The long(est) road

[Richard Simpson Mark II]

Love the 'wild' look to the garden.

[ErikGustav2]

I have been able to make day or evening tours on the Yamaha.
It ended up 4 000 km
Wednesday evening with a group.

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Tuesdays to a classic car/motorcycle meeting
And many tours by myself.

I even made some tours with a Harley Davidson !!
Strange. But it was easy. I could sit down on the bike.
Instead of climbing up.
It ended up with 1 500 km HD Softail Custom riding.

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I just arranged the garage for the winter. And took out my work horse. The Suzuki DL 650 XT. That I have used so much.
But that I found too difficult to get on and off.
I did a 2 km spin on it. Before it went in for winter sleep.

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[ErikGustav2]

The plan is nothing but the planning is everything.

Time to move to Portugal.
I have collected parts for the Himalayan 411 - 2021.
It needs some maintenance and modifications to fit me.
I plan to do that during the first two weeks of September.
Use one week to watch World Championship in Track and Field.
And than: Try the Himalayan to see if and how I can use it.
And take it from there.

[DavidS]

The stupid high pillion seats on modern bikes are just ridiculous.
Causing me all sorts of problems, both with the Tiger I’m having to sell and also finding a bike my wife won’t feel so high up on.

Good to see you out and about.

[Monster]

Hello

So many pages have been posted before I even saw this discussion

Best of luck and may I suggest a good book to inspire and motivate

Joey Evans is the greatest comeback story (IMHO) within the biking world

Perhaps grab a copy of "From Para to Dakar" by Joey Evans

I don't normally spend much time at the ABR rally listening to the talks even when I intend to. However this year I listened to Joey talk

I would really recommend people struggling with almost anything ... to check this out

Best of luck and please send updates

KR

[ErikGustav2]

I am working on my Himalayan. That will be a separate post. But while doing that, I also fixed a bit with the Honda.
Tuesday:
I changed the voltage regulator on the Honda. I tried to sit on the motorcycle. It worked OK. I drove it for 5 minutes around the block, to warm up the oil. The charging worked and I was able to drive without any problems.

Wednesday:
Short test ride. Stop to eat "Bifanas"

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The bike stopped charging the battery. But despite everything, a great day. First motorcycle ride in Portugal in a year. Finally back in business again. The charging issues was just a bad contact. Fixed in the evening => Everything was OK

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[ErikGustav2]

Thursday:
Time for a little longer test ride. I'm OK and the motorcycle works. Happy days After a short ride I'm in chaotic city traffic. (Guia) I drive slowly. I braked before a pedestrian crossing, when I saw some people approaching. On instinct. Without thinking. I locked the front wheel. (Which shouldn't happen when you're driving straight ahead. But the tire, despite a decent pattern, was old, hard and with bad grip. And the street was dirty). I fell over on the left side.With my left leg under the bike.
I always ride with protective clothing. Even in the heat. So my new jacket did its job to protect the shoulder.

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But my leg between the knee and ankle took a real beating. I had low boots that gave good protection of my ankles. You see the scratches.

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Unfortunately I left the high boots in Sweden. And have ordered another pair to wear in Portugal. But they haven't arrived yet. With them on, it would have been much better.

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I was terrified that my knee was injured. But it felt like only the calf muscle was injured. And the thumb + index finger on my right hand. I got help to set up the bike and it had only minor damage on turn signals and some more.

[ErikGustav2]

I continued a bit further and had a coffee. But then I realized that it was better to go to the hospital. My leg started to swell and hurt. So I took my bike to the hospital and entered the emergency. I was treated well. I was examined, including an X-ray. No damage to hard parts of the leg "Just the calf muscle was bruised and the leg scraped”.

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The ligament in the hand was stretched but not torn.

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Conclusion: Rest with an elevated position of the leg, cleaning the wound 2 times a day, etc. and it should be OK within 2 weeks. I will be careful with cleaning. I definitely do not want an infection in the wound.
I got a prescription for fairly mild painkillers and disinfectant liquid. I passed the pharmacy on my bike on the way home from the hospital. I don't give up that easily. Once at home, I took a strong painkiller that I had left over from the surgeries. And a double dose to start with what I picked up at the pharmacy. It helped. So I slept well.

Logic says that I am happy. That it went so well. No damage to the operated knees or anything else that needs to be addressed by a doctor.
But my brain is also unfortunately wandering off into thoughts. Damn. Now again. After a year of struggle I had a nice day. And then it's back to sick leave. Instead of using September (which is the best month of the year) to ride a motorbike in Portugal. It never ends. But I try to don't think like that. And hope it goes away. But your brain don't always do what you want.
And of course, I am angry with myself. It was me who crashed.
=
I was riding with a Portuguese guy. Who was riding a scooter in a helmet and a good jacket. But with shorts and sneakers. He got some serious thoughts, when it comes to protection.
=
To be continued

[Godspeed]

So sorry to hear this. I really hope you heal up quickly and that there’s no lasting damage

[Tonibe63]

It's a minor setback compared to how far you've come and you rode the bike home so don't give yourself a hard time, keep on moving forward