What did you do to your bike today?

[RymerC 68]

coolant swapped out for mid ohio on Monday. Track day season, engage!

[durk 622]

Installed my new top case. I like it and my daughter and wife said it is comfortable. 👍

[vf1000ride 1,696]

Getting new tires put on and doing some quick maintenance stuff before getting it out for the season.  Sat inside all last year due to Covid.  Not gonna let that happen again this year.

[motocat12 1,125]

got some aluminizedized fiberglass to insulate the starter from heat soak hot start problems.

[durk 622]

Did some customization to the Concours this evening. Took a ride with Ame earlier during this week and she was not comfortable. Her back was bothering her even after installing the top case with pads. We did some experimenting with the bike and decided the seat rising up in the back was the problem. Quick search on the world wide webs and I was pealing the seat cover back and trimming the foam flat. 
 

Original

Finished project 

What I carved out

 

To test things took a thirty minute ride to dinner. She was definitely more comfortable but her right leg fell asleep. Going try adjusting foot pegs. May have to just bite the bullet and buy that new Wing. 

[Pauly 1,497]

..

Edited April 10 by Pauly

[Tonik 12,807]

10 hours ago, durk said:

May have to just bite the bullet and buy that new Wing. 

Other than for the track or off road I don't understand why there are any other bikes being made besides the wing. 

[Connie14 553]

10 hours ago, durk said:

Did some customization to the Concours this evening. Took a ride with Ame earlier during this week and she was not comfortable. Her back was bothering her even after installing the top case with pads. We did some experimenting with the bike and decided the seat rising up in the back was the problem. Quick search on the world wide webs and I was pealing the seat cover back and trimming the foam flat. 
 

Original

Finished project 

What I carved out

 

To test things took a thirty minute ride to dinner. She was definitely more comfortable but her right leg fell asleep. Going try adjusting foot pegs. May have to just bite the bullet and buy that new Wing. 

If your ever near Pataskala, you can feel free to try out my Russell Day Long seat.  Buying a new Wing is also a great idea. 

[durk 622]

1 hour ago, Connie14 said:

If your ever near Pataskala, you can feel free to try out my Russell Day Long seat.  Buying a new Wing is also a great idea. 

May just take you up on that offer if we ever are going to be in the area. Thanks 

[Black cat 22 0]

Re synced my 2008 fjr 1300 previous owner messed with the master carb adj and it lost its purr. Running smoothly now with ivans ecu flash and fresh sync!!!

[Tonik 12,807]

Ivan is a genius.

[junkyardjeff 10]

Changed all the fluids and aired up the tires.

[Muckles 70]

Put new tires on and install 90* valve stems. Learned about about what to do when changing tires.l

[Pauly 1,497]

