Hi Everyone
It has been a while since I posted here. I have also had a lot of my riding buddies stop riding over the past few years, On Feb 3 of 2023 my cardiologist performed an angiogram to investigate a shadow on my stress test. He discovers a blockage in my LAD artery( the widow maker) and put in a stent. During the procedure the 2 wires got crossed while putting in the stent knocking some plaque loose and traveled to my brain causing me to have 2 strokes which paralyzed my right side. It took 5 days in the hospital, 3 weeks of rehab for my right side and 36 sessions of cardio rehab and the doctor declared me to be 100% recovered. I have full use of my right side now. My wife still thinks there is something wrong because I won’t listen to her, but that problem existed before the strokes.
I lost a lot of my strength during this time. My wing became very heavy to hold up and I couldn’t even get it on the center stand. My confidence on making u turns and riding on gravel were gone. I’m now on 2 different blood thinners. The thought of having a small accident also shook my confidence. As some of you know I use to have a trike, but I always preferred two wheels. I got to thinking that this may be the end of my riding days. I took about 2 months and a lot of conversation with my wife on giving up riding, trike my wing, buying a can am, or just buying a sports car to get out in the wind. We just lost our dog 1month after my stroke which broke my heart again. In June we got a puppy (Portuguese water dog). Let me tell you at 67 years old a puppy is a lot of work, but she is a joy, and she is helping me to get out and walk every day which is helping with my strength. My health continues to get better every day. Did I mention a puppy is a lot of work.
After contemplating what I was going to do, in October I made the decision to trike my 2017 Goldwing with a Roadsmith trike kit. I called up my friend Mark at D&D to build me another trike. The first trike I had was Champion, but this time I went with Roadsmith. It has a longer wheelbase, and I could get a 5-gal auxiliary gas tank, wing guards (weight bearing running boards), performance sway bar, rear adjustable preload upgrade, rake the front end and traxxionize the front forks. It was twice the cost of my first trike 15 years ago.
Mark received the kit at the end of December and built the trike the first 2 weeks in January. Mark and Jr did an outstanding job at building this trike. I could not be happier. The weight bearing running boards give me endless position to place my feet (I still get sciatica occasionally). The extra gas tank is a real joy, and I can transfer the fuel from the auxiliary tank to the main tank on the fly. I still stop every hundred miles or so, but I can do it at a scenic outlook instead of a gas station.
I have put 2500 miles on the trike since mid-January. Not a lot of miles, but not shabby either. My skill to ride a trike came back to me very quickly. The trike has renewed my confidence level to ride. I once again have discovered the joy of riding not quite the same as a 2-wheeler, but just as satisfying and maybe a little better for me. I just love it. When I put up the trike at the end of the day of riding, I’m already thinking about the next day I could get out again. I purchased a trailer to pull behind the trike for longer trips and have been practicing pulling it. The trike so far has worked out for me and will keep me in the wind hopefully for many more years. I know this is not the answer for everyone and I hope everyone finds the right answer for them even if that is giving up riding. It is going to happen to us all at some point. Now I just need to figure out how to do lane splitting with my trike and trailer.
P.S Yes John I’m still working. Only a couple of hours pre day at full pay to keep your Social Security coming in.
Did I mention a puppy is a lot of work
