Ducati Monster Forum

So heres the deal, I have been in 2 motorcycle wrecks. Both could have ended very, very badly. Like not sitting here typing this badly, quick thinking and a fraction of a second this way or that way is why im still here.

The first was not my fault, old man made a left turn from on coming traffic right in front of me i had nowhere to go except up and over the roof of his Ford taurus, jumped off the bike right before impact, still bunced off the top of the passenger side, sailed about 20 feet before touchdown. Did not break anything, lots of scars on my arm, very little road rash (considering the lack of gear ) seperated rib and a bruised kidney. Totalled my Suzuki.
The second was my fault came into a decreasing radius right hander hot lost it a little, panicked, and did everything wrong after that. Broken collar bone was the extent of body damage because i was wearing full gear (lesson learned from first wreck). some cosmetic damage to the M1100. Had the pick up truck going the opposite direction been driving 56mph instead of 55mph im sure we would have met as i went through his lane into the berm which kept me from going down the drop off on the other side of the berm.

Heres where it gets funny.
Wreck #1 Aug 9, 2008
Wreck #2 Aug 1, 2009

The wife says one more wreck and im done riding street. With our third child due in november i kind of agree with her.

Here's the question. Do i ride in August or sit the entire month out?
Im not superstitious but i dont want to tempt the unknown.
I havent ridden in two weeks because we bought a new house and with all the moving and painting and such, been too busy to ride and thats how im justifying that situation.

Thanks in advance for any input.

I am not superstitious about anything except for August 31st. Seems like bad shit happens around me on that particular day of the year. I will usually forego mountain rides on that date. Your results may vary.

Yeah I've been down twice and if I go down again i'll probably stop riding.  But all that stuff is kind of BS.  Just be safe and thats it.  Some never learn, some do.

there is a EBN in August ya know. ;)

I'd sit out at least the first couple weeks of August. Ya never know.

LOL my wedding anniversary is Aug 31. got married 8-31-01


Oh i learned boy did i learn.


I know, I know. See just bought a new house excuise in first post. :P

I dont like superstitions. My 1 piece leather suit is always on the floor. From me rolling on hte floor of a grass field taking a nap mid day to just being on the track and not having anywhere to put it. suck it superstitions. Hope youdont get a 3rd get off!

and if your in a seasonal place, its likley that your crash is in august due to the riding scheudle. so its not to far fetched. mine are ALWAYS in sept or october. ive had 4 of htem already. they were just get-offs not full on crashes... well 2 of them were. :p

Here's a story...

I was briefly married as teenager; married on 8 April 1978.

My brother was killed on 8 April 1980.

In the Navy I reported aboard a ship from Hell on 8 April 1982.

The ship pulled into Jacksonville, FL for emergency repairs (we were based in Little Creek, VA) and put me out on the pier with a transfer, and only 12 hours notice, on 8 April 1983.

A few years after leaving the Navy I was unemployed and unable to find work for a number or years.  I finally just went to college for a number of years, followed by more time unemployed trying to find work.  Finally got my first real job on 8 April 2002.

Upon reflection I realized that I had been unemployed (without a real, non-temp, full time job) for 8 years, 8 months, and 8 days.

What does it all mean?

Absolutely nothing.

 [laugh]

My anniversary is August 1st. I did it that way so I could remember it easily.

I would only be worried if you had just rode under a ladder before the wrecks.

While the first might have been mostly the old man's fault, it doesn't mean that it was unavoidable on your part.  What could you have done differently?  Made yourself more visible?  Looked farther ahead to anticipate potential stupid moves from unaware drivers?  Practiced your emergency braking beforehand?

With the second one, perhaps you had enough time to get over the first crash mentally and started to get a bit overconfident?

Try to learn something from your previous mistakes, rather than just blaming bad luck and the stars lining up the wrong way.  Oh, and if something inside is telling you not to ride right now, listen to it, you're probably right - you may just not be in the right mindset for riding safe.

I'm superstitious only in that I do everything the same when I get ready to ride.  I always put my right boot on first, right glove, right ear plug, right arm in the sleeve, cell phone in the same right pocket, etc.  But that's just really a method to make sure I haven't missed something important.

