I did the MSF, purchased a new gs500f, got my gear (jacket, helmet, pants) rode for 1 year and 2 months, had no accidents, no drops, bike is in top shape (still making payments) and have had a lot of fun overall.
But, everytime I finish riding I am in a lot of shoulder pain (had a car accident 1 year and 3 months ago that put me on painkillers for life), and is not going to go away according to the doctor. It is not the way I ride, but the fact that my nerves on shoulder/neck are messed up, but surgery can't correct. So pills for life :mad:
I may take the bike back to the dealer so they can put it in display for sale, or who knows what other options I have since I have not paid it in full. Maybe a bank loan or something, but in any case, I will still be making payments (to suzuki or my bank) if I sell it right now.
But back to the main topic. Maybe when I am an old fart (if I make it) I will go back to motorcycles. Dang it, I didn't even made it to the 4 strokes :mad: (stupid car drivers paying attention to their dog on back seat and rear-ending innocent car drivers instead or looking forward and paying attention to the road)
it's a shame really.
Dude, that's really sad.....
What about a bike with different handlebar positioning? Maybe even (shudder) ape hangers?
I know I don't know and I'm fishing but man I'd rather ride a (shudder) a chopper than not ride at all.
(Nothing personal against these styles of bikes, they're just not for me.)
h6
Sorry to hear that. :cry: Maybe if your got some bar raisers that would help? Or a different bike more of a cruiser.
I'd hate not to be able to ride anymore.
Sorry to hear. Hope you feel better and heal up even more.
I'm going to suggest cruiser as well; it sems you need to get the pressure off of your shoulders. V-Strom 650 would be nice if you can afford it. One of the Yamaha 650 V-Stars might be more affordable, and still be able to give you a decent performance of handling and speed. Or, a MotoGuzzi Breva 750, if you can afford the insurance.
[7
Quote from: scratch on August 19, 2006, 08:01:35 AM
I'm going to suggest cruiser as well; it sems you need to get the pressure off of your shoulders.
yep, thats what i used to think, until I realized that even if I apply the slightest pressure to the shoulder, it starts bothering me like hell. Besides, it's only my left shoulder/side of neck that was messed up in the accident. My right side is just fine no matter how long I ride.
Also I was thinking on one of those dual sports (appears to be a more upright position), because to be honest I do not like cruisers at all :icon_confused:
What really really bothers me the most, is that I was honestly waiting for the momento to upgrade to a Kawasaki ZX-6R... but I guess is just not gonna happen :mad:
If this is not a matter of a higher choice, which it could be, there's nothing that can stand in the way of your choice. Giving up is an attitude we can do without. Empower yourself! I've recently started in a Feldencrise class. Try it. Try something. Go for it!
Quote from: calamari on August 19, 2006, 03:44:59 PM
Quote from: scratch on August 19, 2006, 08:01:35 AM
I'm going to suggest cruiser as well; it seems you need to get the pressure off of your shoulders.
Yep, thats what i used to think, until I realized that even if I apply the slightest pressure to the shoulder, it starts bothering me like hell.
Hence the suggestion for a cruiser, it's going to take
any pressure off of your shoulders.
Quote from: calamari on August 19, 2006, 03:44:59 PM
Also I was thinking on one of those dual sports (appears to be a more upright position), because to be honest I do not like cruisers at all.
I am concerned that even with an upright seating position, be it either a GS with Gen-Mar bar risers, a V-Strom or a dual-sport, is that they are not quite completely upright nor do they prevent you from leaning forward and putting pressure on your shoulder, that's also why I suggest a cruiser-type (you can still lean forward, but it's not as normal). Have you looked at...V-Max's (oops, not), Rocket III's (hmm...I'm not going in a good direction with this), but there are very capable and good handling cruisers out there (MotoGuzzi's, Kawasaki 454Ltd (if you can find one), (maybe) an old Kawasaki ZL600 Eliminator, most of the Yamaha cruisers are good handling.
[4
Oh for the love of Pete, quit your whining and ride.
Quote from: gsmetal on August 20, 2006, 05:31:40 AM
Oh for the love of Pete, quit your whining and ride.
????
I'm thinking about retiring too.......as well.........too............meaning also..............
I have 2 years and 3 hundred and sixty one days................
then I can stay on y'all's ass 24-7 365.
Hell, I might even buy this damn site. and run about 7/10 of you people OFF!
Hahahahahhha....................sigh........................ :)
Quote from: gsmetal on August 20, 2006, 05:31:40 AM
Oh for the love of Pete, quit your whining and ride.
Wow.... Ban please?
