I'm prepping for the ride over to the Big Lynn Lodge next weekend for the rally there, and I'm getting EXCITED. That weekend will be the July anniversary of being struck by a distracted driver while at the 2023 BLL Rally and spending 3 months in a hospital ICU/a rehab hospital/at home restricted to being in bed.
In October 2023, I was finally given permission by the surgeon who reconstructed me to start "slow progression weightbearing as tolerated. Continue range of motion as tolerated active and passive." Prior to this experience, I never imagined it would be such a thrill to walk (even with assistance) down the steps in front of my house, to the mail box, and back. But it was!
But even better, the next week my therapist asked what I wanted to do that day. So I admitted what I really wanted to do...put my leg over a motorcycle. So we walked down the steps (still with assistance), around to the garage, and pushed one of the bikes outside. With the therapist giving me some support (neither of us wanted me to land on the ground), I slid one leg over a bike. Having not been sure for 3 months if that would ever happen again, you would be correct if you thought I had a silly grin on my face.
I started walking each day with a walker, progressing to a cane, and finally walking without any extra support. My daily treks expanded from going to the mail box to a hundred yards and back, 1/4 mile, 1/2 mile, and more. After 2 months of daily walks, I finally stretched out my distance to 2-3 miles daily. But I still wasn't riding. And it was now early January and the weather was challenging (not much snow, but it was COLD). If I was going to ride again, I'd still have to do it the right way....ATGATT. And my flexibility was still challenged. Clambering in and out of an Aerostich plus insulated gear still seemed daunting.
On a more pleasant day in February, it was finally time. I pushed a bike out of the garage, did my pre-ride check, and spent a significant amount of time donning my gear. It was finally time and I mounted the bike. I pressed the starter and was pleasantly surprised that it started after having sat for over 6 months with little attention. I rode all the way around the block (near 1/2 mile) and decided that was a good start and good enough for the first day. I sure didn't want to drop the bike far from home and find I couldn't pick it up.
Around that time, Roger White was putting together a group of folks to head out to Redmond, Oregon for the BMW MOA rally in June. If I needed some incentive, that seemed to be it. I registered for the event and started planning. I had purchased a 1993 BMW K75S one week before the accident the previous year, but I hadn't ridden it yet. Roger had picked up the bike for me while I was in the hospital and had ridden it a few miles, but it was still in his garage. It was time for it to come home. Roger rode it over to my house and I drove him home. Over the next few weeks, I rode the K75S several times along with giving some attention to the rest of the fleet. (I'm badly afflicted with MBS-Multiple Bike Syndrome.)
I'm now back from Oregon and excited to attend my first MSTA event in a year.
The K75S turned out to be a good travel companion. I find the rock-hard Corbin saddle on the bike to be pretty comfortable. The previous owner installed a set of bar risers...i'm glad. I misjudged the number of miles left in the tires before heading to Oregon and had to have them replaced in Utah. And like many folks, found that replacing tires on a vintage bike can be challenging. I wouldn't have thought that to be the case, but I have learned better now.
I have to thank the members of the MSTA for their support during my recovery. Phone calls, cards, etc., all helped. And the financial help that was given was also a godsend. The person who struck me was a single parent, had the bare minimum insurance allowed in North Carolina, had a low paying part-time job, and lived in a rental unit. That person was doing the best they could, but it wasn't enough.
