I've always respected the guys who have shared lessons learned here so here's my donation.

I was riding into work this morning (perfect 70 degree day).  I got to a right-hand, cloverleaf offramp that connects two highways here in Memphis.  I always set up for the outside of the lane and transition to the inside of the lane as I get into the turn.  As the turn straightens out, I transition back to the outside of the lane to set up for the merge onto the new road.  I had just set up for the offramp, wide left in the lane - about 35mph, when I looked in the mirror and a pickup was bearing down on the inside of the lane with what seemed like a 30 mph overtake.  Holy crap, this guy's gonna run me over!  I rolled on the throttle to minimize the overtake and had to start leaning really hard to make the turn now.  I kept leaning until the right floorboard started to scrape hard.  I was out of lean and about to lowside.  A guardrail was coming up and a lowside impact would have been ugly.  (The guardrail had already been hit and the first 20' or so was peeled back into the grass.)  I immediately went to plan "B".  I straightened up the bike and grabbed as much brake as I could and aimed to depart the offramp and miss the end of the guardrail to the left side of it. The truck blasted past me to the right.  I hit gravel on the shoulder of the offramp and headed into the grass.  I looked across the grass at the opposing lane of the offramp.  No cars coming, I might just pull this off!  Boom!  The backend broke loose and I went down.   I probably slid 20'.  (After piecing it all together, my right tailpipe had clipped the end of the bent back guardrail and that's where I lost it.) I got up and there were plastic pieces everywhere and grass in the fins of the motor.  I gave myself a mental patdown and everything seemed to be intact.  A cop pulled up on that opposing offramp lane  and asked if I was ok, literally 30 seconds after I went down.  Right behind him was a guy from work.  Three more cops showed up within a minute.  I was wearing my silver EXO-100 helmet, black Victory jacket, black Kevlar jeans and black boots.  Apparently cop #1 thought I was a motor officer down and responded accordingly.  My buddy from work recognized the bike and when he saw me talking to the cop he thought I was another cop at the scene and that I had already been medivac'd somewhere.  All he saw was the guardrail peeled back 20' with my bike laying there and thought I'd ripped a leg off, if not worse.

I assured him I was ok, just a little shocky.  No concussion or even bruises.  The cops and my buddy were stunned that I didn't even have a blade of grass on me.  The bent back guardrail with the bike laying next to it was ugly.  It looked like I had hit the guardrail at 90 mph and ripped it off the 4X4 posts. 

Lessons learned: 

- Having to do it again, should I have held my speed, kept my line and hoped for the best?  I don't know.  I honestly felt like I was about to get runover.  Between the truck and the guardrail, I thought I was going to lose either way. 

- I read a lot of safety articles and have a couple of books, along with the Ride Like a Pro DVD's.  This is the stuff that saved me.  I knew I was about to lowside and instead of letting it happen, I straightened up and looked for my out.  Instead of boresighting on the guardrail, I focused on my path to miss it.  The end of the guardrail clipped my tailpipe about 6" from the back end and that's how close I came to pulling off plan "B".  By that time, I was down to about 20mph.

- Gear - As long as I missed the guardrail with the soft parts of my body, I knew I would walk away from any impact with asphalt or grass.  I always wear an armored jacket and at least Kevlar lined jeans.  On cold/rainy days I have armored overpants.  I wear Held gloves and armored boots.  The gear combined with the tipover protection of the Vision is very comforting when this scenario unfolds before you.  I actually thought about the tipovers as I was going down and focused on keeping my feet on the floorboards.  Don't try to "save" anything by sticking a leg out.  I wear the EXO half helmet on hot days (over 90) and a full face Shoei the rest of the time.  The silver EXO was worth it's weight in gold when it came to the police response. :-)

The bike is in pieces but I'm not.  I crashed at 6:20 this morning and was home by 7:45.  As far as motorcycle crashes go, this was as good a result as anyone could have hoped for.  My endless thanks to Victory designers/engineers for the protection.  Good gear is worth every penny in peace of mind.  Learn from others mistakes and practice to be better.  Focus on the "out" not the obstacle.

