[Red Rider]

So I did a little trekking through the Sierras last week, and a good bit of too much food, too little sleep - ya know, the good life. Live it while you can. Anyways, by Saturday morning I was probably not in the best frame of mind for going down the twisties of some unknown canyon road......and paid the price. Red & I took a slide, hit a tree, and generally made it a bad morning.

Details are real fuzzy for a bit, as I had hit my head pretty good, but then I was suddenly in a restaurant drinking ice water. The report is passers-by helped me get my bike up and pulled the engine guard out of the way of the brake pedal/shift levers and I rode into the nearest town. Funny how your brain works, hiding the bad crap from ya.

I had a tiny bit of biscuits & gravy - and a beer, for medicinal purposes. But as I was still 100+ miles from home I only waited about an hour before heading out for the long trip home. Had to make a few more stops than normal, though it is hard for me to recall just how many. I do remember nearly falling asleep about 30 miles from home after getting gas.

My poor Ol' Red took a beating, but it could have been worse. Engine guards - totally twisted, but they saved me again. Right-side signal lights spin around like wind gauges. Windshield demolished - but I did appreciate what worse it would be had that been a fairing. Need a new heat shield on my front cylinder pipe. No frame or fork damage that I can see, and it did ride home fine. Haven't gone over her fully yet, as I'd been hurting too much all over to hoist her up and crawl around inspecting.

Since it was a cold morning with over 3 ft of snow I had full leather protection and so no road rash, other than a tiny cut on my nose. Most force taken was on my upper left forehead area (but that was by the helmet and on softer dirt) and my left hip, but I'm already a lot less sore than I was Sunday, and the limp is gone. Got all my vision back in my left eye, too!

The takeway - I knew I shouldn't have pushed myself that morning, as I was worn out to begin with. So I was a wreck just waiting for a spot to happen in. But I do feel proud that I was back in the saddle and riding before I even knew it!

[skull2007]

glad you made it good to see ya typin. that left eye thing don't sound real good though, did ya see a doctor? woundn't hurt to have em take a gander inside your eye make sure it's really better. did about the last summer now i have a plate in my wrist and alittle scarring from the damn road rash, but god still don't want me and the devel don't need the competition, so here i am. sounds like the bike did pretty good, and you must be damn tough. you old CPO's really don't ever die, sounds like you just kept marching. don't know if i could have done like you did; you made the best of a bad thing. glad you made it home

[drillsarge]

SWABBIES are tuffern I thought glad you're ok

[AFNurse]

I am glad that you are doing well! Due to the vision thing, I would encourage you to at least talk to your doc.....in person..... make sure the noodle and everything connected is wired correctly (or as close as can be!) Can't hurt anything but the pocketbook to ensure you are ok......flip side is that something isn't quite right and you pay a bigger price later on. Good luck getting everything back up and running!
Nurse

[Red Rider]

Thanks ya'll, but I need to clarify: never was a CPO, went to the Dark Side (as my Senior Chief brother says) and got commissioned after over a decade with a white hat on. I sure did a lot of swabbing, though, when I was an enlisted Sailor.

[cowboy]

yep Red Rider your a lucky man , good to here all most all is ok with you & ole Red , now with a hit on the ole bean i would think about what AFN said & have it realy looked at I think I have the front heat shield from My 03 E Glide if you need it , Let me know & I'll see where I put it a few years back , I know there in a box in the garage

[chucktx]

very glad to hear your ok red.....could have been a lot worse! i am also agreeing with afn.....get the noggin checked to make sure you dont "blackout" one fine day riding and hurt yourself or someone else!!! let us know if ya need anything....a lot of us have extra parts lying around!!!!............

[FLHTbiker]

Gee whiz Red, ditto on what AFN said as you could have a concussion. Really sorry about what happened and really glad to hear your OK. I thought I was a pretty tough dude to and one morning it hit me like a tone of bricks. Bikes can always be repaired But really get yourself checked out.

This has been a really cold spring for sure and our chapter canceled for the first time the Blossom Festival Ride to Hood River Oregon due to snow.

Get better so you can be back on the bike soon. I was a Navy guy to, Vietnam but as we get older were not quit as tough as we used to be.

[SK]

Damn Red..sure glad you're still with us to share your tale. Ditto what the rest said about getting checked out by the doc. Don't ride again until ya do. Sounds like your bike did better than mine did last Summer..though all the body fairing parts on the FJR damage too easily and are expensive, but covered by insurance (actually didn't cost a dime as I did all the work myself).

Been thinking about re-enlisting as an officer RN in the Army..though do I want to spend what I now consider the prime of my life with the Army telling me where to go? I'm 50 and wouldn't retire until I'm 62.

