[Ducati] On the road again (I wish)

[Ronald Betts]

Damn Peter that is good news. Wasnt your time Dude. Get well fast and get back on that horse, OK, Ducati......!
 
Peace...Ron"Desmohead"Betts 95 900 SPI've learned that I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy it!> From: dsi at swcp.com> To: ducati at ducati.net> Date: Sat, 27 Oct 2007 18:40:51 -0500> Subject: [Ducati] On the road again (I wish)> > Thanks to all the many fine folk out there!!!!!!> > > It is really nice to get so much encouragment from a great bunch of folks.> Whilst laying in the hospital feeling a bit less than 100%, it was quite a> tonic to get so many nice notes, which my wife had read to me, during> periods of awakeness. You folks are just the greatest!!!> > > Without a doubt, this was the weirdest experience of my life. From starting> to ride with a 57 Tiger Cub back in 1962, I had only ridden a couple months> when traveling Euclid avenue past the park in Berkeley, CA when I lowsided> the Cub after hitting a manhole cover in a seriously sharp and low speed> "sweeper" and harmlessly slid across the street with a bloody elbow for my> efforts. Since that time, I have had hundreds of accidents, most on the dirt> at the Richmond Ramblers hillclimb place, the old Hayward cycle park (now> gone) or the Off and On trails along grizzly peak and skyline behind Berk.> and Oakland. Some dirt racing, mostly just riding, but we had a crazy> growing up, roadracing the streets of Berkeley on knobby tyres to go> hillclimbing in what is now "ecological study area'. Later moving to New> Mexico, and continuing more riding, but less dirt, the crashes continued,> but now on road racing tracks, and higher speeds. My first race ever came at> Steamboat Springs where I garnered a third place at the BOTT as Jon Winona> got first (and second in the open superbike pro class) and Chris (?)> Stewart, the Yamaha factory paid rider, while my 1981 Hailwood replica was> still new and uncrashed. Improving from there, I was lucky enough to have a> nice time racing, be in the top ten a number of years, win some class> championships, and survive all crashes without bones broken. Spent some time> as track school instructor and race school director without any hospital> visits. Then two years ago, while commuting to a class I was teaching at UT> Austin, my 05 Strada went down in a rainstorm after a long drought, victim> of bad road surface and flooding oil on the road, for my second ever road> crash. Low side, totalled bike, but not even much of a burn on the> aerostich. However in june this year, a deer on the road caused my son to> crash my monster S4, and it wound up a great deal came up on an 06 Strada,> so I snagged it, leaving the way clear to take the old one to CA where it> lives with Brewmeister son Aaron, ready for Hill House Laguna. Pretty cool,> just fly out and have a bike. But work has been unbelievable, so instead of> myt 2k a month usual, I had barely put any miles on the new bike. So for the> Harvest fest in Luckenbach, I thought, hey, a short ride up and back.> > Never made it. Was doing all of about 25 mph, crossed a cattleguard, sunk> the front wheel in a bunch of dirt/rocks/gravel that covered the other side> of the road from cattle guard and lost the front end. Thought I had it> figured out. Last thing I remember, the front wheel was slipping in the> gravel. Also a little blurb of memory about trying to get ready to ride> home, but fainted on bike and knocked it over, after which I was persuaded> to take ambulance. More on this later.> > Suffice it to say, that after my low speed get off, I arrived at the> hospital with a blood pressure of zero, no pulse rate, a hematocrit of 20, 4> broken ribs, broken shoulder blade, collapsed lung, and requiring 6 liters> of blood, which is pretty much all I hold. I was wearing an Arai helmet, and> Darian lite jacket and pants from Aerostich. Had I not been wearing that> gear, I would have bled a little more, and just a little more blood loss,> and I would have been dead on arrival.> > WOW, it sure feels good being home, breathing air, walking around, and> knowing that so many kind people like the folks on this list were supporting> me in my time of need. Thanks again, all of you, for your support, it does a> great deal to lift one's spirits while in the hospital.> > All for now, but more to come.> > Peter> > > *****> > Our newest sponsor, MC Stands, has just opened its doors! It's a motorcycle> stand superstore. Every brand, every model, 95% in stock for immediate> shipment. Whether front stands, rear stands, paddock stands, dirt bike> stands, or any kind of stand or lift, MC Stands tests, rates, and discounts> everything they sell. Check them out!> > Visit: http://mcstands.com/> _______________________________________________> Ducati mailing list> Ducati at ducati.net> http://list.ducati.net/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/ducati> Mailto: ronaldebettsasalc0015 at hotmail.com
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