Change of plans (Part 2)

[HaulinAshe]

It's only been a couple days. So you are really, just now, reflecting on things accurately. Break it down and take things one step at a time.

1. Personal injuries sound like they're pretty much over.

2. Assess the bike and decide what you want to do. Whether you ride it or not, this has to be done.

3. Remember there are plenty of people eager to help you along the way.

4. Borrow some gear (see #3 above) and consider riding.

5. Remember there are plenty of people eager to help.

If you weren't scared right now then you'd be stupid. You're not stupid.

When's the last time some idiot turned left in front of you in the cager and forced you to slam on the brakes? That could have taken your life too. There's only one difference, you enjoy riding the motorcycle.

You made a mistake. Like I said on the phone, you won't make that mistake ever again. God shelters ignorance and rewards stupidity appropriately. Don't be stupid. Don't do it again. It's that simple.

I'll even slow down to near posted limits so we can ride again. See #5 above.

Jeff

 

[warsw]

Heidi, I am glad to hear you are ok. I know that you are feeling just horrible right now but down the road the feeling will fade and you will look back at this as one of life’s little lessons and a lesson well learned. I know that you will not make that mistake again and that sooner or later you will get back up on that horse and ride. Until then let the mine and body heal. We will see you on the road again with a smile on your face. I'm sure.

BTW this is a good lesson for all of us. I do find myself looking down at my GPS occasionally to see where the next road is. I will sure be more careful now. It only takes a second.

 

[Fencer]

And all this time I thought cell phones were the problem. Nope, Its those damed Maps!!

+1 to what JA said about folks helping.

 

[FJR Gary]

Heidi, I agree with what Jeff said. I hope that, upon reflection, you ride again. I have ridden with you enough times to know that you're a good rider.

All the best wishes your way.

 

[luvtoride]

Good morning everyone, thank you sooo much for everyones support. I really highly appreciate it right now. I'm going to WV this weekend with my neighbor's Jeep and trailer to pick up my ride, bring it home & drop it off at the shop for assessment. Hahaha!!! A couple of you know how I feel about trailering but I don't see much choice in this situation.

Anyway, my plan is to find out what's going on, get my insurance & I'm hoping that I can repair it. I still don't know what's going on under the plastic.

I still have the hardest part of this whole event to do. You might laugh about this, either because you can relate... or you don't know what I'm worried about. My difficult thing... telling my mom. I'm 44 years old & she still worries about me like I'm a teenager.

I think that she's gonna' FREAK! I'll let you know how that goes when I finally get up the nerve to go & tell her.

Again, thank you, Heidi

 

[Grumpy]

Glad to hear that you are alright!

With my tank bag/ map pocket I've almost done the same thing that you did. I've pretty much quite looking at the map while I'm moving.

We're all hoping that you can make the EOM....won't be the same without you.....hey, who's gonna' keep me from falling over in the parking lot if you aren't there?

Jim

 

[mdisher]

I still have the hardest part of this whole event to do. You might laugh about this, either because you can relate... or you don't know what I'm worried about. My difficult thing... telling my mom. I'm 44 years old & she still worries about me like I'm a teenager.

I think that she's gonna' FREAK! I'll let you know how that goes when I finally get up the nerve to go & tell her.

Again, thank you, Heidi

Parents are always gonna freak, that's what they do.

Seems to me that's the easy part Look mah, I'm OK, because I had ATGAT! , and she's not visiting you in the hospital.



Remind her that you aren't making her ride When she's still upset, point out all the folks that died last weekend in fatal cage accidents.

There are no guarantees in life, she knows that.

 

[timk]

Sorry about your accident, but at least you know the cause. I won't even look at something my wife wants me to see, if it's not out front. I found myself goin off towards the right side when looking right. Wonder if there's any corralation??

"And, by the way... WV20 ROCKS! You guys are gonna' love WV!!!"

We discovered the Southern half on the way to Maggie Valley last year. Parts were similar to the dragon with more elevation.

