back from the physio and acting like a piece of jello

Ah yes, that wonderful profession of exquisite torture all in the name of rehab. An old friend used to say it was a prefession of emplyable sadists, but the pain of healing is certainly a good feeling. You KNOW you are getting better. I really appreciate what they can

So, the long road to recovery starts. The good news is that in their opinion I am at a general 6 months post injury condition. All thta dieting, suplement scheudling and gallons of water seem to be doing the trick in conjunction with following the doctor's instructions to the letter!

I have some daily exercises for the next few weeks to start getting my core strength back. If I can get through the weak muscle "shaking" as I try to contract the muscles. My range of motion is drastically reduced but that's par for the course. It will just take more focus, discipline and commitment to doing the right things at the right time.

Maybe I can ride again by April.... hmmmm........

Pupils google their teacher.....

Oh no, I have been discovered! 

It would appear that the children I taught at William De Ferrers school in Essex have Googled me and now know my whereabouts. There's a lot of time dated information out there from several WDF school magazines that I thought would be left behind, buried in the past.  Now that they are all adults, what might come back to haunt me..... ?????? Boy George?

I have to say that this was one of those moments where the best of memories flooded back from my time at WDF, of all the young adults that I had the pleasure of teaching and enjoying time with and all the great staff that I shared time with, not to mention the Rugby Club and the tight social circle of lads that reveled every weekend. 

I still miss teaching very much but track day work, the DVD's and OnTheThrottle.tv work really helps replace that in providing those interested with explanations and information to help grow understanding.

Perhaps my best memory is working with staff and pupils to raise enough money to buy a disabled pupil a wheelchair so that she could attend lesson with everyone else.

Progress !

Now at plus 6 weeks I can finally walk around.... I can work at the shop for short amounts of time before I have to sit down in the wheelchair for a while to rest. By the end of Feb I should be good to work a full day and then pass out - lol. 

I have to be ready for March when the season kicks into full pace, so physiotherapy/chiropractic and massage support will be essential. 

Thanks again to family and friends for all the good wishes and support - it makes all the difference in the world with recover!

DVD feedback and question/reply

Dave,

I just got done watching "Twiddling Knobs". It was a great video and helped me understand more than ever about my suspension.

I have one question though. My street bike always pulls double duty as my solo sport bike and our "two up" touring bike. I weigh about 200lbs with full gear. With my wife and top/side cases we are at about 375lbs.

My last two bikes (Kawasaki ZZR1200, Aprillia Futura) both had remote pre-load. But is there enough adjustability in any set up to breach the 175lbs difference?

If so what kind of shock/spring do I get? Or do I just have to buy another street bike? : )

Thanks,

Eric


Hi Eric,

Thanks for the kind words about the DVD's and glad they gave you a much better understanding of suspension.

To get something you always have to give something else up, so in this case, in order to get the chasis and geometry correct when you have the bike loaded, you will have to have a spring/hydraulic set up that is stiff for you when solo riding. Is this a suitable compromise?

The other option is to have a second OEM shock on hand that is simply switched out when you go on long trips. If this in practical terms is not realistic, then you make a decisio that ultimately best suits your safety criteria.

No matter what, you already know what you need to do in order to maintain safety for both of you when the bike is loaded. Please let me know if I can be of further help!

Thanks,

dave

back at the shop in February :)

After a month of sitting, typing, doing the 07 books and generally trying to stay still, I am now back at the shop in a wheelchair for February. It doesn't take 2 minutes to realize how devastating this injury is when trying to do something as simple as stand at the work bench and try to pull a shock shaft out of a shock body.....

I have to be patient, start slowly and move forward diligently while being very aware of the injury and the pain rehab creates. If I get the rehab wrong I will have a lifetime of problems, so I have to ease back into work.

Thanks for all the messages of support! It makes a HUGE difference in keeping me motivated to forge ahead with healing/work.