Ride safe.

Thanks guys.  My family feels terrible about the Vision but I told them that losing it means nothing at this point. 

Visionary - I'm really anal about that exact same scenario.  I'm constantly scanning my mirrors when stopped at an intersection.  That is a major reason I felt so strongly about the 99 LED brakelight.  I've seen cars coming up on me and I'll pop that brake light a few times just to make sure they see me.  I've never had to make that move around the car in front of me but I have watched the front end of the car coming up on me suddenly dive when I pump the brakes to light up the LEDs.  I'm always thinking about that out around the car in front of me.  Fantastic move. 

Nothing like a giant "WHEW! That was close!" to make your day.  I feel very fortunate.

You guys are awesome.  I forwarded the link to this posting to my friends and family so that I wouldn't have to tell it over and over.  Anyone reading this thread can see why I have such a strong draw to this place.  Many thanks all around.

T-Man, you are unreal.  The very first thing I noticed after I shook off the cobwebs and really started trying to put the pieces together was where the guardrail hit the exhaust.  There's about a 6" dent in the heatshield that ends about 3" from the turbine tip.  My very first thought was "Dang, I'm glad that didn't hit the turbine tip.  That would have really bummed me out!"  It makes me laugh to think about it now but those pieces are the crown jewel of my bike.  Even if it is totalled, I'm keeping those tips as a momento.  Your offer to replace them humbles me to the core.

I guess the get-off wasn't as uneventful as I originally thought because after talking to the buddy from work who stayed with me the whole time, I have about 10 minutes that I can't account for.  My boss called to check on me and told me that I had called in three times to let him know I wouldn't make it in today.  My helmet has a scrape from the grass that I didn't notice before (plus a red line across my forehead) so I probably have a mild concussion.  No nausea or dizzness but just taking it easy at this point.  One of the ironies is my bum hip doesn't hurt at all. 

Thanks again for all good wishes!  I wish every wreck I hear about ended up this mild. 

I'm getting the bike towed to my boys at FRS Powersports tomorrow so I'll keep you guys updated.

Hey Po,

Nope, did not ride it home.  Did ride it up onto the flatbed towtruck though.  It's at an impound lot tonight and I'll be coordinating with the insurance co to have it delivered to Denny and the boys tomorrow.

Po and I go way back.  (He bought the very first Vision in Memphis and is one of the two bikes I have ever seen riding around here.)  He is younger than the typical Vision Rider and thinks it is great fun to go riding when the heat index is 114.  Gets his feelings hurt if you turn him down from such a golden opportunity.  Don't let his goofiness on this forum fool you, he is an expert rider and literally ran circles around me in a parking lot skills test.  Great riding buddy.

After a restless night of playing it over and over, I'm convinced the pickup driver would have hit me and kept going.  Let me try to explain the set-up a little better. 

It is not a typical cloverleaf offramp.  The lane you merge onto is actually a couple of hundred yards (meters for Don) long.  The lane actually starts behind you as you merge onto it and there is traffic coming from an intersection back there that is speeding up and trying to merge onto the freeway.  You have two opposite events happening:  I'm coming off the freeway, slowing down to get into a lane where the cars that are already there are speeding up for their merge into my lane.  It is a convoluted set-up but both lanes know to look over their shoulders for the inevitable overtake and swap out.  999 out of 1000 cars coming from the right will merge left.  Every blue moon one car will stay in that lane and continue straight for the cloverleaf.  That car is not really a factor because they know the cloverleaf is coming up so they don't accellerate nearly as hard as the ones that want to merge left and get up to freeway speed.

