The Real Reason Why Crash Victims Quit Riding

There an old saying among the hardcore biker brethren... "There are riders who've crashed their bikes, and there are riders who WIL...

There an old saying among the hardcore biker brethren...

"There are riders who've crashed their bikes, and there are riders who WILL crash their bikes".

If you consider yourself someone who rides a lot, whether on your motorcycle or scooter, face it, YOU WILL crash.

I bring this up after having read a couple of blog posts on the subject of riders crashing their bikes and either not wanting to ride again, or not wanting to ride the twisties:

• Brush It Off, The Great Motorcycle Pizza Tour, Mar 15, 2007


• Motorcycles, danger, and me, Tales of a Duc Rider, Mar 14, 2007

My observation is that anyone who wants to give up riding after a traumatic experience, never really had a big interest in riding to begin with. If they don't want to ride the twisties anymore, it's because they were always afraid of it. The reason why they quit is because they either lacked interest, or they lacked confidence from the very start.

I'm not sure that more experience on a bike is what people need to overcome fear. If that fear dominated their conscience from the very start, that fear will control them throughout. But if you start out with the attitude of, "I wanna learn how to ride a bike, and I want to conquer the road", that's the attitude you'll have after taking your first fall.

I've crashed bikes on the asphalt a few times, all moving between 40-60mph. This shit hurts! But I get back on, I learn from it, and I ride harder than before.

People who say, "Riding is fun, but the danger just isn't worth it", never really wanted to ride to begin with. They may have wanted to buy a bike, and learned how to ride, but they weren't interested in the love of riding.

Here are the kinds of people who take on this attitude...

• Wannabees - The person who wants to be seen, admired, and feared. You can spot these people, because despite how hard they try, they never look or act like hardcore riders



• Partiers - These people are after sex. They want naked girls, getting trashy, and making egg drop soup in the hot tub. They see the party photos in V-Twin magazine, and think, "Yeah, that's what I want". They buy a Harley because it's their ticket into the rallies and parties. Look at the people who trailer their bikes to rallies, nuff said.



• Social Environmentalists - These are the people who buy scooters because they want to do their part to reduce green house gas emissions. They don't love riding, they hate having to wear cold weather gear, but they want to do their part for Al Gore (up until they fall off the scooter)



• Opportunists - These are professionals who claim that they love to ride, and show up to all the biker rallies, but are really just there to grab some market share for their business. These could be lawyers, magazine editors, motorcycle dealers, to name a few.

If you're a "rider", someone who's addicted to the thrill of hitting the twisties, basking in the wind, and achieving spiritual harmony with pristine countryside, you won't let a crash keep you down. Otherwise, you might still be someone with a motorcycle license, you might even be someone who owns a Harley, but you're not a rider.