Triumphrat

Dean Moriarty · 04-23-2008, 02:54 AM

I think I may be one of those mid-life crisis guys most true bikers seem to despise, but I hope not. I've recently discovered the new Bonnies and it's pushing me to get back into riding after about 18 years. Please allow me to introduce myself.

Back when I was 20, I had a bad accident on a Honda VT500 Ascot that I loved to ride whenever I could. The bike was beautiful. It was light, upright and so easy to ride well. I thought I was invincible on it. I rode safely, but made bad choices, like the one to ride on a deserted country road at 3am.

Luckily, it was very cold that night. That meant jacket, gloves, full-face helmet -- and a couple of layers under all that to stay warm. Yes, I had been out on a few occasions in the past with just a T-shirt and jeans.

On the ride to my parents' house (I had ridden up to East Texas to visit them and some old friends) I was running about 70 mph -- another bad choice on a lonely, dark stretch of road at 3am. I couldn't have been able to see past my headlight. About 10 miles outside of town, I saw something that made my heart stop. There were two red eyes reflecting from the other side of the road. I remember clinching the handgrips and saying to myself, "please don't go..." Just then, the deer ran out in front of me.

I clipped the hind legs of the doe (i think) which was enough to twist my handlebars out of my hands and throw me over the top, landing in a 70 mph baseball slide down the road on my back, with my left leg underneath me. I hit a bump in the road and flipped into a roll for the last 50 ft. or so. That's quite a sensation, not being able to stop in a roll.

I laid there for a minute or so, then looked down at my torn jeans. I had a bloody hole in my leg where my knee was supposed to be. While I hadn't broken a single bone, I could see pieces of my kneecap and road debris all in the wound. Don't ask me how -- it was pitch black. Maybe I hallucinated it.

On pure adrenaline, I walked back to the bike. No sign of the deer. The bike was a little crooked, but still rideable. I picked it up somehow, threw my injured leg over, mounting the bike from the wrong side and not being able to feel the injury at all. I was in "survival" mode and it was getting cold. I could sense I was close to going into shock, though my only visible injury was a hole in my leg the size of a tangerine.

Something told me to stop the bleeding. I put my clutch hand on the wound and squeezed hard. I didn't let go for the whole ride home. 10 miles in first gear, unable to shift for fear I would pass out, at about 10-12 miles per hour.

When I got home, my dad took me to the hospital and got me patched up. I even fixed the bike after about a year and rode it for a few months, just to be sure it hadn't beaten me.

That all said, It seems to go against my better judgment, but these new Bonnies have really gotten to me. This is really the bike I've always wanted. And I've decided I don't want to wind up 60 years old and wish I would have gotten one.

So, I've been lurking here, reading up on tips and planning for a purchase in a month or two. I even visited a dealer to sit on one and ended up talking with the sales guy for about an hour. I think I'm legitimately hooked.

I'm committed to safety this time. I will take a riders' safety course. I will wear a helmet always and hope to find a good, protective jacket that I can wear in our near 100-degree heat here. recommendations in this regard would be appreciated.

I thank anyone who read this. To tell the truth, typing it was therapeutic and helped me search myself to be sure I really wanted back in. I believe it's important to be sure and I do believe I am.

I hope to contribute once I get my Bonnie. I'm trying to decide between silver and black. Untill then, I will read and learn.

Safe riding to you all. You have some really beautiful machines there.

Gretsch · 04-23-2008, 03:52 AM

Welcome! I don't think anyone here will despise you for wanting to ride again. That was a bad experience you had and I can understand the time away.

Anyway, if you decide to jump back in, I recommend silver.

RonD · 04-23-2008, 06:56 AM

Dean I know how you feel 3yrs ago I dumped a bike big time, whats got me thinking when I read your post was knee damage, lucky for me I was wearing leathers and a full face helmet the knee was ripped out of the leathers, but because of the thick padding I still have a knee cap. the other thing was damage to the hand through the gloves an almost lost a finger, one of my boots was almost worn through that was it beside badly bruised ribbs and ego, so theres an important lesson here (well for me anyway) the knee takes a lot of the impact in an accident and is well worth considering when buying your gear.the moral of the story is wear the right gear and you should be ok iff you are unlucky and have an accident.

barneys · 04-23-2008, 07:56 AM

I am sure everyone here will understand how you feel after reading your post. Glad you could share it with us. I hope you go with your heart and go for it and get a Bonnie. Let us know how you get on.

mjshaul · 04-23-2008, 08:57 AM

Dean - I think you'll find lots of folks here like you (and me) that loved bikes in the past, had something bad happen (usually caused -- or at least exacerbated -- by carelessness), and are now back to riding and grinning ear-to-ear. We've read the books (Proficient Motorcycling by David Hough is superb, IMO) and taken the safety courses, we're wearing the right gear and making better choices about when/where/how we ride, and we're LOVING riding our Bonnies (mine's a silver 07). I wear high-quality jacket and pants (both with body armor), boots, gloves, helmet, etc.

Bikes are definitely dangerous (part of why it's fun), and we're taking risks to do something we love. But we're doing the right things to reduce the risks as much as we can.

If you do decide to go for it, you'll find this site is an incredible resource to help you and your bike ride great.

Good luck.

UraniumC · 04-23-2008, 10:56 AM

Hi Dean...

Welcome. With your history it makes sense that it's a tough call to go back to riding.

Clearly it is calling to you. sounds like you've got a good plan. For what it's worth, give it a try, go slow and if it doesn't feel right you can always step back.

ozbon · 04-23-2008, 11:02 AM

Dean, been there, done that. Welcome back mate!

imafunkyman · 04-23-2008, 11:07 AM

Dean welcome back. A big thumbs up on the MSF course. I had been riding for over 25 years, but took the course a few years ago. I recommend that to everybody, even seasoned riders. It made me a better rider and broke me of some bad habits I had picked up over the years. Good luck to you on your Bonnie purchase. You have chosen wisely!

propforward · 04-23-2008, 11:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by imafunkyman

Dean welcome back. A big thumbs up on the MSF course. I had been riding for over 25 years, but took the course a few years ago. I recommend that to everybody, even seasoned riders. It made me a better rider and broke me of some bad habits I had picked up over the years. Good luck to you on your Bonnie purchase. You have chosen wisely!

+1 on all that - good training is the number 1 safety enhancement any rider can have.

And likewise - welcome and happy motorcycling!

mistermellow001 · 04-23-2008, 11:40 AM

Dean,

Welcome, and thanks for sharing your story, a familiar one to many. I flattened the front of a '72 Daytona, but it never dampened my enthusiasm for riding, and especially my love of Triumphs. But nothing made in subsequent years ever tempted me back - it was the Bonneville that finally did it for me. Your enthusiasm coupled with your concern for taking the right steps in getting back on the saddle seems like a winning combination. It never leaves you, and it seems that it's never too late.