 

[madmike2]

Riding... more accurately riding in the mountains is my passion & has become a huge part of my life. I've met a lot of people that I'd call friends through the different meets I've attended over the last 2 1/2 years. I am highly, highly upset about this & actually questioning if I want to ride in the mountains anymore... even if I can manage to get my bike fixed or replaced. Heidi

First, I'm glad you are alright. Those who have never experienced this form of alarm have no idea how terrifying it is and how that terror is repeatedly visited in our memory. Believe my voice of experience, in time it will fade to manageable/acceptable levels. The "still small voice" in your head will never completely go away. That's a good thing! It is also one of the reasons I took a riding class (Streetmasters Cornering Workshop) last year.

Secondly, please don't deny your passion and enjoyment. It is part of what makes you who you are and completes you as a person. Let the fear become the underpinnings of wisdom and part of the package of experience to apply to your motorcycle technique. I too, after being forced off the road by an oncoming motorcycle, considered not riding the mountain roads I love so much. Those thoughts are part of the process for determining the "risk management" we should all use but tend to deny and compartmentalize.

Third,

This incident scared me terribly, terribly bad.

It should. My incident is the major reason I have toned back my usual "flair" on mountain roads. Somehow as riders we forget the object of any ride is to finish rather than to get caught up in the moment. Toward the end of the riding season last year I noticed some bad habits creeping into my riding "norm". One was checking the map/GPS rather than watching the roadway. While not exactly the same as your incident, I will admit I realized the danger and I'm consciously working on NOT doing that. I hope that others will learn from your adventure in dual-sport/off-road riding how quickly things can happen. Let's all be grateful you came out physically unscathed.

From my experience and others that I have ridden with who suffered similar fates, you should be made aware that the mental healing process can take up to 2 years. There is no shame in being cautious while menatlly working through this.

3. Remember there are plenty of people eager to help you along the way.4. Borrow some gear (see #3 above) and consider riding.

5. Remember there are plenty of people eager to help.

If you weren't scared right now then you'd be stupid. You're not stupid.

Jeff Ashe

And that's the truth! Even those who can't physically be there to help are carrying you around in our thoughts and prayers. This is a large community.

I still have the hardest part of this whole event to do. You might laugh about this, either because you can relate... or you don't know what I'm worried about. My difficult thing... telling my mom. I'm 44 years old & she still worries about me like I'm a teenager.
I think that she's gonna' FREAK! I'll let you know how that goes when I finally get up the nerve to go & tell her.

Oh yeah??? How about telling your 20-something-year-old daughter who is in her car and on the way to meet you for your "Birthday Dinner" that you've totalled your bike on your 250 mile journey to the meet place? Amazingly my 75 year old mother handled it pretty well....of course, she had "The Princess" to worry about!

Its really about you being yourself, in total. Think of the scrapbook of life experiences you have.

 

[HaulinAshe]

... and trailer to pick up my ride, bring it home...

I finally get my picture! Somebody, PLEASE take the picture for me. I'll pay good money for it!



Heidi, be sure to wear your favorite Trailer T-shirt.

 

[madmike2]

Heidi, be sure to wear your favorite Trailer T-shirt.

Is that the one that says, "Does this trailer make my butt look big?" :lol:

 

[zorkler]

I an glad that your ok . you will get the bike repaired and get back in to riding it might take awhile to get your mind and body back to you normal riding speed but it will comme in time . hope to see you soon . Also you need to be POSITIVE about the whole crash stuff.

 

[luvtoride]

Madmike, that's not the shirt. Here is a pic of my t-shirt in question:

While at Jeff's place a couple of months ago I wore this t-shirt. He made a comment of "good Lord... you've got THAT shirt on!?!?!?"

One would almost think that Mr. Ashe is fond of trailering his bike.

Anyway, I really don't care if you trailer or not. It's really more a joke with me than anything.

I want to thank everyone for their support. I have heard from my insurance adjuster & the initial look is that the bike is not going to be totaled. They are sending me a check for an initial amout to get the ball rolling & they are going to pay my storage/towing fees 100%.

There are a few things that I'll be getting with my insurance agent about to see what he can do. I am wondering if I can be reimbursed for ANY of my gear. I lost hundreds of dollars worth of gear on Sunday.

If anyone is interested in what I was wearing, please ask. Maybe I'll post up a couple of photos of the results? For sure, I'm getting better/thicker pants... but the ones I had on definitely did their job. My jacket absolutely took a beating & held up very well. I may just get the same jacket again.

I'm quite sure that I'll ride again. I don't know how I couldn't. Riding is a part of me... like stated before. By the way... Mike, I got really teary eyed reading your last post.

