Have you or someone you know sustained a serious injury, i.e. broken bone or? If so, how long did it take for you to regain mobility enough after Dr. release to get back on and ride or not. I still have a big med air boot on after 7 weeks and am only allowed to put 40# of body weight on the broken ankle/leg, so I've got a ways to go before I'll be able to consider it. At some point I hope and plan to "re-mount" (still talking about the bike here), but I'm just wondering what kind of experiences some of you have had. I'm a little leery about it on one hand but also having a hard time thinking about not riding. How did you handle it?

 

I guess everyone's milage varies, but when I broke my collarbone it was a good 10 weeks before I was mobile enough and strong enough to ride again. And even then I took it easy.

But that wasn't really a "serious" injury - the infection in my brain, on the other hand, was serious. 6 weeks in intensive care, 4 brain surgeries, and 3 months in in-patient rehab at a medical facility. After being released I had another 2 or so months rehab from home before I was made to take my license again. Even after re-doing my license it took me another couple of months before I was brave enough to have a go offroad riding on my Husky.

A mate of mine cracked his heel in 3 places and had to wear one of those moon boots. I think it took him about 3 months before he could even put enough weight on the foot to hobble around. I think it was around the 5 month mark when he climbed back on the bike again.

As for how to survive and not go mad, I found keeping myself immersed in motorbike material helped a lot. I subscribed to 3 different dirt bike magazines, frequented RacerX Online (Racer X Online - Motocross & Supercross News) and Enduro 21 (Enduro21 / Passionate about Enduro / Home) amoungst others. I also became a big fan of Pirate Bay for Moto-X and Enduro torrents. The 2 best "suppliers" I found were SlickNick (http://thepiratebay.sx/user/slicknick0610/) and Arbarbarb (http://thepiratebay.sx/user/Arbarbarb/). Just make sure you have a big download quota though coz some of the files amount to a few gigabytes! If you're looking for inspiration on recovering from traumatic injury on a motorcycle and how to come back from it watch "TWICE - The Cam Sinclair Story" (TWICE-The.Cam.Sinclair.Story.FUEL.720P.h264.English (download torrent) - TPB). It's a big download but well worth the watch in my opinion.

From all the reading and stuff I did one of the most important things to do is find something you are passionate about and use that as a medium to keep you focused and moving forward. For me it was servicing my bikes suspension etc and reading/watching lots of motorcycle material. If you don't have something like that you are at a much higher risk of depression which is a dangerous and horrible downward spiral to fall into. If you do find you start struggling with any hint of depression I would advise seeking assistance - my GP referred me to a psychologist and put me on anti-depressants and it helped a lot. That, and talk to people.

Good luck recovering mate!

 

I've been hurt on 3 wheelers, 4 wheelers, bikes you name it. I'm usually back on before I should be, and sometimes wiser. I have a condition called atrial fib and it can make your heart race. One time I was slow to seek treatment and the only way I could feel really normal with my heart racing was on a dirt bike screaming through the woods.

 

I broke both my wrists about this time last year. Had surgery on Thanksgiving day to have plates and screws put in. Because of the plates, I was able to heal more quickly and I was back on the bike in February. The hardest part about getting back on was that my grip strength needed to be built back up and it took a while in physical therapy until I could squeeze the clutch/brake adequately.

 

I had a stroke, while at work, as an Asst Parts Mgr, at a local shop. It took me about 4 months of rehab before I could work half days.

 

Although not a serious injury, I haven't been able to ride for the last two weeks. The longest period of no riding in the two years I've had my bike. My dermatologist had me applying this chemo-cream to treat pre-cancerous cells on my face, which in turn has made my face bright red. Like the worst sunburn ever! So I haven't been able to wear my helmet. It'll probably be another 2-3 weeks before it heals enough to wear my helmet again.

 

Came off a year or two back...
leaning into a bend at around 30/40mph chain snapped and wrapped around the rear sprocket causing the wheel to lock up.
Instantly threw me off the bike and slid down the road a good few meters had my right arm beneath me as i slid.
Broke my arm in two places my wrist and part of my elbow.
Had my arm in a cast for 6 weeks and my bike was nakerd.
That gave me a few months to save up for a new bike.
Did a bit of shopping around thats when i put my deposit down for a 2012 klx 250

 

Broken fibula about four inches above ankle in early march. Plate and screws installed, was riding by early summer with no issues. Just follow doctors orders during recovery/rehab.

 

I've banged myself up over the 40+ years that I've been riding but the only time I ended up in the hospital was a couple of years ago. Riding home on the SV after a day of strafing western N/C I ran into a light rain about a mile away from the house. Downhill r/h horseshoe tucked the front wheel after hydroplaning over a little rivulet on the road. Didn't seem to bad and I made it back to the house. After about an hour I was in alot of pain and having a hard time breathing. Ended up with a broken scapula, busted ribs, separated A/C on my collarbone and a collapsed lung. They medi-evac'd me to Chattanooga where I spent a week. It was a good three months before I had enough strength in my shoulder to try and ride again. Weirdest thing about the whole thing is that the spot I went down was about 100 ft. from where Bambi torpedoed me on the SV about a year prior. Sometimes it makes me wonder if I should find another way home...

 

Hit a gaurd rail March 15, 2011. Got life flighted,intensive care 6 days nursing home 3 months. Shattered femur,shattered tibia,shattered ankle. Almost killed,doctors decided not to amputate leg,put rod in from hip to knee and another from knee to ankle. Got a new 2012 KLX and was ride it to physical therapy by August same year. Near full recovery,still improving.