Hey All,
I'm the FNG you people refer to as a "Lurker", I expect. I've just been navigating around the site until I feel brave enough to post. I guess I'm past that now so here we go. True story:
Way back in 1977, when I was still wet behind the ears I returned home from USN boot camp. I had earned two weeks of leave before heading off to Millington, Tennessee for more aircraft training.
Just about three days, maybe four I borrowed a friends Kawasaki 900ZX two stroke rocket and decided to go over and impress my girlfriend. I called ahead so she would be looking for me when I arrived. The whole fam damily was out on the front porch when I showed up.
The Big Cow, thats what we liked to call the bike, had a bald rear tire and burned out front brakes. The road my former girlfriend lived on was a dead end cul-de-sac with a 45-degree grade on the backside.
During my attempt to "impress her", I became oblivious to the speed of the motorcycle. I quickly ran out of real estate before I could get the bike stopped.
It was during those first few moments while I was airborne that everything went into slow motion. I could see this huge pine tree coming straight for me. So, I bailed out...to the left, breaking off limbs of the tree. The Big Cow went on the right side of the tree and was not useful anymore after that day.
After I passed through the tree limbs, I was still about twenty-five feet in the air when I fell into a thin scrub pine that broke my fall wonderfully. So wonderful in fact that it just sat me down on the bank in the briar patch and sent me sliding into a barbed wire fence. Luckily, I wasn't shredded by the barbed wire since I centered a fence post. When I finally came to a full and complete stop was when my trusty full-face Bell helmet smashed on the fence post.
It was at this point that all the colors, sounds and even smells around me became very surreal. Here in Georgia we don't have Buffalo. At least I didn't know of any. However, on this day I discovered Buffalo in this pasture where my legs now were sticking through the fence...and the Buffalo were heading towards me.
When I hit the ground after the scrub pine I heard something pop and something sting very bad on my left thigh. After I very quickly realized my legs were about to be trampled I somehow mustered enough energy to get out from under the fence, take two steps up hill and collapsed.
Later on, I woke up at the hospital where the doctor informed I that I had a broken scapula, cracked pelvis, ruptured kidney and a mild concussion. Then he presented me with the helmet. This helmet was broken at the mouth and at the forehead. The doc said it saved my life.
This experience happened to me when I was only 18. I have only ridden a few times since the accident and it just never was the same.
One day last year I was over at an acquaintance's house to discover his neighbor had a 2003 Triumph Speedmaster he couldn't get to run. Or, run for any length of time. He was just cursing and moaning, throwing tools and such. Finally I said something like "What a shame to have such a nice bike and not be able to ride it." Well, he went off; said" If you want the f---in' bike you can have it for $500.00!". At the time, I had the cash and my truck with me. I paid him and he wrote me a bill of sale and I now have a beautiful bike that I promptly removed the AI and the mud dobbers nests from the tank vent, cleaned the carbs, changed the fuel and she started right up.
I have put the "Accident" behind me for, what is a life without some excitement. Worse yet, what is a life lived in fear? I have a healthy dose of respect each time I get on but....I'm Back In The Saddle Again!
DKW
