Aeon87

I'm sure everyone in here has had their squidly moments...or at least know someone who was squiddin' it in the beginning. I thought we could all share our squid stories and then tell us what changed your mindset into becoming a responsible rider. Me first!!

I started riding in 2006 on a brand spankin' new EX250 Ninja. It was my first streetbike ever!! I originally bought it as transportation because I didn't have a car. I was 18 years old, lived in the dorms at school, and had no other bills. I got my bike at $79 minimum payment a month. I thought I was gonna look soooooo cool.

Anyhow, I had the bike delivered home (because I had no idea how to ride it). My roommate taught me the basics. He had a 636 at the time and had offered to teach me if I bought my own bike. Anyhow, I got the hang of it and got to rolling around in 2nd gear thinking to myself: HOW THE HELL AM I EVER GOING TO DO 60mph ON THE HIGHWAY IF I'M SHITTING BALLS GOING 20!?!? This mindset was short lived...Within a week or so, I was on the highway going 90mph with NO HELMET, NO GLOVES, NO JACKET, and NO BOOTS. Of course not, I was too cool for gear. I had my helmet strapped to the bike while I wore sunglasses. I WAS SUCH A BADASS!!!

It wasn't until I had my first fall and was thrown from the bike and over a guardrail at school that I realized I needed to wear at least a helmet. Over the next 2 years, my riding skills improved but my squidliness did not. Not until my friends' accident.

In 2008 my buddies and I were out riding and decided to hit some local twisties. This part of suburb area has a nice, smooth road with a few twisties but you can't get any real fun outta it unless you're doing about 80mph. So here we go! 5 guys hightailing it throught the night for one last adrenalin rush...a rush that could've been my friends' last. (Before we took off from the gas station, my other friends and I had poked fun at my buddy for wearing race boots, leather jacket, gloves, and knee pads under his jeans.) Anyhow, back to the story. We were on a long right turn and my buddy was behind me becoming impatient. I could tell He wanted to pass me so I let him through. He passed me on the outside and went to overtake the guy up front through the inside...this is where it went bad. He leaned over too far to avoid hitting the other rider and his rear wheel lost grip, caught grip, and highsided him over his bike doing at least 100-110mph. I watched in horror as the bike hit a tree and exploded into a ton of pieces and my friend went tumbling and flipping for what seemed like forever. When I ran up to him, I thought He was dead. He was motionless on the pavement. His jacket was torn on the back and on the arms. His helmet was cracked and his boots were horrible scuffed. One glove was missing. He DID finally come to and we got an ambulance for him. He shattered his radius completely and hyperextended TONS of tendons and ligaments, and had road rash. BUT...He survived? Why? I'd say it was an act of God and as a result of wearing his gear. THIS IS WHAT FINALLY CHANGED MY MINDSET:








Who's sharing next?

milkybarkid

lucky lad, lookin at the state of the bike :0

Aeon87

Yeah, He's lucky alright. 1 year later and He had himself another 636 just like the one in the pic (minus the wrecked state). Ever since then, I usually ride in full leathers if it's not too hot. In Texas where I'm from, it gets up into the 115-120 degree in summer. If it's too hot, I wear track boots, spine protector under my textile jacket, gauntlet gloves, and helmet. I take NO RISKS anymore =/

blazenorange

I don't hear storiesof people making fun of people for wearing gear lol.. That's new to me..

Second all those stickers on his bike added way too muh hp for even me to handle..

My squid moment.. Messing with a friends 500+ hp honda civic on the highway with about 4.6 miles of streetbike expierence under my belt.. Hitting 135 according to the speedo that soon and being that comfortable I knew could get me into real trouble.. ( i have lots of dirtbike expieremce not that it makes a huge difference) I stopped doing stuff like that for quite some time.. Come to think about, I've nvr raced after that..

milkybarkid

dont blame you, ive only seen my mate come off on his scooter going about 30mph a coupple years ago an that shit me up he flew straight over a hedge like a doll :/ will invest in leathers when i got the cash, there just so expensive

Aeon87

I used about half my tax return last year to buy mine!! lol.

