Today I came close to severe injury... maybe worse. I think I'm done with dirt.

[ray_ray]

I'm here. Mostly been lurking. I've posted a time or two. I'm mostly healed up, but my right shoulder is still pretty bad. I did some damage to the rotator cuff that has a 50/50 chance of healing itself. May take months. My back is still pretty screwed up, but I have been able to ride on the road for a few miles before I have to get off the bike. The jury is still out on whether I ride on dirt again. Maybe some fire roads and wide open stuff... but I still can't wrap my mind around getting into the tight stuff again. Thanks for checkin' in Kelly.

Good to hear you are better ... Not sure how old you are but the older, the more time it takes to heal ... You probably already know that if you are old like me (54) ...

 

[krieg]

Thanks for all the well-wishes. I've decided to go back into the dirt... (a much calmed-down version of me) this Spring. Maybe as soon as Feb if weather cooperates here in NC. I just couldn't take watching Cody's pickup leaving the house with a single bike and our trailer sitting empty next to the garage. It's funny how this shit stays in your veins over 40 some years. The new me will be riding for fun, NOT for fast. If the fast manifests itself, I've vowed to myself that I will quit again for good, sell my bike and ride my Harley till I die... or can't ride anymore.

 

[ray_ray]

Thanks for all the well-wishes. I've decided to go back into the dirt... (a much calmed-down version of me) this Spring. Maybe as soon as Feb if weather cooperates here in NC. I just couldn't take watching Cody's pickup leaving the house with a single bike and our trailer sitting empty next to the garage. It's funny how this shit stays in your veins over 40 some years. The new me will be riding for fun, NOT for fast. If the fast manifests itself, I've vowed to myself that I will quit again for good, sell my bike and ride my Harley till I die... or can't ride anymore.

OK ...And you know you are gonna crash again even if fun riding, correct? ... Just keep it all in perspective and ride safe ...

 

[krieg]

If I crash again like I crashed in June, I'll be done with the dirt. I don't plan on that happening. But if it does, and I live... I'll be done. Trust me on this one.

 

[huskybear]

If I crash again like I crashed in June, I'll be done with the dirt. I don't plan on that happening. But if it does, and I live... I'll be done. Trust me on this one.

Glad you are back in the saddle,no need to prove any-thing to any-body but yourself( just have fun)

 

[jmetteer]

If the fast manifests itself, I've vowed to myself that I will quit again for good, sell my bike and ride my Harley till I die... or can't ride anymore.

I am a bit younger, and probably a lot dumber than you...

But all I can say from experience is good luck. Going slow is tough to do.

Later,

 

[NephronRacing]

Glad you're healed and getting back in the seat. Riding is a calculated risk, just like many things we love.

 

[organ donor]

I´m getting on for 80. Don´t know how many times I´ve promised to give up on two wheels ...

 

[lankydoug]

I ride trails with more of a trials attitude. If I can clean a section of woods or an obstacle without a mistake or a dab I'm happy. I really don't care how fast I'm going, it's more about technique.

 

[chuckc4]

Good to hear you are getting back on the iron horse. Nothing wrong with being a bit more cautious as you get older.

 

[ray_ray]

I ride trails with more of a trials attitude. If I can clean a section of woods or an obstacle without a mistake or a dab I'm happy. I really don't care how fast I'm going, it's more about technique.

Thats pretty much how I ride now also ... A motorcycle will do wondrous things all by itself ...Its really up to the rider to compliment the bike but let the bike do the work and not force the action ... Technique works at all speeds and is safer than brute force almost always depending on the current terrain you are on ant any given moment ... And again, I always consider the landing zone in case of a crash ...

 

[Dirtdame]

I ride trails with more of a trials attitude. If I can clean a section of woods or an obstacle without a mistake or a dab I'm happy. I really don't care how fast I'm going, it's more about technique.

I've even given up on technique, as long as I make it through the route. If I can get to where I wanted to go all in one piece, I'm happy.

