Bkizz

Holy packed garage!! I don't think you could have squeezed another bike in there if you wanted to. I'm glad the day went well! Did you guys sweat as much as I did yesterday? Just a little muggy! Oh well, I'll take this over snow any day.

Oh, it'll be there. I'm sure of that! BUMP!!! Come on guys, spread the word and pray for good weather!

Ouch, that's a late schedule. I get off work at 4:30pm. Maybe Brian will have time this week to help?

I just got off the phone with Lee, and he said I won't see the landing gear stand untill Monday b/c he lives in a po-dunk town in AZ and the closest shipping port is in Las Vegas, NV. He sent it 2 day air but it will take a day just to get to NV. So with that said, here is Saturday's agenda: First things first the brakes need to be bled b/c there is air in the lines. Then, I want to get the shifter fabricated and installed...there WILL BE some welding involved with this. The bike needs to be ridden around and the shifter tested and tweaked to make sure it's working properly. After that, I would like to get the actuator (thing that lowers landing gear) wired up. Once the kit goes on this week, the wires from the switch will already be in place. Last thing is I wanted to do an oil change. We can also brain storm ideas for the foot plates that will be welded to the pegs. Brian, do you think your welder buddy could stop back in durring the week once the kit goes on? I totally agree. Not trying to be a dick either but I just need a few people to knock this stuff out. Todd, since I won't be able to do the kit until this week, do you think you could help me one evening? I will be there at 9:00ish. If you could come then, do it! If not, get there as soon as possible.

Brian, I talked to John Mathis and he said he can help me trailor the bike over on Saturday. The only catch is we would have to shoot for being there around 9:00 or a little after because he is hosting the Tech day out in Pickerington at 10am. I have no problem sitting in your parking lot for an hour if that's cool with you. Maybe that will give me time to grab some breakfast before the fun begins. That leads me to this question...who wants to give us a hand on Saturday morning? We will be messing with the shifter first...I may not have the landing gear kickstand untill later in the day. I also need to get the wiring for the landing gear sorted out and soldered up. I need to get ahold of Lee and figure out if he was able to ship it out yesterday. I'm getting more and more excited as this gets closer!

Yep, you nailed it. If I can't feel pain then I am hurting myself and don't know it. That is actually a great idea! I still have the bookbag I was wearing in the accident that they cut off me. The padded straps would work great. Thanks! I really like this idea and it seems safer than velcro that may hold too much.

Thanks! Are you busy on Saturday?? Thanks again Brian. As I said above, I am hoping to have the bike in the shop this weekend if that works for you. In the event that I get the kickstand later than Saturday, we can still start on the shifter and get that squared away. I am still looking into getting the leg strap material figured out. I want to get something that is slightly padded and then I can sew a piece of velcro for it to attach with. Any ideas?

BAD ASS!! Brian, is there anyway it can be done at your shop?? The bike is not rideable right now so I still have to figure out how to get it over there. As far as tools are concerned, it won't take much. The kit is very simple to put together. There is a plate that gets bolted under the seat that will need to have some holes drilled in it. Basically, the kit itself is made to be bolted on but I may want to have the actuator bracket welded for strength. You will have to see it to know what I am talking about. The designer of the kit is also sending me a how-to video. We will need to cut and re-weld an unused exhaust hanger to mount the electric shifter. The actuator is controlled by a switch on the right control just above the starter button. That will need to be wired up and soldered...I already have the switch mounted in the handle bar controls. The last thing would be to find some flat metal plating to weld to the foot pegs. You can see in this video how he has his set up with grip tape on top. I bet a band saw could be useful for that but we could get away with using something else. A vice is also a must but I assume you have that covered. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwB7I92BXCM PS: My kit is basically exactly like his but mine is a little more refined. Thanks Todd, you're the man! I'm thinking if Brian can do it at his shop, that would be nice b/c it's closer. I would like to have the bike in town if at all possible. I may still need a hand moving it though.

To be honest, the drill press won't really be all that necessary. After looking things over, there won't be many holes to make anyway. A regular drill will do the job. A saws-all or cut off wheel would be helpful.

All right, this is GOING TO HAPPEN! I officially have almost all the parts to my landing gear kit. All I am waiting for now is the actual kick stand itself which will be shipped out today. I have the shifter, actuator and all aluminum hardware to make the kit work. My goal is to have the bike DONE for my benefit on June 19th!! Todd (1000rrrider) is going to give me a hand with transporting the bike to get this stuff installed. We talked about doing it out at his place but I wanted to see if there was anyone local who would be willing to help with this project in their garage. The kit is actually pretty simple to install but there will be some fab work required since it is not built bike-specific. I need access to a drill press and someone who can tig weld aluminum. I will also need to cut and re-weld an exhaust hanger to mount the shifter where I want it. It would be cool to get this stuff powdercoated once it is done so it is not bare metal...but I may just have it painted. Anyone know someone who could handle this? Paul from paintworks has my plastics right now. I have not taked to him in a couple weeks but I really hope I can have them back late next week. Please let me know if you are willing to help! I really want to see this come together by the 19th. I will not be doing the 150 mile ride but how cool would it be for you guys to see my first ride at the benefit?! That would be bad ass!

