It is ok.Go ahead and call me a DI**HEAD

I have a friend who back in 2009 wrecked a gsxr 1000 at over 185mph. His back tire was blad and blew. He was drunk and had copious ammounts of cocaine in his system. His leg landed longwise on a speed limit sign sending his shin through his calf. His buddy who was riding with him stopped and dragged him out of the road. He passed out when he tried standing on the "leg". Broke both rists, ribs, fingets, and road rash on 65% of his body. The doctors had to revive him numerous times and gave him so much blood that his tox screen came back clean. After 2 weeks in a medically induced coma he was awake.

Lost his leg. No longet rides.

Life is to fragile to be stupid. Im glad the o.p. learned from his mistakes. I have pics of the bike before and aftet somewhere i can probably track down. Was a beautiful bike.

 

I think one of the reasons people here don't flame about it (except in jest) is that while everyone here is pretty passionate about NOT D&D, most of us are a bit older and know that people have to learn that lesson themselves (either by their own direct experience or like in Ryan's case knowing someone who made that mistake). Heck, anyone with kids knows they will touch the hot stove when told not to.

My hope, and I'm sure it's the same for most everyone there, is that some people can learn the lesson vicariously rather then having to put themselves and loved ones through their own mistake.

 

Social changes as well,when I was younger it wasn't unusual for distances to be measured by how many cans away a destination was.A six pack was around an hour.
I look back and wonder how any of us survived.
This generation seems to regard DD as a sin [rightly so] but that is mostly about social conditioning changing their perceptions.18 year olds in the past saw drinking as a macho test and that probably killed a lot of them.Now they still see it as macho but if you get caught the price is very high.None of them believe they will have an accident because they are 18.

 

Before my friends wreck.




After



Was a beautiful bike.

 

We've all done some stupid things or we aren't alive. The key is to learn from them.

I came home one evening after being out with my wife and realized that my oldest son (about 10 at the time) and baby sitter recognized that I was smashed. That was a terrible feeling. Gave my wallet to my wife and had her take the baby sitter home. Got rid of every bit of the alcohol in the house and never had another drink. That was about 32 years ago and I've never regretted it for a moment. Interestingly, the first party I went to after quitting was a real eye opener--people do and say weird things when they drink and it's even stranger if you are one of the only ones not drinking.

Glad you were lucky enough to "live and learn."

 

I don't drink and drive or drink and ride because I've had cars and bikes scare the living s%$t out of me stone sober. I have been in a few accidents; I totalled one car and been a passenger in another car as my ex totaled it. I was lucky to walk away from both accidents with only minor injuries (whiplash) and didn't drive for months after either because of how an accident can scare the crap into you.

When my ex totaled my Blazer I ended up getting a bike a few months later, and I was extremely scared to ride in traffic. I'd seen what an auto accident looked like, and imagining myself doing that on a bike meant that it took me months to get up to riding at 45mph. I didn't get on the highway for at least 5-6 months, and even then I stayed in the right lane and only did 65 - for VERY short distances.

My Virago 1100 has scared the crap out of me too. I'm used to the power and torque curve of the Maxim 650, and when I got on the Virago one day and opened the throttle a bit too quick making a right from a stop, I nearly ended up backwards. After that incident, I rode straight home and parked the bike because I gave myself whiplash just from the rear wheel drifting around behind me.

All of this happened to me while sober, and if I had been drunk I can only imagine what the consequences would have been, and who I would have injured in addition to myself. The moral of the story for me is quite simple: NEVER drink and operate ANY motor vehicle.

 

I definitely think that when you drink it's one of those things where you can eventually out grow it. Kudos to everyone who decides to quit and can stay with it. Contrary to what everyone else says, I do think that it's quite addictive to drink. Watch yourself, if you really want to see how dangerous it can get. Keep a breathalyzer for your bike...

 

Don't be the one who's a di**head this time a year (that goes for anytime of year). But if you drink don't drive or ride. Everyone be safe!!!!