F'ing motorcycles

[George K]

Sue is the anesthesia tech with whom I worked back in the day. She would swap out dirty anesthesia circuits, stock the carts with drugs and supplies, help set up monitoring and be my "third hand" when I was putting an IV into someone's heart.

When our group lost the contract in 2017, she quit, and got a similar, better, job at another, bigger, hospital.

She was on the way to work yesterday, riding her Harley. Some guy obviously didn't see her, and broadsided her, throwing her over the handlebars of the cycle. I think she was wearing a helmet.

She sustained a fractured wrist.

She also sustained proximal (high) and distal (near the knee) fractures of the femur. Many pieces of femur, not aligned.

She spent 7 hours in the OR last night - from 6 until 1AM while they tried to line up the pieces. Surgeon says that, in the best case, she's looking at at least 6 months of rehab, etc.

I get the thrill of the cycle, though I don't want it.

I get the fact that she was probably very careful.

I also get the fact that you can't account for the idiot around you.

This makes three nurses I know who have sustained serious injuries on a motorcycle. As I mentioned a while ago, one of them was killed.

F'ing motorcycles.

[Larry]

I've got a Harley that I haven't been on in 5 or 6 years. I rode motorcycles all my life. I never once feared the bike itself, what I feared was the other people on the road. My wife told me she didn't want to lose me because of a motorcycle, so I parked it.

[Aqua Letifer]

@george-k said in F'ing motorcycles:

This makes three nurses I know who have sustained serious injuries on a motorcycle. As I mentioned a while ago, one of them was killed.
F'ing motorcycles.

Damn.

Bicycles are kinda bad, too. I try to put myself into situations in which if I am hit, it's relatively not too bad. I try to, anyway.

[George K]

@aqua-letifer said in F'ing motorcycles:

I try to put myself into situations in which if I am hit

I would guess that this is probably easier to do on a bicycle rather than a motorcycle.

As far as Sue goes, had she been driving a car, she might have had some airbag rash, and little more.

[Jolly]

As I've said lots of times, I'd like to have a motorcycle. Nothing huge, maybe a Scout 60, a Vulcan 650 or a Harley 883. You know, a day bike. A weekender for the leisurely backwoods ride.

I keep talking myself out of it. And then, Royal Enfield came out with an inexpensive 350cc thumper. Look what a bit over 4 grand will buy you...

a

Great, economical, classic looking bike, similar to stuff I rode as a lad. Would be an absolute blast.

Shame there's so many idiots on the road.

[Copper]

For a few years I had dinner every first Wednesday of the month with a retired Air Force One pilot, he flew Nixon, Ford and Carter.

At the time he was in his late 70s. Years before, he promised his family he would stop flying the small planes, like I flew, when he reached age 60. I was age 62 at the time.

This man was probably the most talented pilot I ever met. And I have met a bunch of talented pilots.

If he quit at age 60, why was I still doing this at age 62?

There comes a time to ask that question.

[Klaus]

That sucks.

I personally have never wanted to drive one. For some reason, they don't appeal to me at all. As a bike rider, I also find motorcycles to be way more annoying than cars, especially when cycling up a mountain.

[George K]

Waiting for @rainman to pop in here.

[Aqua Letifer]

@klaus said in F'ing motorcycles:

That sucks.

I personally have never wanted to drive one. For some reason, they don't appeal to me at all. As a bike rider, I also find motorcycles to be way more annoying than cars, especially when cycling up a mountain.

Every transportation subset finds all the other subsets annoying.

I had a pretty funny guy on a dirt bike come up to me on my bike last week. I was going uphill at about 8 mph, he was going about 40. Popped a sustained wheelie and brought his front wheel a couple of inches away from my ear as he passed by.

In what should come as no surprise to anybody at all, he had a Punisher and OAN sticker on his helmet.

[mark]

@copper said in F'ing motorcycles:

For a few years I had dinner every first Wednesday of the month with a retired Air Force One pilot, he flew Nixon, Ford and Carter.

At the time he was in his late 70s. Years before, he promised his family he would stop flying the small planes, like I flew, when he reached age 60. I was age 62 at the time.

This man was probably the most talented pilot I ever met. And I have met a bunch of talented pilots.

If he quit at age 60, why was I still doing this at age 62?

There comes a time to ask that question.

My friends' step father, Bill is 95 years old and stills flies GA. I am not sure if this will affect his certification but, he just had a heart valve replaced and was home two days later.