I need to vent.

[Badcat]

Howdy!

It's been a while since I have shown my ugly mug around here. But I am having a rough time and this is the best place to discuss this problem.

A little less than two years ago I was in an wreck that destroyed my beloved 2006 FJR, broke my shoulder and changed my life. After the accident I was ready to ride again but my body was not. The wife was scared she had lost me when she first heard of the wreck. Luckily, I came home but the fear is still with her. For a while I convinced myself that I could find another hobby or activity that would "replace" riding. BULLSHIT, IT AIN"T NEVER GONNA HAPPEN! Not riding has left what I describe as a hole in my soul. Other than my good friend SkooterG, I have lost touch with so many fantastic people that I sometimes get a tear in my eye as I think about the past. The other day I came across some pictures I took of my bike after finishing a farkeling session and cleaning it up and it ruined my day. All of the work, more like a labor of love, that went into that machine is gone. My plan in 2010 was to increase my riding and to hit 2 or 3 LD rallies with an ultimate goal of an IBR attempt in 5 years or so.

With all of that said, I am going to work my way back on to two wheels somehow. It may not be at the level I was a couple of years ago but damn it life is too short to be bored and unhappy. The hardest part will be convincing my loving spouse but I will somehow make it happen.

To my fellow FJR enthusiasts, please be safe and never pass up an opportunity for a ride. You never know when it will be your last.

Burk

"BadCat"

 

[doug5551]

Hey BadCat,

You were going to print my bonus pictures for me at White Stag during your last ride.

I still remember you, and look forward to seeing you somewhere down the road.

All I can send is good wishes as you go down the difficult path, and I hope it will all work out for the best!

 

[Fontanaman]

BadCat - I feel your pain. Heart touching story. Thank you for posting it.

Best wishes getting back into riding again.

 

[trimmantom]

Sometime circumstances of life get in the way of what we want.

I know how you feel cause I was out of a ride for almost 2 years.

Just try and be patient and things will come around for you.

Best of luck.

 

[FastJoyRide]

Your wife can't help feeling how she feels either. Until you help her to understand that this sport (while inherently dangerous) can be pursued with a high degree of safety, then you're stuck between a rock and a hard place. I wish you luck and would be happy to help in any way that I can. Feel free to PM me if you'd prefer to take this offline.

After riding through a deer on the back of our FJR in 2008, Sylvia's only question/comment was: if you can't get this fixed in time for us to ride the 3 Flags at the end of August, then you need to find us another FJR! Gotta love that girl (and I do)

 

[ShowMeMo]

I bet with your improved 'state of mind' with a new bike, your spouse would be happier too!

 

[kaitsdad]

Burk,

You're gonna pick up another FJR, you're gonna ride it to my house, and we're gonna install a cruise on it. Just like the last time.

Then we'll toast John's memory with a couple of beers.

 

[FJRay]

I know the reverse feeling. After my wife totaled her bike and almost herself when she got hit by a truck I was sure had lost my riding partner. It took her 2 1/2 years but this year she said I'm going to ride again. She was tired of sitting on the back or seeing me head out the driveway without her. She isn't all the way there but the confidence is building and is looking foward to spring. The only downside is it's a Harley and chrome is spendy but the grin on her face is worth it

 

[Usul]

It was almost exactly 2 years ago I was riding to work one morning on my ZRX through a gauntlet of onramps and offramps and was creamed by a guy who couldn't go from the onramp to the fastlane fast enough. The bike was totaled but luckily I was not hurt too bad. Anyway, I was in the same position you are with the wife (and kids) and wanting to get back into something I loved. I finally did what I knew I was going to do eventually anyway and bought a new bike. I was a little surprised at how nervous I was on it for the first couple hundred miles and honestly still am. I don't think I'll ever ride in the same carefree manner I did before but that's probably a good thing that came out of it...and I take a different way to work.

Anyway, none of us has a death wish but we all take a risk to do something we love to do and that brings enjoyment into our lives. Hope you get back on two wheels again soon.

 

[dcarver]

Burk,

You're gonna pick up another FJR, you're gonna ride it to my house, and we're gonna install a cruise on it. Just like the last time.

Then we'll toast John's memory with a couple of beers.

Well said Hal.

Welcome back Burk! :yahoo:

 

[Badcat]

Burk,

You're gonna pick up another FJR, you're gonna ride it to my house, and we're gonna install a cruise on it. Just like the last time.

Then we'll toast John's memory with a couple of beers.

You got it!

Burk

 

[Niehart]

Burk,

You know you were missed. Still smile when I think about our sneak on Don in Page AZ.

