The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree...

[Pullstart 62,887]

Rylee was riding the dirt bike yesterday.  Prior to beginning, she was arguing why she shouldn’t have to wear the chest protector.  Well after walking away from her first major wreck with just a couple scratches on her leg, she appreciates protective gear!

 

 

[JAinVA 4,619]

Glad she only has minor injuries Hope she isn't as accident prone as her dad.

[JoeM 7,874]

7 hours ago, pullstart said:

she appreciates

 

My daughter turned 40 last year, after she hit 30 she started to say how clear it is now those things you said!

 

You know what the say "you can lead a horse to water.......but nothing smells worse than a wet horse!"

[Pullstart 62,887]

Part of learning to ride, is to learn how to fall.  We made sure she knew that before ever getting on it.  

[953 nut 55,238]

48 minutes ago, pullstart said:

learn how to fall.

Kevin,     I guess she is learning from the master.  Seems you have chronicled your mastery of falling many times here!     

[Pullstart 62,887]

24 minutes ago, 953 nut said:

Kevin,     I guess she is learning from the master.  Seems you have chronicled your mastery of falling many times here!     

More than just the fall, how to get back up.  Lesson of life, not just a crash.  
 

 

[Ed Kennell 38,178]

 

    This is what happened when my Nephew put a bike helmet on his 15 mo Son. 

      After he ripped it off, he continued screaming bloody murder for 10 minutes. 

    He is lovingly known as the 30 lb wrecking ball.

I have nominated him as the poster child for the  "Bikers against Helmets "  organization.

[JoeM 7,874]

55 minutes ago, Ed Kennell said:

This is what happened when my Nephew put a bike helmet on his 15 mo Son.

I just love that picture!

They got their work cut out for them.

 

Around here I am the bad guy. When the grandkids won't comply with the helmet rules etc. They get sent to me. Go ask pap. 

They all know I have a side that makes a coiled rattlesnake look friendly. It is comical, they walk up and say "hey pap can I ask you something?"

 

 

Edited March 16, 2021 by JoeM

[Pullstart 62,887]

6 minutes ago, JoeM said:

Around here I am the bad guy. When the grandkids won't comply with the helmet rules etc.

A friend’s wife grew up on snowmobiles.  Him?  Nope.  No interest.  She brought their boys over a couple winters ago, when they lived just down the road.  Hunter... maybe 6? wanted to ride.  Here’s your helmet!   He responded “I don’t need a helmet, I’m a boy.”    All the reason to wear one!  After watching his mother cruise around the field a few laps, he finally agreed to put the helmet on.

[rmaynard 15,461]

I'm not a good influence on my grandsons for the simple reason that I never wore, nor did any of my friends ever wear a helmet when bike riding, roller skating or otherwise. I have never known anyone my age that didn't survive those things. So I can't in all honesty tell them that they need to wear protective gear. My grandsons have more trouble just walking on level ground without incident.

[Pullstart 62,887]

8 minutes ago, rmaynard said:

I'm not a good influence on my grandsons for the simple reason that I never wore, nor did any of my friends ever wear a helmet when bike riding, roller skating or otherwise. I have never known anyone my age that didn't survive those things. So I can't in all honesty tell them that they need to wear protective gear. My grandsons have more trouble just walking on level ground without incident.

Agreed.  I’ve been knocked nearly unconscious a number of times whether on a dirt bike or quad, or snowboarding as a teen or adult.  Last winter I took a hard fall on the slopes an marched right into the ski shop for a new helmet.  My pride doesn’t hurt near as bad as my equilibrium did!

Edited March 16, 2021 by pullstart

[Ed Kennell 38,178]

Reminds me of a Chicken game our gang played years ago.     We all stood in a circle facing out with the biggest rock we could find.

On three, we tossed them up over our heads to land in the circle.       I do have some scars.     Hmm, I do have some bouts with vertigo.....I wonder.

[Ed Kennell 38,178]

1 hour ago, JoeM said:

hey got their work cut out for them.

 

Without a doubt Joe.       I shudder to think about his first session in day care.          His first name is Decker......DECKER the WRECKER

[oldlineman 1,481]

  "ye get too soon oldt And too late schmardt"   

Edited March 17, 2021 by oldlineman

[Tractorhead 9,064]

I allway‘s wear a helmet when riding MX, independently if on Quadbikes or Motocycles

but to be honest - i don’t wear it allway‘s on Roads.

