Thinking of quiting..!

[JohnE1000]

hi guys and gals. I havn't been posting for over a month now. After my last track day, Jun 10, I went to Poland for two weeks vacation. Less than a week after I came back, I started a new job. The new job is few steps up with much more responsabilities. That is why I never had time to blog from work...lol. Unfortunatly, I am not going to be able to go to the rally next week. I was planning to go and I was very much looking forward for it for many months now.

Since I came back from the vacation, I have a severe back pain. I already have seen the doctor and I am in a very good medication- it puts me in a very good mood. So I haven't been riding since my track day, about a month now. And I won't be able to ride to work as I used to do, because I have to wear formal closing, shirt and a tie.

As I explaind in my last thread that I was very stressed out and nervious in my track day. I didn't really enjoy it at all, because I was focused all the time on to not to crash. Now after I read about Jason, God rest his soul, and another fellow who was severely injured, now I am more afraid to crash. I have serious neck condition that makes me more vulnerable to serious injury than average healthy person. My doctors have advised me not to ride many times, but I never listened to them.

I am thinking to sell my bike and quit riding, but I am afraid that I am going to miss it. Sometimes I think that I should go for another track day as a second chance to see if I am going to overcome my fear and stress.

I don't know what to do. I enjoy riding , but I am afraid of serious injuries. Looking for words of wisdom.

[Range]

honestly?

sell the bike.....hang them up.....

its not worth the risk if you are not 100% focused.

MAYBE later you will get the itch....maybe you will buy a different bike...take up different riding pace.

Who knows, but I would not continue if you feel that way.

Good Luck...and you can still come here from time to time

[thecynic]

I would never tell someone who doesn't feel comfortable on a bike to continue riding. This thread just made me think of the twist of the wrist books though.
They use the analogy that we have $10 to play with every time we ride, and there are many things we have to handle each second on a bike, throttle, our surroundings, our lean angle, and especially fear.
The more of your $10 you put into fear, the less you can put into your riding, the less you enjoy the actual riding, and the less prepared you will be if something happens.
If the anxiety of riding, tied together with the lack of time to ride, makes you think there's a hobby you would enjoy more, I say go for it, it's not like you're cutting up your bike license, you're just going with your gut.

Just think, once things settle down, with that extra money you're making now, you can buy a harley trike and make your doctor happy too

[meanstrk]

My thoughts are this:

It it's not fun, and it's not required to survive day to day, then don't do it."

[tzortn]

I agree with Range. If you cannot be focused you should not be on the bike.

Although you should keep in mind that a lot of the accidents that you read about are a result of foolish behavior.

Take a break if you still have the bug in a year you can always go buy a new bike.

[ChattKat]

It sounds like your decision is already made, go with your instinct, if you dont feel safe, then your probable not safe. Hang it up and remember all the fun you had when you were riding.

[tdrcomm]

JohnE, go with your gut and instincts on this one. A healthy fear is good, an obsessive (and I don't use that term negatively) is not. The more you're distracted the more dangerous it becomes. For some people riding is the only thing worth living for. For most of us it's at worst, just a hobby.

Take a break. Take a good long one if need be. If you still feel the urge later there will always be bikes out there.

[Mojoe]

well I can sort of relate because I ride with a medical condition as well. not that I can anyway, because of the pain, but my doc ordered me to forget about skiing and pretty much all sports because of my ankle. it is held together by 6 screws and a metal plate. I broke 2 of those screws about 5-6 years ago and it required surgery, removal of more bone, and 6 months in a cast. I am down to 4 screws now. The doc told me straight up that there is not much left to work with, and one more severe problem could very easily mean amputation. I asked what he thought about my riding a bike, and he said with my bad knees and the ankle, he would advise against it.

Personally, that was unacceptable to me. I have to "pussy foot" around enough as it is being careful, and giving up the one sport left that I truly enjoy was not an option for me. I already gave up moto-x and atv's...and that was enough in my opinion. Take away my ability to ride a motorcycle, and you might as well stick me in a wheel chair and shove me in a corner to rot.

