Member Contributer Polarbear Posted November 5, 2010 Member Contributer Share Posted November 5, 2010 Why am I not surprised that, of all the forums in which I participate, the wisest, most sensible and most sympathetic advice and good wishes that I have received have been on this one? You guys are a blessing and an inspiration. Thanks so much. See? That's why you can't just quit now!!! Gotta stick around!!! just kidding. As for an inspiration, be careful who you are referring to; I would be very careful to what people like timmythec0p, skuutertrash, BR, Dutchy and a few others say and do... :) I do wish you best, and I sure hope that you are truly happy. C Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer skuuter Posted November 5, 2010 Member Contributer Share Posted November 5, 2010 Why am I not surprised that, of all the forums in which I participate, the wisest, most sensible and most sympathetic advice and good wishes that I have received have been on this one? You guys are a blessing and an inspiration. Thanks so much. As for an inspiration, be careful who you are referring to; I would be very careful to what people like timmythec0p, skuutertrash, BR, Dutchy and a few others say and do... :) I do wish you best, and I sure hope that you are truly happy. C .......... :laughing6-hehe: :laughing6-hehe: :laughing6-hehe: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Bent Posted November 5, 2010 Member Contributer Share Posted November 5, 2010 Know the feeling pal. It's YOUR head that has to be at peace with this. :fing02: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 5, 2010 Share Posted November 5, 2010 Stay safe, brother. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beck Posted November 5, 2010 Share Posted November 5, 2010 Good luck on what ever new hooby/endeavor you might take in the future! I too have slowed down quite a bit with my riding the past few years. Just way too busy at work most of the time that it sucks most of my remaining energy to ride, even on weekends. Family priorities have also factored in much more in the last few years. The super crazy traffic and loon drivers that seem to be populating the roads in the bay area had also made riding such a chore that I totally gave up commuting to work on my VFR, lest I get killed on the road by these yohos! I still manage to squeeze in a few rides during weekends but nowhere near as much as I used to. I even often find putting on and takin off my gear a tedious and tiring chore these days. Gone are the days I would throw on the gear in a few minutes and and go riding, even sometimes at very odd hours of the early morning (3:00AM rHighway bombin rides) to satisfy my need to ride. I also had begun to hate leading rider strings down the mountains as I feel that "strafing" mountain twisty roads on 8/10ths and higher modes will eventually kill me. It's been mostly lone and tailgunner rides for me recently. Another possible reason for my dampened enthusiasm for riding the VFR is my rediscovery of racing bicycles from my college days, so classic race bicycle restoration projects and riding them had kept me distracted away from my VFR for the last two years now. Yep!, I understand where many are coming from when they start thinking about hanging up the gear for good........I dunno, but I'll go riding this weekend to see if I can shake most of these "cobwebs" off and light the fires again?? It's been over 35 years of riding all sorts of motorbikes for me It will be a sad day for me too when I finally do hang it up! Beck 95 VFR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 5, 2010 Share Posted November 5, 2010 'Tis a sad time for me, too, but, at the same time, I am completely content. Funny, eh? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timmythecop Posted November 6, 2010 Share Posted November 6, 2010 As for an inspiration, be careful who you are referring to; I would be very careful to what people like timmythec0p, skuutertrash, BR, Dutchy and a few others say and do... :) hey Skuut, they are talking about you over here........... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 6, 2010 Share Posted November 6, 2010 You just KNEW that that was going to get a reaction, didn't you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 6, 2010 Share Posted November 6, 2010 How honorable! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 Well, it's been a while since I checked in with you guys so I'd better bring you up to date. It's 12 weeks last Monday since my accident and I continue to make steady, if not spectacular, progress with my recovery. X-rays today confirm that the bones are healing and that no movement of pins, plates, etc has taken place. As a result, I have been given permission to go full weight bearing on the right leg. That means that I can start to walk and that I can start physio to assist that process. Part of physio will be strenghening and flexibility and also getting wasted muscles back into trim again after nor having been used for a while. So it's all good and the doctor was pretty amazed that I'd made this much progress in under 3 months. Onwards and upwards!