When I came off the freeway, there was no one in the offramp lane but a white truck was turning onto it, probably 100 yards behind me.  No big deal, I'm headed for the cloverleaf and he's headed for the lane I'm just coming out of so I'll be out of his way.  I down-shifted to 3rd gear and eased onto the lefthand edge of the cloverleaf lane and set up for my turn.  Just as I commit and start to lean, I look in my righthand mirror and the white truck is not only not merging left, he is coming onto the cloverleaf like a scalded dog!  Most cars take the cloverleaf at about 25-30 mph.  I can take it at about 45-50 max.  He was at freeway speed coming up on the right.  It's too late for me to bail back to the lane I just came out of and I was commited to the turn.  The only thing that saved me was the fact that the guardrail didn't start until about 1/3 of the way around the cloverleaf.  The fact that it was already bent back from a previous collision gave me some more room also.

Once I made the decision to bail out, it was all or nothing.  I can't believe I didn't slide full into the guardrail once I hit the gravel and grass.

Thanks again for all the well wishes but please remember our brother here, handyhiker, for a full recovery.  Live and learn guys.

Ok, everything happens from right to left.  I'm coming off of 240 (far right) where the little green 21 exit is.  It's a two lane offramp.  The right lane goes to Cherokee Blvd, the left lane continues towards the cloverleaf (far left).  You can't merge onto the cloverleaf lane until you pass that triangle.  That's where you are scanning for cars that have come through the intersection at Prescott and are going to merge with you.  Once the two lanes merge at the left side of the triangle, you start jockeying for the swapout.  I was right about where the two white arrows are when I saw the white truck coming onto the merge lane from the Cherokee/Prescott intersection.

Here you see the cloverleaf with the guardrail slightly bent back already.  The ramp has been repaved and the guardrail is now bent at about 45 degrees.  The red car left of the cloverleaf is where I was aiming once I departed.

I haven't looked at the pictures yet in detail, but my son and wife is at exit 14 on I-40 on their way to Fort Bless, TX. lol. I was helping them find a place to stop when they decided on Wendy's.

Okay, thanks Tom, the situation is so much clearer in my mind.  I can understand the intimidation from overbearing cagers and I've let them pass when I have room, usually I find they were trying to get a closer look at the bike and find myself getting past them when they slow down.  In the exit ramp, however, I don't think that is what was happening.  I think you said the truck did not stop to render assistance, which that is an indicator that he was a Harley rider who was jealous he wasn't riding and you were, on a Victory, no less.  (I'll hear it now I'm sure)  Glad you're okay and you missed any objects in the road.  What did the guy in the red car think when you came at him?  (I know, I'm just trying to be funny)

fnvision - 2012-08-27 7:07 AM
Keeping at least a peripheral view in your mirrors at all times is extremely important when riding on public roads, but that is the big problem I have with my vision. I can't tell you how many times cars have gotten hidden from my view due to the handgrips and my hands blocking out that critical part of my mirrors. I've yet to find a convex mirror of the appropriate size and shape to remedy this problem and wish victory would make a replacement mirror with a convex section built in or at least a stick on with a larger size and shape that would fit the odd shaped mirror.
This is EXACTLY why I have had regular mirrors mounted on all three Visions so far. It completely eliminates the blind spots. The edge of the mirror's view overlaps with the edge of my peripheral vision. I know they don't look cool but I can't tell you how many times they've saved my ass from some jerk merging into me while texting, etc. If your bike is equipped with predrilled holes please, please give it some thought. The mirrors were something like $30 for the pair and you can cover the original ones, run them both or stick a speaker in there or something else creative. Anyway, just consider it because they actually work.

Marc

Bike had still not been delivered as of 3:00 today. 

My preference at this point would be to just call it totalled and move along.  The Vision is so finicky on geometry and set up that I just can't believe it would be put back together good as new.  Heck, it's the only bike I've ever owned that I can tell when the air in the tires drops 2psi.  That bike was a high watermark in my life but I'm totally ready to let it go under these circumstances.

