Dirt bike injury frequency?

[ccondrey]

So my wife is pushing hard for me to sell my newly acquired dirt bike. She feels that at this point in our lives the risks are too great.

I rode a bunch as a kid and never got hurt, but unfortunately my track record with this bike (which I've had since march) hasn't been great. I had it out 8 or so times with no incident, but the time before last I took a hard shot to the foot that left all my toes purple (surely would have broken it without riding boots), and then two rides later I went down hard and separated my shoulder.

I feel like riding is generally pretty safe (relatively speaking - similar to other activities like snowboarding and mtn biking(or am I crazy here)), and that both incidents were kind of freak occurrences. I feel like I could get back on the bike and ride another 10 years without another 'significant' injury, but my wife feels like it's just part of riding and doesn't want an injury to affect our quality of life in our later years. (we're both late 30s btw). I guess I'm wanting to know who is right. :-)

I'm curious to see what other peoples ride to injury ratio is that ride trails. i.e. 'been riding every year for three years with no injury, or broken 112 bones in last three months' kind of stuff. I don't know - sorry kind of rambling just looking to try and get some better perspective.

Anyway - thx

[Chris Halvorson]

So my wife is pushing hard for me to sell my newly acquired dirt bike. She feels that at this point in our lives the risks are too great.

I rode a bunch as a kid and never got hurt, but unfortunately my track record with this bike (which I've had since march) hasn't been great. I had it out 8 or so times with no incident, but the time before last I took a hard shot to the foot that left all my toes purple (surely would have broken it without riding boots), and then two rides later I went down hard and separated my shoulder.

I feel like riding is generally pretty safe (relatively speaking - similar to other activities like snowboarding and mtn biking(or am I crazy here)), and that both incidents were kind of freak occurrences. I feel like I could get back on the bike and ride another 10 years without another 'significant' injury, but my wife feels like it's just part of riding and doesn't want an injury to affect our quality of life in our later years. (we're both late 30s btw). I guess I'm wanting to know who is right. :-)

I'm curious to see what other peoples ride to injury ratio is that ride trails. i.e. 'been riding every year for three years with no injury, or broken 112 bones in last three months' kind of stuff. I don't know - sorry kind of rambling just looking to try and get some better perspective.

Anyway - thx

This all depends on YOUR limits and how you ride. Are quads and motorcycles safe the way I like to ride....nope. I like going fast, push the envelope to the edge and jumping has always been a blast for me. I always where proper riding gear as well to help with any trips off the ATV's. Do I think it is like snowboarding and mountain biking...sure. To some degree, it is as safe as walking down the street...it just depends on where you are walking on that street, or where you are mountain biking, or if you are on a blue or double black trail snowboarding.

Here are some good questions for you:
-Am I the sole provider for my family?
-What will happen if I am out of work for 8 months with a broken whatever? Am I going to loose my house?
-Am I in as good of shape when I was younger to ride like I do? (this was my issue:D that is why race tracks are out of the question now)
-Do I always take unnecessary risks when I ride?

Since you asked about injuries...I have had 2 knee surgeries (same knee I messed up), wrist surgery from a heal clicker that went bad, shoulder surgery..but I can't say it was all from motorcycles..I would say 50%. I am 33 years old and got on my first bike around the age of 6. The first two injuries could have been prevented all together with some common sense and not being a dumb ass not using my riding gear.

People that talk about "quality of life in the later years" need to realize that you may never get there, and what about the quality of life when your young? My parents always talked about retirement and how they are going to travel...now there health is not what it used to be. Do they travel...not really. I have seen this happen lots of times. Just be a little safer, enjoy your sport and maybe get her involved.

[zkeys]

I spent about 10 years on a Yamaha 60, Suzuki RM 125, and a KTM250 and never had any significant injury. I bought a Yamaha Warrior (ATV) and managed to break my wrist the third time I had it out. Of course I was doing stupid stuff.
My opinion is that when you get older you get a little wiser, for the most part. Not saying you will never get hurt, but you tend to have a little bit more sense. Plus, I do not want your wife to win, even though she may have a point:P
Zack

[lmckinney]

We just had our second child in 2 1/2 years, I sold my CRF that was purchased brand new and put an additional $4000 into and sold it after 3 years for $3600. I was getting fast and enjoyed the heck out of it. I sold it 4 months after our first child was born. I bought a Jeep and that is my new toy. I sold because I will not slow down and ride slow like some friends sugjested. On a dirtbike if you ride fast and take chances to get better and push yourself you will get hurt, it's just a matter of when. I had many injuries in the last three years of riding and never had the big one. Some of my friends that are still riding can not say that, but still ride. Who knows maybe you will be the lucky ones but for me I miss it alot but know I am safer with out it. Even though I want another one, heck I have some nice riding gear in the basement that is almost bran new. I think it is calling me again.

[Sprnklrmn]

... my wife ...... who is right. :-)




She is. Always. Even when she is not. Welcome to marriage, when what's hers is hers and what's yours is hers!