I'm a very non-superstitious person in general, I'll never 'knock on wood', throw salt over a shoulder, all that crap.  Having a routine you're comfortable and familiar with regarding the bike though does make me feel more collected.

Oh yea, and my last day at my current job is Friday the 13th.

I think it's just a coincident, like a lot of things in life that just happens to land on the same date/place.  My buddy same was born on 7/17/1977.  His address was 7707.  Everything coincidentally came with a 7.  After that, he just looked for more 7s in his life and it's a self-fulfilling prophecy where everythign revolves around that numbers. 

My point is...  don't look too much into it.  But if it puts you or your wife at ease, take it easy in August and be a little more careful/aware of your surrounding, which is a good habit to have anyway. 

Not sure what the significance would be of having two wreck 357 days apart.

No.  Just do what you want and be prepared as best you can, and be prepared to die every day. 

Thanks for all the great feedback so far  [thumbsup], i agree with all of the replys just needed some input from like minded riders.

On a superstition scale from Stevie Wonder to Richard Dawkins I rank at "Hey Bartender, Jobu needs a refill."


(http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m305/UnknownColumn/Chicago%20Bears/joboo3.jpg)

I believe it is technically, "Yo bartender . . ."

Tell that to John Lee Hooker.   ;)

I try not to be supertious when it comes to riding and crashing.

I've had 2 bad crashes where multiple broken and crushed bones were involvled.

1st bad crash , I went over a rise about 70 mph on a country road and was immediately confronted w, a  90 degree decreasing radius lefthand curve that I got target fixated and didn't make the curve and slammed into a small ditch then a hillside.

7 broken Ribs plus a punctured Lung and badly sprained Ankle. Full gear.

Second really bad crash , I believe some old " Hill Billy " heard me coming through a valley and up a hill then as I approached him from about a 1/4 mile away as he set in his pickup waiting to pull out on to the road I was on , I saw him and slowed down .

He pulled out and then went about 50 yards and put on his left turn signal and turned 3/4s of the way left onto and other road and then just set there.

As I went by him I made sure I missed him and next thing I know I'm starring at 3 people looking down at me .

My bike had in missing this truck hit something on the edge of the road which 'caused it to go airborne , turn on it's right side at about 50 mph and land on top of me and slid 100 yards in the middle of the road. I got knocked cold. Full gear on.

No citations were issued.

I think he was trying to kill me ...but I should have waited until he made the full turn before proceeding.

The guy in the truck said he got scared when he heard me coming and froze.??

I have negative thoughts many times before a ride so I would rather say a prayer and put my faith in God and my riding abilities and use what I have learned over the years.

Dolph

How about you take some more advanced rider courses and save the hot speeds for the track?


I'm not sure what you think you've learned over the years given that you crash annually.

Three years in a row, I was in car accidents on Thanksgiving Day.
First year, driving alone.
Second year riding with someone else.
Third year driving with someone else in the car.

Nobody ever hurt, two cars totaled, and one car with pretty minor damage.

I stayed home on Tday for a few years and broke the cycle. This was a long time ago. But I still prefer to stay home on Thanksgiving.

So, in answer to your question, if it were me, I'd park it for the month of August. Perfect opportunity for MODs!

I believe people make their own luck by being prepared and, for lack of a better phrase, "present and accounted for" when they engage in activities that might kill them.

I also think it's bad luck to be superstitious.

Riding is like going into battle,

your number is up or it isn't

you can do what you want to increase your chances of prevailing

but in the end you have no control over when it is your time

As for riding...beware of the self-fulfilling prophecy...if you are not in the proper mindset you can make flawed decisions

and fear-based decisions almost invariably are not good ones.

Beware of psychological "Target Fixation"...wherein what you fear most becomes exactly what you head toward

Humans are funny critters...we like to think we are in charge of what we do

but there is a whole unseen world in the subconscious that does much of the driving

 [thumbsup]

I'm supersticious when it comes to everything....including riding.
examples
-always put my left boot/glove on first
-never ride on friday the 13th
-never fuel up on pump number 13
-never ride pillion which weighs more than me. No matter how hot she is

You have to be superstitious if you have a nick like "causeofkaos" ....  ;D

It's always your fault. Always.