Well, time to let the cat out of the bag. Amanda and I were struck broadside on the 4th. We were heading to Muskie for a picnic lunch on the Goldwing. Somebody decided they wanted to pull into a driveway without slowing down or stopping first. We were both sent to the hospital in helicopters. I was treated for internal organ injuries and broken ribs. Amanda has a broken ankle, fibula and a gnarly set of laceration on her left thigh. We are both very grateful for the first responders, Dundee and Strasburg FD and LifeFlight/Cleveland Clinic teams for getting us to the hospital as quickly as they did. Several people stopped to help as they came upon the scene, but the only witness to the crash other than us and the minivan driver was a semi driver that didn't stop He was a contributing factor in the crash, as the driver's statement to the police was she didn't see us and was concerned the truck would run her over if she did stop before turning. The first thing I remember seeing is the semi on the van's tail very close and they were rolling very fast. The next thing I remember is the cab of the semi diving hard. I swerved right quickly to avoid the impending crash between the two vehicles only to be slammed into by the van in an instant after that maneuver. It was all over in a second. The crash scene investigators said the Goldwing left an 80' braking impression (not a skid mark, but powdered rubber) from the middle of the lane to about 24" to the fog line. They said if I hadn't changed my line I would have struck the van broadside in the right front fender and probably would be a completely different outcome. All of this was just reaction, as I literally had a second to make the move. 80' of tire mark is 1.07 seconds at 55mph. It was all over that fast. I went over the bars and through my windscreen. I landed on my face, left shoulder and chest. All of my damage occurred when I hit the pavement and slid. Amanda was pushed into the van, which caught her leg. It is presumed it was dislocated and broken at that point, which is why she wasn't sent airborne, but tumbled to a stop on the road. She didn't suffer any internal injuries, thankfully. Her left leg was black and blue from mid-thigh to her toes. She had two surgeries to treat and repair her ankle and a shitload of stitches in her thigh. The lacerations were 7-8" long and 4" wide, according to the trauma team. They believe she was pushed into whatever crash debris occurred from the initial impact that sent the bike rotating clockwise, which is why she was slammed into the van. Luckily she didn't take a direct hit. Neither of us did. The Goldwings flat-six took the punch since I was still in a very hard dive right, lifting the engine into the path of the van's front end. I am extremely grateful for that bike and how well it handled the impact. I believe I would have very serious damage to my left leg if I was riding the Voyager. 

It could have been worse. Our safety gear did it's job. My ribcage did it's job. I suffered a couple broken ribs, a bruised lung and a lacerated spleen. All of this will heal. Amanda's leg will heal. Honda makes new Goldwings every day. I made ALL of the right choices.... quality gear, quality bike, quality riding education/skills and I still got blasted by selfish individuals that just don't deserve to drive a vehicle on public roads. However, anger and resentment are poison that I just won't keep swallowing. She's home. I am home. She's safe and I am incredibly humbled to be alive and that Isaac doesn't have to bury his old man. We are already doing the work required to heal, build strength and the courage to climb back into the saddle. It will be different, now. That driver took something from us that we won't get back, but we are both determined to not let her selfish actions take away the joy of riding together. Amanda has been my stronghold when I started to go to dark places. She brought me back into the light several times and I have been by her side through all of this. We are stronger together now than I ever believed was possible before. She is amazing and I am in awe of her strength, spirit and capacity for love. 

Before I finish, I want to give a special acknowledgment to a couple people. First... @Tonik. Jim, you have been a far greater friend than I deserve. I look forward to getting back on the bike and finalizing those summer trip plans. It just probably won't happen this year. Please know you and Deb are on the very top of a short list of people I hold near and dear. If you ever need anything from us, consider it already done. @Blitz, you and Shannon are right next to them on that list. I can't wait to hug and kiss Shannon for the kindness she has offered. She brought a huge smile to Amanda's face with her surprise packages. She was genuinely moved and I was so grateful to see her smile because of it. @NinjaDoc, you are one of my absolute favorite human beings on this planet. Thank you for just being who you are. You helped me more than you know. I will catch you on a mountain pass sometime soon. @Skinny guy, Rick..... I am convinced the helmet you gifted me saved my life. I can't possibly put into words the gratitude I have for your lack of ego and immense quality of character. I hope you are doing well and I am very hopeful to chase that BMW of yours soon. 

To all the others that have been keeping in contact and sending their love and offerings of help... I love every one of you. I am grateful to know I have you all in my company of friends. I am surrounded by very fine individuals and it makes me proud to know that is also a reflection of my own character. I am humbled by the compassion and presence of each of you. It will be a while before I am climbing onto the BMW, but I will be back. I will just be blinding every one of you with 50k lumens of LED driving lights and wearing the latest and greatest in motorcycle safety gear available to mortals. Everything is different, now.... but it's always going to be about the ride. Catch you crazy kids down the road. Speed safe and take care of yourselves. 

