So close, part two...

[BillJ]

I love when things pay for themselves. Bought one of those extended warrantees for a year-old Pontiac 11 years ago, and right before it expired the car's transmission imploded. A rebuild or replacement would have cost 'way more than the price of the warrantee. Ka-ching!

What's this got to do with motorcycles? Well, Sunday me and four friends were day-tripping through the Texas Hill Country. When we started discussing a way back into Austin, I was elected leader, because I knew some really cool small roads. We slapped on more sunscreen, guzzled some water, and fired up the bikes.

We were on county roads - curvy, not badly paved, and surrounded by unspoilt beauty - when we came to a low water crossing. For those unfamiliar with the concept, that's a concrete slab poured over a low-volume or wet-weather creek, in lieu of a traditional bridge. It saves cash-strapped counties a bunch of money, and the Texas Hill County is rife with 'em.


Low water crossing

They're usually safe to cross (on four wheels, anyway) except in rainy seasons, when running water can carry a vehicle off before the occupants know what hit 'em. Several people drown every year at low water crossings, despite warning signs, flood gauges, and plenty of TV weathermen advising against it. Go figure.

Anyhoo, this one was an all-weather crossing, but it looked no worse then others I've ridden over. Still, I stopped and asked the group if they were comfortable crossing it. They all said "yes" so I started across, and immediately wiped out on slicker-than-snot moss built up on the concrete roadway. I tried to steer out of it, to no avail. The bike went down on its side, did a 180 on the primary cover, and came to rest facing the way we'd come, with the rear wheel dangerously close to the water's edge.


Marks left when my friends righted my downed bike

Meanwhile, I came off the bike and landed hard on my already-bad back. A nano-second later my head hit the concrete, and that's where the "ka-ching" comes in.

A few years ago, after a 35' fall at work (which washed off a lot of my former bullet-proof, let me tell ya!), I got to thinking what my wife's life would be like if I had been head-injured in that fall. The picture disturbed me enough that I (who had never ever worn a helmet by choice) went shopping, and brought home an HJC flip-face. I had a coupon from the local BMW shop, so I got the HJC for $120 or so. I still wasn't sure about this helmet thing, and didn't want to waste money on a more expensive lid.

I know for a fact (because I took one when I fell at work) that Life Flight helicopter rides cost a LOT more than $120. I also know that, had I not been wearing that lid Sunday afternoon, I'd have been taking one of those rides. Even with the lid, I hit my head hard enough that I was disoriented, dizzy, and slightly nauseous for several hours afterward, and the guys kept checking my pupils for signs of concussion. Took more than a day to shake that headache, too.


The helmet with minor scratches - 'way less damage than my skull would've suffered!

This is not a pro-helmet diatribe. I can just about guarantee that, the next time I find myself out in the West Texas desert, where you can see what's coming a hundred miles away, and the sun will par-boil your brain in a helmet, the lid's coming off. And I would never ever presume to tell someone else what to do. I'm just sayin' that here in town, with the soccer moms and cell-phone-yapping yuppies, and out in the Hill Country, with deer and low-water crossings, I'm gonna be wearing a lid.

The other lesson from this, BTW, is that I will never again assume a low-water crossing is passable just because it "looks safe". I'm going to dismount and walk the sumbitch first!

[BillJ]

BTW, this is how our fun day in the country ended:


The Banshee in my friend's pick-up, since I was too knocked silly to ride

Fortunately, Jackie was not with me that day. Amazingly, the bike itself received only minor scratches on the primary cover and passing lamp retaining ring, and a minor ding on my temporary side-mount license plate bracket. Whew! Another week or so, and I might have been tearing up a brand new paint job!

[toad]

AAA................that stands for AA Angels.

We have all kinds of low water bridges here in southern mo, but most of them are on gravel roads.

We have a saying..........."Turn around, don't drown."

You and Kym are grounded for two weeks............stay home and read the big book. There will be a test later on.

[best]

Have done highway roads in NH lid free. Have done so in pouring rain that only a crazy biker would ride in (me). Was tring to figure out the best way to see with so much rain coming down at the time.

Was wearing mine at another time and it was ever needed. I have not rode lid free since. Having done both... I say to each there own. A wet towel on the neck and plenty of water stops for me please.
At safety school, the instructor says...bang the helmet once...get a new one. It may not work the second time. I have not done so. The scratches are a nice reminder that I should always keep it on.

Glad your still with us Bill.
I ended up with road rash on my leather and my helmet. I hit the ground hard enough that I brused a few ribs. They seem to hurt more then broken bones.

