Ferret's slowing down.

[the Ferret]

Sea, you and Cheryl are welcome here any time. Do you need a room? I have a spare upstairs with it's own bathroom. When do you think you might be coming? Your money for dinner is no good in this town, but we will eat well anyway. I liked your dad's golf analogy a lot, and that's how I think I will come to feel about riding.

I am going to try and ride the FJR to the OH-SToc rally in se Ohio on Friday. The route to get there is out ST RT 32 (basically a straight, divided 4 lane) and I will be able to use the cruise control on the FJR for the majority of the ride. It's 133 miles about 2 1/2 hours away (so 266 miles 5 hours round trip). That used to be nothing, now, at least in my head, that seems like a lot lol. I only plan on attending for a couple of hours to see some old friends and then coming back home. Should be home by or shortly after dark. We will see how it goes.

Like I said the arthritis makes it hard to drive ANYTHING. If it has handlebars, or steering wheel, or hand throttle or hand brakes or a thumb throttle even, it requires gripping with and opening and closing the arthritic hand.

I AM THANKFUL for the motorcycle life I have had. It's been glorious, and it's NOT over

 

[emptysea]

Wait just a cotton pickin' second here..... Did The Ferret just post a non-motorcycle related video--and a MUSIC video to boot? The times they are a changin' :rofl:


I'll talk to Cheryl about the When and will let you know.

 

[Houtman_imp]

I am sorry to hear that your health problems forces you to rethink riding motorcycles.
Giving up the things in life you love is like giving up on life itself.
However going to a smaller and lighter bike and driving less often and smaller distances might give you some more years of riding.
I still have very good health but due to sudden bathroom stops I do not ride more than 150 miles per trip and that is ok with me , done all the rallies and longer rides when I was young.
Never look in the rearview mirror , you are not going in that direction.
If the CB 1100 becomes to heavy for me I hope to continue with a smaller bike .
One of our buddies sold his sportster and now rides a trike at 82 and loves coming out with us.
I am certain that you had a great time riding your bikes and I tell my friends : "do not live a life of regrets "
Good Luck with your health as health is wealth !

 

[the Ferret]

Thanks Houtman.. understand the bathroom thing..colitis brings with it certain limitations if you get my drift. Usually from 11 am on I am ok, but before that anything can happen and usually does multiple times, so I need to stay close to a restroom. The knees only affect me getting on and getting off the bike and walking afterwards. The hand only hurts when I use it lol

Yea I am not giving it up just yet. Rode 41 miles on the CB today. The cramp buster thingy really helps, as I don't have to grip the throttle, but can just lay an open hand on it for the most part. At least until I have to stop lol. I am willing to put up with a considerable amount of pain and discomfort to continue riding, but it does take some of the fun out of it.

 

[Django]

Ferret, so sad to read that. Looks like time takes it toll and sooner or later they'll get us.

I wish you the very best and may be, looking around, you discover other nice thinks, which you didn't notice so far while on the ride. Try to make lemon juice out of the lemon you got.

Yeah, I know, tha't's easy saying...

Btw., DCT, would it be possible to mount gas and brake at the left side?

 

[GoldOxide_imp]

Ferret, so sad to read that. Looks like time takes it toll and sooner or later they'll get us.

I wish you the very best and may be, looking around, you discover other nice thinks, which you didn't notice so far while on the ride. Try to make lemon juice out of the lemon you got.

Yeah, I know, tha't's easy saying...

Btw., DCT, would it be possible to mount gas and brake at the left side?

Interesting suggestion Django - the man on-the-go!

Ferret would also have to get rid of the handle bars so he wouldn't have to clench anything.

 

[the Ferret]

DJango I was hoping to meet up with you and ride part of the BRP with you. DOn't know if that is going to happen.

Today I was going to ride to the ST rally in SE Ohio to meet up with some friends from my ST riding days. Wasn't feeling well but got dressed anyway and took off. I was riding the FJR and using the cruise control as much as I could to help the hand. About 40 miles into the 133 mile trip it started raining. The sky was dark gray ahead of me as far as I could see, blue behind. Had I been feeling better, feeling normal, I would have thrown on rain gear and pushed on. But today I pulled a U turn and headed home. About 15 miles into the return trip I took an exit and took the back way home. It was a lot more fun, but made me use the throttle and brakes more. Got home, crawled off the bike, drank a cup of hot tea and got in bed for a couple hours. Only rode 81 miles. Hand has been real sore all evening. This is not a good sign, not a good sign at all. Supposed to start a new med for the colitis Monday. Maybe that will help the gut, but wont do anything for the hand.