Everyone... thanks

 

[wpbfjr]

There are a few things that I'll be getting with my insurance agent about to see what he can do. I am wondering if I can be reimbursed for ANY of my gear. I lost hundreds of dollars worth of gear on Sunday.

depends on your carrier...

for my get off, progressive counted gear as accessories and part of the $1,000 limit of my florida policy, but the tenn. adjuster would have paid for everthing if i had a tenn policy...

when i changed to foremost, the limit is $3,000, and you can buy a higher limit...

after the accident is the worst time to read the fine print, but, i'm happy you survived to read the fine print!!!!

good luck...

dana

 

[luvtoride]

Oh Dana, I forgot to tell you... I am also a flatlander. I have to travel a minimum of 200 miles to get to good riding. I just travel as much as possible.

Andddd... I don't thik that my birds (cockatiel & cockatoo) would appreciate your dogs in the house.

Thanks for the werd on how insurance covers accessories SOMETIMES. How Natiowide handles this will govern whether I keep them on.

I'm pretty sure that my policy cover up to $1000.00 for accessories. I know for sure that I lost my gear, a bar end & a wild bill highway peg. (BTW everyone... my bike leaked nothing after bending the piss out of the left highway peg bracket)

I did get some good news. The policy that I thought had a $500.00 deductible is actually only $250.00. A small bit of good news.

 

[Geezer]

Excellent news on the insurance guy being cooperative.

As to your gear, I believe you were wearing HT overpants tha last time I saw you, not that I was checking you out or anything. :blushing: So what was the jacket that held up so well?

 

[cota95]

Glad to hear that you are OK. Take some time, collect your thoughts on the incident, fix/replace your faithful steed, and take it slow.

 

[luvtoride]

Excellent news on the insurance guy being cooperative.
As to your gear, I believe you were wearing HT overpants tha last time I saw you, not that I was checking you out or anything. :blushing: So what was the jacket that held up so well?

Greg, you are right on about the pants. The jacket was a Cycloak GT Pro. Not only was it completely waterproof but it had sturdy kevlar patches that didn't rip even though they were scuffed on one elbow and shoulder. Both the pants & jacket had crap armor in them. I replaced all armor w/ CE approved armor easily purchased at cyclegear or newenough.com. I highly recommed to anyone that doesn't have CE armor in their ride gear should replace it. I hit on the armor on my shoulders and elbows on the left side & I have nary a bruise. Also, it's not horribly expense & cheap insurance.

The pants... as reliable as they were, I think that I'm going to spring for something a little more road worthy & substantial. Don't get me wrong... they definitely did the job.

I was wearing a pair of HELD gloves. I am assuming that they were a pair of their bottom of the line gloves. I've seen other pairs that cost twice as much as the ones I had & they were armored in the palm & knuckles. Mine were not. They were just good quality leather w/ padded knuckle armor. I'd definitely buy them again.

My helmet... an HJC Symax. I've heard a lot of stuff about these flip up helmets. I hit the left side where the mechanism is & the helmet still opens as well as it did b4 getting a 60MPH hit. I am uncomfortable with the fact that the actual latches are plastic. Just for that fact, I'll probably not buy this particular model again... but it did perform flawlessly.

My boots... Oxtar Matrix. They took a good scuffing. There is a spot that was practically shaved off. They're still in good shape. You can see where something hit the ankle, though. Probably why my ankle has been sore, eh?

 

[ONE MORE BIKE]

:angry: :angry2: [SIZE=36pt]OH MY GOD !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!![/SIZE]

THE SKY IS FALLING

personal email sent.

 

[quicksilver]

Holy smackdown batman!

My fault for not checking in every day.

+1 on the been ther done that. sorry to say.

But, those saying it, are trying to say they deeply empathize.

Everyone goes there sooner or later. It is part of the addiction.

I'm thinking the real soreness is setting about now. The secret is Advil.

The body does heal, but slowly.

The head heals even slower, after new saddle time and self analysis.

FYI, my ditch exploring was only about $1400 in parts, but she didn't flip.

If you rebuild, don't forget the FZ1 mirrors.

If not, you might try to part it out on Ebay for some coin.

If you take the much harder and lower dollar route of self-rebuild,

of course we the legion have you back.

Major bummer.