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer trjerm Posted January 12, 2011 Member Contributer Share Posted January 12, 2011 Well, it's been a while since I checked in with you guys so I'd better bring you up to date. It's 12 weeks last Monday since my accident and I continue to make steady, if not spectacular, progress with my recovery. X-rays today confirm that the bones are healing and that no movement of pins, plates, etc has taken place. As a result, I have been given permission to go full weight bearing on the right leg. That means that I can start to walk and that I can start physio to assist that process. Part of physio will be strenghening and flexibility and also getting wasted muscles back into trim again after nor having been used for a while. So it's all good and the doctor was pretty amazed that I'd made this much progress in under 3 months. Onwards and upwards!!! Good luck w/ your PT, just remember that you can do anything if you want it bad enough and go through the work to get it. I hope the flooding isn't anywhere near you and that you have an amazing new year. Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Cogswell Posted January 12, 2011 Member Contributer Share Posted January 12, 2011 Best on your decision. No one has to ride - and hopefully it will speak to you to resume doing so in the future. Even though I have not suffered what you have been through, I know my day to turn in my helmet is coming. I am doing phys therapy now just in the hopes of being able to continue to ride. I was skeptical of PT at first, thinking it was just snake oil and hype, but subsequent to shoulder surgery several years ago and six months of PT I'm now a convert. I went from about 60% range of motion to 95% and felt pretty good about it. Now the PT is to heal a torn elbow which is preventing me from fully squeezing the front brake lever. You will lose range of motion and flexibility from inactivity and the PT is a must to get it back. It can be boring, lonely drudgery. It can also be uncomfortable and even painful. But my best advice is "do the homework" that they give you - each and every day. Hang in there - don't quit. At some point it may seem "good enough" and there will be a thousand other things to do - that's when you have to re-double your efforts - and you will get better - hopefully back to 100%. Here's to a speedy recovery. And who knows - maybe when Honda releases the 8th gen you won't be able to resist! :biggrin: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Willy Posted January 12, 2011 Member Contributer Share Posted January 12, 2011 RC, Like all here have stated - I wish you well and admire your wisdom. We're all going to face the day when what we like to do most is not the responsible path forward. I can't help but wonder how guys like you can continue to offer that insight to others like me. So I hope you stay on the forum nnd chime in. Just because you stop riding doesn't mean your views are not welcome - on the contrary I know I'd benefit. So get well and hang out - give us a few reports on recovery... Willy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Dutchy Posted January 12, 2011 Member Contributer Share Posted January 12, 2011 on what was said.... Hope your recovery goes well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 26, 2011 Share Posted October 26, 2011 Well, it's been over a year now since my accident. People say to me, "Gee, it doesn't SEEM like that long." to which I reply, "No, it seems WAY longer!" But I continue to heal well and now have my doctor's permission to go back to work as a substitute teacher, the job I was doing before the accident. I no longer require a walking stick and can walk some distance unaided, although I do tire quickly due to lack of fitness/stamina. For a long time after the accident I felt completely disconnected from motorcycling, like a switch had been turned off. Well-meaning friends brought me motorcycle magazines, books and videos which remained unviewed. Once I started getting out of the house a bit I found that just seeing a motorcyclist do what motorcyclists do made me cringe. They weren't doing anything unsafe or dangerous, but my mind immediately would conjure up the worst scenario. It was a very difficult time, like a significant part of my life had been robbed away, in an instant of time. With time, these feelings have moderated and now I only look at other motorcyclists with a mild envy rather than fear. I have taken legal action against the truck driver involved in the accident and the company for which he drives as well, but, my solicitor tells me that these things can often take years and I will have to be patient and wait until I have healed as much as I am going to so that proper assessments can be made about how disabled I am as a result of the accident. I can tell you (although I am sure you already know) that the support and love of my wife and family has been critical in my recovery process. To them I owe far more than I can ever repay. I can also tell you (and you know this too), that nobody, but NOBODY, looks after their mates like motorcyclists do. Despite my positive attitude and extreme motivation, I can tell you that I wouldn't be where I am today without the support and encouragement that I have received