If I go in to a corner hot I don't panic , I don't target fixate like I used to.

I brake a little, hang off as much as possible and try and kiss my inside hand and trust that my bike's suspension is right and my tires have more of a contact patch than I ever thought before in a very leaned over state.

Be on the lookout for sand or gravel, that can make the whole corner experience more challenging.

Got to keep an eye out for gravel and always be looking as far ahead as possible through the corner and beyond.

Dolph     :)

don't you get it? don't get into a car on Thanksgiving....EVER! lol.

but seriously, superstition is all well and good, just don't turn it into a self-fulfilling prophecy. If you think something's going to happen, your subconscious is going to make sure it does!

There in lies the crux.........the self-fulfilling prophecy of superstition w.regards to riding .

my anniversary is on 8/8/08. wooogedy boooogedy.  [laugh]

I'm sure the Myans would have had something to say about that !

Dolph     :)

It'd more accurately reflect the average marriage if it was two years, two months, and two days earlier.

Double Eagle that's a big time crash!

My first crash was within six months of getting my learners permit. A prime mover tip truck was parked on a hill. The park brakes failed and it rolled down onto the road and took me out. I was doing 45mph (75kmph) and center punched it. Fortunately, I hit the side walls of the big dual wheels, probably the 'softest' part of the truck. As I lay there gasping for air, thinkng I was going to die I swear I heard a voice say, "It's not your time yet". I don't understand it as thousands of babies in developing countries are going to die from dirty water tonight, yet I know what I heard and it was a profound experience. I only sustained bruising, cracked ribs and a torn ligament in the knee. Was it Providence or sheer dumb luck?!

My mother has folksy, village religion from the old country and she has dreams and stuff and knows what I've been up to! That crash was a secret. She knew about the crash the moment I had it. The Force is strong with her!

My mum made me promise to cross myself every time I go out to ride. My brother and I ride and the poor woman must spend alot of time praying for us.
I feel strange if I dont make the cross and a quick prayer now so I do everytime I ride.

Very true.
I'm both religious/superstitious and a skeptic at the same time! [laugh] That'll teach me for studying comparative religion and secular philosophy at University! [drink] [bang] [drink]!
A guy once said to me to pray like it all depends on God and prepare like it all depends on Mankind. Gotta satisfy both the primal subconscious and the rational mind. ;)

Men, after going to the bathroom, Tuck it to the left, Going to the right apparently causes low sides at the track on brand new bikes.   ;D   [bang]

My first was me vs. a Peterbilt dump truck that jack knifed into my lane and hit me head on, on the 90th day of ownership.
So I wait a few years before getting another bike, again on the 90th day, I'm crossing an intersection and an old guy in a F-550 blows the stop sign and runs me over.
So for the longest time I said I'm done, but if I ever climbed back on an iron horse it would be nothing but a duc. With the mindset of, if the 3rd time is the charm at least I'd go style.
We've made it past the 90th day this time, and I stumbled across a reply to a post here, that said if you make it thru 3, then your good to go.
I'm going with that mind set now, a bit more positive then the negative thinking of 3rd time's the charm.

Not superstitious, but I now listen to my 6th sense. My senses *tingled* 4 times since I've been riding and all 4 times something went wrong.

1. Had a bad feeling, but took my vintage scooter out. Hit by a left hand turning limo. Fractured wrist, right fib, torn ACL
2. Listened to my 6th sense (sort of) and told my friends I will ride slow...ended up going down a 20' ravine
3. Told all my friends something's wrong. Rode slow most of the trip till I decided to cross the DY...got a ticket
4. After MotoGP Laguna I felt it bad. Instead of riding to work, I took my Xootr (like a Razor). Hit a sidewalk lip and crashed.

Bottom line, if my 6th sense kicks in again, I'm staying off ANYTHING 2 wheels!

just in case anyone was wondering ended up doing 3 weekend rides in august without incident.
2 of them from Taft through 33 to santa barbera and back.
1 to SLO through old 58 and back.
"made it through 3 so good to go"
ha ha lets not jinx it right.