Those are the words that my sister wrote on the cast on my right leg.
Yes. I have been hobbled. And thankfully, that is just my sister’s sense of humour. Because she has been an absolute godsend through this ordeal.
I have to tell you that I have a new found respect and appreciation for anyone suffering a physical disability. Going from fully-abled to having lost the use of my legs – even if only temporary – is a jarring new reality.
The fact that I am able to make the best of it is less a testament to my nature and positive outlook, and more a reliance on the idea that this is in fact, only temporary.
I am not sure where my emotional and mental barometer would be had I lost both of my feet. But I am fairly certain that it would not have me eagerly tapping away on my laptop to furnish you with another post in my blog, feeding my ego and satisfying my urge to write in one fell swoop.
So. Let me try to incorporate a lesson into this, my own one-sided mental discourse with you, my readers.
The lesson that I am going to try to illuminate is one that I feel cannot be taught, spoken of or illustrated enough.
It is the importance, nay, the critical nature, of wearing all of the proper motorcycle gear all of the time.
I was missing one piece of gear when I had my accident. I was not wearing fully armoured leather riding pants. Not even leather chaps. In fact, I was wearing denim jeans. So, lets take a look at what I was, and was not wearing and examine the effects of my choices that morning.
On top of my noggin – brain pan – skull was my Bell Pit Boss helmet. A light-weight helmet designed and manufactured by an industry leading company, it cost about $150.00. .
Certainly not what you might refer to as expensive. And yes, I made the conscious choice to wear a 1/2 lid. DOT approved, this helmet did its job completely. My gray matter remained inside of my skull. In fact, I did not even suffer any bruising, let alone a concussion
On this occasion, circumstance allowed me to save face. Literally.
I will not test the fates in that fashion again, and going forward you will see me in a full face helmet only.
On my torso I was wearing my Scorpion Stinger EXO fully armoured leather motorcycle jacket. Weighing almost 12 kilos, it is anything but lightweight. There is armour in all of the critical locations, including a semi-rigid back plate.
I landed on the asphalt on my upper back / shoulders after colliding broadside with a car at 70 km/h.
My Bell helmet and my Scorpion jacket took all of the impact with the asphalt.
And as I lay here writing this, I want you to know this: the very first thought to go through my head immediately after my body came to rest on the asphalt was – ‘wow, that could have been a lot worse’.
I suffered no bruising to my back or shoulders whatsoever. No concussion. No tenderness to my skull or scalp.
Nothing. Nada. Zilch.
Almost as though I had not been in an accident at all.
As already mentioned, on my legs I was wearing a pair of Jeans. Solid, heavy-weight Levis, but jeans nonetheless.
The left leg of my pants was sliced from knee to shin (as was my left leg) by the top, trailing edge of my windshield.
That is why, dear reader, I will be wearing chaps of fully armoured leather riding pants in the future.
On my feet I was wearing my 3 year old pair of Exustar model E-SBT 120W motorcycle boots. They come about 1/2 way up to my knee, are rigid and very snug. They feel a lot like a downhill ski boot when they are on, which is the way they are designed.
They keep everything in place. So although I suffered multiple fractures in my ankles, there were no green-stick breaks; no torsion breaks; no ligament damage; so ‘shattered’ bones. Just a few clean, aligned fractures that were the result of my ankles hitting my handle-bars at 70 km/h.
Had I been wearing street shoes, or even ankle-high riding boots, I could very well have lost both feet.
I imagine shifting without a left foot is challenging. As challenging as using the back brake pedal without a right foot.
I will wear these boots again. And my next pair of riding boots will be of a similar height, weight and design. No question.
Finally, on my hands I was wearing my fully armoured leather Z1-R Reaper motorcycle gloves. They are far from expensive at only $28.00 / pair, and I admit that after about 18,000 kilometers of riding the stitching was starting to let go on the tip of the thumbs – but they have solid armour on all knuckles and pretty heavy padding on the palms. And in the case of my accident, my hands suffered not even a scratch.
I have been guilty, in the past, of riding a short distance in my Nike’s. And only a T-shirt on my torso.
I have taken my jacket off in 30 + degree temperatures and stowed it in my saddle bags while riding through the Laurentians, or down Tatlock road.
I will not do so again.
And I urge you…no, I implore you – please, do not sacrifice safety for comfort. Or worse, for the ‘cool’ factor.
On hot days, if fully armoured leather is just too much for you, then spend a little extra money on a high-quality (and Hi-Viz) convertible, armoured nylon riding jacket.
Joe Rocket, Tour Master, Spartan, Icon, AGV, and Scorpion are just a few of the companies that make a superior product that will help to keep your skin where it belongs – on your body.
The decision to wear tight-fitting, armoured, below-the-knee riding boots is as easy as deciding if you enjoy walking.
We are a class of people who have discovered that we are truly at peace, and truly happy, while pursuing one of the most inherently dangerous forms of self-expression out there. We ride motorcycles. It is in our genes. It is in our blood. It is in our souls.
In this area, we have a single obligation to ourselves, and to our loved ones. To pursue that passion as safely as we can.
Get out there and ride!
Peace.