[FriendGregory]

Hey Red Rider, I thought we all agreed to be ready for the ride before getting on our bikes. Please take the lesson, I like seeing you posts.

Hehe, then you did not remember the ride to the diner. The cool thing is many folks are not tough enough to ride when there is 3 feet of snow but, someone I know is.

[wvak47]

Dang Red, sorry to hear about the bike. Glad she was ridable and you were still able to ride. If you banged the mellon that hard I have to agree with everyone else get it check man. I never want to read a post someone else is making on your behalf telling us worse news. Head injuries can cause all kinds of crazy crap to happen even way after we think they are better. I am too new to this game to have much in the way of parts to help ya, but I will sure send all the moral support in the world your way. Stay safe man.

[skull2007]

Originally Posted by Red Rider

Thanks ya'll, but I need to clarify: never was a CPO, went to the Dark Side (as my Senior Chief brother says) and got commissioned after over a decade with a white hat on. I sure did a lot of swabbing, though, when I was an enlisted Sailor.

sorry about the demotion. but if you don't get that eye checked out you'll end up really looking like one of those rankless sailors with an head rag, eye patch and parrot on your shoulder. then will be the question of if by law the parrot should wear eye protection and a helmet when you ride. go easy on yourself and take advanage of those medical benefits you earned a hundred times over

[Tiny86]

I hate to talk about the what if's but I burred a friend 2 months ago about the same thing happened, coming home from work tired him and his wife hit a slick spot on a curve in the road went down. He hit his head and got up thought every thing was ok got the bike up rode it home he took his helmet off and turned his head and died, his neck was broke, when he turned his head it severed his spinal cord, his wife didn't have a scratch on her and she went with the ambulance and got checked out. Riding tired is never a good thing I know we've all done it but also not going to the doc asap is not a good thing something could be really wrong and you not know it.Its called MOI [Mechanism of Injury]the force in witch your body hits an object ie ground, tree, suddenly. So take the time a go see ol Doc make sure every thing is alright, then get that scooter fixed and get back on the road.I'm glad your OK and are able to to be here among friends.


Tiny EMT-I

[Red Rider]

I ain't "Mr. Tough Guy", but as a 4-yr firefighter (back in NC before we used air packs) and 27 year veteran I've had more concussions than most NFL quarterbacks. Been concussed by collapsing buildings, wrecks and arty. And so I have more than a scant knowledge about head trauma and what can or can't be done. If my neck was broke and I needed to friggin' live in a hospital bed for a few years, well, I'd rather die. If I had cerebral bleeding and the pressure had grown so I started to get bug-eyed and had to have my skull drilled, I'd rather die. We all die someday - but too many people won't believe that. I'd rather it not be in a hospital bed. Odds are it will be, but not if I can help it.

Besides, the horrific catastrophe of global warming is going to take us all out next Tuesday, anyway. Or maybe taking vitamins, or playing on Astro turf as a child, or eating food with flavor, or...fill in the friggin' blank!

I do appreciate your concern.............but it is largely wasted. I've seen far too much death to worry that much about my own. Insurance is paid up, too. Note my sig line? It is more than just a line in my life. As that great, spinach eating Sailor said: I y'am what I y'am!

Already started fixing the bike. Fender ordered, new engine guards arrive this PM, beat the floor board and brake pedal arm back to serviceable (until I can find some shiny new chrome I want to replace it with). Got a 1000 mile run in 2 weeks, so that is more a priority than smelling antiseptic and being told to "here's some Tylenol - take it easy for a few days" after 4 hours waiting in an ER reception.

I'd end this with "Ride Safe" - but riding is never safe. We're all lving that much closer to the edge than cagers when we ride. Four wheels is a ton safer than two. But we do it anyway, and most of us pay the price - sometimes repeatedly. But we do it anyway. Why? Because we can.

[drillsarge]

Originally Posted by Red Rider

I'd end this with "Ride Safe" - but riding is never safe. We're all lving that much closer to the edge than cagers when we ride. Four wheels is a ton safer than two. But we do it anyway, and most of us pay the price - sometimes repeatedly. But we do it anyway. Why? Because we can.

Well said

[voodoo1]

I hop you and Red make a full recovery. As they say there are only two types of riders,
ones that have been down and ones that will be down. Glad to hear you are one that got back up too. The alternative is not one anyone likes to hear about. Know a little bit too much about that myself.

[SK]

Ride on Red.....

[cowboy]

Red very well put , & A good look at life itself , it starts & it ends the fun for the most part is in the middle , enjoy the 1000 mile ride

[JohnnyReb]

Allright, Red, you made your point.


Just chalk it up as a lesson learned...again....and don't do it anymore, okay?