Today’s Ride - A Flash From the Past

[Mtneers]

Salvaged a 90 mile ride this afternoon after originally planning to ride the “Southern Dip”, part of the “Ohio Windy 9”. The weather forecast yesterday for today was dismal so that ride was canceled.

On the way home, I rode across a road where I wrecked a 1979 Yamaha Special 750…..43 years ago this year.


(The culvert is hidden in the overgrown weeds)

I had just finished college, rented an apartment, started a new job and gotten married.

I had not ridden much in the last couple of years. My last bike was a CB450 when I was sophomore. I got the itch again and found this bike used with about 2,000 miles on it. I had never owned a Yamaha or a bike that size.

Another friend at the apartment complex had a similar bike and asked me to go on a ride with him. He had been riding a lot more than I had. Off we went with him leading.

Coming back home, we came across an “S” curve and, not being used to the bike, I came thru it too fast.
I went off the road into a culvert. The front wheel and forks bent underneath the bike. I went over the handlebars and my head hit the bank. The face shield split and cut my face. I hit my forehead directly on the bank. The residents across the road took me in their house and wiped the blood off of me. I later went to the hospital and got x-rays. Nothing broken..just a knot on my forehead and a headache. The x-ray technician said “he never understood when people ride motorcycles. I get people in here all the time after motorcycle wrecks”

The bike wasn’t totaled. It was taken on a tow truck to the nearest Yamaha shop. The driver took me back to my apartment.

But that wasn’t the bad part. My parents were driving down the day for dinner. They didn’t know I had purchased the bike.

When we opened the door, they saw my face. I had to tell them the whole story.
I had called my dad about two weeks earlier and asked him to send me $1,000 I had saved while working in college. He soon figured out what the money went towards. It was also my first loan to buy the bike.

The bike was repaired. My dad sent me a check to pay off the loan. He enclosed a handwritten note asking that I never ride again. I still have the note.

I just recently told my brother this story. He was unaware. He said “ our dad is probably turning over in his grave given how much you ride”.

After the wreck, I sold the bike and stayed away for 10-15 years while my sons were in school playing sports, etc. I wanted to be there for “those moments”.

Since then, I have owned 4 different touring bikes and ridden over 160,000 total miles, been to the Sturgis rally 4 times (1,550 riding miles/3 days one way) and traveled through all of the lower 48 states.

So, if I ride a little slower than you, maybe there is a reason. Maybe it’s nerves. Maybe I’m a little smarter. “It” can happen quicker than you think.

There’s a saying…”there are those who have wrecked and those that will.”

Slow down and enjoy the scenery. There are no prizes for arriving “first”.








Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[GoldOxide_imp]

A story I can related to, and a nice photo to boot mtneers. Thanks for the share.

[The A-man]

Great story Mtneers, worthy of hearing again, in person, at the rally, with a late evening adult beverage!

[emptysea]

Great story. And you ride plenty fast.

[pdedse]

All those miles and trips since the "get-off"...what would life had been like had you heeded dad's words?

[GoldOxide_imp]

All those miles and trips since the "get-off"...what would life had been like had you heeded dad's words?

I was "kicked out of the house" twice for buying my first two motorcycles.

Nonetheless, life turned out well enough.

[Cormanus]

Great story, mtneers.

[KiowaEagle_imp]

Great story and sage wisdom. It's not if you're going to dump, it's when.

[the Ferret]

good story mtneers.

[suhawk305]

^^+1^^ to what everyone else said. I totally relate to your wreck on the curve! Thanks for sharing.