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Shortly after graduating High School and getting out on my own I bought my first bike - a 2-cycle, 350 cc, "rice burner" from Yamaha. This bike went through many transitions over the years I had it, starting out bone stock, to a "warmed over" engine with blue metalflake paint, to a black metallic with custom crushed velvet saddle. About two - three months after finishing up this last facelift, I witnessed a young man about my age get splattered all over the front of some guy's truck. I decided that was not the way I wanted to leave this world so I sold the bike and didn't ride again for 17 years.
In 1993 I picked up an '82 GoldWing that had been in storage for about 4-5 years for almost nothing. I spent the next 6 months cleaning it up, rebuilding the carbs, forks, brakes etc, till it was ready for the road. I was still a little apprehensive about getting back out on the road, but what the hell, I work in a refinery where I could get blown up at any time, and I run into burning buildings that others are trying frantically to run out of in my leisure time - compared to these, riding a bike seemed relatively mundane. I put close to 50,000 miles on it over the next three years, till one morning, on my way to work (3:30 am) "someone" decided to combine my two favorite pastimes - hunting and motorcycling. I bagged me a 5 point Whitetail buck doing 50 mph down the highway! Needless to say, it tore the hell out of my bike - shattering the fairing, bending the front forks, cracking the frame and ripping off the front half of the front fender, not to mention leaving some hellacious skid marks in my BVD's! Believe it or not, I rode it out and was able to finally come to a stop about 60 yards away from where I hit the deer. Fortunately, I was able to limp away from it. The deer's head came around and caught me in the right leg. I sustained one major puncture wound where I was impaled by his antler and two more minor wounds further up my leg. I was bruised from ass to ankle, and the leg was swollen up like a big water balloon, but no broken bones. I tell you, an experience like this really makes you sit back and reflect on your own mortality.
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Last Update: 11/18/05
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