Pauly

I may look like shit, but at least my steed looks Aces. Time to put in some work.

Well, I haven't thumbed the starter yet. It's taken some time to get reacquainted with driving the car in traffic without getting jittery. I might be moving too fast but I won't know until the day comes. I am just pushing my comfort level slightly. It won't break my heart to park it for the season and just work on my golf game. I do know that I have to suit up and climb on sometime. I'd like to see some miles this year just to prove to myself that I am still inside this skin suit. The crash was rougher on my psyche than my body and I have some demons to evict. Better get cracking.

Giving the BMW some love. Driveshaft had a very slight bit of surface rust on two u-joint caps, but the splines looked good and well greased. I wiped down the driveshaft and fogged the housing with WD-40. Hopefully that will help with condensation. I flush and filled the final drive and inspected the drain magnet. Everything looks in order out back. I will have street rubber mounted next week. Time to shake off that crash and get back on my high horse.

@2talltim, do you look through that screen or above it?

Ordered a pair of Clearwater driving lights and a LED tail/brake light. I also ordered Dynamic Motorrad LED turn signal bulbs. Hoping to provide some proactive visibility to the BMW. I still think it was cheap on the part of zee Germans to not build the bike with LED signals from the factory, but what can you do? @RidersDiscount hooked me up with fresh Alpinestars Drystar jacket, pants and gloves and a new Arai XD4. I also have a Tech-Air 5 vest coming directly from Alpinestars. I am hopeful to be back on the road soon.

Right hand only. The left shoulder is still sore.

Holy shit!

Yes.

Thanks gang. I appreciate you. I will be investing in some A-stars Tech Air equipment, for sure. I do believe I would have come out far better off. The jury is still out regarding the modular style helmet. I have a tendency to ride with the chin bar raised when I am riding casually or in city limits. When I was on 212 just south of Beach City I had my helmet raised and I thought to myself, "Paul.. put the damn helmet down and stop being an idiot." Less than 10 minutes later I was sliding on my face. While I like to believe I have learned my lesson, I think it's just too easy to flip the chin bar and enjoy the breeze and sunshine. I might be riding in a full face Arai from now on. I haven't decided quite yet. I had one single stitch in my left leg and just some 3rd degree burns here and there. My left elbow was burnt from my elbow pad speeding from 0-60ish mph when I touched down. It is basically a heavy-duty rug burn. Same with my right knuckles, except that is from the heat generated from my glove sliding knuckles down on the pavement. My glove never tore or wore through, but the rubber "FOX" emblem is no longer glued to the glove. It's there, but it isn't attached. My knuckles had a nickel sized burn from the heat transfer. I had zero road rash anywhere but my knees and it was minor. My boots are scuffed pretty good, but they are still usable. Both of our left boots are covered in motor oil, which is how I know the engine case was busted at impact. It also left a long oil slick as it made its way off the pavement.