My second favorite add on (after the turbine tips) was the Clearwater LEDs.  The left one got torn off.  As far as keeping anything for a future project, all I'm keeping is the tips.  Everything else is fair game and between you and Denny if it gets to that point. 

I knew about the red '08 Street they have there but I'm thinking if I start fresh, I'm going ABS.  Might have made a difference in the gravel and grass.  ABS is one of those "button" subjects guys like to push but I'm a huge fan of that technology.  Wasn't offered in '08 so all things considered, I'll take it on my next one.

I know ABS might take a little bit longer on a perfectly dry road but I like to plan for worse case scenarios.

http://www.youtube.com/v/M3MfLcJLaCs

http://www.youtube.com/v/Mk7b2oWQPR0

Po, not sure about the controller working with other LEDs.  I'm sure you could rig it to work.  The Clearwater LED's are high-intensity, made in Sweden, so the components are top notch.  (That's another $475 I'll have Denny add to the estimate.)

Well, Secretariat is totaled.  My mechanic (Denny) called me and said $15,000 in parts and labor to put it back the way it was.  He felt sick about having to deliver that news but I told him I was expecting that and it was better for me in the long run just getting a new one and moving on from there.  I'll sit tight until the insurance company calls back and see what I'm dealing with to move on with.  It's USAA and they've always been very fair with me. 

I'm forced to retire in little over a year so I may just take the money and upgrade the house (new high efficiency windows) instead of taking it out of my retirement later.  By that time the 2014 Vision will be out and I might be first in line for whatever comes out. 

While I was talking to Denny, I mentioned that I knew about the '08 Vision Street they have left over and could really get a smoking deal on it but I wanted to go with ABS next.  He said, "Tom, you just come in here and order what you want and we'll take care of you."

As bad as all of this sounds on the surface, I'm in a pretty good place.  We'll see how it plays out.....

fnvision - 2012-08-27 11:07 AM Glad you're okay and appreciate you sharing your experience; I think you sharing this helps us all by reminding us to stay alert at all times and could possibly save someones life in the future with your wreck embedded in the back of their mind. Keeping at least a peripheral view in your mirrors at all times is extremely important when riding on public roads, but that is the big problem I have with my vision. I can't tell you how many times cars have gotten hidden from my view due to the handgrips and my hands blocking out that critical part of my mirrors. I've yet to find a convex mirror of the appropriate size and shape to remedy this problem and wish victory would make a replacement mirror with a convex section built in or at least a stick on with a larger size and shape that would fit the odd shaped mirror.

I'll try to get a picture in of the mirrors I got from Camper World (for R.V.'s) (thier in my pictures). I use the bike mirror for the side vission & the clipped on's on the front panel to see behind me. Works great and also have caught someone sneaking up beside me. Best side vision I've ever had on a bike.

Mirrors.jpg (55KB - 0 downloads)

Po, think of Secretariat as an organ donor.  Cams, controller, new rear tire, chrome fairing pieces, LED Polaris side markers, 2 new PIAA anti-vibration headlight bulbs, the 99 LED taillight with Posi-Taps.  (I also have the $800 leather seat on there.  Not heated and not at as cushy stock but would look good on a black Vision I know of.)  Knock yourself out.

Varyder, no "interim" bike for me.  It's Vision or nothing.  If I have to wait a while, that's fine.  I'm stashing all my riding gear in a big Tupperware tub and when it's time to get back in the saddle I'll dust it off and call Po for some parking lot lessons on the new ride. 

When you dodge a major bullet and get a chance to look at a bunch of different options your priorities seem to change a bit.  I'm not scared to get back in the saddle and my wife assures me she trusts my judgement out there but at this point it's all about how to most wisely spend the insurance check considering my pending pay cut.  It's really nice not being hurt and having options.