Leather and plastics... God's gift to keep us safe.
I figure any helmet that has a h...JC on it is ok by me *LOL*

[Rarly Harley]

Glad to hear you are in one piece Bill. We don't get a choice up here in Canada. We have to wear em' all the time, throughout the country. I guess we have a lot more water up here too, than you do in Texas. Any Canuck would'a knowed that slime grows on anything under water...Some of that bullet-proof stuff we take to the grave, don't we Bro...? I see that your custom backrest isn't on the Banshee in the back of the pickup. Is your back doin' that good, or was it a casualty in the spill...? All funnin' aside, I sure am glad you are OK. You worked hard and waited a long time, to get back in the wind....

[Hurricane]

Glad your OK Bill

[sticker]

i find myself donnig the lid from time to time...have rode my whole life with out em. a guy down the road isnt expected to live due to head trauma...on his way home after closing the bar..at least thats on ride i no longer make. got this little voice that keeps telling me to put the damn thing on, and no its not the wifes..think maybe i might start listening to it. thanks for the heads up bill glad ya came away as good as ya did.

[recoveringnky]

So glad you are okay Bill!! I wear my helmet all the time, by choice. I just started riding that way and I feel wierd without it. I'm not condeming those who choose to go "lid free" either. Just for me, I wear it even though I'm burning up sometimes. However, Kentucky doesn't get near as hot as Texas!!

BTW what are we going to do for the two weeks that Toad has grounded us for? We have to read the BB he says.....wanna watch some kewl flicks and munch on some popcorn too?? LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Love ya brother!!!!
BIG, BIG HUGS and so glad you are safe!!!!
Kym

[BillJ]

Thanks, guys! Good to be here! God knows I've done enough hospital time!

Rarly, the backrest is for The Bitch (see pic below). The Banshee and The Princess both have windshields, which take a lot of strain off my low back. I've never been able to find a shield that works for The Bitch, and now that I have the backrest dialed in, I don't have to! Besides, I gotta have at least one bike that'll give me the alluring bugs-in-the-teeth look ladies love so much!


The Bitch with backrest in testing stage. I've since painted the support black, and had the
wood part covered with foam and black leather.

[BillJ]

Kym, you pop the corn. I'll bring Milk Duds and old biker flicks!

[recoveringnky]

Sounds good to me! Gotta see Any Given Sunday for sure!!

[Rarly Harley]

Got your bikes mixed up Bro....So the ridin' position on the Banshee doesn't require a back rest I take it....? Anyhoo, it would be cool to see the finished product on the Bitch. Can you post a pic...?

[BillJ]

Originally Posted by Rarly Harley

So the ridin' position on the Banshee doesn't require a back rest I take it....? Anyhoo, it would be cool to see the finished product on the Bitch. Can you post a pic...?

The Banshee has that tall cop saddle, which puts me in a good riding position, and that large windshield, which spares my low back muscles having to fight the wind to stay upright. The Princess is much the same - different position, but still user-friendly for my back.

For The Bitch I've never found a windshield that worked, and never liked having one on there anyway, so this backrest idea seemed a stroke of genius. Genius or... Well, let's just call it "genius", shall we?

Anyhoo, here 'tis, in all its glory:

[BillJ]

Here are some close-ups:





Pretty simple - just a backrest off an old university laboratory chair, a bomb-can of Rustoleum BBQ paint, and some close-cell foam and faux leather. The guy didn't do the prettiest job on the upholstery, but it was cheap enough, and should get me by for a good while.

And it works!!!

[Hurricane]

You'll probably be getting thousands of orders for that custom seat and back rest with those pics on-line. Most wouldn't even want to bolt it up themselves.

Looks good Bill

[toad]

Good job Bill...............that's your office.

[The_Hammer]

Glad to see yer in a single sheet Jesse. I love the seat, can ya fix up Mertyl? Hmmm? Hmmm?

[Rarly Harley]

Awesome job Bill. Looks good on ya...I know you and the Bitch go way back to your early sobrietry. Young love, first love, right.....?

[lilbit]

Nice bike...missing mine...all of 'em....

[BillJ]

Originally Posted by Rarly Harley

Young love, first love, right.....?

Got that right! I still think she's the purtiest thang I've ever seen. On two wheels, that is!

I got that bike shortly after my first year of sobriety in AA. I tell folks it was HP's birthday gift to me, but (as a fellow AA told me, early on) it's really just another vehicle for carrying the message of recovery. I try to live that!