Day by day.

 

[jimgl3_imp]

Noooo! not can am. This!!!

 

[rboe]

You know, it's the quality of life that matters, how much you enjoy and can pack in in a lifetime. If you do some of it on two wheels, some on four, maybe some in hiking boots - I think it's more important that you just do it and not get too hung up on the how. Gotta be flexible.

I took the XR650L on a dual sport ride Tuesday and Wednesday with two riding buddies. We trailered the bikes to just east of Globe Arizona, rode down the highway a bit then headed east up to Point of Pines (on asphalt). It was dirt, rocks and sand with three water crossings - two rather nasty. We eventually T'd into highway 191 then up to Alpine for the night. Just north of Alpine we took 8845 to 270 (oh man, what gorgous country!). 270 to 260 to 73 to 60 and back to the truck. Sid is 79, Phillip is a younger 82. Sid rode a tired DR650 and Phillip was on bored out DR350. I barely stayed up with them on the dirt (not my wheelhouse for sure).

Both of the guys suffer from the wounds of accidents from years ago; I'm really not sure how Sid even rides anymore; but he's a tough ol' bugger. Not sure I could the same.

We didn't see George come down from Seattle to the Guzzi rally; he'd be 84 this year. I hope he's well, but fear the worst.

Not really sure where I was going with this. I guess some of us can ride a lot longer than others; just the cards you're dealt. Do what you can do, make adjustments where needed and have no regrets. You've earned bragging rights already.

 

[Bazbro_imp]

Ferret... Some years ago, an old "crash injury" caught up with me and became troubling. It involved my thumb joint/hand/wrist hurting like he** when I declutched to change gear, then tried to let the clutch out s-l-o-w-l-y. I temporarily resorted to keeping all five fingers/thumb locked together, but this wasn't satisfactory in the long term. I eventually found a wrap-around physio device - strongly elasticated, it wrapped round my wrist and secured by Velcro. There was a hole in an extended part for my thumb. Now, with my hand/thumb/wrist strapped and the joint completely supported, I was able to operate the clutch normally and with minimal pain.

Not knowing the details of your injury/difficulties, perhaps something of this kind may help you?

 

[GoldOxide_imp]

Noooo! not can am. This!!!

Incredibly interesting. Nice engine too!

 

[Dover_MA_imp]

Rocky I really hope you make 90 in good health. That is so awesome.

Thanks LR.

Yea I don't know Bheezy, I wonder too sometimes, then again I see golfers and joggers out the in the rain and cold and know they have the same mental issues I have lol.

Sad news about Sparky (and you too birds). BTW went bird watching at 2 wildlife refuges on the trip and saw lots of cool birds. The one in Dover Mass was fantastic.

Suhawk, getting older takes it's toll. No doubt about that, and many CB 1100 owners are in or approaching the same age category where these issues creep up. Hope you get to ride many days more.

Cormanus...yes it does and I intend to do exactly that.

Bazbro..so sad to read that, but it's sounds like it has been a fantastic ride for you as well. We have to be thankful for the time/miles and rides we did have.

Got in a nice ride today, only 38 miles but about 160 curves lol. The arthritis makes it hard to grip the throttle and then even harder to un-grip and grab the front brake lever. Also makes it hard to hold my thermos, open a jar of pickles, grip a steering wheel (so the Miata won't work.. and I doubt a Can Am would be in my future either lol) etc. My hand was stiff and painful driving the car to the east coast. This is the hand I smashed in a motorcycle wreck in 1968. it's apparently come back to haunt me. If it was the other hand I could pick up a DCT bike. As it is, it makes it kind of hard to ride. Been playing with one of those palm gizmos and that helps some (but makes it hard to get off the gas in some situations)

Talked to the Gastroenterologist this afternoon. He is going to try me on a different medication for 30 days and see if there is any improvement in that area. Also have an appt with the Ortho Doc next week about my knees. LOL

Hey there Ferret - you were in my home town! What are the chances of that? Where'd you go, Noanet Woods? I'm still learning my way around my cb1100ex, bought it new in November and now with 400 miles on her I just did the first oil/filter change. Last ten years I've been riding a '71 BSA 650 Firebird Scrambler. The cb1100 feels more than 50 years newer, that's for sure. My first bike with electric start (yay!), and I'm finally getting used to having the rear brake on the right (wrong) side.