 

[Valhalla]

Gotta hang tough. I ride alone too just because my buddies don't ride anymore, they just didn't stay in shape. 2 years ago
I took a major digger 19 miles from the truck and had to ride back with a broken shoulder and 3 broken ribs. Just getting
the bike upright and re-started was brutal, and then back up in the truck (trail head was empty of people) when I got back was
really painful. Did some soul searching about how long I wanna keep doing this, but it's all I know.....I've ridden dirt bikes all my life
and dirt/trials bikes exclusively. I'm 49 now.....still riding my 09 WR300 and even rode for 4 days last summer in Moab, Utah and hit
all the tough stuff........had a ball, and never hit the ground once. Life is short........I'm even a grandpa now, but I can't wait to get out
and blast on the WR in the woods and ride my vintage trials bike this coming spring!

 

[Dirtdame]

I ride alone a lot too....like today, for instance. Took a tumble into the rocks today. At my age, the first thing I thought was that I broke my arm on a boulder. Took a few minutes for the pain to subside enough to make an evaluation. It seemed to be not broken or bleeding (although had a big scrape that was turning black and blue), although somehow I also managed to pull a muscle in the arm that I didn't land on, so it made lifting the upsidedown bike back onto its wheels more of a painful chore than usual. My first inclination was to ride right back to the staging area and go home, but it was very early into my ride, maybe only 15 or 20 minutes out....so I decided that if I could properly ride my bike out of the technical area I was in, that I would go ahead and continue my loop. No more accidents, but the injury took the edge off of me both mentally and physically for the rest of the day. I stayed away from the trails that had any technical sections in them and rode very slowly.

 

[ajaxauto]

I ride trails with more of a trials attitude. If I can clean a section of woods or an obstacle without a mistake or a dab I'm happy. I really don't care how fast I'm going, it's more about technique.

That is what I like to do Also why I race the Nationals,Last Man Standing and now will give King of the moto a try.Speed gets you hurt bad,I have raced Baja and Vegas to Reno many times where it is flat out with average speeds of over 50 That is to fast I have a 35 mile loop near my house that takes between 2 to 3 hours to finish nice tuff stuff.
Today rode it with a good expert rider on a new 2013 WR 450 I had to push and pull his heavy 4 stroke many times on stuff my 165 made.The 165 is like a trails bike with suspention.My 300 will climb better and now handles better then the 165 so I have been pushing the limits of tuff stuff I will now try.Every day when I ride my test track loop I add a little more tuff stuff.I really want to ride the 300 more but the 165 is soooooooo light

 

[mrkartoom]

Glad to hear you're recovering and back at it. I've had a few good diggers in my time, but couldn't imagine ever giving up. Then again I've never had a real scary/close-to-death crash either. The ones that scared me the most were the ones where in the blink of an eye you are down hard or into a tree. I think those have taught me to better see the trail and know my limitations over and through things before I get out of shape. I have a 3 mile woods loop I rip laps on and I find that going as fast as I can comfortably and in control I am totally focused and never crash. When I get tired and start putting around slower to recover is when I crash. I've heard others say the same thing. Not saying haul butt all the time, but stay focused and stay within your limits. I always tried to look at my crashes as learning opportunities, but no matter how good you are it can happen.

I've also found a lot of pleasure in getting into trials riding. It always fascinated me as a youth and didn't get my first bike until after age 50. It's tons of fun. I'm seriously thinking about a hybrid bike in my future like the Scorpa T-ride or Sherco X-ride.

 

[Fast1]

Its tough to quit something that you enjoy isn't it?

