BMW R1200R R1150R/T F800 K1200R R1100R/T R1250R RnineT Message Board

My title says it all. It was 3 long years waiting for this moment. I guess I started back in the saddle about a month ago. I have to make some adjustments but it sure comes back quickly. I can't pull up my left toe to shift and even put some time and effort into possibly fabricating a heel-toe shift. In the end I decided to forgo that effort and just work on pulling my leg up to shift and sometimes I just pull up the shifter with my heel. I figure the more I make my leg and foot work the better they will.

I have even found that all the stretching of my hands, fingers and thumbs (on the switch gear) is helping my hands limber up and is a physical therapy of it's own. Rode to Hungry Mother (Marion, Va) this past weekend and saw friends I hadn't seen in 3 years. Spent many hours riding in the rain Saturday but it was all good. I was tired when it was done but it was well worth it.

I'd like to say thank you to all those on this board who prayed for my recovery, who made so many personal visits and all those who were pulling for me these 3 years. I've held on to my R very tightly these last couple of years when very many were telling me I shouldn't and wouldn't ride again. I even passed up a sale last fall which was $200 less than I paid for the bike in 2007. (my wife was a tad upset)

The wait was well worth all the effort. Thankyou!!

Good for you. A true triumph of spirit!! Enjoy.

towerworker wrote:My title says it all. It was 3 long years waiting for this moment. I guess I started back in the saddle about a month ago. I have to make some adjustments but it sure comes back quickly. I can't pull up my left toe to shift and even put some time and effort into possibly fabricating a heel-toe shift. In the end I decided to forgo that effort and just work on pulling my leg up to shift and sometimes I just pull up the shifter with my heel. I figure the more I make my leg and foot work the better they will.

I have even found that all the stretching of my hands, fingers and thumbs (on the switch gear) is helping my hands limber up and is a physical therapy of it's own. Rode to Hungry Mother (Marion, Va) this past weekend and saw friends I hadn't seen in 3 years. Spent many hours riding in the rain Saturday but it was all good. I was tired when it was done but it was well worth it.

I'd like to say thank you to all those on this board who prayed for my recovery, who made so many personal visits and all those who were pulling for me these 3 years. I've held on to my R very tightly these last couple of years when very many were telling me I shouldn't and wouldn't ride again. I even passed up a sale last fall which was $200 less than I paid for the bike in 2007. (my wife was a tad upset)

The wait was well worth all the effort. Thankyou!!

Really good to hear!

The bit about riding helping your extremities rings very true with me. After i'd nearly lost my right leg at the knee in a bike accident - riding my ZXR400 really helped the joint loosen up and I know have virtually full mobility on it (some people don't even realise I've got a knackered knee).

Very nice to hear, Happy Riding to you!

Ditto on your recovery, is your shifting improving as well or have you adapted or both. Ride safe
Mike

Indeed, congrats and happy riding Wayne!

Be sure to keep your antifreeze topped up properly.

Great to hear you are getting out and about on the bike again. Enjoy.

Welcome back! And rte 16 near hungry mother is worth the wait. great choice.

hoping those feet return well enough to flip gears. And holding onto the R1150R was worth it, right?

fpgirard wrote:Welcome back! And rte 16 near hungry mother is worth the wait. great choice.

hoping those feet return well enough to flip gears. And holding onto the R1150R was worth it, right?

It sure was. I'm handling the shifting pretty well. I'm using my heel to up shift. As my ft muscles come back I'll slowly work on the proper technique.

It's all good!

Wayne,
Before too long we'll have to schedule a Tail-of-the-Dragon area group meet-up day ride. You can stay over, upstairs at my house, even incorporate a labor free OilHead service before we ride North to meet the as yet undefined "group". For that you'll need a heel-toe shift lever and I'll need a day without RAIN! It's been raining on/off for most of this summer, with 1.6" last night!

If that type of a ride isn't physically do-able, we can still do the stay-over and the bike work. A good water manometer TB synch at the very least. Ann & I have some catching up to do with you.

Glad you're back riding again.Always nice after any layoff.