11 years riding first wreck

[Krupator_imp]

I went down a few weeks ago on my CB in a heavy thunderstorm. The radar was clear when I left and the roads were just wet. Lesson learned there, don't trust the weatherman. I have been waiting to get it back from the dealer. Should be this week. I used to work there and the guys know me and pretty well. The mechanic working on my bike told me he wouldn't have even turned it in to the insurance. The only reason I did is because my staintune exhaust has a scar now. No dents, just a long thin scratch. A felllow cb110 rider told me to just buff it out. The insurance covered getting a new one. Now I have a spare. Total damage was under $3k including tax and labor, but $900 of that cost is the staintune and $300 for a front fender I'm not convinced is even damaged. It was rode to the shop and all of the damage was purely cosmetic according to the shop. When I inquired as to whether or not the frame could be bent or a weld cracked they said no way. That made me feel better. Having past experience working there I knew the answer but I wanted to hear someone else say it.

I'm definitely not done riding, but I have a certain fear I'm not familiar with. Last week a friend had surgery and needed his FZ6 moved from his parents house. I've rode it twice before. I could barely lean over on it and found myself going 10 under the speed limit. I'm no road racer, but I've dragged the pegs on the CB. I enjoy a spirited ride. I'm worried that I won't enjoy riding the same way I used to.

 

[ClassicVW_imp]

Sorry to hear you went down. Happens to most of us one day. You make no mention of any injury, so that's the first good thing here. The second is that the bike is only cosmetically damaged and will be fine.

What you're feeling right now is absolutely normal. You'll get back on and you'll be extra careful for a while, then your incident will fade more to the back of your mind. It may never go away, which isn't all that bad a thing. But get out and ride. Even if it's short trips on only sunny days. Again, your concern is perfectly normal.

 

[Rocky_imp]

Sorry to hear of your crash, but in time I'm sure you will gain your confidence back.
When reality bites it would shake up any normal person quite a bit.
Take it easy and give it time.

 

[redbirds_imp]

So glad the damage was to your bike and that you are okay. The uneasy feelings you're having now are the same I experienced after a crash years ago when I hit an oil slick. I was lucky to have only a cracked rib and some bruising. The main damage was to my mental state when I rode my bike. It was my only transportation at the time so not riding was out. It took a few months but I did get my confidence back. Give it some time.

 

[the Ferret]

I almost gave up riding in 1969 when I ran my 305 Scrambler into the side of a 54 Dodge that turned left in front of me. Broken nose, 7 broken teeth, broken right hand, broken right foot. Recovery hurt... a lot. My mom of all people, convinced me to get back in the saddle because she said " you know how much you enjoy riding, if you give it up you will always regret it". Glad I followed her advice, otherwise I 'd have missed out on close to 700,000 miles of riding in 42 states, 2 provinces of Canada and 5 countries in Europe in the last 47 years since the accident. I still enjoy riding, and I still get nervous when a car is waiting to turn left as I am coming up the road.. That will never go away. Guess the reward is worth the risk to me.

 

[Krupator_imp]

I have a sprained wrist that's almost healed. I think I went down at less than 15. Bad judgment on my part. Let the clutch out into first just after turning into my housing plan in that heavy downpour and the back end came out. I locked up the rear so as to low side instead of high side. No other cars were involved so it's entirely on me. I can't imagine the anxiety I would have about getting back on the road if it was another car that caused the accident. I definitely can't quit riding though. Thanks everyone for the reassurance.

I'll post a pic from my first ride when I get it back.

 

[widude]

Glad you and the bike are recovering. If need be don't be hesitant to pull over with that unexpected adverse weather. The 'heavy thunderstorm' sounds hazardous.

 

[Krupator_imp]

I hit the thunderstorm about 1 mile from my house. I went under an overpass just a few hundred feet before my turn and thought I'm practically there so I passed through. I completely regret that decision. So many lessons learned from this.

 

[Pauley]

Glad you're ok/recovering, Krupator. Ease back into it in your own time.

 

[emptysea]

I hope you re-Krupatorate quickly

Great post. My son is going through the same riding issues after a very minor spill last fall. I think I will show him this thread to let him know that even experienced riders go through this sort of thing.

 

[Cormanus]

Krupator, glad you're OK and that the bike got only a minor biff. As others have said, your reaction is normal and reasonable. I had a long off in the 1970s when a bloke in a car turned across in front of me and took me with him. Rode happily for a bit then lost my nerve for quite a while.

Wet weather's the pits on a bike, particularly when it's raining really hard.

 

[flynrider]

Riding will cure what ails you. Back in June a suicidal deer caused me to have my first spill in 27 years of almost daily riding. For the remainder of my 2K mile trip, I was seeing deer behind every tree. I'm still on the look out for the forest rats, but I've quit obsessing about it and gone back to enjoying the ride.

 

[activedirt_imp]

The cornball in me wants to say that this accident has made you a better rider! However that real wisdom may be that your riding experience is now even more valuable to others to help keep them safe.

 

[JustPassinThru_imp]

Riding will cure what ails you. Back in June a suicidal deer caused me to have my first spill in 27 years of almost daily riding. For the remainder of my 2K mile trip, I was seeing deer behind every tree. I'm still on the look out for the forest rats, but I've quit obsessing about it and gone back to enjoying the ride.

LISTEN to the man!

I had a bad wreck in 1986...and, with pressure from the woman, gave it up.

MY LOSS.

The woman went away. Not her fault or mine; but life goes on. I was in a different part of the world; and in 2008 gas prices were exploding....and I had a lead on a scooter.

Time to re-learn to ride.

I could kick myself. The best years, I lost. I'm not young anymore; I lost a lot of time...but here I am; traveled ten times the miles I rode when I was a kid.

You...need to SADDLE UP and get your confidence back.

Bad stuff happens. Dress with gear so when it does you're not so-badly-hurt.

 

[Rebel73_imp]

I went down in the canyons a few years ago. I high-sided and landed on the gravel shoulder. Thanks to an air-vest and Kevlar lined jeans, I was mostly ok, except for a banged up shoulder. It took me a while to get up the nerve to get back on the horse. That's normal. Just give it some time. Glad you're ok.

 

[Toddman_imp]

You know what they say...

There are 3 kinds of riders.
One's that haven't been down,
One's that have been down,
and those that are going down.

Get back on.