One of the quotes you always read is "if you ride a motorcycle, it's not whether or not you will go down, but when you go down"...or something like that.

Really?? How many of you have never laid your bike down? Is it truly a foregone conclusion that you absolutely will lay it down one day? So each day I ride, and don't put the bike down, gets me closer to the day I will???

I agree that you should ride carefully and cautiously, as if you will go down some day...but I'm curious if folks exist who have never done it!!

 

I've gone down. I am certain I will go down again. I may also dump the bike someday again.

 

Some are much luckier than others. Don't think experience/practice is the only factor. Luck plays a major part. Lots of very good experienced riders go down through no fault of their own. Only been down once in 35 years of riding and it was in the 70's. Guess maybe I'm one of the lucky ones.

 

I tell my wife she has to go down.......... she believes me

seriously though. I have crashed 3 times in 28 years. Luckily all fairly minor with only one resulting in serious injury (broken ankle & torn ligaments). I don't know anyone who has been riding a long time who hasn't at least dumped the bike. If you log any significant number of miles I'd say chances are that you are going to crash at some point. The thing to do is be careful and don't put yourself in situations that are unneccesarily hazardous in order to reduce the likelihood of a serious crash...... the deadly ones seem to be from idjits turning left in front of us at intersections and the like so I try to be extra cautious in and around intersections.

 

A co-worker has been riding over 30 years and, purportedly, has never been down.

 

I feel sorry for his wife!

 

25+ years riding. Been put down twice.

 

I've been riding for about 3 years, and so far I have never laid one down or had any other kind of accident...with the exception of running off the road into a field once. It was when I first started riding and luckily I managed to keep the bike up and even kept it running. I do plan on wrecking someday though. I know it will happen. The more miles you rack up just increases your chances.

 

I know of two people that ride about 10,000 miles a year for about 20 years and both say they have never gone down. They are defensive riders and have been lucky to avoid anything beyond their control. I've only been riding 2 months so I hope my days isn't coming!

 

I don't have as much riding experience as many here, I'm sure, but I hear the same in the shooting world - "it's not whether you'll have a negligent discharge, it's when." yet I've been carrying a handgun since 1987 and I've never had one. Neither has my brother (15-year police officer and hunter) or my father (30-year retired police officer and hunter) or my wife (carries a gun every day and has been shooting in competition 7 years or so). But, I know one guy who accidentally shot himself twice and his girlfriend once (bullet went through his finger first) before he was old enough to buy his own gun at the store.

I might crash, who knows? But I don't think it's an absolute. Hand a dumbass a gun and he'll shoot himself or somebody he doesn't mean to. Put that same guy on a bike or in a car and he's going to crash soon.