[Budman]

I could be biased because I am sitting here typing this 1 handed. I seperated my shoulder on saturday, and am probably going to sell my dirtbike. I am just not as young and limber as I used to be. I fell over at a slow speed on a trail, and seperated my shoulder. It took a good day and turned it into a crappy weekend. I am thinking about getting a small 2wd 4 wheeler for me and my wife and getting rid of our dirt bikes. Her back is shot, and my knees, shoulders etc are shot, so I think we should slow a little. We will see.


My advice is to look at where you are in life, and how many trips to the ER you can handle. Me I am done with seperated shoulders, and blown knees.


later

[Chris Halvorson]

Don't kid yourself Budman...4 wheelers are not slow by any means....just slow down. Sorry to hear about your injury..I am guessing that hurts really bad. What is the recovery time? I will try to never go through another shoulder surgery again in my life if I can help it. That was a painful recovery...and out of work for 7 months...then had to change careers.

Good luck.

[Kirby N.]

I have been riding for about 12 years. Broke my leg as a freshman in hs. Other than that I haven't ever been to the doctor for it. I guess there was the time I bruised my balls about 6 months ago, but the doctor told me they would be fine and the swelling would be gone in a few days and sent me home. Were you wearing a chest protector when you seperated your shoulder? Usually those spread out the impast on shoulders and prevent that.

I would say keep it! Learn to push your limits with out pushing them so far you step off hard. I rode some of the toughest trails I have ever seen this last weekend, and I only fell off once. You learn how fast you can go with out bailing. Also, you learn to fall and not get hurt. My wife is still learning that. Every time she falls she puts out her hand and hurts her wrist. You are all geared up- go head first, not wrist first!

Dirt biking is the coolest sport ever. I snowboard and 4 wheel here and there, but riding is what I do most. My dad is pushing 60 ( been riding since he was a kid, raced in his 20s and only has a seperated shoulder/ barb wire fence scar to show for it) and he can still out ride me in a ton of places. My older brother is faster than me everywhere and it is my goal to pass him every time out.

Buy the wife a bike and then she will be hooked too! Don't get me wrong it is a really dangerous sport, but isn't anything that is any fun?

[CGuava]

Rode for a couple years until I recently sold my bike. The main injury was getting clotheslined off my bike at about 3rd gear pinned, tree that had fallen across the trail, limb stabbed my armpit, missed my brachial artery by 1.5 cm and was told that I would have died if it hit it, no way to stop the bleeding in the armpit. That was enough for me to stop, one more ride after that, and then the bike was sold.

When I was riding, I noticed that if I was riding my dirtbike simply to race around with buddies, and see who's faster/better etc that the risks I assume are far greater. If I was just riding my dirtbike to get to my fishing hole faster then my truck or crawler, I feel that it'd be more practical means, with FAR less risk of getting hurt. I also didn't have to load the car hauler which I was big fan of.

The way you ride and the risk you assume is directly proportional to the type of riding you want to do. It's all based on how you view what you're riding. For me, when it became a competition to see if I could keep up with people who'd been riding for 20 years, I found that it became much more dangerous, and it was getting out of hand.

Now I'm only 22, just getting started with my career, but I felt that it wasn't worth the risk. Now if I could just find a way to justify getting rid of the snowmobile, my wallet will be much happier :D

[FirecrackerKTM]

I've blown out my knee, broken one arm, gotten one minor concussion and collected an assortment of bruises, scrapes and cuts over 7 years of riding. I've ridden hard trails, easy trails, desert and motocross and the injuries were fairly evenly spread (actually none at the MX track, I am a chicken there).

But no way in HELL would I sell my bike. Especially not for a 4-wheeler--the chances of injury on one are still there, especially since they weigh twice what a bike does or more and have a tendency to roll on you.

If it got to the point where I was frequently injuring myself I might step it down a notch, but no way would I sell.

[ccondrey]

Budman - Welcome to the one arm club! I'm on my 16th day and it still sucks. I can start going without my sling some next week - can't wait. Are you going to have to have surgery? I had two docs recommend surgery and two that said I'd be fine, so I'm trying it w/out the knife - we'll see.

Kirby - I was wearing a Fox Airframe (which has full shoulder cups) when I went down. I'd like to think that it helped, but I don't know. My shoulder was the first thing to make contact with the ground and I had 2nd gear pretty strung out. As for 'learning how to fall', I hear ya' - 15 years on mtn bikes, 10 years snowboarding and a year at Aikido made me think I knew how to fall. Sometimes though you hit the ground before you ever know what's going on.

I appreciate all the other posts. I realize that this is a tough decision that only I can make for myself, but it's nice to get some perspective from other folks.

-chris

[MonkeyBomb]

Must be a common injury. I was out bowhunting and came across a guy that Thought he broke his shoulder when he went over the bars. Not a pleasant walk for him. I gave him some tylenol and a buddy gave him a ride to a vehicle. i hurt mine back in the day and lost a fair amount of skin doing stupid stuff.

