Will try to keep this short. Last March 13th I was t-boned at an intersection, first day with a new paint job, bike flipped over and I was under it sliding down the road 25 feet. Engine guard and saddlebags saved me and the bike. All I got was a broken thumb, seperated shoulder and some scuffs...no helmet.$4000 in repairs later I get the call that the scoot is done, I go to get it and damn near pass out when I sat on it, panic attack like I never knew was possible. I managed to ride it home, slowly. Next day took a spin around the block, slowly. Was about to give it up and then I told myself "self, this is your life, the only thing that has always made you happy and gave you peace and you're about to throw it away because of one idiot? You control you and you can get over this just like you got over smoking after 30+ years of 3 packs a day". I cracked the throttle, lifted the wheel and never looked back. If it's your time to go you might as well go doing what you love. Period.

 

I'm sorry to hear about the accident BUT get back on and keep ridin'. Believe me when I say this, last May I was side swiped by a driver, totalledmy bike and put me in the hospital for a week, broke 7 bones and almost lost my right hand. A week after I got out of the hospital I picked out a new bike, '07Street Glide, had it delivered and a couple of months I was on it riding. I trailered it to Sturgis, I KNOW I'M NOT A REAL BIKER.. but I had made the plans to ride out from NJ but I wasn't strong enough and when I got out there I was fortunate to be with a group of riders that looked out for me and encouraged me to ride and get over my fears. I don't think you will ever lose the feeling of what happened, but you will learn to relax and enjoy riding!!

Good luck and ride safe.

 

I'm reading all these posts knowing I will probably face the same demons when I have put my bike together after a serious accident. Was down and unable to do anything productive for over 4 months(lower leg/ankle smashed into 8 pieces, 12 screws and Ti plate). I've just started disassembly and expect atleast 2+ months to complete. Frame straightening is the major part.
During my convolescence I had plenty(too much) time to think and analyse the concept of riding again. I will ride, but know my feelings will be different now. Hope it's for the good!
Xguy, you will deal with this one way or another, even in the past I got butterflies almost every time I prepared to ride, it is common and natural. If you still have them once you're in the saddle and moving, that's a problem. Good luck to you!

 

I experienced the same phobia when I first got back into riding. I hadn't ridden for a while (like 10 yrs)and my hubby pestered me into driving a friend'sHeritage (double). Considering this was my first time riding a bike in about 10 yrs and 1st time ever riding a bike THAT big ... I look back now and realize I should have NEVER even attempted it.

But ...anyways... to make a long story short ... I got in the driverseat and hubby got on behind me. We started out fine....we were on a very quite older hwy (no traffic at all) ... and drove for about 10 miles incident free...until, that is ... I hit a pot hole and lost control ... crossed the road and hit the gravel shoulder on the other side of the hwy...and went down. Slid for about 25 feet. Only after we stopped sliding and we both got to our feet did I realize how close I was to taking us both over an embankment into jagged rocks. I almost killed us both. I damaged my right thigh from being pushed into the handlebars for that skid and we both got a little scrapped up but nothing really serious.

I didn't realize THAT incident bothered me so much until years later when hubby bought his first Harley. He again ... pestered me to drive and I (after some apprehension) complied...or at least I tried to. Got on it ... started it ... but couldn't let the clutch out. I froze!

For that whole summer, Hubby encouraged me to drive it..and I couldn't ... I mean I really just couldn't. He would even take me to a school parking lot so I could practice and he would let me take it at my own pace. Eventually, I did let the clutch out and started to move but couldn't relax and had major anxiety. Then finally, that same summerhe surprised me with my own bike ... a smaller one of course to help me 'get back in the saddle'. A 750 Yamaha. Again, with much patience on his part .... he would just wait ever so patiently while I fought my demons and got the thing actually in motion.

Eventually, I got to the point where I could actually get out on the road... late one night. Very little traffic and just intended going to the stop sign at the end of our street. Once I got in motion on the road ... I felt the anxiety lift somewhat...and didn't want to stop. It just lifted...I think my saying to myself over and over "I can do this"..."I CAN do this" ... "I can do THIS!"

