bad crash, feel like hangin it up..what now?

[6fiddy]

i went over the bars, landed head/shouldr 1st on the backside of a jump, it had helmet size rocks and i slammed into them at about 15mph. i had 2 wait 5 days before the surgeon could repair my clavicle/collarbone. broke it in 4 places. it overlapped the other bones and couldnt be set so the doc hammered a 6in metal rod thru all the broken pieces kinda like making a necklace. last year it was a broken coccyx/tailbone, out 3 months. 6mos ago severly bruised right clavicle. 2 months out for that. im 40 yrs old and love dirt bikes and any type of riding but i am wondering if its really worth the price i have been paying. i mean, whats next? i dont heal fast anymore. people i work with just look at me and shake thier f@%@ING heads. you are a 40 yr old ass! they say. the last 7 days were the worst in my entire life. when i stare at my bike, i just feel disgusted with it. any shrinks out here with advice? anyone else been here done this? moderator, i think i should have posted this in the general forum. if so, would you move it there for me?

i ride a 06 yz450 so i always read/post here, habits.. thanks for listening, JR

[C333]

I can think of worse "addictions"/"obsessions" that a 40 y/o could have. You could be a jobless crack head. You have to do at least 1 thing in life that you love, or else life becomes pointless. You've got 30-40 years left if you're lucky. LIVE! IMHO ?

[zamfield]

I've been there - best cure is to get back on, grit your teeth and go!

Take it easy at first, then show her who's boss!

Did you have full gear on??

I had a bad wreck when i was 22 (I'm 39 now!! - an old @ss!) and everyone said to get back on a bike as soon as I could.

I was having all sorts of nightmares about the accident.

As soon as I rode again (With the right gear on this time) the nightmares stopped... and so did the aches and pains.

If you let the fear take over, you might as well hang it all up.

Remember my words - when you're sitting in your rocker at 80 pissing into a bag, you'll wish you got back on her......

?

[984]

dress for the crash. i've been wearing a leatt and other stuff that makes me feel confident now that i'm a little older, with more responsibility. leatt is worth it. so are knee braces. best way to keep party going is to dial in your suspension and/or get it revalved,

[BergArabia]

Just wondering if you are married. I am thinking maybe not.

Cos I think the wife would be putting the foot down by now..

If you are married and she isn't putting the foot down then that means this bike riding thing has become part of who you are and she wouldn't take that away from you..

Do you dream about jumps? Doe it enter all your conversations?

Sorry to hear about your accident. Take care and yeah get all the protective gear you can..

[mxracer206]

I have been in situations where I could not ride for various reasons and every time I start back I realize how much I missed it. I just had one of the worst crashes I have taken in a long time, I made sure I rode one more moto for the day so the crash monster did not take over my thoughts.

The only thing I can say is if you have always crashed a lot and it is just now hurting more then ride more within your safety range. If it is just a little bad luck and you love to ride then do it just for that reason. Remember even though the young guys make it look easy you are a little older and wiser than they are.

[mxracer206]

Another thing, have you ever thought about changing your avatar, that mister evil guy may be throwing some bad carma your way.

[02YZ426]

Well only you can make that decision. If you can't live without mx or would regret not riding again then you better get re saddled! Just be careful out there! Maybe slow the pace down a little bit. Its best sometimes to pack up and head home if your not feeling comfortable at the track. Listen to that little voice inside your head... if it says don't try, don't! Sometimes at the track I will all a sudden get that "I better leave while I'm still ahead" feeling.. I ALWAYS listen to it. I think you can get back on the saddle, just try to be more conscious about the decisions you make on the bike. Hope this helps. Get well and stay safe ?

[fredgreen]

i had a bad crash in 03 on my WR450, over the bars as i jammed 5th gear on the limiter. Snapped my right leg in two about about 6inches up from ankle(9am) , then rode through the bush for another 5 hours. Ran out of fuel and sit in bush to 11pm, pick up by the police. Got to hospital 2am. Would have died if i stay out there a few more hours from the cold. And said i would never ride again. Three yrs later i'm riding a YZ450 04 in the bush and i just hope it don't happen again. It still scares my how and again but thats life. I take the kids so i don't ride too fast.

[mxdude12]

hey sorry to hear about the accident, but hey that's what we as dirt bikers have to live with. if ridin dirt bikes is truly a passion of yours, as it is mine, then you'll realize that lettin an accident unsaddle you will only hurt you worse in the end. think about it, what fun would it be without a little danger... if you don't feel the passion anymore, then hang up the goggles and stop, but don't just let a little bad luck throw you off. hope you heal quickly and good luck on your decision...?

[ttr125l95]

make you decision wisely if you feel it is time to stop then stop, but you have at least 20 more riding years in you, not racing just trail riding, trust me my dads 55 and he still rides trails., the danger of a bad accident is a risk we all accepted when we bought a bike, i mean we hope not to crash but the danger will always be there. I'm sorry to hear about you accident and i wish you a speedy recovery.