[Budman]

I have seperated both on multiple occasions. I am not a fan of the shoulder surgery. I don't feel confortable with the results (or lack there of) I managed to get my Right one in pretty good shape just using Physical therapy.

[Tom N]

I am in my mid-40s and for the last 25 years I have always had a dirtbike (or 2 or 3). I went to the ER once for bruised ribs after hitting a low temporary waterpipe across a trail. I endoed and the bike flew over me. Other than that I have not been hurt bad at all. I have broken lots of clutch and brake levers though. I figure I am always going to have a dirtbike and a 4x4 at the least.
Thats what I had when I got married and I like it that way.

[Jeffro600]

I rode and raced motocross from the time i was 5 up till i was about 23. I gave it up because i was always hurting myself in one way or another. In that time i broke over 20 bones, had 4 concussions, countless sprains and bruises and 1 back and 3 knee surgeries . It was something i loved doing but there comes a time when you just say enough abuse is enough. I feel it every day too...my right knee has bad arthritis from the lack of a complete mensicus, my wrists and back ache probably more than they should when doing even light physical labor. Sucks being 25 and feeling like im 40. I couldnt teach myself to slow down so i just gave it up completely and converted to street...go figure huh. :P After seeing two of my good friends get in nearly crippling MX accidents due to broken backs, i decided enough is enough. But ive been a fairly avid street rider for 5+ years now and have not had a crash(knock on wood) that i hurt myself or the bike on. Several very close calls but no damage! :D

You just gotta balance out the risks vs the outcome...if you can ride without physically abusing yourself, go for it! If not, step back, reevaluate it and sell the damn thing! :flipoff2:

[zmtnbik]

One thing I've noticed is that as we get older, we don't bounce as well.

I've only ridden quads and atv's, never really rode dirt bikes. I've been tossed plenty of times off of the atv's and never had a problem. That was 10 + years ago.

I can relate injuries to other sports that never would have happened when I was younger.
Back in 02 I was out mountain biking on a pretty fast fire road, when I caught some air, foot clipped out of my pedal and I went head over heels, landed on my head and shoulder, snapped my collar bone in 2. I've crashed this way a few times and always walked away...this was the 1st time something broke.
6 months to the day later, playing ice hockey, broke my ankle. Not a good year.
4 years after the broken ankle, busted the same ankle again, in almost the exact same way. Needless to say I have given up hockey. It sucks, but being hurt and off my feet for 3 months at a time sucks.

I stick to mountain biking and skiing now, and thankfully my knees are still ok.
Of all my friends that have ridden dirt bikes, all have given it up due to injuries.

So not specific to dirt bikes, per say, just wanted to share my perspective on injuries as we get older and don't bounce back as quickly.

For the record I'll be 39 this month.

[FirecrackerKTM]

Out of all my dirt bike buddies and the 2 really busy forums I go to, I only know of a few who have given it up.

I also know several very skilled, not-exactly-slow dirt bikers who are 60+. One gentleman must be 77 or older by now. Still rides. Slower than he used to, but he's not exactly sticking to fire roads, either.

In my opinion, all you have to do is identify your boundaries and stay within them.

[van7559]

Just fawked up my arm real good over labor day weekend on my dirt bike. Slid across a dirt road at about 60-65 mph. Small fracture in my elbow , road rash to the bone about the size of a .50 cent piece. And to top it off, it got really infected because i am stubborn, when it comes to doctors. I am young, and heal rather quickly, but i make a living using my hands every day, it really makes you think twice about doing some stupid shit when you have a house, wife , and bills to pay for. I am 22 and am filled with all kinds of testosterone that makes ya think you are super man,but this one really makes me think twice about this kind of stuff.

[sonofmayhem]

If you ride a dirtbike you will always fall. No matter what:D

[GrayT]

To me the falling isn't what I'm afraid of; It's learning how to get back up and living to tell another day. Not all falls are the same, and if you're going 100mph through the sand, as opposed to 5mph through a trail, you have no one else to blame but yourself if you get hurt. It's not the bikes fault you busted your ass and got hurt (usually)

Know your limits. Know your skill. Know your bike.

Even then, you will fall eventually. It happens.

[sonofmayhem]

I usually take it easy for the first couple minutes when i am riding my 400. And when i get comfortable then i will try harder stuff. but i am still a couch guy.

[Johnboy]

Keep the bike, stay within the envelope. I've been riding for 7 years and have never had a "bad" accident. I've hit trees, bruised some bones and have a small scar on my shoulder to remind me not to follow too close in the dust. I ride trails and am not slow but I don't try to be the fastest. I love technical trails. I look at the risks and decide to turn around the they are too high. I will turn around before I sell my dirt bike. Dirt biking used to freak my wife out. Six years later with no injuries and she doesn't worry. Some people are accident prone, not clumsy or stupid but somehow always get hurt when no one else does. If you are one of those people, give it up and take up badmitton. Just kidding.
The envelope pushes back. Ride safe and have fun for a long time.

-John