Dave B

 

[Badcat]

Burk,

You know you were missed. Still smile when I think about our sneak on Don in Page AZ.

Dave B

That was a classic and I still have the pictures...I think Pinhead is still in shock over that.

b

 

[Tyler]

Burk, I don't think we know each other but I completely and totally understand what you are going through. For me, the risk of 2-wheels was too great after my accident for my poor body to possibly endure even one small incident. So I found a way to adapt via a Can Am Spyder. No it ain't quite the same as 2-wheeled vehicle but it still allows me to have the sun on my face, the wind in my hair, and 1000 cc's between my legs... as well as a bit more stability to ease my mind and body. A large part of riding, at least for me, was the adventure, the experience of the world around me, the sights, the sounds, the people... and I can still do that just in a different way.

Don't rush... take your time... let your wife take her time... and when that time is right, the right decision will be right... right there. Alright?

 

[ShinyPartsUp]

I crashed and totalled a bike. I decided I better not ride. Six months later wife says, "Get a bike or I'll be miserable." So I bought the FJR. She still worries when I leave and looks relieved when I get home, but we both came to terms with the risk. The plus side is all I have to say is, "Honey, it [pick the gear of choice] will make it safer." And no questions asked. I still live with pain from that crash, but taking a safety course and getting better gear helped my wife relax a little bit. Easing into riding with short (1-2 hour) rides and building up from there helped my wife Kat get used to the idea I was going to come home in one piece.

Now we are planning our first longish 2-up ride together -- to NAFO 2012.

Good luck.

 

[beemerdons]

Burk,

You know you were missed. Still smile when I think about our sneak on Don in Page AZ.

Dave B

That was a classic and I still have the pictures...I think Pinhead is still in shock over that.

b

Shock or in total awe? pinhead Dave is still sending me love letters from that night! Burk, if you want to ease back in: Just show up with your riding gear and we will go out for short familiarization rides from Chandler. You ride my Miss Lucy Liu and I'll ride one of the Stanley Fleet. We'll ride out to Tortilla Flats or to Lake Roosevelt.

Badcat, on October 13, with ShinyPartsUp riding behind us, on Utah's Escalante Staircase (Route 12 near Torrey), we hit a very large mule deer head on aboard our 2012 BMW K1600GT. God helped me keep "Gisele" upright on her two wheels! To show you how bad the deer strike was, the repair bill for "Gisele" was $6,300+.

Like our FJRay above, I was not concerned about myself, but worried sick about the risk I had put my Son Seth in; you know that my Boy Seth is the Love of my Life.

I had decided to never take Seth (15) out as my motorcycle passenger again, but I received some wonderful reassuring thoughts and advice from Miss Tyler: And Father and Son Stanley Boys are back to riding together again. Thanks again Ty, you really helped me out psychologically and mentally to get over that big time fear hurdle!

Don Stanley-BeemerDonS [email protected] or 1-480-440-4666 Call me whenever you're fully ready and we'll both go out on a "Back In The Saddle" ride together.

 

[Bounce]

It's been a while since I have shown my ugly mug around here.

welcome back. glad to see you posting again. i hope it's more often. best of luck on getting back into riding. perhaps something that will get you on two wheels that's a little less heavy/aggressive? even if it's not an FJR i hope you stick around here.

To show you how bad the deer strike was, the repair bill for "Gisele" was $6,300+.

that's not a bad deer strike. that's just standard BMW pricing on parts.

Don Stanley-BeemerDonS *****@aol.com or 1-###-###-####

sent in the clear and not in a PM? really?

72 hour call tree alert! i'll take the 8pm to 10pm shift. who's taking the 3am to 4am shift?

 

[yamafitter]

To show you how bad the deer strike was, the repair bill for "Gisele" was $6,300+.

Very glad to hear that Seth and yourself came out of this OK but quoting the price of repairing a BMW on a Friday??

What were you thinking?

 

[beemerdons]

To show you how bad the deer strike was, the repair bill for "Gisele" was $6,300+.

Very glad to hear that Seth and yourself came out of this OK but quoting the price of repairing a BMW on a Friday??

What were you thinking?

Trust me, Bill; after 43 years of riding Kraut Krap I know full well what BMW stands for: BRING MORE WALLET!

But, I forwarded SkooterG a post between AAA Insurance and BMW of Salt Lake City referencing "Agreed Price"!

I think there's an amount on moto repairs the customer never sees, worked out between Shop and Insurance Co.!

Das Macht Nichts, Schon Gut! I'm hopelessly addicted to BMW's, I just can't wait for my "Gisele" to return home!