I keep my stupid under control by thinking of what happened 12 years ago, the last time I let "stupid" take control of my throttle. I was 19 and had only been in the Navy at that point for a little over a year. I was on a road I'd never been on before doing about 75 in a 45 and decided to downshift and nail it. Got up to ~155 on my first bike with 2 months experience (first bike was a built ZX9-R which was also due to letting "stupid" do the talking). I jumped a set of railroad tracks that I had no idea were there due to the slight hill they were just over with no signs (old abandoned tracks). When I landed, the bike started a bit of a wobble, but I managed to get it under control and began slowing down. I got down to about 95 according to what the police report said before hitting a patch of gravel in a mild turn that put me into a low side. My bike went one direction and I went the other. The police report also said that my estimated slide speed was still about 55 when I came to a sudden stop on the embankment on the side of the road. Luckily, I happened to be wearing leathers that day and lived with 3 broken ribs, collar bone, and shoulder. That was 12 years ago and my shoulder still hurts like hell when I overwork it. Nowadays, stupid for me is doing 75 in a 55 on the road I've been traveling for almost 10 years nearly every day where I can see almost a mile in any direction. My point is that I was VERY lucky, but not everyone gets a golden horseshoe like I did, so my accident reminds me of what stupid can do for you. I figure all my luck got used up that day so now the only thing between me and a dirt nap is pure responsibility and healthy dose of of skill. The only reason I even ride now is because I'd rather take a few calculated risks and enjoy life and maybe die young doing what I love instead of living to be an old man that hasn't done anything worth doing in years. Keep it safe out there and save the bulls**t for the track. Sorry for the slightly graphic tale, but sometimes it's best to hear it from someone who lived through it and can tell you it has consequences.

 

Thank you.

 

turn fourty and have at least one child you take care of..
and oh, 72 replies in one day... def a record broken or someting for at least the month anyway. maybe not of all time.. the tittle is what got me...
jay

 

Hey crazymonkeys,
Love'd your graphic tale.. I have a couple myself that I've shared through this forum, just in different threads.. Hoping some young guy with more brains than *****, listens to our experiences and thinks twice before putting their own precious life in overwhelming danger..it always happens so quick.the pain isn't even immediate . Cause your body doesn't even know how to translate the pain, its so great...i had to stop riding from my mid twenties to mid thirties, cause i couldn't keep my stupid under control and decided to go back to dirt where at least the falls were slightly less painful but no less thrilling.. Some people are just addicted to the rush.
Well i enjoyed your description of your mistake and hopefully someifthese younger guys did too...
Jay

Oh and I'm backing riding everyday i get the chance..and its so much more enjoyable..i have nothing left to prove..at forty,i need to make it home to my family at the end of day . I do have to add one last comment. people like you make this forum the best anywhere..sharing knowledge and experiences is why everyone is here. From the day one signs up, there a slew of good people patting you the back, supporting you and reassuring you that you'll be accepted here no matter who you are and now you're part of group that cares not only for the machines that we love and that brought us together, but we all also really care about
the people who ride these machines.. Def share whatever stories/experiences you have.they get read and are valuable here more than anywhere else and are appreciated..
Jay

 

I appreciate that Jay, it means a lot. I figure if even one person reads something I post and it helps them or at least makes them think a little more cautiously even one time on the road, it was worth it. That one time could have been the end of one of us and no matter how stupid a person is being on the road, it's still a shame to lose one that hasn't had the time to develop enough responsibility to be able to enjoy riding safely. We were all less intelligent in some of the things we have done over the years, especially when we were young. Some of us occasionally still are once in a while, but it's those of us that had enough luck on our side to learn wisdom that have to teach the younger ones.

Edit:

Also, a side note, another thing that helps out a bit with precaution is remembering an old saying I learned in the Navy. The subject of the saying can be changed to fit just about anything, but it especially applies to motorcyclists. "The SUPERIOR Officer of the Watch is the one who uses SUPERIOR judgement to avoid situations that require SUPERIOR skill."

 

I've been riding a 250r for 8 months and did well over the speed limit every day after my first month or so of riding. I never got a ticket, but I mainly just been riding the same roads I've traveled thousands of times before so I was pretty cocky, but for some reason with my new F4I I don't feel the need to ride quite as fast. Maybe it's because I'm still intimidated by the 3.5x HP or just the fact that I'm not adjust yet, but after reading a bunch of these post I'll probably think twice before riding as fast as I had been. I'm with the thread starter though, its just so hard to resist flying on a bike. He'll I won't even take my car past 80mph any more cuz I outgrew the need to speed in my car after having kids. Hopefully I'll outgrow the need for stupid speeds on my bike aswell.

 

i hope so too!!!! its a lot easier if theres just yourself to worry about, but really once you have children and a wife = family.. you have so much more at risk... my earlier lessons were well learned.. painful ones too if i might add.. if you really want to know what real speed is!! you should start hanging out at your closest race track...i know thats where i would go if i got the itch...and not even as expensive as some people think!!!

 

Just do this every once and a while on a deserted road and you're good.
Sheep Canyon Rd. - YouTubeI know, I'm not fast but I'm working up to it. ; )

 

I was once out on rgv 250 with girlfreind on the back,bag of chips up my jkt for tea, came round a roundabout and wound it up in 1st,2nd,3rd. copper was hiding in a layby ,went past him about 80mph in a 30 limit. got chased and pulled. got big fine &banned for a month. that slowed me right down. i ride like a preist now saving fast riding for trackdays. also having kids gave me a sense of mortality.

 

i still struggle to keep it at the speed limit for some reason i feel the speed limit is slow, the only thing that stops me now is slow old people in my way already got a speeding ticket, found that kissing a little *** with the cops helps a lot, i got to to slow down... but other then lack of funds to pay big tickets stops me most of the time.