by oxj » Tue 26 May 2009, 07:13:26
Um, having wrecked on a bicycle at 17mph and on a motorcycle at 30mph, I think I might go for getting a moped or a small motorcycle.
I think they're more designed to be appreciated by cars as transportation, and I was certainly wearing much more crash gear.
In both cases, the helmet saved me much pain and perhaps my life. In the case of the motorcycle, this ***** pulled out in front of me just as I was approaching the intersection. I locked the front brakes, layed the bike down, and it was soooo coooool as I slid with my face just an inch away from the asphalt, totally protected in styrofoam and encased in hard plastic. My leather jacket has a slight abrasion on it, and I ended up with the classic Lisfranc fracture on the left foot, which was totally paid for by insurance. The bike was also repaired.
In the case of the bicycle, it was six a.m. and I was biking the eighteen miles down the river trail to work. I fell asleep and my right hand slipped off the handlebar, causing my left hand to force the front wheel to make a sharp right. The bike immediately halted, and my chest met the handlebars, I flew over the front of the bike and my skull slammed against the asphalt. I heard this incredible ringing, more like a trill, for about five seconds which then became a simple ringing and dissipated. It was really bizarre. I had this terrible pain in my chest because of a broken rib.
In both cases, I got a broken bone, but I think I would have faired better with more gear, more padding, more angular momentum in the front tire preventing such a sharp turn...
I really like bicycles and probably won't own another motorcycle again (at least in Detroit), but that being said, I wouldn't convert a bicycle to a submotorcycle, for the same reason that I wouldn't start adding crazy additions to a mobile home.