Aeon87

STICKERS ADD HP!! He must've had at least 60 added HP. lol. But naaahh, He's an experienced rider. He was better than me at the time. It's just unfortunate that things happened like they did. Everytime I go through that stretch of road I think about how bad it could've been.

milkybarkid

think ive gotta start saving up, just got a textile jacket and work boots at the moment :/

SivartR1

Somewhat off the point, but still the reason that I ride full gear...

I got my first motorcycle at about 8 years old, and at that age I didn't have a lot of choice but to follow parent's rules of helmet / long pants / boots / long sleeve shirt / etc., and as the years went by built up more MX specific gear. By the time I was about 12, I was always riding in full MX boots and chest protector.

Fast forward to when I was 14 or 15, and we went camping in an area with a bunch of old logging roads. I was out on my KX 80, top speed of about 65, playing on an old tank trapped logging road. I'd hit the high side of the traps and catch a lot of air (felt like a few hundred feet, no idea how much it really was). Last trap before getting back to the main road to head to camp, I hit a rock with the back tire just as I launched. I looked "down" at the handlbars, and saw nothing but sky. To keep the bike from landing on me, I kicked off as hard as I could, and just braced to hit. Landed on the side of my head and shoulder. I hit hard enough to rip the arm off the chest protector, and proceeded to tumble and roll for a good distance. I was able to get up, track down where the bike finally stopped, find the broken part of the chest protector, and the only thing that kept me from riding back to camp was that the bike landed tank down on a hill, and all the gas drained out of the vent in the cap. I tore up my knee a bit leaving a nice scar. When I went to the Dr. to have the knee checked out, I explained to him the crash, and he told me that without the chest protector, I'd have a broken collarbone, and without the helmet, I probably would have been dead.

I take the same mentality on the street now. I hope to never need the gear, but want it on for the worst case scenario.

NuggetNik

To be honnest I have never Squided on my bike, I always ware full leathers/kevlar with boots, gloves back AND chest protectors. I might have a mad moment everynow and again, but I am a very reserved rider, this might stem from having a couple of crashes in my cars when I was younger.
I have had my full motorbike licence since 4th October 2010, however it took till 13th August 2011 to acctually get a bike for one reason or anther. I have two sets of leathers (1pc and 2pc) and always ride with them. However it was when my good friend Dovvom died riding his bike on the 1st October 2011, he was in full gear, however going WAY over the speed limit. He dided on impact and another friend was in hopspital on life support. (A lot of you already know this story so thats all the detail I will go into). I was thinking of buying a back protector.... Two days after he died I ordered both back and chest plate and never ride without them.

My best mate however.... has done a 140mph flyby in his boot, gloves, helmet.... and BOXERS!!! Squid or what! I will try and get the video of it from my mates.

NuggetNik

+1,000,000

Aeon87

DEAR GOD!! Glad you made it. I'm too much of a wuss to ride motocross. The thought of doing jumps scares me as I'm scared of heights O.o

nannho

hit a merger ramp from one expressway to another, doing 55...looked down at the speedo and then looked back up and as the turned tightened up, i paniced...stood the bike up and went right off the road, into a ditch, up and down the hill, almost all the way onto the off ramp on the other side...DIDNT lay it down or flip it because i cluthed it and just lowered my center of gravity...but it was a rough rough rough, up and down, for 50 -75 feet or so...idk how i didnt dump it...but, i was lucky.

i should have just stuck it out! and of course, not taken a merge ramp doing 55!

squid moment!

givuhcky22

this one kid that goes by uot1234 ruined a perfectly good bike.

zx6chris

I think this is the most common squid moment and even if u have been riding for years it still happens to them and it is.....

Trying to push start a bike with a flat battery and it only happens after the 8th or 9th time of trying u figure out the kill switch is in the off possision!!

Now be honest how many of us have done that atleast once if not more