Even it was illegal here, it was for me pure freedom to feel the Air in the Hair - as long as i had some at least...😂

If the police caught me, I took it sporty and paid the fine😎

several hundet meters later - Helmet down.

 

At the Border to Italy i allway’s bind the Helmet aside the Rear damper and ride just with Sunglasses and a Banda.

When i get troubles with the Police, i played the unknowingly tourist with language troubles...

that works several years for me.

 

Until the Day when i had a big Crash.

Luckily i weared my Helmet on this Day.

A Car driver ignored the Red light and crashed frontal into my Rear tyre.

Motocycle was completely trash, Helmet was smashed on Asphalt and i have just 2 scratches on left arm and Leg..

 

That clears for me, the times to ride without helmet are definitely gone.

Thanks for the Helmet, that saves my Life on this day.

[seuadr 488]

"Dont dress for the ride, dress for the slide"

 

I got lucky - My grandparents had a commercial greenhouse, and in the summer when watering, it could get pretty hot, so a lot of times our guys would strip down to their skivvies before watering (with chemicals, so they needed to wear rubber suits) so they didn't roast quite so much.

 

long before i got terribly interested in motorized things as a teen, i had a conversation with one of grizzled old biker veterans about the scars all down his one side, basically neck to to knee.

 

he explained how he dumped his indian in a curve and took a ride over the pavement, then down the gravel embankment. then real serious he looked me dead in the eye and said "i have hurt nearly every day the last 40 years because i didn't think i needed gear. you always need gear. nobody is lucky forever"

:salute: message received chief!  bought my first street bike for 150 dollars because that is all i could afford after buying a full faced helmet, heavy jacket and "slidin jeans"  - wore gear until the day i sold my bikes. (way too many cell phone users trying to smoosh me!)

[tom2p 2,394]

On 3/15/2021 at 9:30 PM, pullstart said:

Rylee was riding the dirt bike yesterday.  Prior to beginning, she was arguing why she shouldn’t have to wear the chest protector.  Well after walking away from her first major wreck with just a couple scratches on her leg, she appreciates protective gear!

 

 

good protective gear goes a long way !

once they get accustomed to wearing the stuff it becomes a habit ... good habit !

 

[tom2p 2,394]

On 3/16/2021 at 8:43 AM, Ed Kennell said:

 

    This is what happened when my Nephew put a bike helmet on his 15 mo Son. 

      After he ripped it off, he continued screaming bloody murder for 10 minutes. 

    He is lovingly known as the 30 lb wrecking ball.

I have nominated him as the poster child for the  "Bikers against Helmets "  organization.

lol 

 

my kids wanted to wear a helmet at an early age - to be like dad - so for the most part  it was not too much of a fight for us  (but they still did not always wear a helmet)

 

they did not like the small bicycle helmets though - most times used the full bicycle / bmx helmets or motorcycle helmets (which were easier for them to wear and also protect the face / teeth area)

 

 

 

 

Edited March 20, 2021 by tom2p

[Mickwhitt 4,625]

I have never, and I mean NEVER ridden a motor cycle. So I can't offer a personal opinion of riding with or without a skid lid.

As a collision investigator I've dealt with my fair share of dead and injured people from bike wrecks, some of whom were wearing a helmet, some of whom were not.

Christ I had one guy injured on a big bike and I spent three hours searching the scene for his shoes as he was found wearing just white socks. Turned out he had come out of the house after an argument with his woman and had not put shoes on to ride but had put his lid on. 

I've seen horrendous head injuries despite wearing a good helmet, I've seen people walk away from terrifying wrecks with nary a scratch wearing no protection at all.

I've seen a few deaths where the helmet contributed to it, if a rider hadn't been wearing the helmet he would probably still be here. One of those involved a huge agricultural tractor and was not a fun day out for me.

There is no rhyme or reason to it. Speeds have an influence but people can fall over the kerb and sustain a fatal head injury. People walk away from high speed impacts with no ill effects. 

