The Last Sarris Suzuki & More

[alanmcorcoran]

...pretty bike. me likey the chopper. I, too, thought avatar was fake. Of little faith I guess.

The foot crushin' kind of puts the Comike admonishment in perspective.

(Here's more fuel for your fire Sarris: I got clipped by a '68 Mustang while crossing a two-lane in '74. Snapped my leg cleanly in half, and the traffic would have finished me had I not instinctively crawled out of the street. Over a week in the hospital, morphine, surgery, the whole bit. Point of my story? I still walk across the damn street by God! And, often, not even at the light! And I ain't afraid of no Mustangs either. [Well, maybe green ones, a little.])

Seriously, it sucks to be busted up like that, and the older you are when it happens the harder it is to get things back close to normal. I salute you and your balls for defying "sensibility."

[Sarris]

Thanks for your understanding. But it has less to do with sensibility than a love of biking. You and I are close in age, so you know what a challenge it is to come back, but you gotta keep the faith and have the fortitute to keep doing what you love to do. For me this has been a life long hobby/commitment, not a temporary program to save gas. I ride daily and use my bikes as my main form of transportation.

Peace.

:chop:

[Graydog]

Hmm. Maybe there ought to be a forum for such stories. You know....where we can compare scars like the scene in "Jaws" where they are outdoing each others scars one by one while the shark cruises outside. Wonder how many total broken bones, scars, days in hospitals, etc. are on the forum as a result of "big ones"? I've never had one that put me out for six months. Gotta give you a "brass monkey balls" award for still riding.

[Sarris]

You had to ask for the "story", didn't you?? Please read my post above yours, it's really a commitment and a life long passion for me.

LOL

Sarris

:lol: :lol:

[Graydog]

Were you a lot younger then? In the mid 60s a large dog (that chased me every day as I rode by) misjudged his speed and mine and ended up under my front tire. Lost control, crashed bike, broke bones, killed dog. (we put him out of his misery with a shot gun. He was messed up worse than me.) My best buddy helped me rip off mangled parts of the bike, replace handlebars, and the next day I was riding again with arm in cast.

But I was young (17) and knew everything. Now I am old, dumb, and would never survive the same crash.

[Sarris]

No, I was 49 in 2006 when the accident occured (I'm 51 now). It really hurt like hell. My age wasn't the reason it took so long to heal, it was the severity of the injury. The bones healed pretty fast and I had day surgery to remove wires that protruded out of the ends of my 4 small toes after the first 2 months, but the crushed blood vessels and crushed muscles took the longest to mend. I was riding my new HD within a week after I got out of the wheelchair, but walking with a cane and taking physical therapy for 3 months afterwards. My foot and ankle were technicolor for almost a year.

Believe me, it was one of the worst thing I've ever gone through. I will tell you that I was a bit paranoid for the first ride or two, but it felt great to get back into the saddle. No way I'll ever give up riding, I enjoy it way too much. I walk without a pain or a limp, so what more can I ask??

Sounds like you were pretty lucky when you wrecked too. Don't sell yourself short, you can survive a hell of a lot more damage than you think. Just always remember that prudent riders live longer than moron riders.

Ride safe brother.

[bonehead]

Originally Posted by Sarris

I thought I'd post some photos of my last Suzuki. It was a slightly modified 1996 VS1400 Intruder. :lol:







This was my last Yamaha. 2005 1700 Roadstar w/ about 120 hp.



Also had a 2005 Kawasaki Drifter 800.







Also did a black & white. Cool, huh?

Sarris, how did you like the drifter? any problems with it?

[Sarris]

Wow.. old post.

In the past I have said it was rather slow and generic, but in hindsight, it was only an 800 cc. I probably should have kept it and sold my GeeZee. For me, it would have made a better second bike.

After having a 1400 Intruder and a 1700 Roadstar I guess everything seemed a little slow. My Drifter had some very cool farkles on it and every one seemed to like the look.

It would make an excellent step up from the GeeZee and is very comfortable to ride (solo only!) and inexpensive to maintain.

[bonehead]

Well why I ask, Sarris , is I've got my eye on an '05 Nomad 1600 with 30,000 mi on it. Just was wondering about the reliability of Kawi now.

[Sarris]

My 2005 was great. Today? with the economy, who knows?

:??: