Avon Trailriders Installed

[redfjniner]

Bought these last June 2019, as I thought they would look good and had read that they were good in twisties and wet pavement.  Just what I need here in Washington.  Reported to not give great mileage, but I felt that would work if the planned rides coincided with approx. 4500 miles.  We will see.  I also have a set of PR2's that I was planning on using for my 5400 mile ride to Austin, but they canceled the MotoGP so we now have a possible 3838 mile ride to take it's place.  AZ, NM, CO, UT etc.  So I mounted the Avons and thought you might like to see what they look like.  You know, we got to have pictures.😁

[duhs10]

@redfjninerWhat are your total miles on the bike now?

[redfjniner]

90,095, other than 3 outings to keep it limber, I haven't ridden it since mid October.  The FJRs got more miles in that time than the FJ.  I must be going through a Life Crisis and I'm feeling it.  Sitting at home on a sunny day and 52 degrees.  Never happen before and its not because of the COVID 19.

Life presents many changes for us to deal with and I have had my share.  Here is a little history to show what I mean.

2012 Feb:  Very nice winter day with a bit of snow in the lower elevations and ice on the roads, I was out on a 200 mile ride on the FJR.  I hit some gravel coming into a 15mph corner and went down, breaking my collar bone.  It never bonded and I still have them sliding up making my shoulder shorter.  This event caused me to loose much in muscle tone.

2012 Jul:  My first dear strike.  Actually the dear T boned me on the left front side and rubbed my handlebar as it slammed against my leg and the bike.  I almost went off the roadway and down the embankment but managed to stay on the shoulder and then back on the asphalt.  Happened in Montana at the west end of Lolo, just past the 70mph sign. I was under a handful of power going to 70 from 45.

2013 Sept:  Walked off the golf course and went directly to the ER.  5 days later I had open heart surgery and 5 bypasses.  5 new throttle bodies that provided the capability of providing up to 125% more blood to my heart.  The reduction of ability over the years was unnoticed.  Mostly because I thought I was getting older and therefore kind of accepted it.  Back at it in 9 weeks.  Still more muscle tone lost.

2015 July:  On an Epic Ride to Colorado I pulled off the road onto a pull out area that wasn't paved i mile west of Creed.  It had rained the night before and there was mud under the top surface, which looked dry, and down I went breaking my right fibula.  Air plane ride home that day.  Even though I was running around on a cast and even playing golf with it, I was loosing muscle. 10-15 mph decel.

2016 July:  On another ride to Colo. riding out of Redlodge, MT on our way to Jasper, BC I, again, was struck by a dear on the left side of my FJ09 this time.  Immediately the bike went down and I landed on top of it.  We were on Cruise Control at 74mph.  We slide 250 feet before the bike flipped me off, and I flew through the air for another 50 feet.  I was unharmed.

2016 Sept:  While taking a 4 day ride through northern Washington I was again struck on the left side of my FJR just south of Ione, WA.  I was just cruising at 60 mph at the time. The dear slide into me so it was very low and didn't hit me very hard.  Did damage from front to back and tore the saddlebag off the bike but I hardly felt the collision. 

2016 Dec: Went to Hospital for check up and was found to have Esophageal Cancer. This brought about a radical change in my life. I lost 15#. I now believe that stress is a killer and should be avoided. Don't get me wrong as some kinds of stress is healthy. BTW, I don't have that cancer anymore.

2017 Sept:  Rented a DL1000 in Atlanta and headed for the Appalachian Mountains to a FJR gather in Wytheville, VA . After a couple days riding Deals Gap a couple times and getting used to the DL. Nice bike. Day 3 I suddenly exited the road and made contact with a reflector pole and ended up loosing control and crashing in the middle of the road breaking my left fibula.  This one took twice as long to heal as the right one, but it was a little worse break.

2019 May: Upon returning from a ride to Clifton, AZ and hwy 191, riding up through SW Oregon, I hit an antelope. Although I only hit it's back legs, I think this had a bigger effect on me than all the others which all caused much damage to my motorcycles, this one didn't, but I think it caused more mental stress as I am riding with more caution.(that mean much slower) and the chicken strips are getting wider. One reason I put Adv.Tour tires on the FJ.

All these events have taken a toll. How much is hard to establish, but that really doesn't matter either. Life provides us with experiences and we respond. The past you may not like the new you, and visa versa. Today is a new day and we make it what it becomes. Hopefully even more full filling than the last day. Change, it is what it is. Make sure you have really good friends and that may take some work on your part. And you asked me how many miles I now have on my FJ. About 18,000 more than last year, but I'm slowing this year.  I feel it in my bones.  Broken bones.

[betoney]

@redfjniner  Damn, that is quite a resume' (and a whole lot of bad luck).  Best of luck to you in healing and continued riding.

[redfjniner]

I know it is bad luck when you are attacked by deer, but I prefer to look at it as Life Experiences.  And the worst event, the cancer, was and is looked on as a blessing,  a wake up call and even cause for mission work.

[BBB]

That’s quite a list @redfjniner. Good to see that you never gave up. 🏆