[David M.]

It's a subject we all try to avoid even in our own minds, I know. In my mirror, I just saw my wife crash at about 20 or 25 mph on a wet road with high traffic density. I saw her in midair then hit the pavement and slide, while her bike slid much farther than she did. We don't how much it had rained on that section so it might have been the early times, when all the oil floats up to the top. Anyway, now, of course, I am doing some frank risk assessment. I've dropped my 2004 Wing 3 times at 0 mph and once at about 5 mph. Never any scratches on me, maybe a few bruises.

My wife has dropped her '04 VTX C twice, I think. First time, it was about 2 mph at a dip in a gravel road. She was fine but her windshield was pretty scratched up. This time, she has several bruises about her body and a 6 inch long piece of road rash just below her elbow. Thank goodness she had her bike boots on or her ankle would probably be lots worse than just bruise and a little swelling. I've been *trying* to get her to get full body armor but she balks at that.

Anyway, she has some 38,000 miles on her bike and I have about 43k on mine. Sometimes we ride to the limits of each bike and sometimes we just poke along enjoying the scenery. (Yes, I wait for her often.) It's still fun. This is her first serious spill since I've known her which is now about 16 years. She had a bike before this one, as did I, but we took several years bikeless then couldn't stand it anymore in '04.

That's our recent history. Between these and the previous bikes, she has one serious spill in 80-100k miles and I've had one in about the same distance but I didn't have a scratch from my being forced down in the median by a furniture truck many years ago.

So my question is: what is your damaging spill rate to your miles? I need to decide whether to sell the bikes (if she even *will* sell hers!) or to continue enjoying the sport we both love so much. I'm sure if I sold mine she would not ride very often.

Thanks for a serious assessment.

David M.
Needless to say, that scared me spitless.

 

[Bam Bam]

Hi David, glad to hear you wife is ok. I am never really comfortable in the wet on a heavy bike, although with several 100 thousand miles on the street with an mc in the past 30 years I have never crashed, I have come close many times due to my hotdogging, I have learned a lot of valuble lessons along the way.
However, the reason I have not gone down is mostly due to lots of experience on bicycles and dirtbikes, which I have crashed O plenty, the dirt is fairly forgiving. Two wheels handle very much the same whether you are on a bicycle or a mc. I would highly recommend a couple mountain bikes, and practice some skidding on grass, ride some inclines and declines, have some fun with it, get a little out of control, be sure to crash lots, the trick is to overcome the crashing part with balance, not to mention it helps to keep those particular muscles involved strong and fit.
You can do this with a dirt bikes or bicycles, but when you get back on your big heavy street bike the same principles of balance are involved and you will feel much more in control of the weight distribution and braking/skidding/balance/traction or any uneveness of the road that you may encounter.
Go back to the basics of riding, practice low speed manuvers, emergency stops, get to know your bike better. Enroll yourselves in an approved mc instruction course, there is always something more to learn, and you will have fun doing it.

 

[DavidV-SoGA]

No real experience here, but my 2 cents

Hey David...

I can't even imagine what it must have been like for you to have watched your wife during her spill.... I know I experienced that when my wife and I have been bicycle riding and I jumped off my bicycle it still rolling just to get to her and try and help... of course you can't do that with you m/c....

Main thing is she is okay, nothing major...

I've only been riding about 10 months, 5,000 miles... but if you or your wife have in excess of 80,000 - 100,000 of incident/injury free miles on a motorcycle, I'd think that would be a good incident to miles ratio...

Especially considering it was done on 2 wheels versus all the potential accident causing elements out there from wet, gravel, 4 wheelers, curbs, dips in the road...all the things that in an auto would be insignificant could be major for a m/c.

Being a new rider... I really don't have much experience in rain or wet weather... partly due to not having wet weather gear but I know I will be as Bam Bam said... just a little uncomfortable in wet conditions and once I venture there it will be at a much slower mph than normal.

I think as long as you/your wife's confidence is not tampered with, by that I mean I think when you get on your bike you have to have confidence in your abilities (mental, emotional, physical), then you should not let this one incident cause you to give up something that you both evidently enjoy greatly. Of course we all know our 1 "incident" on a m/c has the potential for a much greater severity than our counterparts on 4 wheels...

Like I said...I've been riding for 10 months, 5,000 miles... what do i know ?

Main thing ... she is okay !!!

David V

 

[12RPilot]

I can't ratio my spills to miles ridden, but over the years I have had a few crashes. Never crashed while being careful, just when getting crazy. But I couldn't imagine giving up something I enjoy alot just to reduce life's risks a little. That's the reason I won't give up red meat just because my doctor is appalled about my cholestoral being 337. I'd rather live a short life that's fun than a long life that's boring. On the other hand, I do save the craziness for the racetrack these days.
All that being said, I have two thoughts on this subject. One, I don't want any of my loved ones on a motorcycle because I don't trust them to be as skilled as me. I never tell them that, but it really bugs me that my son (who lives several states away) has a motorcycle. Secondly, I think that we all learn alot from each mistake and are better riders for it. Only true dolts make the same mistakes over and over. In a nutshell: if I was being very careful and still wrecked alot, I'd give up riding. Otherwise, live and learn.

