I've been down twice myself, but I'm a bit of a saftey gear nazi so i've been safe and still riding. *Knock on wood* I've had two friends go down much worse, one was well protected and one was not protected at all. Both still ride but what a difference leather makes at 50MPH+!
I did put a lot of miles on the bike but I just got my first car only 6 months ago, I'm 25 btw. I've owned my bike and only my bike since I was 21! I had a girl friend that i was living with for a while so we used her car a lot and my riding dropped off, below 10k/year. Now in NY it's like 2-3K a year, I'm guessing, and thats not acceptable to me. TIME TO MOVE!
Oh and nice versys Bigaudiofanat, Kawi Pride