from my motorcycling friends, both the ones that I know personally and the ones I know through forums like this one. As I began to get more mobile earlier this year I found that the days were very long and boring. So my wife, the gem that she is, said to me one day, "Why don't you see if you can fix up that bike you have out behind the shed?" What a clever thing she is! In 1995 I was given the boxed-up remains of a Kawasaki race bike that my friends in Canberra built for an endurance race here in 1981. It was always my intention to restore it "one day" and looking back on it now, it seems to be just the right time to do it. So, in May I started to strip the frame completely, assess what needed to be done and actually see if a restoration was possible. The results have been stunning. Not only is the restoration well-progressed, but it has grown from being a small project under my pergola to keep me busy while I recuperated, to a world-wide internet phenomenon, with people as far afield as the USA and the Netherlands following the project, offering help and advice and donating valuable and often unobtainable parts in order that the work continue. To say that the reaction to the project has blown me away is the understatement of the year. You can (if you wish) read about the whole thing, on my blog site where a special chapter is set aside to documenting the project as it proceeds. http://www.halfofmyl...ax-restoration/ Amazingly, this project has rekindled my passion for motorcycling to the extent that I am seriously thinking about riding again as well, something I thought would never happen. Thanks for your time again. And thanks again for all your good wishes. They really do mean a lot to me. You can find me on Facebook...Phil Hall And here's the link to my Facebook bike restoration album. You don't have to be a FB member to view it. https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150247885815757.378368.785170756&type=1&l=b7713afe52 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Phantom Posted October 26, 2011 Share Posted October 26, 2011 Love it! Will be joining the throngs in following the restoration. Do you happen to know Kevin Whitby? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 26, 2011 Share Posted October 26, 2011 Love it! Will be joining the throngs in following the restoration. Do you happen to know Kevin Whitby? Heck, yes. Known him for years. Great guy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Phantom Posted October 27, 2011 Share Posted October 27, 2011 I though you would. I met him about ten years ago through the VFR scene, we are in touch from time to time. He is indeed a great guy. I have a great photo of him sweeping through the Cutting at Bathurst in 1976, on a 250 Yamaha IIRC? His ever-growing collection of British bikes is certainly impressive! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 27, 2011 Share Posted October 27, 2011 https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150334669250757&l=1978cfa9e7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer VFR Capt.Bob Posted October 27, 2011 Member Contributer Share Posted October 27, 2011 What an amazing idea to restore an old bike to it's original glory as is the builder himself likewise restored to his original passion. There's a story in there you should keep a journal. Never know what you'll have on your hands when you're finished. Keep on keeping on. There's an old expression for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 27, 2011 Share Posted October 27, 2011 What an amazing idea to restore an old bike to it's original glory as is the builder himself likewise restored to his original passion. There's a story in there you should keep a journal. Never know what you'll have on your hands when you're finished. Keep on keeping on. There's an old expression for you. I am keeping a journal on my web site (the address is above). Shortly I'll be porting the whole thing to a dedicated web site just about the bike. And, yes, it will be restored to exactly as it was in 1981. "Keep on keeping one" was the motto of Dulux paints here in Australia (a long long time ago) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer TexOz Posted October 27, 2011 Member Contributer Share Posted October 27, 2011 Good on ya Phil - I'm really happy for ya mate! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Rice Posted October 27, 2011 Member Contributer Share Posted October 27, 2011 I hope to be hanging up my helmet having the same mindset as you do right now. Truth is, that there are plenty of things to do other than ride motorcycles. Enjoy your "retirement" and have fun doing all those other things! Best of luck to you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Phantom Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 https://www.facebook...57&l=1978cfa9e7 Cool pic! I was wrong about the photo I have of Kevin - it was from a race at OP not Bathurst: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 Wow, that looks awfully like one of my photos from Oran Park, or you were standing right beside me when you took it!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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