I'll give you my example that had me re-thinking riding. During the summer of 2009 I was spending allot of time on my mountain bike riding local off road single track trails and had a freak accident occur at maybe 5 mph. I was riding a 2' elevated narrow skinny and my front tire dropped off and immediately struck a support post of the skinny and I went over the handlebars. Not too bad but I took a header into a 2' diameter log that was placed along side the skinny. Needless to say I rung my bell but it unfortunately left me completely paralyzed (neck down) 6 or 7 miles from the staging area. My life literally passed before my eyes and was starting to be thankful that I had enjoyed so much in life but really didn't see a future and as one of my friends was cutting my camel bak off I pleaded with him to just cut my neck. I did not want to burden someone in feeding me, pushing me around or just simply doing everything for me but think. The friend would not do it and instead started praying for me.. very religious guy. Anyway they got help for me and toted me out on a one-wheeled deer hauler to an ambulance and off to the trauma center. At this point my mind was gone.. just did not want to be alive anymore but was content and thankful in living a life where I had enjoyed anything without much fear. Ten hours at the trauma center and after MRIs I got my first feeling back in one of my finger tips. My arms and shoulders began burning (pins/needles) and they filled me with morphine for several days.
Consultations with the medical team made me aware that I had compression fractures of two vertebrae and I learned that C3 and completely pinched my spinal cord (spinal cord contusion) but luckily not severed it. At that point I felt I had a chance but the amount of recovery and paralysis that would remain was unknown.

At that point, I told myself if I could ever walk again I'd sell every toy I had (bikes, dirt bikes, street bike, jet ski, sports car..ect) and just be grateful to walk down the street and enjoy the simple things in life. Over the next 5 days in the trauma center I was fitted with a hard shell neck brace and although going through unusual amounts of pain as my nervous system basically turned back on I was able to take my first steps again. I was so happy and elated that after begging my friend to cut by neck that I ironically regained feeling. By the fifth day when I regained the ability to walk, I walked the hospital halls the entire night, never wanting to stop and had tears in my eyes the whole time with disbelief and thankfulness of another chance at life.

Fortunately this somewhat unusual neck injury with the spinal cord being completely pinched (think diving into a 3' deep swimming pool and having your head hit the bottom while forcing your chin into your chest) did not leave me completely paralyzed. My bike helmet actually helped also by absorbing some of the impact but it did crank in four places and most of the foam compressed from the impact.

After 4 months I was able to remove my hard shell neck brace and began building up my neck muscles that had atrophied. The team of doctors that treated me scheduled me for a vertebrae fusion but I decided to see how I felt for several more months before committing to the surgical procedure.

Needless to say, my desire to rid myself of all my toys didn't last... just could not do it no matter how hard I tried.. my life style was too ingrained with the excitement and dangers two wheeled riding brings. I did decide to sell my 510 and ride a bit more mellow 630 instead but I still find myself pushing my abilities to obtain the thrills of the sport. This really made me realize how much one can take for granted and how important it is to enjoy everyday you are alive. I also gained huge respect for those I see in wheelchairs and have actually felt what they most likely went through if an injury caused their issue. There is no way to simulate the feeling that one has when they can't feel a thing except their facial expressions and how you don't know if your legs are wrapped around a tree or your arms are even attached to you unless you can see them with your eyes... I still thank my friend for praying for me and not cutting my neck like I begged him to do. If I could have moved my arm for 10 seconds I would have did it myself. Wont' forget that hour of my life ever.

 

[dfeckel]

Wow. Thanks for sharing your story. It does, however, make me wonder how different our "addiction" to riding is from an actual addiction.

 

[ray_ray]

Its tough to quit something that you enjoy isn't it?

Thats quite a story with the low speed event triggering it ... I can see going back to riding at a very different level after all that and after a long waiting time ... Everything in life is a risk ... Its best to calculate the risk before the event that is a life changing event ..

Below are 2 examples of choices I had to make, 1 on smoking and the other on running ... Believe me, I do not pop wheelies on a bike so much now because that was what caused my crash ...

Wow. Thanks for sharing your story. It does, however, make me wonder how different our "addiction" to riding is from an actual addiction.

I'm sort of addicted to riding but not really ... Riding is my entire life here other than my gf and people watching and I don't want to ruin what I have going here via personal stupidity and I want to ride a dirt bike till I drop. I have to make that happen for me... No one else can...

--
I was a runner once .. 40-50 miles a week, every week ... Got back into bike riding after ~20 yrs layoff and tried to ride like I did when I 18 ... Crashed and crushed a vertebra in my lower back ... DOC said I could ride and run again so I when I eased back into running after a few months ...No real bad side effects just an inch shorter in height ...

