Decade Away

[rlbowers3]

It's been TEN YEARS since I last posted. September of 2009 I was well into the Retirement process, leaving the Army after some 26 years. My 'Busa riding days were far behind me.

My eyes were now caught on a much smaller bike, the 2008 Kawasaki Versys.

My wife purchased that Versys from City Cycle Sales, Junction City KS for $5K +tax and set it up as a surprise for me.
I rode that bike for the next 6 years! It finally died with 111,000 miles on it.

Kansas to Idaho, Idaho to Atlanta GA, to Yuma AZ, to Dallas TX, to Fresno CA, etc...

 

[rlbowers3]

That's not to say it didn't have it's problems.
Mainly that even though it LOOKS like a dirt bike, it most certainly IS NOT!

I tried chasing the kids on their dirt bikes. Didn't work out so good.

I removed the broken plastics and kept riding!

(Atlanta)

(Yosemite)

(Tan Paint, El Paso TX)

 

[mabupa]

It's been TEN YEARS since I last posted. September of 2009 I was well into the Retirement process, leaving the Army after some 26 years. My 'Busa riding days were far behind me.
View attachment 1605074

View attachment 1605075
My eyes were now caught on a much smaller bike, the 2008 Kawasaki Versys.
View attachment 1605076
My wife purchased that Versys from City Cycle Sales, Junction City KS for $5K +tax and set it up as a surprise for me.
I rode that bike for the next 6 years! It finally died with 111,000 miles on it.

Kansas to Idaho, Idaho to Atlanta GA, to Yuma AZ, to Dallas TX, to Fresno CA, etc...

View attachment 1605077

Welcome back. What’s the versys going to be replaced with?

 

[rlbowers3]

And I found it hard to keep up with maintenance while riding, and I paid a heavy price!

My chain broke!
When it breaks it takes out a small external oil pipe and all the oil leaks out.

I have found that I can get roughly 11,000 miles on a chain if I severely neglect it. I know that because .... I did it TWICE!

 

[rlbowers3]

When I got to 87,000 miles on "El Burro" I started having problems. My stator was going bad, forks needed to be rebuilt, and all the normal maintenance that I had never done, well...it was time. So I bought another one to ride while the old one was in the shop.

Checked the valves, all good. Changed out the original spark plugs (!!!), and got new tires, chain, and sprockets.

I sold Versys #2 to pay for the service and kept riding.

 

[rlbowers3]

At 100,000 miles I figured that I should start looking for a replacement. They don't last forever, right?

I flew up to Spokane WA and bought #3 and rode 7hrs back home.

That one took me on a fantastic trip to Milwaukee and the Harley Davidson Museum.

What a great bike!!! When I bought it, Empire Cycle in Spokane, it was $3700 and only had 3200 miles on it. Pretty good deal.

 

[rlbowers3]

I didn't own a car from 2010 until 2017. I rode my Versys everywhere.

12 October 2017 was a Thursday. I went to a Combat Vets Support Group in Boise. I was heading home at about 8 pm, just a few miles from home, when a lady made a fast Left turn in front of me. I never saw it coming.

My wife was just about 30 seconds late (luckily) for the accident. She took the pictures.

Head on collision with a Subaru!

 

[rlbowers3]

I flew over the car, landing feet first about 30 feet beyond. Broke toes on both feet, bones in both feet, both knees, pelvis, a few vertibre, my left elbow and right thumb (both minor).

I spent the whole rest of October in the Trauma ward, all of November in Rehab, and the next three months at home in a hospital bed and wheelchair.

 

[rlbowers3]

In March of 2018 I started physical therapy. It was late May, early June before learning how to walk again.

After regaining some mobility I started to venture out on my own. My first Solo trip in the car...? You guessed it! The motorcycle dealership!

I had to ask them to help me lift my leg over this Sporty . I sent my wife this pic. I got an immediate response "Very funny. Go home!"

I briefly toyed with the idea of a Harley Tri-Glide but it scared me!

 

[rlbowers3]

When the 1 year anniversary started drawing near I knew what I had to do. I started combing Craigslist for a new bike. I found one exactly like the one I crashed. I even found a jacket identical to the one they cut off me. I ordered a replacement helmet, same model and color.

You can't see it, but I am leaning on a cane with my Left hand.

On 12 October 2018 I had my son bring the bike to the crash site. He helped me lift my bad leg over the bike, and I rode the rest of the way home. It only too a year to get back home.

 

[rlbowers3]

I don't get to ride much anymore. Before I was hitting as much as 20K in a year. I have only ridden about 6K this past year.

I did have a chance to try something different. A friend of mine needed a place to store her ZX-10 for a while. I got a chance to ride it a few times.

Mmm..........not a fan
That thing is so frantic and temperamental. My knees just can't take the angles, and the bars are way too low for me.

 

[rlbowers3]

So, for now I am sticking with Versys #4

I have since painted it Tan (homage to the vehicles I drove in Iraq), put on larger off-road tires, and I have put some new hard bags on it.

It's not quite where I want it, but slowly, it will get there. It's just great to be able to ride.

 

[rlbowers3]

Welcome back. What’s the versys going to be replaced with?

Another Versys, of course

 

[mabupa]

Another Versys, of course

Glad you made it out of that one alive and still have the desire to ride.

 

[Cantab]

Wow you took some bashing and here you are back again...well that man !

 

[ottafish]

What a great read. Thanks for sharing. And glad to see you finished the trip home.

 

[Mr Brown]

What an amazing read! Thanks for coming back and sharing this with us. Please stick around and don't wait 10 more years to post.
And sorry, but I have to say it:
How now brown Kaw....

 

[Bumblebee]

Welcome home...what a story....and a comeback....you are one tough SOB!

 

[BigBSBusa]

That is a great story! Happy endings are the best. Tour love for riding wins out. Thanks for sharing that.

 

[GAmedic]

Welcome back to the Org and thank you for your service to this country.