BMW R1200R R1150R/T F800 K1200R R1100R/T R1250R RnineT Message Board

scottybooj wrote:when it's your time, it's your time.

if you have ever studies Taoism,

Studied it? I try to live it (not the religion, but the philosophy of Lao-Tzu in the Tao Te Ching). If nature does not insist, why should man?

i'm back on my bike 3 days after the decaputation accident, i rode pass the accident scene today with no problems...life goes on.

FM 69x3.....welcome back..

These things remind me to tell myself "I'm not going down"...and then ride like I mean it.

DJ

FM696969 wrote:i'm back on my bike ...life goes on.

It's good news that you're riding again without the demons. I hope you stay on top of it.

This may sound morbid...but I tend to look at it this way...when I go, I want to go doing something that I love. I don't want to go while mowing the lawn - I hate yard work. I don't want to go while grocery shopping - I don't know why I even try, I can't ever find anything on the shelves. All I ask is that when I go, it be quick, and I am doing something I love. Whenever I see some terrible loss of life, I hope those things for whomever just passed as well.

death is good - given the choice would you live forever? be happy for the decapitated one as chances are that's what they would want - to leave a happy world.

brilliant thread.

both my best friends died before we were 30. one of them had ridden since his 16th birthday - he died on honeymoon after 4 days of marriage in a jetski incident. does it matter whether we die in a bike related incident or elsewhere?

danger and risk taking is fun. traversing roads has both danger and risk. it's not difficult to see why we like bikes.

i'm pleased fm is back on the road. good resiliance. the next time i see death i'll probably slow down for 5 minutes, just like last time. then rag it once more.

paul

majordomo, right on!

I too try to live my life that way. A chap names Stuart Wilde put out a CD set that my wife picked up and it echoed what I have been trying to do. He's definitely hard core, but Lao-Tzu was definitely no joke!

We sane riders fear death, but we are not terrified of it. We take a calculated risk by riding our BMW's because the joy that we derive makes it worth the risk.

But if someone were to tell me that I'd have to ride a motorcycle *other* than a BMW or never ride again, I think that it would no longer be worth the risk to me.

Most of us probably don't equally enjoy all forms of risk-taking. For instance, I tried white-water rafting once and it wasn't for me. I can see why other people like it but to me it was just unpleasant. But motorcycles are a different story, or at least on this board. I love riding and I could ride all day, every day, if I had the time. Rode past an accident scene the other day, with a squashed cruiser that had smashed into a barrier and was all charred and smoking, and it was sad. I thought about the poor rider of course. When I crashed my own bike last year while touring, I couldn't wait for it to be repaired sufficiently to get back on and finish the trip. It's not that it was a thought-out decision; it's just the way I felt. For someone else in a different situation, they might need to think it over for a while. We are all unique individuals and it is okay that we all react to events in our own way.

I have had the talk with my family on several occasions. It revolves around numerous times I have been present for the deaths of loved ones, lingering in the hospital of illnesses or old age. We don't get to choose the manner of our passing but I want my family to know that if I should die while engaged in something I live for, they should celebrate my life and move on.

Glad you made the decision to give it another go. Even if you eventually decide to give it up, let it be on your terms not someone or something elses.

Ebet wrote:When I crashed my own bike last year while touring, I couldn't wait for it to be repaired sufficiently to get back on and finish the trip. It's not that it was a thought-out decision; it's just the way I felt. For someone else in a different situation, they might need to think it over for a while. We are all unique individuals and it is okay that we all react to events in our own way.

I can imagine that the first time I have a serious accident (praying I don't of course) I'll hang it up. With 3 little kids, wife, etc. I ask the question every day of whether it's worth it or not. Jury is still out. My wife rides too (which I encouraged her to do). She likes it very much when she rides but doesn't get out too much. I can see that I'd feel pretty guilty if she had any kind of serious accident, even though that I know it's her choice.

All that said, it's a calculated risk and every time I ride, I keep my family in mind and ride accordingly.

I don't know about anyone else on this Forum, but I ride (versus cage) at a 3:1 ratio. I'm guessing most folks still put more miles on their cars/trucks than they do on their bikes.

At least, that's the impression I'm getting.

And death shall have no dominion.
Dead men naked they shall be one
With the man in the wind and the west moon;
When their bones are picked clean and the clean bones gone,
They shall have stars at elbow and foot;
Though they go mad they shall be sane,
Though they sink through the sea they shall rise again;
Though lovers be lost love shall not;
And death shall have no dominion.

And death shall have no dominion.
Under the windings of the sea
They lying long shall not die windily;
Twisting on racks when sinews give way,
Strapped to a wheel, yet they shall not break;
Faith in their hands shall snap in two,
And the unicorn evils run them through;
Split all ends up they shan't crack;
And death shall have no dominion.

And death shall have no dominion.
No more may gulls cry at their ears
Or waves break loud on the seashores;
Where blew a flower may a flower no more
Lift its head to the blows of the rain;
Though they be mad and dead as nails,
Heads of the characters hammer through daisies;
Break in the sun till the sun breaks down,
And death shall have no dominion.

Dylan Thomas-circa 1933