The first time I tried to pick up my pace and run at a ~6 minute per mile pace, my leg went num after that run ... It had never happened before and that was it... I felt it came from the vertebra injury and that was the last time I did any pounding to my body running ... Still have 3 almost new, pairs of running shoes from that time in life ...

At the time, running was more important than riding the bike and I quit running on the spot ...

---

I was a smoker also once upon a time ... 3 packs a day, $2 a carton in EU at the US Army stores ... To get 3 packs a day, you gotta light up early and stay up late smoking ... Anyway, I started getting blood clots in my legs ... some 5-6" long ... They would come and go and the Army finally sent me to Walter Reed ... This was probably '87 or so ...Deep clots are the bad ones, mine were on the surface and this type is not what kills people on the spot ...

Anyway, they think I have a blood disease call Buergers disease ... They don't know where it comes from and no cure... Just stay away from tobacco products and it will slow its progress down and it may not be a problem till late in life ... The DOCS told me this and I went to the library there and read about it and it sounded like what I had ... I finished the 1/2 pack of generics smokes that had in my pocket and I stopped smoking on the spot ... It was probably 3 yrs before I smoked a single cigarette again.. So > 20 yrs and no smoking for me except one every now and then when drunk ... And every so often I get a small symptom of this disease so I know I will deal with it later some day unless I kick the bucket in the near future .. And I'm OK with both avenues ...

And believe it or not, there are others out there with this disease and they can't or won't stop smoking and they get toes, fingers, legs and other body parts cut off because the clots do stop blood circulation in the advanced stages and will cause gangrene ... Thats my future .. And thats why I became a runner to help my blood circulation and maybe grow some muscle ... The latter did not really happen

--

As much as liked both topics here, it was ~easy to quit both because I had to ... Or be an idiot and ignore the facts given to me and risk my life and well being ... Again, it was ~easy because it was the right thing for me to do and as I see so much stupidity on display by so many people on a regular basis , I try very hard to take a moment and at least attempt to be intelligent in my truly important decisions ... And I'm not a smart guy but I do try.

--

When I can't ride a dirt bike, I'll stop and ride a street bike ... After that, I'll get a boat and float around these islands with lots of safety equipment... After that, maybe the good Lord will provide me a path ... After age 50 or so, there are no guarantees you even wake up each day from sleep ... so you better use your head for more than a hat rack when faced with a decision that actually does matter, if not for yourself but for the others close to you ... they'll be the ones picking you up and they most likely don't want to be in that position ...

Please ride safe in this new year everyone ...

 

[fletchman45]

Without reading any one elses post I will give you my 2 cents. As I have got older I have figured out how to ride faster!!! Crazy. I am faster at 47 then I was at 27. Yes I just worked 10 hours. (climbing, carrying crap, a 25 pound toolbelt, running all sorts of power tools) then come back to my motel eat a salad and 2 pieces of pizza then went and ran 2 miles and lifted weights****************************************! Yes either a guy has to back off the throttle (our mind says no. but the body says, you better!) Or get in shape in order to ride like a hoodlum!! I know I will die young (open heart and a stent) but I refuse to go out without a bang and if I can not be competitive or race to what I feel my level should be I simply will not do it, for fear of injury!! Yes I have been knocked out had casts and stitches and there have been times I was thinking like you! I have told my buddies I am going to ride slow today, and well as soon as I hear that two stroke engine the kid comes out. Forget about not riding. Take a small amount of time off get back on that horse, well dirt bike, start a slow workout program and dig that dirt! My god where else can you ride something like you stole it do what you want, ride as fast as you can and not get a ticket!!! I LOVE singletrack!! I forget about my bills my health and all the other bs in life. Simply put I would be lost without it ........................ Good luck. And if you are truly a off road guy it will not be long. We all make mistakes and must learn by them. Just back off the gas if you have to. I ride over my head because life is short and that is me.