I won't tell you that you should not listen to range and the others, but maybe not be so quick about it. Try giving up the track first, maybe? The track is a more competetive environment, I would think. I don't do the track, but I have to assume that even though it is safer than most streets, the odds of something going wrong are greater because you push yourself more. So unless money is a factor, why not stick the bike away and only use it occassionally for a small liesurely ride now and then? Maybe by doing that, the "aggressiveness" of the track will disappear and you will be more relaxed and less focused on that style of riding. Try a custom, even. I know it's a downgrade from what you are used to, but at least you will still be riding.

I don't know what else to say except that like myself, there are tons of people with bad backs, necks, ankles, knees....and whatever else.....and they continue to ride. whether it is wise or not is debateable, but at least they are enjoying it. I am not trying to talk you out of giving up riding, but just letting you know that if you are in as bad a shape as you say, you can get hurt just as easily by slipping on some stairs or an ice patch in winter.

so my advice....give up the track. keep the bike and start your riding career all over again....as in ride like a noobie. use the fear of something happening to make you a better and more alert and confident rider. give it some time. if that doesn't work...then sell the bike.

oh ya...one other thing.....does your doctor ride? if not, his advice can be a bit biased. he more than likely has the same thoughts about bikes as the rest of the non-riders......which is that it is an extremely dangerous sport. there is the chance that if he IS a rider himself, and you asked him if it was ok to ride, he would probably say, "sure....just be careful".

[Mojoe]

oh...and about following your gut and listening to your fear.....I can't say I agree with that. Maybe because of the bad car wreck I was in. Aside from the severe multiple injuries I got from it, it left me scared to be on the road (was hit head on by a drunk). It has only been within the last few years that I am even able to sit in the passenger seat because I felt vulnerable.

My point is that sometimes your gut can exaggerate things, and fear turns to paranoia. anyway, if you think about it, your gut is your stomach...and what does a stomach do? It turns stuff to shit.

[Bigbody45]

i agree ride like a newbie safe and slow and you should be able to come up with a conculsion

[StevieB]

You can always return to riding. You can never return from the dead.

A man whom I admire greatly hung up his helmet and sold his BMW when he had a mild stroke. Never looked back.

Nothing is the end all and be all. Not riding, for sure. There is much more to do.

Godspeed to you, John.

[The CyberPoet]

IMHO: Park the decision (& the bike) until after you are no longer under the influence of drugs (perscription or otherwise) and then evaluate it with an absolutely clear head.

It's very easily possible that selling is the right thing for you at this point in your life, given your health issues and fears. Or that this isn't the right ride for you. I don't know if your back injury is temporary or permanent, whether there is anything you can do to help your condition in the long-run that might make riding viable again (Tai-Chi or Canadian Air Force Back Exercises), etc.

My basic operating procedure when confused is this: When you can't do what makes you happy, do what makes you healthiest. It applies to riding, relationships, job choices, etc.

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

[Yellow2002Kat]

Well, I certainly wouldn't suggest another track day, it really doesn't sound like you're up to it. As for selling the bike, not sure.

Do you like the bike? Is the bike costing you anything to keep? Other than insurance and registration my bike costs almost nothing - about $300 a year (excluding gas and maintenance of course).

If you are happy with the bike and it really doesn't cost you anything to keep I say hang onto it until next riding season. Then see how the nerves feel. If you're still very nervous to the point where it distracts you from riding it's time to sell. You've let a good amount of time pass and you still feel the same way. If it's no fun, hang it up.

Good chance if you let about a year pass before riding again and you still aren't getting any enjoyment from it you won't go back to riding. No big deal. Take the $$$ and restore and old car .

Good luck!

[WildKat]

Many a person has been in a stressful time in their life and the first thing they thought of was to sell the bike only to regret the decision shortly after.

Im with CP on this one, let the bike sit, cover it up in the garage and go on about your daily life. Once your phyical being is taken care of, then get the bike out, go for a ride and see how it feels. If you still dont have the itch, then you know you've given it time to think it through and gave it an honest chance.

[JohnE1000]

Thank you all for your support. I will take my time before I make any decision. I really enjoy riding except for the part of being afraid of serious injury. I am doing all what I can to protect myself, I wear riding gears 100% of the time and I ride defensivly. I don't know why I became very scared lately. I wasn't like that before my track day. I , even, was planning on getting new bike by the end of this year. My track day and learning about Jason fate change my prespective.
Unfortunatly, my neck condition it permenant, and I am going to need a serious surgery at some point in the future. For now, I will take it slow getting myself back on the road.