Motorcycle Nation Podcast

Blogging about critters in the last post brought back other memories of 2004 and my collision with the deer. It does not matter what causes your accident or object you might connect with there is always a lingering question on your mind. Like I said, my wreck happened in September of 2004. My injuries were minimal for the wreck that I had but still involved a long recovery period. My injuries consisted of road rash of course, a broken left ankle, and lacerated spleen. The ankle took about three months to heal up well which put me right in the heart of the Indiana winter. I am not sure if the timing of the accident was good or bad but I do know one thing. It gave me way too much time to think.

People tell their kids all the time, and I am guilty as well, that if they fall off their bicycle they need to jump right back on and keep going. Well, let me tell you, that is easier to say to your kid than it is to convince yourself of the same thing. I spent the winter and early Spring of ‘05 wondering if I had the guts to get back on the bike. So many doubts flowed through my head during this time. I spent many hours contemplating if I would be scared once I got back on. Could I get past the fear of the return and be totally comfortable on the road again? Or, would I have such a fear of going down again that I could not safely handle a motorcycle again? One thing that I tell my students is that they can never fear a motorcycle. They must respect it, but they can not fear it. Was I facing the same possibilities that my students faced? Yes I was.

My fears came from many different directions. The fear of going down again was a strong one. Then there was the thought of should I be riding if I have kids and a family? Or, will my injuries heal well enough that I could ride? The first hurdle was the question over riding while I still have a family. That hurdle was crossed fairly easy. People die after being hit by a softball or being shot while being in the wrong place at the right time. Any minute of any day doing any activity brings the possibility of accidental death so I could not see giving up something that I loved for a possibility. So, on to the harder to conquer fears. The fears that could only be answered by throwing the leg over the saddle and pointing the motorcycle down the road, kicking it in gear, and making it go.

I bought the items that were a must to rebuild the bike. As a sidenote, slight mechanical ability can save you a ton of money. The estimate provided by a local HD dealer to fix my bike was $4500. I bought the parts and repaired and replaced the bars, fork tubes, lowers, gear shift lever, and some left side chrome for less than $500. It did not get body work and paint until 2 years later. Anyway, after the repairs were done there was only one thing to do. This was the moment of truth. I can tell you that when I raised the bike off the side stand my hands were sweating and I had a knot in my stomach. I thumbed the start button and the V-Twin roared to life. The sound was like music to my ears. It had been such a long time. Now was the real test. I squeezed the clutch and pressed down on the shift lever and eased out the clutch. I rolled out of my cousins garage and made my way up his short driveway to the road, never having to leave first gear. So far so good. My next challenge was shifting as I was still in rehab and my left ankle was not strong enough yet to pull up on the shift lever without pain. So, I ventured out on the road and hung my leg over the top of the lever and pulled back and shifted. With the pull of each gear I gained a little more confidence and felt my love of the wind coming back. I finished the short shake down run and returned to the garage to clean up before taking her home and parking her.

I was excited about my ride to work the next day. I left the house with total confidence and made my way down the state road that leads me east to the plant. The next huge hurdle had to be conquered, riding right through the same area where the accident happened. If you have never heard of the butt puckering experience I have to tell you right now that it is real. I got to the stretch of road where I went down and I slowed way down, every muscle tensed, sweat formed on my brow, and I scanned aggressively. I made it through! There was no question now that I still had the love for the sport and the desire to ride. Fear did not stop me although I can see why some people call it quits after having a motorcycle accident. I raise my hat to all of us who have been down and jumped back on. But I also raise my hat to those who decided that the risk of going down again was enough to make them stop riding.

Have you had that fear of returning? Let us know your experience via comments, whether you still ride or not.