Good luck with your travels, man.

 

[the Ferret]

Hey we stayed at the Comfort Inn there in Dover, and ate at the steak place there on the main drag. The Wildlife refuge was the Bombay Hook Natl Wildlife Refuge not far from the race track. Traffic rolls pretty fast in that town it seemed, so be careful out there.

Lol I remember learning to shift left and brake right. I rode a 59 sporty and a BSA Rocket 3 750, both of which were backwards shifters. It was going smoothly until someone pulled out in front of me, then it's jam down on the shifter trying to stop lol.

 

[Bazbro_imp]

"Backwards shifters"?? Sorry Ferret... Dover's got it correct - "...rear brake on the right (wrong) side"!! It's the rest of the world that's "backwards"!!

 

[Nortoon_imp]

Your BSAs had brakes? Good thing mine Lightnings had a torquey motor to slow them by down shifting. A habit that sticks with me still despite the CBs good brakes. The only time I use the rear brake is downhill on a sandy or gravel roads.

Never had problems with the British placement of the shift lever and rear brake. But my 66 Lightning ended up having a unique shifting pattern. After converting it to a Dunstall styled café racer, I found the rear set shifter I bought to be a piece of junk. So I just mounted the BSA shift lever backwards and used the passenger foot peg. The result was a 1 up and 3 down shifting pattern. Great for drag racing, but a little awkward for emergency stops in a racing crouch.

I often wonder how my motorcycle buddies and I made it through our 20s. "The decade of decadence" as my close friend use to say.

 

[bflint]

Mr Ferret ... your only 69 ! There is still hope as long as nothing has fallen off. There are a whole bunch of forum friends who are relying on you to stay healthy. So ... see the doctor, eat some veggies and yogurt, and do light stretching/strengthening excercises each day (per a sports rehab clinic) ... and post some more Johnny Cash songs or Bob Dylan if you like.

 

[LongRanger_imp]

I stopped for breakfast in Granby, CO, on my ride today. A well-dressed elderly gentleman approached as I parked the F800GT. I think he was on his way home from church.

"What a beautiful cycle. Can I ask how much you paid for it?"

"Um, about 14."

"Wow, that's really something. I'm 74 now and stopped riding cycles in 1970."

(I did the math in my head and concluded he quit riding when he was about 25).

"Well, things have really changed since then."

"I'll say. What's that?" he asked, pointing to the enclosed CO2 cartridge bulging from my Helite Turtle airbag vest.

I explained to him what it was and he has dumbstruck. "Heck, in my day, we wore helmets. And blue jeans. That was it."

I got a huge chuckle out of that. I was trying to envision this gentleman as a 20-something astride his Triumph Bonneville, or his CB450, or his Sportster. I couldn't stereotype him, but then again, I think there were fewer stereotypes back then. But I wondered what led him to give up riding at such a young age. Did he lose a buddy? Did he scare himself silly? Did he settle down and have a family? I then thought of Ferret and the pain he's going through of having to possibly curtail his lifestyle, or at least reduce it. It was a stark reminder that life is short and that we need to get out and go do the things we enjoy NOW. Don't wait. Tomorrow is not guaranteed to anyone.

This photo was taken today on CO9 between Kremmling and Silverthorne, CO. That's the 13,500' Gore Range in the background. Vail is on the other side of those peaks.

 

[suhawk305]

Ditto with that observation and suggestion LR. I am glad I didn’t wait any longer to buy my CB1100. Otherwise, it probably wouldn’t have ever happened.

 

[Rocky_imp]

Nice post LR

 

[Offroad]

I agree LR!

I think this every time I get on.

Me and another loaded K bike were coming home from the Lebanon, TN rally and while stopped at a busy gas station an elderly man came up and asked, 'I've always admired you guys and I just wondered where you're going to, are you just out riding around?'
We told him we were returning to Indiana from the rally.
He said, ''Well, I just wanted to ask. It's looks like something I always wanted to do but just never did.' Made me sad for him.

Tomorrow, I'm getting up at 5 a.m.to ride 2 hours in what looks like 100% rain to get my 12,000 mi service and new tires so I can leave Saturday in my Canadian Rocky 17 day, 5400 mi trip with 3 other guys....I figure I can rest when I'm dead ;-)