Quote from: calamari on August 18, 2006, 11:06:21 PMBut, everytime I finish riding I am in a lot of shoulder pain (had a car accident 1 year and 3 months ago that put me on painkillers for life), and is not going to go away according to the doctor. It is not the way I ride, but the fact that my nerves on shoulder/neck are messed up, but surgery can't correct. So pills for life :mad:
Is it the position? Have you thought about taller bars, lower seat, different bike?
As far as the back pain... Acupuncture... SRSLY... You might have to do it once or twice a week, but it's better than being stoned on pain pills for your whole life. My old boss had a degenerative disk disorder and was taking the max dose of pain killers every day... His Dr kept changing to different pills, 'cause the old ones would stop working.
Acupuncture would give him some relief for a few days...
You'd be really surprised what a few pins can do... Really... I've had it done for a fever/sinus infection... Holy crap... It worked its magic in less than an hour... :o Un-friggen-believable.
Quote from: calamari on August 19, 2006, 03:44:59 PM
yep, thats what i used to think, until I realized that even if I apply the slightest pressure to the shoulder, it starts bothering me like hell. Besides, it's only my left shoulder/side of neck that was messed up in the accident. My right side is just fine no matter how long I ride.
Sounds to me like you're f%&ked whether you quit riding or not. If I'm going to hurt either way, I'll hurt while riding, thank you.
Back and shoulder pains are no joke. I have had seperate problems with each shoulder blade and was on anti-inflamatory pills for years. I found that not using the shoulders got as painful as using them so if you can, persevere.
I would not recomend off-roading, sidercar racing or hill climbs but straightforward road biking should be possible. You might say that's easy to say 'cos I finally shook my problems, left shoulder took about four years and the right shoulder was operable.
Try some "alternative" practices like acupuncture, some people get excellent results but don't give up, if you do it'll start with just the bike and before you know where you are you will be giving up other things too.
Keep on keepin' on, try different positions, bars, bar height spacers, there are a lot of combinations even before you think about a different bike or giving up.
p.s. I really have retired and ride more than ever, it's great, too great to give up on without trying every possible way of staying with a bike. If the day comes I can't handle a middleweight I'll go back to a 125 or even a scooter rather than quit.
kk8
thank you all for the responses.
and to the one saying that I should quit whining... I wish I was. Unfortunately I have pain whether I ride or not, but is most noticeable after riding. The funny thing now that I think about it, I have been in pain for a year and 3 months since that car accident... everyday. :mad:
Now here's the catch, the pills I must take daily to reduce the pain are called 'amitriptyline', and its usually prescribed to patients with mental problems :laugh: but in lower dosis is also prescribed as a muscle relaxant. The problem is that they cause drowsiness :icon_confused: and as time passes I feel that side-effect more and more every day.
to complete the drama, I went to complain to the doc about it, and he said 'keep taking pills, complain again six months later' :bs:
this really sucks... 8)
don't know your whole situation but have you tried alternate treatments ie acupunture ect ..... i've got bad back, knees migraines ect and it helps ..... myself i don't like taking pills hope it helps and get well
Quote from: calamari on August 22, 2006, 10:45:29 AM
to complete the drama, I went to complain to the doc about it, and he said 'keep taking pills, complain again six months later' :bs:
Sounds like you should get a second opinion.
+ 1 on the second opinion. I wouldn't continue to waste time and money on a Doctor who is not interested in me.
I use Gen-mars. I put the handle bar clamp that came with the risers on upside down. Then used the original clamp to attach the handle bars to the bike. You will need to buy bolts that are 1/4 inch longer than the ones that come with the gen-mars.
I've been thinking of seeing if the bars for a Buell Blast would work. Those and case guards with High-way pegs would get you almost a cruiser sitting position once you got moving.
Be Safe.
Dropping the forks down through the triples will help, too. And, this modification is free.
SRSLY calamari, look into acupuncture... I'm not some stinky hippy or a crystal lover... Most of that "New Age" crap is just crap... But, acupuncture really works for some people. My FIL does it... He has some patients that no longer need to take pain pills.
Just try it once or twice and see how it goes... And I mean at a Doctor, not some back room wacko. Real Doctors do it... It can work wonders.
I'll endorse everything about trying alternative but if you combine it with traditional "western" medicine remember that there are a lot of pain-control, muscular-skeletal, and anti-inflamatory drugs out there. I went through a half dozen before finding the best anti-inflamatory and now I take a "one-per-day" preventative. It took a long time to get right.
OK your Doc says leave it for six months, so do that and then nag him (or her) to try something else.
I know the affects of constant pain and how it gets you down and the side effects of some of the treatments but it is worth persevering. Somewhere out there may not be a cure but a control should be achievable. Good luck, don't give up.