[6fiddy]

Another thing, have you ever thought about changing your avatar, that mister evil guy may be throwing some bad carma your way.[/QUO

Thanks for your support. By the way its DR EVIL not mr evil, he didnt go thru 7 years of evil college to be called Mr. thank you very much! haha Im feeling better today. I wear all the safety gear execpt a neck/helmet roll. Im gonna ask the MD if that would have prevented this. My wife is not only HOT, she is the best. you know what she said to me the 1st night im laid up in bed with all this? she says "how about you use the bowflex while your recovering and get stronger and lighter and I will buy you some MX lessons from the Pro-Guy at St Petersburg MX (sunshine mx) to help get your cofidence back again..

My 9 yr ols son rides a PW50 and my 7 yr old girl rides a 50 mini quad. They love it. I just wish we had the trails like we used to before North Port got closed. Now its private tracks and thats cool and all but a 20 mile loop haulin ass is my favorite. Thanks again, JR

[turbojedi]

Not to hijack a thread but i hope this helps. I am laying on a couch recovering from a crash three weeks a ago yesterday. OTB and three broken ribs, four broken vertebre in my back. Two 8 inch rods and 8 screws n my spne. I shouldnt be able to walk but im all over the place. Im not gonna quit. I will make changes sure, but still ride. NO ONE can tell you to keep going or quit thats your choice. This is all I have been thiking about for three weeks. I have like a dozen bikes and quads and rhino etc. I bleed the stuff. I am 30. The first thing my mom said is dont ever let anyone blame you or control your decision about what you will do. My wonderful wife of 8 years, who has been through injuries before. Said, Lets just ride different and watch it. She said lets buy you another bke that you will ride mor moderatly for a while. Sorry for being so long, but am fighting the same battle you are. Remember these two things. Is it worth a ten dollar trophy? and Its more fun to ride a slow bike fast than it is to rde a fast bike slow. Slow down, remember why we do it and make your decision DONT let anyone else. I hope all goes well. One more thing, I got two words for ya DOUG HENRY

[BC3]

I'm 59 and still ride, I like to go fast but I do understand that I need limits..

Breaking a bone at my place in time would be VERY difficult...I have been thinking about DUAL SPORT rides....A lot of time in the seat and some cool people...If your body is telling you to slow down, maybe dual sport is for you..

[turbojedi]

Funny you mention that. i put 11000 miles on a KLR in three years and when I hit the ground three weeks ago a GS1200 just made my short list.

[thumper450yzf]

sorry to hear about ur crash man.... iv been in the same kind of boat, last year i was riding 4 wheelers alot (i have a 04 yzf 450 bike now!!!) but i was into quads then... and i came up to a blind downhill double that i had been hitting all weekend and clearing on my predator (4th pinned), it was fairly early in the morning like 9am and not many people were up that i ride with so i just went out on a nice ride until i got the idea to hit the double...... i was going the right way around the track, but another guy that hadnt rode at this track b4 was coming up the hill the WRONG way and i guess when i went to jump off the top we met tire to tire..... i lost 9 days of my life that were completely blacked out from memory, i almost died from massive head trauma (and at the time i was only 17, im 18 now) along with the other guy... but a month after i got out i had a race and the docs told me NOOO but they couldnt stop me, it is something i love.. so i raced and im still alive and racing today.

but if riding/racing is something you love......then keep at it man cause u never know when your time will be up. personally i would rather die on my bike then in like a car crash or anything else. but yea if u love riding as much as me then i wouldnt stop because i was 40, hell my dad is 40 and he is still a little faster than me and races lol.?

[xcessjw]

Lots of encouragement here and support from fellow riders...let me bestow some of my "wisdom" upon you. I'm 39, father, business owner and I love riding. I was really gung-ho for 4 years or so..i would race and ride every chance I got..even ice riding in the winter. Back a couple of years ago I all of a sudden didnt really care too much about racing. I had alot of extraneous crap going on in my normal life, work was busy, house needed some work and so on. I realized that I had too much on my plate and I couldnt enjoy racing and riding. I decided to shelf the bike for awhile and I did. I got busy taking care of things I needed to handle and I actually felt good with my decision. I guess what I'm trying to convey is that it is okay to take a breather for awhile. If you are not having fun racing now take a little break from it...the track will still be there when you want to return. If you are forcing yourself to ride you are just putting undue pressure on yourself. Many riders focus on the physical conditioning of the sport but the mental conditioning is just as important. If your head isnt in the game stay on the bench. I just raced last weekend for the first time in a year and a half and I felt great. I wanted to be there and I had a blast...I rode my butt off, didnt crash and just felt super. I wish you a speedy recovery and remember..there is no shame in hanging up your helmet for awhile.

[Ga426owner]

Me to - been on injured reserve 5weeks....I went through the same emotion you are going through.....at first I was going to give it up. Now I am looking forward to riding again. Take the time off to get your head back together.....

[Climber]

Get well soon. Your wife and kids sound like they support you. and that's worth more than gold.

...and quit crashing ?

[Cpres]

Take the time to heal and get the bike in top shape. When you are healed I vote to ride at a pace that is fun but not crazy. I have been through life changing event with family getting almost killed on the drive to work so hey stuff happens. If you enjoy riding still then ride, I have broke a few bones and had my friends give me s??t over them because it was stupid stuff that caused it. Only you can decide if the risk vs. reward works for you. It is cool that you ride with your kids and I would give your wife a big hug because she is taking this great. Best of luck doing what is right for you.