Cant extend arm completely after motorcycle accident...?
Hello, i was in a motorcycle accident on the 9th, a week ago today. I recieved road rash primarily on my upper right forearm. new skin has already began to grow. What i am more concerned about it not being able to extend my arm fully without feeling a sharp pain. The pain is primarily felt on the upper/inside of my elbow, Anything past 90 degrees is when the pain is triggered. I did not go seek medical attention due to not having health insurance. Should i be concerned or will it heal naturally? I landed on my right side, made contact with road on top of shoulder, top right forearm and top of wrist and knuckles. Wrist has deepest road rash wounds, while forearm has largest exposed area Answers or suggestions only please, dont need to hear how dangerous motorcycles are or how i should have health insurance....broke college kid problems
What is the reason for extra tall handlebars on motorcycles?
"Ape hangers" have been around for many years. Its just rider preference...one of the many styles that HD riders are into. They started out using that bar style in the 1970's. LOL@ Bob....my bad....I wasnt even a spec in daddy's eye yet!....haha!
Is it pretty much a guarantee that, if you ride a motorcycle, you will eventually fall off and damage it/yourself in some way?
It all depends on what kind of motorcycle you want to ride and what is your attitude.If you like adrenaline, then sooner or later you will probably fall off. Also if you want to find out your motorcycles or your skill limits, then it’s likely you will fall off. The only question is how bad.I fell off many times on my motorcycles. I had about 10 small and larger bikes since age 12, and then suzuki RM250 and Suzuki Hayabusa and I was always pushing all bikes to the limit. But I was lucky, I only broke my leg (on Hayabusa) and had brain concussion (on Suzuki RM). But my brother and friends were not so lucky. My brother fell on his CBR900RR in the curve and hit one of concrete columns along the road. He damaged his leg to such extend that doctors proposed it’s amputation. Luckily some other doctors in other country managed to fix it somehow. However he will never be able to walk or run properly.My best friend had similar accident on his CBR, but instead he hit a truck going in the opposite way. He has heavy brain damage for life and is not able to function normally by himself anymore. Irony is I was admiring his riding skills, because he only had 1 motorcycle before (old Honda VFR) which he barely rode. He probably thought he already knew how to ride like a pro, but unfortunately he didn’t know his limits.2 of my friends died on motorcycles and some other friends had motorcycle accidents but not so bad.All these accidents happend(and are usually happening) to young people with supersport or sport/touring motorcycles. Common denominator here is that we’ve been pushing our motorcycles and riding skills to the limit, consciously or unconsciously.On the other hand I know people who rides motorcycles for decades and never had any serious accident. They ride choppers, or touring motorcycles or even sport motorcycles, and they enjoy different ride. When you look at their tires you know, they don’t like to push it hard.Still 2 weels are less safe than4 wheels and sometimes regardless of your attitude, someone else can get you in accident without your fault. But this is true for cars, motorcycles or bicycles.If you are not trying the limits and are watching matter on the road, and anticipate anything, there is no reason to have accidents.PS: Funny thing is that even after bad accidents and even bad injuries, people are still riding. Every not so bad accident is a great learning opportunity, instead of reason to quit if you love riding.
Do crash bars on motorcycles really protect the rider? If so, which types are the best?
Hey Vidya! Thanks for the A2A.About a year and half back, i had a crash when taking a sweet corner on my GS150R. Apparently there was diesel spill on the road and patches of it caused my bike's rear wheel to just slide out from under me. One moment im entering the corner, the next one, my bike and myself are sliding on the tarmac.The first part of the motorcycle to hit the tarmac was - wait for it - The crash guard! The stock crash guard was thankfully strong enough to help my bike and myself slide for a few meters before grinding to a halt. Were it not for these guards the bikes body and worst my knee would have taken a bad hit. Both the bike and myself escaped the crash with some minor bruises but discovered that day why those bits of metal were called crash guards. As you said, they provide protection to the engine and bike's body in case of a random drop or a crash. Additionally, it prevents fatal contact between the Rider's and Bike's body in case of a crash or a simply drop. Imagine a rider simply losing balance at stand still and falling along with the bike. Kind of a stupid scenario i know, but still, the crash guard would prevent the bike from falling onto the rider's leg and crushing it. Especially considering your new baby who weighs a whopping 180 kilos, i would say you definitely need to go for a good sturdy set of crash guards for the front as well as pillion part of the bike.Consider the following picture which has pillion crash installed as well.Photo picked out from google.Something like this is what i would advice.As for the different types, i am truly sorry buddy because I do not know too much about them other than the fact that it saved me some pain and majorly the repair work for the bike. :-)
Harley motorcycles with high handlebars - why and are they uncomfortable after a while?
No, they are very comfortable. I have some back problems, Ape hangers force me to sit straighter. No, your arms don't get tired. Your not holding, your arms up, just resting them higher. Your shoulders will get sore at first, but that goes away. Apes can be adjusted for how you like to ride. Siting up or lay edng back. As far as the aesthetics, that depends on if your o'l lady thinks they are cool looking. My wife loves them.
Wife wants me to sell the motorcycle but I'm not happy about it?
I've owned various "cruiser" style motorcycles since 1999 and have developed a passion for riding which probably only other riders could understand. My wife has become increasingly anxious about my riding and say she can't stand it when I pull out of the driveway on it. Now that we have kids (ages 2 & 6) it has increased her anxiety and she is now telling me I HAVE to sell the bike. She feels "sorry" about it but that just makes me feel worse and more selfish regarding my strong desire to keep it. I am having great difficulty parting with something that gives me so much pleasure but I'm (stubbornly) willing to do so for a few years while our kids are growing up. My greatest fear, however, is that when the time comes that I want to buy another bike, my wife will continue to resist. I know riding has its risks associated with it, but I accept those risks and attempt to mitigate them (stay away from highway, wear helmet, etc.) Am I being too selfish by asking for a little leeway?
Why is it so exhausting to be a passenger on a motorcycle?
The first few times I rode bitch (yeah, I’m using the word. I think it’s hilarious), I already knew that the passenger could be a huge hinderance on the driver. So I basically melded myself to the driver so I wouldn’t try to make the compensations a normal person would, as User mentions. I didn’t choke him, but my front was superglued to his back. That’s how I learned what it should feel like controlling a motorcycle.After a couple times with this same driver, I loosened up and got to really enjoy the ride. Being able to relax my muscles (just gripping the sides of his waist with my hands and using his core muscle movements to guide me and my movements and leanings) made the ride more enjoyable and interactive for me. I was able to look around at the scenery, like being a passenger in a car.The thing with being a passenger is that, until you get used to it, you are working to stay still. You can’t shift positions like you can on a 60 mile car ride. You can’t fidget. You can’t do anything to compromise the balance. For people who have never ridden a motorcycle who think “how hard can that be” I challenge you to sit on an excercise bike for two hours, not pedaling, and stay sitting completely still, no changing your posture or your feet. You’ll be tired after because it’s not a natural thing to do. It’s something you can train your body to do, but it takes practice.So if you are new to being a passenger on a motorcycle, let your driver know he shouldn’t panic. You have a different physical training to go through than the driver who gets to move more. It just takes time and practice.