Al in 49+ years of riding on the road I have only lost two friends in bike accidents one was 17 years old on a RD350 with expansion chambers lost it in a corner and hit a mango tree riding it flat out, the other mate was my best friend who owned and rode a 1947 AJS 500 but he was riding another person bike that he didn't know the bike and lost it on a corner just down the road from my place, a road he knew well but the full face helmet he was wearing hit a lamp post and pushed his head forward and the chin part of the full face helmet hit his chest and snapped his neck with force, not a mark on him just a broken neck, but that was 35 years ago, I still ride with mates I grew up with, had mates who have had bad leg injuries with bad breaks but they are still riding.
We all left school at the same time at 15 years old and we all got into dirt bikes then road bikes, most got into Honda 4s but I got into the Norton at 17 with my new 74 850 Commando, still the same bike just converted it into the Featherbed in 1980, I been lucky no serous accidents in my 50+ years of riding, most mates accidents happened when we were young and silly doing stupid things.
My local area of Sandgate on the northside of Brisbane has always been a biker area from way back in the early years of motorcycles till today, I lost more mates from bad lifestyle, drink and drugs to cancer, we only live once and motorcycles are my life as well all my mates, we all ride hard but as we get older we become more aware in what is happening around us, but being able to ride when I want too and where I want to go without any restrictions is what motorcycling is all about, I don't get scared about riding on the road or in the bush on my dirt bike, I just enjoy the time I am on 2 wheels, I am taking the old Norton out for a good run tomorrow up in the range and tight twisties.
Al how long has it been since you been on a bike, I can't handle being off my bike more than 2 weeks little lone years, I don't talk about it, I just do it whenever I feel like it.
No Al I am not brave, I just enjoy my time on 2 wheels and best of all I still ride with my mates I grew up with and sometimes I take the wife out on the bike, but she is a good woman she lets me have my freedom on 2 wheels.
Ashley