Don't worry, there will be several different groups to ride with. I'm sure others feel the same way.

I will be there as long as the weather holds out. I will probably be the only one rockin the wheelchair.

My new plate came in. Who knew my initials could be put to good use.

I just got back from Iron Pony and left a bunch of flyers at the parts desk and some up at the front security guard's desk by the checkout counters. I was not able to talk to Alan or Frank about it but I will be calling them tomorrow. Hopefully they will be cool with us using the back of the lot.

Here's the flyer...Pass this out! I am on my way over to Iron Pony to make sure it will be ok with them to use the parking lot for a little while.

For now, I am just gonna run the front but I am looking into dual levers that control both front and rear. The idea of grabbing too much rear brake still scares me a little though. I've also seen people rig a thumb brake under the left hand grip for the rear brake. I may go with that option. Still, I rarely used my rear brake even before my accident...unless I had a passenger and I don't see that happening! We will see. I hope you can make it! The more, the better.

It's actually pretty cool. It's an electric shift cylinder that hooks up to the shift lever. I will have 2 buttons on the left handgrip for up/down shifts. It has a module that kills the ignition for a fraction of a second between shifts so you can safely do clutchless shifting. You can also do clutchless downshifting too...just not really fast. I will still need to use the clutch for take offs and stuff. Here's the web site: check it out. http://www.pingelonline.com/eshifter.htm

Yes, it does run but the body is torn down to the frame and the front brakes need bled badly...I think air got in the lines when it was sitting on it's side. Good news is I got the shifter in the mail yesterday! The kit is really nice and I have already planned out where I want to have it mounted. I am also working on building a switch into the handle controls for the landing gear. I don't want some crappy switch hanging off to the side.

Damn right, I'm gonna pimp that bitch out. haha j/k I've already been rocking an OR sticker on the back of my current chair for a while. Gotta represent! I have people ask about it all the time.

Mack, I can't thank you enough. I think you found my chair! Yea, it's not nearly as nice as the one I tried out before but who cares?! Beggars can't be choosers and at that price, it sure as hell beats the $10K for the other one. (yes...$10k for a chair...wtf!) So, now you can see what I am gonna use this $ on.

GOOD LOOKING OUT!! I will have to give them a call today and get some more info on that. It looks kind of janky but functional. Shweeet!

It's true, being paralyzed from the chest down SUCKS!! I can't shit, piss or have sex the same anymore...stop and think about that! Three of the greatest things in a man's life gone. So if I want to ride a bike again, I'm gonna. Fuck it. Gotta get some pleasure out of life, right? I refuse to worry about "what ifs" all the time. In some strange way, this injury has been a blessing because I don't take things for granted anymore...or get stressed out about insignificant stuff. I have a huge problem with people who do. If they only knew how much time and energy they waste on a daily basis... It may sound cliche but my biggest goal at this point is to focus on stuff I can still do. And to tell you the truth, I can still accomplish more than you would think. There were literally times in rehab that I saw a bus go by and contemplated rolling in front of it. I thought "I am no good now...how can I kill myself?" It was all so scary. I couldn't imagine living my life like this. All the things I had plans for would never be the same. "Will I have kids? Will anyone want to marry me now? Where will I live? How will I do the things I always did before?" That shit is enough to drive you insane. So what did I do? Delt with it and tried to maintain an good attitude. What else am I supposed to do? I am a good person, a strong person and still have a good head on my shoulders. I know I am worth something and that is not always easy to admit. Long story short, if you are willing to help me stand again I will owe you big time! I was just thinking of the possibilities and there will be so much more I can do standing up. Just the feeling of being taller than girls again will be rewarding in itself.

I did a tandem jump last spring. I personally wouldn't want to do an AFF it I hadn't ever jumped with someone else before. The guy I went with had thousands of jumps under his belt so I felt confident I was in good hands. It was one hell of a ride too!

You could use paypal to bkinney@student.cscc.edu or send a check to: Brian Kinney Foundation PO BOX 648 Dublin, OH 43017 Thanks!! It is a regular style wheelchair that has hydraulic arms (like on a hatchback) that assist in raising you up. The nice thing is you can stop it in any position between sitting or standing. Check it out! http://www.levousa.com/lae/lae-product-brochure.html

No no, I don't expect OR to fund my house. I see what you mean by it sounding extreme...but I am simply asking for help. As I said, this is what I really need. I have looked high and low for grants to help with modifications but I have gotten no where. All right, here's what I have decided. I have already used $$ donated so far for the shifter and I already plunked down my own cash for the landing gear. From here on out, I DO NOT want people to be donating toward the bike. I feel it is only right that if I am going to take the risk, that I be financially responsible for it. You will all see me back on the bike...I have no doubt about that. I am already full force in the project and Todd will be helping me transport the bike probably next week to get to work on installing the kit. I won't tell you the cost of the standing chair but it is as much as nice used car...fucking rediculous it costs that much but it's all about demand...and cripples need this stuff. I have looked into all funding options and insurance gave me the finger. They said it is not "medically necessary" but they also said that when I needed to buy a shower chair. Shady bastards. I think showering is necessary, don't you?!