 

[dpearly]

i have riden for many years and have had minor spills and one very close call with the back of a U-haul on the highway.

anyways, the best suggestion is to practice, practice, practice on the slower speeds.

i hate gravel, but as long as i am moving, i am good.......put me in first gear on gravel and i am not very stable.

i too stopped riding for a several years. i have been back for 5yrs now and will NEVER be without a bike. and when i am too weak to pick it up, i will have a trike.

if you and wife love the bikes nearly as much as i do, you will continue to ride and learn to stabilize yourselves more on the slower to no speeds.

good luck and hope her roadrash heals fast.

 

[tnretro]

She's OK, that's the main thing. Glad to hear it. Also glad to hear that the two of you have been able to enjoy riding for so long. I'm in a similar boat, many years of riding with no accidents. I'm pretty lucky with that.

Nobody is going to be able to answer your question. You're going to have to figure that one yourself, because it all depends on the two of you and how comfortable you will feel on the bikes from this point on. Try going a month without riding, or just try going for a ride and see if you enjoy it like you did until recently. If all you're worried about is crashing while you're riding now, you're not really enjoying it.

A few had mentioned riders courses. That very well may help. Brush up on the basics to help with the confidence.

 

[biod929]

As far as a specific answers to your questions, it is difficult. I can tell you that i have been riding incident free for 15 years, although there were more then a few 'too close for comfort' calls. I always tell people who say to me "I think i'd like to try riding" I always reply that "no, you dont think you'd like to try" "you know you want to" I believe that you should either be 100% into it or not do it at all. Sounds like your wife is into it. you may never change her mind completely. We all risk going down, And I sure I will someday also. However I do love riding. And Im not sure if it would stop me either. Depends on the situation I guess.

But again, only you can truly answer the question to continue to ride or not. I do know that if my wife (who will passenge but not operate) asked me to stop riding for her. I would. Its important to me to keep her happy, but she knows I love it, and its important to her that Im happy, so she supports my decision to ride.

cheers!

 

[Jimysan]

If you ride bulls, you're going to get thrown.

Sometimes you make the 8 seconds, sometimes you don't.

If you keep riding bulls, that means you like doing it.
If you stop riding bulls, you've had enough.

You knew bull riding was dangerous before you rode
one, but you did it anyway. Then you kept doing it.

NO ONE can tell you when to stop riding bulls, unless
it's my bull and I won't let you ride it.

Riding bulls is YOUR decision. The rest of us ride our own,
or only watch.

 

[black hills]

First, I am glad your wife is OK. Don't take this the wrong way, but perhaps your bikes are to big for you? My Dad rode a GW for years, he never dropped it, but eventually it got to the point he had some close calls. He decided it was "just to heavy" and traded it for a magna? Bigger is not always better. This is one of the reasons I traded my X for a CBR. sure I can handle the X in most situations, but in the mud, wet grass, gravel roads, etc. it was a handfull. I never dropped it, but I pulled a few muscles keeping it upright. In the end it is more enjoyable for me to ride a smaller bike. Riding is a lot more fun when you don't have to worry about dropping your bike. Just something to think about?

 

[David]

David M. = I see two options to keeping her on a Motorcycle:

1 - Get her a smaller motorcycle

2 - Get her a Trike

The only "alternative" to the above is to put her on the back or your bike.

Good luck

 

[coltergeist]

I noticed something missing from your post - her attitude about the fall. This is something that the both of you need to talk about. Y'all have so many miles together that I can't imagine either of you being happy giving up motorcycles altogether.

What did she say caused the fall? Was it road condition or a balance problem or throttle twitch on her part? A friend of mine developed vertigo and had to quit riding - just couldn't handle the balance issue. If you and she are healthy, then the only thing holding you up is you.

You shouldn't try to talk her out of something she loves to do, even if it scares you. That's not fair to her. The flip side of that is..... she may have had enough and is scared to talk about it because she knows you love it so much. Without communication, marriage isn't a partnership. You can, and should, tell her how you feel about it and maybe a compromise - smaller bike or a trike - is the answer. You'll never know until you discuss it together.

Bottom line - our opinions don't count. Hers and yours are the only ones that do. If you can't face her to talk about it, print your post and leave it where she'll find it, or straight up write her a letter explaining your concerns.

