How many times did you fall?

[qwerty]

Many times. My cousin bought a CL175, decided it sucked offroad after 17 miles (it turns something like 14,000 rpm), bought a SL100, decided it wasn't enough power to haul his fat but over Carolina mountains within 3 miles, then bought a 360 Yamaha, the biggest and baddest japanese dirtbike around at the time. I paid $300 for the SL100, and read the owner manual cover to cover. I then spent a week practicing around 700 acres in the mountains.

I learned about wet leaves, mud, steep hills (first gear, rev it up, slip the clutch, get off and push, all at the same time), mountain girls, copperheads, and black bears. It was a memorable week. No drops.

Got the bike home, off the trailer, fired it up, and dumped it on the gravel drive. Broke the clutch lever and scuffed the hand grip. Exactly 500 miles on the bike.

Broke three ribs riding over a spoils bank--soil gave away due to a cotote den. Bent the forks.

Roadrashed a knee when a pig ran out in front of me on a gravel road. No damage.

Had a front tire blow at Daytona on the big stretch at 160mph. Bike went one way, I went the other. Zipper burns from the heat of sliding on my chest. Wiped out the front fender and scratched the paint on the fairing and tail.

Only wreck over 600,000 miles of street was getting hit from behind. Totalled the bike, so I put the engine in a Redline flattrack frame. I was going 70mph or so, ended up on the hood of the car, and he slammed on the brakes, pitching me off the front and running me and Shasta over. Shoved my kneecap halfway to my hip. Shattered the fibula and tibia, fractured the femur.

The doctors wanted to remove my leg just above the knee, but I nixed that. They put me back together as best they could, but told me I'd never walk well again. I didn't listen. eventually, I was running 18 minute 5Ks or pedaling 35s every day. Last year I climbed Mount Elbert, the tallest peak in Colorado. I called the docs from the peak and rubbed it in.

[Random Seed]

The doctors wanted to remove my leg just above the knee, but I nixed that. They put me back together as best they could, but told me I'd never walk well again. I didn't listen. eventually, I was running 18 minute 5Ks or pedaling 35s every day. Last year I climbed Mount Elbert, the tallest peak in Colorado. I called the docs from the peak and rubbed it in.

That is a horrible story surrounding your accident, but you should be damn proud to have such courage and determination to push yourself like then when people told you what you couldn't do. Way to go for not just accepting a fate, but making your own.

[Wrider]

First of all... this is only my first season, and only from the end of August til now, but so far none.
Second, Qwerty, I have a newfound respect for you! Just try not to kill yourself on a dirtbike (you sound safer on the street).
Wrider

[MrGromit]

qwerty is my hero!

Egads, man!

[BAJACRUISER]

Zero in my first month......

[noodlenoggin]

My first year? Geez, I can't even remember, but it was a bunch...luckily it was on an ancient, cheap enduro bike and I did most of my falling in the woods.

[mrchen]

37 years on a bike, 27 years on the road, down once 18 years ago, cager cut me off.

[napoleon_e]

I dropped the bike once in a parking lot. I think i got too close to the curb and freaked out. I dropped it going about 5 miles an hour. No damge to the bike. My shoulder hurt a little afterwards, but luckily I had my armored jacket on[/u]

[Kal]

Twice. Both times pushing the bike outside my comfort zone. I listen to my body when it tells me things now - chances are its noticed something I haven't.

The absolute worst thing was for six weeks of that summer I was unable to ride my own bike while my friends were zipping backwards and forwards all over. However a few miles an hour more and I'd have slid into Motorway traffic so breaking my wrist was no big deal.

The second drop was February and I didn't damage myself anywhere near as much and as it was the other wrist that was damadged I could carry on riding.

My parents worry, but they worry a damn sight less than they did before I provded a grandson.

The upside is I have a very god awareness of where the edge is now and have a lot of faith in my personal Bike gear.