Well, time to let the cat out of the bag. Amanda and I were struck broadside on the 4th. We were heading to Muskie for a picnic lunch on the Goldwing. Somebody decided they wanted to pull into a driveway without slowing down or stopping first. We were both sent to the hospital in helicopters. I was treated for internal organ injuries and broken ribs. Amanda has a broken ankle, fibula and a gnarly set of laceration on her left thigh. We are both very grateful for the first responders, Dundee and Strasburg FD and LifeFlight/Cleveland Clinic teams for getting us to the hospital as quickly as they did. Several people stopped to help as they came upon the scene, but the only witness to the crash other than us and the minivan driver was a semi driver that didn't stop He was a contributing factor in the crash, as the driver's statement to the police was she didn't see us and was concerned the truck would run her over if she did stop before turning. The first thing I remember seeing is the semi on the van's tail very close and they were rolling very fast. The next thing I remember is the cab of the semi diving hard. I swerved right quickly to avoid the impending crash between the two vehicles only to be slammed into by the van in an instant after that maneuver. It was all over in a second. The crash scene investigators said the Goldwing left an 80' braking impression (not a skid mark, but powdered rubber) from the middle of the lane to about 24" to the fog line. They said if I hadn't changed my line I would have struck the van broadside in the right front fender and probably would be a completely different outcome. All of this was just reaction, as I literally had a second to make the move. 80' of tire mark is 1.07 seconds at 55mph. It was all over that fast. I went over the bars and through my windscreen. I landed on my face, left shoulder and chest. All of my damage occurred when I hit the pavement and slid. Amanda was pushed into the van, which caught her leg. It is presumed it was dislocated and broken at that point, which is why she wasn't sent airborne, but tumbled to a stop on the road. She didn't suffer any internal injuries, thankfully. Her left leg was black and blue from mid-thigh to her toes. She had two surgeries to treat and repair her ankle and a shitload of stitches in her thigh. The lacerations were 7-8" long and 4" wide, according to the trauma team. They believe she was pushed into whatever crash debris occurred from the initial impact that sent the bike rotating clockwise, which is why she was slammed into the van. Luckily she didn't take a direct hit. Neither of us did. The Goldwings flat-six took the punch since I was still in a very hard dive right, lifting the engine into the path of the van's front end. I am extremely grateful for that bike and how well it handled the impact. I believe I would have very serious damage to my left leg if I was riding the Voyager. It could have been worse. Our safety gear did it's job. My ribcage did it's job. I suffered a couple broken ribs, a bruised lung and a lacerated spleen. All of this will heal. Amanda's leg will heal. Honda makes new Goldwings every day. I made ALL of the right choices.... quality gear, quality bike, quality riding education/skills and I still got blasted by selfish individuals that just don't deserve to drive a vehicle on public roads. However, anger and resentment are poison that I just won't keep swallowing. She's home. I am home. She's safe and I am incredibly humbled to be alive and that Isaac doesn't have to bury his old man. We are already doing the work required to heal, build strength and the courage to climb back into the saddle. It will be different, now. That driver took something from us that we won't get back, but we are both determined to not let her selfish actions take away the joy of riding together. Amanda has been my stronghold when I started to go to dark places. She brought me back into the light several times and I have been by her side through all of this. We are stronger together now than I ever believed was possible before. She is amazing and I am in awe of her strength, spirit and capacity for love. Before I finish, I want to give a special acknowledgment to a couple people. First... @Tonik. Jim, you have been a far greater friend than I deserve. I look forward to getting back on the bike and finalizing those summer trip plans. It just probably won't happen this year. Please know you and Deb are on the very top of a short list of people I hold near and dear. If you ever need anything from us, consider it already done. @Blitz, you and Shannon are right next to them on that list. I can't wait to hug and kiss Shannon for the kindness she has offered. She brought a huge smile to Amanda's face with her surprise packages. She was genuinely moved and I was so grateful to see her smile because of it. @NinjaDoc, you are one of my absolute favorite human beings on this planet. Thank you for just being who you are. You helped me more than you know. I will catch you on a mountain pass sometime soon. @Skinny guy, Rick..... I am convinced the helmet you gifted me saved my life. I can't possibly put into words the gratitude I have for your lack of ego and immense quality of character. I hope you are doing well and I am very hopeful to chase that BMW of yours soon. To all the others that have been keeping in contact and sending their love and offerings of help... I love every one of you. I am grateful to know I have you all in my company of friends. I am surrounded by very fine individuals and it makes me proud to know that is also a reflection of my own character. I am humbled by the compassion and presence of each of you. It will be a while before I am climbing onto the BMW, but I will be back. I will just be blinding every one of you with 50k lumens of LED driving lights and wearing the latest and greatest in motorcycle safety gear available to mortals. Everything is different, now.... but it's always going to be about the ride. Catch you crazy kids down the road. Speed safe and take care of yourselves. I am going to attach some of the crash damage photos. They are just pictures of the Goldwing and our helmets. My Alpinestars jacket and her Atomic jacket were cut off of us at the crash site. All of our clothes were cut off of us, actually. Other than the dirt and grass that got jammed into the cylinder head when the bike finally fell over and the dirt on the fairings and pannier, all of the damage happened at the point of impact. The bike was vertical all the way until it fell over in the grass. We got blasted hard core and it just took the punch like a prize fighter. I am seriously impressed with that machine and just so glad it wasn't the Voyager.

So, 23 minutes of moaning sounds and kneecaps?

Man... you track riders are little whiny bitches.

Too late fellas. I already hit it and quit it.

Better than some clapped out SV650. Only faggots ride those.

One hundred RR, eh? You must be so fast.

If you use the right track school your intimidation will morph into inspiration and confidence. There are several quality individuals on this site with loads of track experience willing to share all of it with you. Keep your head straight and your attitude in check and you will benefit immensely from their knowledge. I suggest you introduce yourself in the track forum. That will give you the most exposure with those hooligans.

Welcome. Purty Honda.

@TimTheAzn

Love the VFR. Classic street bike perfection. Trick #2: Confidence is a byproduct of track days. Not the other way around. Get your gear and get out there. Welcome.

This is a clean Duc. Super fast. Super safe. Super duper sexy. Almost as sexy as the GSA.... almost. Good luck, Ben. Let me know if you decide to dip your toes back into the pool. I'll roll with you any day, Friend. Until then, we will always have beer and golf.

I may take the GSA w/ knobbies and put the BMW electronics through the gauntlet.

At least someone reads these threads.

I'm offended that Shaquille O'neal won't return my phone calls. I have some medical bills that require his attention.