The following winter ... for my birthday I was surprised with a birthday present I will never forget ... My own Harley ... A Fatboy. The rest is history!

Persistence is the key here ... baby steps (if need be) ... baby steps! YOU CAN DO THIS!

 

First off, XGuy, glad to hear you weren't seriously injured in the collision. If I'm reading your original post correctly, it the classic cager turning left in front of a motorcyclist at an intersection scenario. (that's how I'm reading it...apologies if I'm incorrect...not sure if you possibly turned left in front of her...) Regardless, it happened. I can understand your hesitance. I've read a lot of the other posts, and agree with most. Take it easy at first. Short trips. As your apprehension eases, venture out a little further. Also taking a MSF refresher was suggested; an excellent idea. Gives you a chance to get your confidence back, in a safe environment. Give it some time. It'll most certainly ease up as time passes. If you're bordering on blind panic everytime you leave the driveway, you're almost guaranteed to get in to another collision sooner, rather than later. If the feeling doesn't ease up, or eventually pass, you'll be safer all around on four wheels. If you give it a reasonable amount of time, and you're still not comfortable with riding, don't keep MAKING yourself do it. You wouldn't be the first person spooked off a bike for life after a collision, and you certainly wouldn't be the last. In my first year of riding (23 years back...) I was riding like a dumbazz on a cold day, hit a sandy/gavelly patch, and went down hard. If I hadn't been a 20 year old kid at the time, I might have packed it in. As it was, I was more worried about my bike than myself. (Fortunately I wasn't badly hurt...neither was the bike...extremely lucky!) Yet to this day I'm still nervous when I see sand/gravel on the road. I feel myself tense up as I go over it. I just ease up a little, and then carry on. The feeling may never totally go away, but it'll become something you can live with, almost assuredly. Baby steps my friend, baby steps. Good luck...and ride safe.

 

I 've been in a bad wreck also, Shattered leg,ankle..................6 months of rehab. I didn't feel the panic you did when i got back in the saddle. Had i felt like you do when i got near the bike............. That would of told me it was time to give it up. There is no room for panic when on a motorcycle. If this dosn't stop soon, Give it up for your own safty. Good Luck either way

 

Good luck to you with your descision of riding or not....Do not ride with fear, it is the worst thing you can do,, take baby steps and hopefully you will pull thru....


I noticed that alot of the people here have fallen wow.....never knew that....

 

Hope all goes well tomorrow dude...

 

Well I was trying to make my post as short as possible so I didn't go into the detail of the accident, but since you mentioned, I was making a left turn myself and he was coming from behind me making the same turn, he was still far so he speeded up apparently to make the yellowleft arrow, went around me (passingme on the turn) and I think he was trying get back into the second lane again and he swiped me frommy right side,mycrashbar(I had the Lindby)punctured his right door and he kinda pulledthe bike from under neath me, it was so quick I was in the air landed on my tail bone and started tumbling and the bike was about 15 feet ahead of me made a couple of spins on her right side and stoped, I rolled about ten feet , was wearing half helmet DOT, I got some road rash on my nose and little bumps here and there, nothing that lasted more then a couple of weeks and I was all fine. A cop car showed up immediatly seconds after, and they wrote a report, the cops(ladies) were arguing with him showing him the traces of my motorcycle on the second lane I didn't see the police report yet, My friend and his wife were on a harley right behind me, the wife was the one actually who was most observant of what happened, and she made a statmentto teh police.
As some have said here I may have been beating myself, because deep inside I dunno if I was at fault some how, that's why it's important to me also to see the outcome and how they determin the accident, in the heat of the moment I don't really know , but like I said according to my frind's wife the guy was at fault, but I would still have to wait and see..

 

Listen to your gut instincts...if you can ride thru it safely in a short time frame, you may be all right...and you'll know it if you do...

But ifthis doesn't go away and your gut tells you that it's not gonna...and you let people talk you into overiding your gut...that fear will get you hurt or killed...

Do what you know is right for you...good luck to you either way...