me pappy always said. son, if the horse ever kicks you off, get back on the sonofabitch. he and his wife had a nasty accident down in Oregon, on his wing. took him 7 years to get back on. when he did, he couldn't handle the weight of the machine. but, he did it. i was proud of him for doing so.
And i told him that over the phone. he remembered saying that to me.
When your ready, get on the sonofabitch.

 

Reacquainting yourself with riding by taking an MSF course doesn't sound like a bad idea. I would think it would instill that confidence you're missing, and if you make a mistake it's on their dime.
I wish you the best, and like another mentioned...give yourself a break, bud.

 

Great stories and advice from all - thank you! I had been to my dealer a few times and even had them draw up "the deal" a couple of months ago - so I would know what the numbers were. They obviously took care of me, as this would be the second Limited within 6-months for God's sake, and the 5th bike I would buy from them in the past 15 years - one was my son's dirtbike from their Yamaha store...

Went down there today and finally asked for some keys. Took out a used Street Glide for about an hour. Was surprised I wasn't crazy "stiff," and actually got "it back" rather quickly. Took some side streets, country roads and Highway 99 for a bit. All felt great.

Definitely seemed to have a "Spider Sense" about me, but nothing that would make me not want to ride. Amazingly, they just got a Limited Low in last week - still in the box. Will think it over this week, but it sure looks like I will pull the trigger.

On the odd side, I actually had a few cringing moments when I got back in my truck and drove home. Not sure I'll be able to take a bike on the road where the accident happened, but all feels good otherwise.

Thanks again!!!

Almost forgot - stopped at a large parking area and ran some low speed drills. Felt great and glad I wasn't stiff. I think I will take a course, though. All will help.

 

Those cringes will go by by before you know it. If you don't have to go down that road to go home then stay off of it till you have almost forgotten then it will be easier to deal with, or go down the road every day till it doesn't bother you any longer, but eather way you Will grow out of it. I know where you are coming from cause I was there in 07 and if I wanted to bring my bike home or come home after work every day I had to go through my crash site every day. You Will Get Over It, trust me on this one.... Kevin

 

Give it time. Ive wrecked a few times. The first time was the scariest. It took me nearly two months to be me again and i wasnt even that hurt.

 

I've been lucky in that I've never been hurt on a road bike (fell off the dirt bike a LOT when I was young and foolish-but always got right back on). I would hope that if I survived a bad accident, I would want to (and be ABLE to) get right back on, but, in truth, I really don't know the answer. Until it happens to you, no one does.

 

Cool, glad you decided to get back into it.

back in 2007, I was in a crash that was so bad it took my life. they revived me at the scene and rebuilt my face with titanium plates. I was in the hospital for about 3 weeks. The day I was released I had my brother take me straight to the dealership and bought a brand new Yamaha FZ1. I couldn't ride it home so I had to have a friend bring it to my house for me. I sat and looked at it for 1 1/2 months before I was ready to ride it. I had the same problems you had but I had to make a deal with myself.

I said "Self, just about anyone would have quit riding forever if they had an accident that I had and lived. But, I don't want to quit. I want to ride my brand new FZ1. Let's make a deal. I'll keep riding if I stop riding like a mad man the way I used to. After all, I'm not getting any younger. So I don't care if someone calls me a sissy because I wont drag my knee in a turn. It's either mellow out or stop riding all together. So, what will it be?"

Still took a few weeks to get my sea legs back but I've been riding more than I ever have since that time.

 

Sounds to me that you are still unsure.
Give it some time and KNOW for a fact that is what you want to do.

This isn't a horse where you have been thrown off into a field.
I know a horse can be dangerous but it's not the same as moving vehicles and flying steel .

 

If you want it, it will come. Take your time and build back up. Hell, I have to do that a little when I switch between my bikes. Good luck.

 

After 35 years of riding, with just a couple of mishaps, I t-boned an idiot who crossed over from the off ramp onto the onramp I was on, while accelerating to freeway speed, at 11 at night. The bike (1984 GW Aspencade) was totaled, and fortunately for me I was just badly bruised from flying over the windshield and his car, landing flat on my back.

The next morning I came to the conclusion that my luck had run out and I should quit riding. Seven years later, two weeks prior to 9/11, out of curiosity as to how Harleys had improved since my 1979 Classic, I stopped in to a Harley dealer. A 1999 Electra Glide Standard was sitting on the show room floor, and immediately the urge to ride came upon me, kind of like a siren song. I bought it. The very moment I sat down on it, started it and put it in gear, all the emotion about motorcycling washed over me, and I haven't looked back since.

We all know the possibility of getting hurt riding exists. The challenge of keeping that from happening keeps us on our toes when we ride. I think that is part of the experience of riding, and perhaps the price we pay to ride. If I were you, I would do like others have suggested, and book a rental for a day, and see if the bug is still in you. I hope it is.