit to half a dozen track days. Now I can push a machine to its limits in a responsible way, and a high speed crash at 30km/hr probably won't break any bones. I'm still loving the bike, but it's easier now to resist the temptation to push a little harder every time I go out.
 
Take the fast riding school at Shannonville in the spring. Get the extra insurance coverage so if you do bail, they deal with it, not you (unless you injure yourself). They have a wide range of bikes from ninja 400s to 600s to sv650s. My friend bailed in phase 1 and was on another bike the next lapping session. The course will not only make you a better rider, but it will definitely show you if riding is for you or not. 2 people in the course stopped mid day cause they just really weren't enjoying themselves as they were "scared" to be on the track (which doesn't make sense to me cause it's a safe environment).
Heck, you may even find that you might just want to get the 2 wheel itch out on the track, rather than risking your life on the street.
Check out it out!
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