 

[Sioux Wolf]

I've never dropped my bike (at least not with anybody on it :lol: ) and my wife doesn't ride on her own so I can't say one way or the other in that sense but I can relate to you seeing your wife go down at 20-25 mph, it's a terrifying experience. My wife and I are extreme ATV enthusiasts as well as motorcycles and I don't just mean those little 250 cc quads, I'm talking the 650 and 750 four wheel drive monsters. We were riding a couple ATV's through the Mtn.s of central Utah (Manti Lasalle for anyone familiar) and we came around a bend that was looking a little hairy. Up to this point it was pretty easy going so she was in two wheel drive (riding a Yammie Grizzley). When we came upon the narrow curve she decided that it would need to be in 4 wheel so she switched and the steering tightened up so bad on her that she couldn't muscle it through the turn and hit a rock that threw her off the side of the hill and then the ATV came rolling after. It had bounced up into the air and landed right on top of her (she's only 5'2" and 95lbs mind you). The only thing that saved her life was where she had luckily fallen was right next to a rock, had she hit that rock it would have killed her instantly but she missed it and landed close enough for it to take the hit of the ATV comming down. She was very lucky cuz she missed death or serious injury twice in the same accident and all this happened so quickly I couldn't do anything to stop it. Ya just feel so helpless and useless in a situation like that not to mention the fear of potentially losing someone so very dear.

There were many mistakes leading up to this accident on both her part and mine, mostly mine but I'm so glad it's over and she came out okay. I could have never forgiven myself for the mistakes that I made if she had gotten hurt any worse.

Sorry for the long rantings but this thread brought back the memory. I'm so very glad for you and your wife that she's okay. Like everybody else has said, talk to each other about it and try to come to an agreement as far as what to do but don't just give up the ride because of an accident unless it's something that may have changed the two of you.

 

[David M.]

Thanks for the reasoned comments, folks. She is itching to get back on the horse and ride some more. I'm the one who's doing the soul searching here . I've seen other people crash over the years, some terrible ones too. It's just not the same when it happens to a loved one. Her safety is my #1 concern but she knows the risks and benefits and she chooses to ride. We've talked about it, too.

As far as the bikes being too big, that's not really the case for now; maybe when we get old and feeble we'll have to switch to trikes.

 

[Woot!]

Alot of good comments here. Each person needs to do their own assessment of skills, risk/reward, etc.

As for me, I went away from light, fast sportbikes because I love twisting the wick with the result I crashed ........ alot. Cheap tires are partially to blame.

Then like Bam Bam recommends, I got a mountain bike and REALLY learned to ride. Thing is, that skill is kinda hard to carry over to motorcycles that weigh as much as the VTX does. But I think it does help. I also recommend practicing skills or taking a MSF course.

One thing you might consider is what my wife requires of me ..... leather riding gear or armor. I wear chaps and leather for anything other than a trip to the local coffee shop.

I have not wrecked my VTX in 6 years of ownership.

 

[Bam Bam]

Thing is, that skill is kinda hard to carry over to motorcycles that weigh as much as the VTX does. But I think it does help.

yup, 2 wheels is 2 wheels, it's all the same physics, I was a hardcore dirtbiker/mountain biker then got into trials riding, balance, reflex...
I'm not sure I could crash if I tried, the recovery movements become natural instinct. it works.

 

[Woot!]

I'm not sure I could crash if I tried.

I hope you didn't just jinx yourself!! :lol:

 

[BigRedFlamin-X]

One thing you didn't mention is how long you've both been riding.

In general, the drops-per-mile decrease more and more with experience. Sometimes they just can't be helped, no matter how long you've been at it. I dropped my months-old ST1300 in a parking lot. It was at the end of a long day of riding, it was pouring rain, and I misjudged the banking of the ground and dumped it. I've been riding for around 25 years, and that happened just a few years ago.

As for your wife, if she's a fairly new rider, the general rule is the less-experienced rider should always ride in front. One reason for that is so they do not ride beyond their abilities trying to keep up with more experienced riders.

What you need to ask yourself is, do you enjoy riding? If you do, then just always be aware of the dangers on the road rather than fear them. As a lot of folks here have already mentioned, experience is a huge factor. The more experience you have, the better both you and your wife will be able to foresee and avoid potentially dangerous situations.

 

[vtxcajun]

50,000 total miles (over three bikes)
1 accident.
That accident was in May this year, 5 days in the hospital, broken ribs, bruised lung. I'm all healed and have a new bike. I took my first ride today.

 

[Morgan Buchanan]

Hm. I got my license about 20 years ago, and had a bike for the first..er... 13 years. Then 5+ years without anything. I lived in the great frozen north for the first 13 years of riding, and I probably only managed 60,000 miles in those years. I've put on about 13,000 in the last year since I got my X. I've gone down once riding a street bike where I REALLY shouldn't have been, never hit anything. My only incident was getting rear-ended at a stop, not even hard enough to knock me over. I've had a few close calls, but I generally ride like "an old woman" (my wife's words, not mine) because, well, I'm addicted to breathing. Everyone's mileage certainly may vary.

 

[Thrill]

Stay in the BOX!

With all this philosphy, here, there is only one thing to consider...

How much do you like riding? How much does she like riding?

If you quit doing things because of the risk,... how many other things would you have to quit?

Driving, flying, walking down steps, crossing streets, eating hard candy, etc, etc, etc,?

I'm not trying to minimize your wifes crash, and we're glad she's OK... I think it's great she still wants to ride. But the real question is this: how much do you enjoy riding, and are you taking "reasonable" precautions to enjoy this sport as safely as possible?

Only you two can decide!

Good luck!
Safe Riding!