My 400th post

[DirtyDawg]

Well...err this is it:p
I have been posting quite a bit of late and the reason behind it is this.

as some of you are aware I own a Honda VTR1000 SP1 (V twin Race bike) eats Ducatis hey Craig;) well whilst eating my mates 851 on march 19 this year I hit a piece of missing concrete in an expansion gap over a bridge this caused my front wheel to lift and due to physics of speed , inertia etc I encountered a severe tank slapper which hi sidded me off the bike well It was early on a Sunday morning, no traffic, I was wearing my full leather protection helmet, kevlar gloves , race suit etc due to a current insurance claim I cannot divulge my actual speed but I slid,bounced,rolled 50metres the bike a further 150m.. apart from being horribly sore no breaks or major abrasions..Lucky i know as when it was all happening (time frame 5 seconds) I resigned myself to it being all over red rover. But God loves me .
Doing a self assesment whilst lying on the ground I relised my left arm was not functioning by the time the ambos got there I had movement again.
Worst thing was they took me to the hospital where my wife works in E.D
and the pain and suffering I endured from her was worse than the accident.
the only damage incurred is a brachyial plexus injury to the nerves in my right arm and shoulder it has been 5 months and almost every muscle group is back to working order except the shoulder Hence the phantom pains I endure wake me up at 1-2am everymorning the pills take till about 4am to work and I get ready for work at 5:30 am so to fill in the time I post these god damn messages and read yours...
I fixed the bike up $6000 worth of damage and it is being sold having my 3yr old crying cause daddy is hurt is enough motivation for me NEvER to ride again. I have been riding sports bikes since I was 17 and had a few falls as when you use it sometimes you lose it...
But as my latest bumper sticker says "If I'm going to hell It will be in my Landover"
for all those intending to reply to this post things I know: Yes I'mm old I'm over 40, yes I'm a dikhed I should of known better and yes speed is dangerous:eek:

[CraigE]

Good to see you on the mend Dawg. Thats why I only have a Duc 900, more cruising than speed, past the fast as you can rice bike stage. A lot of friends were why don't you buy an R1 or a GSX1100 etc etc. Have done more damgae on dirt bikes though. Even an off at lower speeds can do damage though, wrong impact etc. I am thinking of getting rid of the Duc when we move to Esperance as I do not think I will use it much. Does make you stop and think a bit when you have got kids, doesn't it? Speed is dangerous, but fun, sometimes. More to the point if the roads/bridges etc were maintained many accidents would not occur.
All the best and hope you are back to normal or as normal as a Land Rover owner can be, anyway, soon.
:eek: ;) :eek: ;)

[DirtyDawg]

well craig its in the hands of the lawyers and their looking at around the 200k mark for compo but it will take 18 months so I 'm sort of happy at that..

[rick130]

Good luck Dawg.
I think you've cured me of my bike fixation. Being an ex-racer (karts, cars) and now only having access to a 300Tdi 'fender and a TD42T Patrol, oh, and a FIAT 550 tractor :eek: I often feel the need for a speed fix and have reckoned that a decent bike would be the way to go. Best bang for $, quickest, biggest buzz Problem is I've never ridden one, only treadlies yet bike riding mates reckon I'd take to it fine but after watching a doco last night on road side memorials with one of the interviewees an ex-hwy patrol copper and her graphic accounts of accident scenes, now the wrong side of 40, my philosophy (road and race) was always what Disconut/Trev has as his sig and now hearing your story I might have to reconsider.......I don't like pain. :D

[Ace]

Good to hear you are getting better dawg. I have liked off road bikes all my life but never actually owned one, thats probably why i have gotten to this point without ever having a broken bone. Used to stack my mountain bike all the time that not at speed. Matt

[George130]

Good to hear you are on the mend. I never got a bike as I have shocking coordination. I just know I would be a greasy spot on the road in no timeand would be after spending 6 months learing how to take off on it without falling over. You can still make a mess of yourself in a car though. Lost a few friends that way and been extreemly lucky myself a few times. Hope the compo doesn't take to long. Have a friend who had to fight for over 10 years before his payout and he still has problems, Was never the same after the accident.

[Yabbie]

There's a funny thing about stuffing up at speed, it's gonna hurt when you stop.

All those advertisements for road safety are false, Speed doesn't kill it's the stopping part that does. Best part about a car is there's lots of room for the the stuff that saves your life, like seat belts.

Never owned a bike, haven't done so for 2 reasons. 1. if I have a hard enough time being seen by other motorists in a car what chance have I got on a bike. 2. I have a very heavy foot which would probably tranfer to my wrist on a bike and result in my license being cancelled permanently, unless I'm allowed to use the same license on the other side.

Always wanted a Harley Davidson Fatboy. but dynabolts a too expensive.

[incisor]

There's a funny thing about stuffing up at speed, it's gonna hurt when you stop. it's the 60k to 0k bit that hurts most of the time......

not to mention wet chunky bitumen.....

my mate survived innumerable high speed crashes on his k1 honda 4, way to many to count. he wore through several wallets and sets of riding leathers

met the girl of his dreams, and was going to his wedding practise, pillion on his own bike with a friend in control, when they were stopped at a set of red lights in front of Lutwyche shopping center, lights changed colour, they went to take off, wheel hit a rut, bike bit and bucked and it threw my mate dave into the gutter with his left arm bent behind his back...

ripped the muscles in his heart , and he died in the gutter, not a mark on him.

life suxs....at times

[Ace]

it's the 60k to 0k bit that hurts most of the time......

not to mention wet chunky bitumen.....

my mate survived innumerable high speed crashes on his k1 honda 4, way to many to count. he wore through several wallets and sets of riding leathers

met the girl of his dreams, and was going to his wedding practise, pillion on his own bike with a friend in control, when they were stopped at a set of red lights in front of Lutwyche shopping center, lights changed colour, they went to take off, wheel hit a rut, bike bit and bucked and it threw my mate dave into the gutter with his left arm bent behind his back...

ripped the muscles in his heart , and he died in the gutter, not a mark on him.

life suxs....at times

Thats awful inc, if hearing a story like that doesnt stop you from riding bikes nothing will. Matt:(

[CraigE]

It all depends on the accident. Downside of a car is you are trapped inside a tangled mess at times. Bikes quite often you will get thrown clear or can jump clear. The bad bike ones are when you get hit by or hit another vehicle or immovable stationary object and your internal organs do not decelerate as quick as your body. Often why people do not have many marks on them but die (cars and bikes). I have seen a guy come off at 220kph and walk away with a broken arm and cuts and bruises only. But I have also seen a mate who came off at no more than 40kph and break his neck and die. I do not consider normal bike riding much more dangerous than crossing the street, but you have to have your witts about you and always looking for ather traffic and hazzards. The only time I have come close to serious accidents on a road bike was from other vehicles failing to give way at intersections, overtaking traffic and on your side of the road coming straight at you (not caring that you are on a bike and forcing their way through) or forcing you off the road squeezing past while traffic is coming the other way. This is why I generally ride towards the centre of the road so traffic overtaking has to go right around. High speed incidents are usually related to reaction times and hitting hazards. This is why I rarely go over 140kph on a bike now unless I have great vision etc.
Does get scary on a bike at times though, usually because of clowns not looking. A bright red Ducati with headlights on is fairly hard to miss, yet often you get I did not see you. Some people just should not be on the road. What disturbs me more is if you are hit by a car failing to give way you are now apportioned a % of the blame just for being there. Go figure.