CANT GET BACK IN THE SADDLE

[luisfigo_benfica]

I dunno wuts wrong it didnt happen the first time i crashed... but now i cant seem to even sit on my bike let alone try to move it with it :dunno:  i dunno y i just get nervous. proly be a while be4 i ride again anybody had similar experiences??? tell me whut u think

[makenzie71]

My suggestion is to simply get on the bike and go.  Focus your attention on the ride and your apprehensions will be a moot issue.

Of course, you could just do what I do and decide to not be afraid.

[annguyen1981]

Definitely just jump on and go.  Don't give yourself time to even think about the crash.

I felt the same way when I crashed my boss's truck (second day I had my license).  I couldn't even get into the driver's seat of anyone elses car.

But when I bought my first car, I just decided to drive.  I didn't even think about the crash.

[JetSwing]

what exactly happend in your first crash? was it your fault? i think the key might be resolving your emotion about your first crash...duh  :mrgreen:

if it was your fault, i think you can figure out what you had done wrong. and turn a negetive into a positive, a learning experience.

good luck

[Stephen072774]

I haven't rode a bike in nearly nine months... although I would, if I had one that wasn't smashed.

But not only that, after my crash, I quit watching ama races, watching 2 wheel tuesday and looking at moto mags... I'm just now slowly stating to watch these again.  So I completely understand...  When faced with death or permanent injury you figure out just how important motorcycling is... and to me its a recreational activity, not a way of life.

[SmartDrug]

I have been in two accidents in my 6 years of riding, neither one was my fault.  After the first one I wasn't shaken up as it happened at 10 mph and I ended up coming to a stop before dropping the bike (sideswiped by some dork who wasn't looking); the second one however, I ended up sliding some 350' feet on the asphalt and needed physical therapy.  Anyway, I'm still in the process of convincing myself that I want to keep riding, the entire notion kinda scares the shaZam! out of me, I don't want to die at 24.  I think that if you start by riding on some slow streets in a residential area and get your confidence up, you may be more secure in getting back in the saddle, it seems to work for me.  

            Consider this, you've been through what equates to a traumatic experience where your life was probably threatened.  Just like people who have been in airplane crashes or hostage situations, you view life differently to a degree and you may simply not be up to riding again, there's nothing wrong with that.  For some people it takes a smack in the face like this to appreciate the life they have, for others it's that smack in the face that makes motorcycle riding such a wonderful thing in the first place.  

  Good luck to you.  

[scratch]

Has it been a while since your last ride? How long have you been riding? Have you checked you tire pressures?