Can I suggest....keep riding but move to a less densely populated area. My biggest fear is having a deer run out of the woods in front me. I'll take that over a cage any day of the year.

 

Well since you are quitting ..... What kind of bike do you have? What kind of shape is it in? What year is it? How much do you want for it? Just asking .... since you said you were quitting.

 

Kinda strange that a guy who swears he is done cycling posts on a cycling forum. If you want to quit quit talking & keep your cage the hell outta my way when you do.

 

I just signed up for a hang gliding forum to say that I fear Hang Gliding, and won't be attempting it. I'm considering doing the same thing on a Base Jumping forum and a Mountain Climbing forum.

 

Just think of it as a video game.

 

Life is dangerous and some don't even make it out of the womb. So consider every day a gift and live it like it's your last. Cause you never know.

 

Sorry to hear about your traffic problems, but I fully understand why you feel that way.

I faced something similar, but I'm not quite ready to give in yet. I've had my AARP card for many years, and don't react as quickly, or see as well as I did a few years ago. So I decided to do all I can to be more visible. I bought this (Hi-Vis vest):

http://www.harley-davidson.com/mcm/m...S&default=true

And this (Aerostich Hi-Viz Roadcrafter suit):

http://www.aerostich.com/aerostich-s...iece-suit.html

Will Hi-Viz help for the truly brain dead drivers - probably not? Will it help some marginal drivers -who knows, but I can tell you that so far it has made a difference.

Last week a bit after dusk (a really bad time to see well) a guy made a quick U-turn right in front of me just as I was turning right. He was headed right for me. I saw him and slowed quickly, but I was surprised to see that he jammed on his brakes and stopped. He pulled next to me and gave me a look like "Sorry, I didn't see you until the last second".

Same vest, next night - about an hour after sunset, darker roads, a car pulled up quickly behind me, then slowed down real fast, backed off 100 feet. At the traffic light ahead he pulled next to me, pointed to the rear of my vest - where the reflective HD logo is. Apparently it lit up brightly enough that he backed off.

So far, that's two for two. Third time was tonight. I was in my Roadcrafter HI-Viz suit (full body armor including back protector, it's waterproof, and zips on and off over your regular clothes in less than a minute). I'm on the way home after dark, on a road with no street lights, about a mile from home. Had my running lights (Heritage Classic) and low beams on. Two raccoons came out of nowhere and right into my path. The road lights was my first alert - lit them up like Christmas trees - I can still see their eyes reflecting the running lights.

I was very surprised that my many years of MSF and track day class training kicked in automatically, and I swerved and rode right between them. I was on the brakes, slowing quickly, but still over 45 MPH. Luckily nothing happened - I kept control and rode on. But I also realized that if there was a car on my tail, it could have ended differently. With the Hi-Vis clothing on I may have had a few extra feet between me and the car behind that may have made all the difference between riding on or being rear ended. In this case I also had the benefit of a full riding suit and body armor - which I thankfully didn't have to use.

So was it the Hi-Viz clothing and full gear that saved me or not? Don't know, but the gear certainly didn't hurt. Is it "cool" to wear a Hi Vis vest? Probably more cool than wearing the Aerostich suit, but I guess that for many riders the answer is no. But if my gear allows me to ride my bike a year or two longer, or prevents even one driver from not seeing me, I'd say I rather not be cool, just upright with the rubber side down. And if the rubber side doesn't stay down, like it could have happened tonight, having a full riding suit and body armor at least gives me a fighting chance to walk away and ride another day.

For me the choice is clear - ride like someone is out to get me, and do all I can to even the odds. Yeah, I still have my Fox Creek leather jacket and chaps (great stuff - best deal in motorcycle gear on the planet), but I also have given in to the reality that some drivers just don't care a bit about my safety, and if I don't do anything about it they may win.

I chose to keep riding, and my gear is my compromise. Maybe it will help you, maybe not, but it's worth considering.

 

Your best bet is to park it, at least for a while, in your state of mind and emotion, your liable to actually cause an accident before it's someone else's fault. Bikes are meant to be riden with causion in mind, but not causiously, if you know what I mean. It should be a free feeling experience, not a nervous one. Park it, see how ya feel, maybe the urge over takes the nervous feeling and you get your jones back.

 

This "i'm scared and quiting" is becoming routine lately. Is it possible that now that the novelty of riding motorcycles has worn off, will start seeing some really nice bikes popping up forsale with low mileage and way under MSRP. We've already seen the demise of the 6 figure custom jobs with the Squiggly lines and rear tires so big you could hardly ride them. Will see. For those who have been riding since before it was cool, riding should start to become safer. No, vehicles still won't see us and other hazards won't change, but it will get rid of the soccer mom type riders who drift into my lane while reaching for their cup holders.

 

This sure got some around here wound up....... My only comment is that if you are afraid to ride ... don't.