I was riding home from work last week, traveling through one of the canyon roads that connect my home and work. I had just gotten back to work the previous week from a five month disability leave for neck & back problems. Getting back to work and picking up where I left off was important to me. Riding my FJR after the five month time was good. I didn't feel that I was "rusty" from the lack of riding. I was wrong.The canyon roads are often filled with many challenges. The sharp curves, gravel on the road, drivers that are filled with road rage, etc. Normally I ride through being "hyper alert", seeking out danger and avoiding it. On this day I noticed the road had the usual gravel obsticals on the roadway. I make a point of avoiding as much as I could. The curve ahead, I spot gravel and set my line around the outside. What I didn't realize is that I must have been traveling faster than I should. My turn was fairly tight but not scrapping the pegs. I broke one of the commandments of riding... my focus shifted to where I was headed - Off the road. In a brief moment I realized that I was going off the road. The decreasing radius turn, gravel, and my "rusty" riding skills led me to a place I have never been. Sliding off the roadway I hit several trees. I don't remeber being able to see much but I do recall hearing the sound of my FJR being torn apart. Very quickly it was over. I lay prone beside a pine tree. opening my eyes I could see branches filled with pine cones. My body hurt all over. My left leg and arm were in pain. I could barely move, so I lay there hoping someone would come to my aid. Time passed and eventually a motorist drove by and yelled that his cell phone didn't work in the canyon but he would get help. As I lay there I couldn't imagine what I just did. I felt like such an idiot. How the hell could I have done that? My FJR! I know it was damaged, but no idea of the extent. I hear vehicals approaching. Forest service personel, they tell me not to move. Lots of questions: Do you know where you are? Can you move your toes? Did you lose conscieneness? The CHP arrive. More questions... Have you been drinking? How fast were you going? I told the CHP officer that I wasn't drunk, just stupid. Over the next several hours, from the ambulance ride to ER, CT scans, xrays, etc. As I lay on the gurnny I see my son come into view. He holds my hand and asks if I'm ok. I'm lucky, I'm alive and know that things could have turned out much worse. The doctor finally comes back and informs me that nothing is broken. I have contusions (bruises) in many areas, but NOTHING BROKEN. I tell the doctor that since nothing is broken, I'll be dancing out of here! Over the next several hours I push myself to get off the bed so I can see how my leg feels. It was difficult to stand but I did. I think the doctors eyes were going to explode out of his head when he walked by seeing me standing up. After convincing the doctor that I was Ok, he discharged me and my wife drove me home.The next day, while the pain was bad. All I was thinking about was my FJR... how is she? My wife drove me to the tow yard so that I could get my MC and get it into the repair shop. The owner of the tow asks me if I was the rider. He looked a bit shocked... and said to me "God loves you very much". I ask to see my bike and he points to where it is resting. I approach... the windscreen is gone, the mirrors are missing, the sides are scrapped to hell, the front end is smashed in, forks bent, front wheel forced back into the radiator, tweaked. I feel sick looking at it. My wife tells me I'm lucky. I tell her I know. The FJR hit the trees and threw me over. A few bruises, that are healing... a FJR that could be repaired for $7000. I'm lucky to be alive. So what next? I don't think I will get the FJR fixed. I'm not sure what to do with the bike now. My wife thinks I should get a new red FJR. She says "it's only money". I guess she's right, it's only money and I'm pretty damn lucky. Would God still love me if I got the red one?K9