I am going to attach some of the crash damage photos. They are just pictures of the Goldwing and our helmets. My Alpinestars jacket and her Atomic jacket were cut off of us at the crash site. All of our clothes were cut off of us, actually. Other than the dirt and grass that got jammed into the cylinder head when the bike finally fell over and the dirt on the fairings and pannier, all of the damage happened at the point of impact. The bike was vertical all the way until it fell over in the grass. We got blasted hard core and it just took the punch like a prize fighter. I am seriously impressed with that machine and just so glad it wasn't the Voyager. 

Edited April 23 by Pauly

[KrabbiePaddy 4]

@Pauly Ho-lyeee shit.

I'm glad you and yours' aren't in worse shape...

Here's to a quick recovery, mate

Cheers!

[Tonik 12,807]

Maybe not apparent in the pics or description, the side engine case is broken badly. Cam chain is loose so I would expect the valves slapped some pistons.

It clearly happened during the initial impact as did all the left side front damage. When I took those pics I walked away believing she hit it right about where the mirror used to be. So it was a side impact due to Pauly's last second move. That created a far better out come here.

Steering and front suspension are still perfectly operational and straight. I found that most amazing.

Edited April 23 by Tonik

[KrabbiePaddy 4]

27 minutes ago, Tonik said:

Maybe not apparent in the pics or description, the side engine case is broken badly. Cam chain is loose so I would expect the valves slapped some pistons.

 

Steering and front suspension are still perfectly operational and straight. I found that most amazing.

Wow, yeah. That's a tremendous amount of force.

Crashes like this make me consider wearing an airbag vest. I wonder how @Pauly would have fared with one on..

Once again though, I'm happy you're alive and well (relatively), and were wearing the gear you were..

[TimTheAzn 2,408]

Was wondering if there was going to be a post about this. Glad you 2 are on the mend. Like I've told you many times since this happened, lmk if you or Amanda need anything, seriously.

[durk 622]

@Pauly sorry to hear about this. I’m glad you 2 are okay. 

[mello dude 672]

Pauly, that's terrible this happened. Wish the best for you and Amanda

[bowdog 6,391]

Wow man very glad you guys are still here with us!

Edited April 23 by bowdog

[Wahoo 194]

Holy crap!  Wow !    Not sure if I can offer any help at this point, but if so, please let me know.  
Heal quickly my friend.   

[B-Mac 700]

Pauly,  Not the best way to start the riding season. Wish the best for you and Amanda with your recovery.

Get well soon and let us know if there is anything we can help with.

B.

[what 1,298]

Glad you guys are ok Pauly, that's a really lucky one to figuratively walk away from. Heal quickly. 

[Pauly 1,497]

Thanks gang. I appreciate you. 

I will be investing in some A-stars Tech Air equipment, for sure. I do believe I would have come out far better off. The jury is still out regarding the modular style helmet. I have a tendency to ride with the chin bar raised when I am riding casually or in city limits. When I was on 212 just south of Beach City I had my helmet raised and I thought to myself, "Paul.. put the damn helmet down and stop being an idiot." Less than 10 minutes later I was sliding on my face. While I like to believe I have learned my lesson, I think it's just too easy to flip the chin bar and enjoy the breeze and sunshine. I might be riding in a full face Arai from now on. I haven't decided quite yet. 

I had one single stitch in my left leg and just some 3rd degree burns here and there. My left elbow was burnt from my elbow pad speeding from 0-60ish mph when I touched down. It is basically a heavy-duty rug burn. Same with my right knuckles, except that is from the heat generated from my glove sliding knuckles down on the pavement. My glove never tore or wore through, but the rubber "FOX" emblem is no longer glued to the glove. It's there, but it isn't attached. My knuckles had a nickel sized burn from the heat transfer. I had zero road rash anywhere but my knees and it was minor. My boots are scuffed pretty good, but they are still usable. Both of our left boots are covered in motor oil, which is how I know the engine case was busted at impact. It also left a long oil slick as it made its way off the pavement.