I always go back to the definition of a collision that I was taught at the start of my career; "It is a rare and random, multi factor event  to which it is impossible to ascribe a single cause." If Rylee had just put on her chest protector and not spent a few moments debating about it she might not have fallen off at all, then again she may have met another one of those random factors and been hurt despite all the protective gear in the world. 

I've dealt with pedal cyclists too, no engines involved. One guy with the best bike gear and helmet money could buy, killed by hitting the side of a van at a give way. One guy drunk on a junk yard bike in shorts and tee shirt, killed by hitting the top two inches of a stone wall. 

I often muse on incidents, thinking "if the guy had not stopped to check the door was locked he would have missed being hit by the truck", or " if she had waited another few seconds at the give way she would have cleared the path of the bus"

I guess it comes down to luck, or karma, or destiny, or whatever you choose to belive governs our lives. Some days you get away with it, some days you don't. One day its your time, another its not. All you can do is roll with it and do your best, life is a wonderful thing but also unbelievably unfair and cruel.

Live it and enjoy it, every minute of it. A chicken bone may be waiting in the wings to end it prematurely,  you may die happy in your bed an old and fulfilled man surrounded by your loving family. Its just what the universe has in store for you, and what makes it so precious and enjoyable.   

Blimey that's a profound way to start the weekend. Apologies for moaning on, I hope there is some wisdom in there. 

Rylee, wear that darned chest protector, listen to your uncle Mick,  you hear? 

Xxxx

[Mickwhitt 4,625]

As an add on to that, Sabine Schmitz, a lady racing driver died last week aged 51. She had fought cancer for three years. 

She had driven race cars round the most demanding and dangerous circuit in history: the Nurbergring  doing over 20,000 competitive laps. She defied the laws of physics and cheated death at speeds I cannot comprehend. Yet she died at the whim of some altered cells in her body. Completely unfair, totally random and enbelievably sad. 

RIP Sabine xxxx

[8ntruck 7,004]

Sabine Schmitz - wasn't she featured on the episode of Top Gear where they were running laps at Nurbergring with a Ford Transit van.

[Tractorhead 9,064]

8 hours ago, 8ntruck said:

Sabine Schmitz - wasn't she featured on the episode of Top Gear where they were running laps at Nurbergring with a Ford Transit van.

Yap,

Mrs. „Frikadelli Racing“ Sabine was just few seconds slower with the Ford Transit than Jeremy Clarkson with a Yaguar.. 😂😂

 

„Legend of Nordschleife“  Sabine RIP.

 

[Mickwhitt 4,625]

8 hours ago, 8ntruck said:

Sabine Schmitz - wasn't she featured on the episode of Top Gear where they were running laps at Nurbergring with a Ford Transit van.

Yes, she had the record for fastest lap in a van.

She was overtaking porches and big bikes. 

She had kahunas that lady. She could wring the maximum out of anything with a motor. 

A friend of mine was driven round the ring by her on a track day, scared him witless lol.

 

[Pullstart 62,887]

Sabine surely was one to even up the field between men and women!  Both on and off the track, she was a worker!  30,000 laps recorded on that track alone, but she always looked forward to spending Monday in her 90 h.p. tractor doing farm chores!

 

 

 

 

[8ntruck 7,004]

 @pullstart - I'm glad to see your recent post here is not a new thread.  I'm always concerned when I see your avatar next to the bumps and brushes section.......

 

 @Ed Kennell - similar survival story from my youth.  There was a city park in the neighborhood where I grew up that had 40 or 50 acres of woods with walking paths.  One summer, che city dumped 10 yards of wood chips just off the parking lot that were intended to be spread on the trials.  Of course we neighborhood urchins immediately discovered that the pile of chips made a wonderful ramp to jump  our bicycles from.  Only problem was that the approach off of the parking lot between the concrete parking bumpers lined up  with a pine tree on the opposite side of the pile.  The branches on the bottom 8 feet  of the pine tree were all broken off about a foot away from the trunk.  The tree kind of looked like a giant mid evil mace.  The tree really wasn't an issue - as long as you stuck your landing.  On one of my jumps, something went wrong.  I got a wobble in mid air that when corrected, put me on a collision path with the tree.  I bailed and went into tuck and roll mode.  Both the bike and I missed the tree.