8-ball - 2012-08-28 10:00 PM Songfan, been holding my tongue, flat glad your OK. Remember everything happens for a reason and you found yours. I was a Rodeo Cowboy back in the day and each ride/wreck changed the way you look at your life. Most of the time it depended on how hard the wreck was or how good the ride was, but it was also based on what the dynamics were within that situation (my deal, horse or bull deal) or just a sign of the times as they say. My point being you flat ass made a split nano decisions from your descriptions of the situation that saved your life and/or limbs. You cannot be replaced but the Vision can and you will buck out another one out proudly I surly know. If you need me to sit you down just let me know (just a Cowboy thing, and a joke with motorcycles) I hope your ridin again real soon as I know how much my "Girls" mean to me! Just hard to pick when they both whine every time I enter the garage. I do know why they are "girls" in my world. Recover and get back on my Brother....

The way I've been riding lately I need someone to set me down.  I know that the "not if, but when" rule applies to us all.  I had a "when" nearly 30 years ago...I'm hoping that was it.  My near miss with a red light runner hopefully has taken care of it for the rest of my life.  I don't see Tom giving up, just shift priorities for a while. Everything happens for a reason.

Thanks for the encouragement guys. 

8-Ball - You are on my short list of guys I want to sit across the table from someday.  Rodeo cowboy - I honestly cannot imagine that life.  I would just sit there and let you tell stories all night.  When a guy has an incident on a motorcycle that spooks him and the ones close to him, "getting back on the horse" is only a figure of speech.  Bronco/bull rider?..........Man, you've lived it every day.  I honestly cannot imagine.

I guess in a way I was fortunate that my crash happened where it did.  I have driven that offramp five days a week for 25 years.  I have been riding it on a motorcycle for 14 of those.  As dangerous as it was, I knew how everyone was supposed to act.  I had learned to recognize aggressive drivers that were merging from the right lane and give them room.  I've even seen guys follow me off of I-240 and pass me on the right because I was slowing down and setting up on the left side of the lane for my line.  Part of what saved me was noticing that the truck came from that intersection (not off of I-240) and was accelerating like a man possessed.  I guess I was "profiling" because where he had come from was an extremely rough side of Memphis (an extremely dangerous city) and the vast majority of drivers there don't have insurance.  I learned a long time ago to not try and figure out crazy people.  I don't know what the pickup driver had on his mind, but I knew he was crazy.  It's amazing what can go through your head in about 3 seconds. 

As of this minute, I'm gonna wait until the summer of '14 to shop for a new Vision.  I was mowing the lawn today (some of my best introspection time) and it dawned on me that after May of '14, I will never have to drive to work again in one of the most dangerous cities in the country.  It's going to be a good feeling to leave that environment behind. 

I almost never rode the Vision on my days off.  My days off have been Tuesday/Wednesday for a long time and it is impossible to hookup for a relaxing weekend ride with anyone else.  I spent my two days off every week just trying to keep up with life and raising five kids.  On the positive side, riding to work everyday has really ramped up my desire to be the best rider possible, ride the best bike I could afford and wear the best gear I could find.  I rode in the most extreme conditions I could stand because I wanted to know where the weak spots were, whether it was in my gear, my bike or my skills/judgement.  Riding to work everyday was my controlled environment that taught me to be the rider that I am.  That experience really paid off when I'd get a rare opportunity to take a big road trip.  Lousy roads, crazy traffic, extreme weather, etc. was never a big deal on a road trip because I was ready for it.  (The only thing that gives me the willies is deer country.)  I was a better driver on the Vision than I am in my truck because I had to be.

I look forward to riding my future Vision purely for fun.  I won't take it any less seriously, but the change of scenery on my rides will feel like heaven.

8-Ball - I'm not looking back.  Went to my dealership yesterday and replayed the story for those guys.  I'm sure if I had really hurt myself I would be second guessing my decisions but I am 100% ok with the way everything turned out.  I'm pretty much done raising  the kids (youngest ones are in college) and am focused on finishing out my career on a high note.  I told my shop guys that I would be back in a year and a half.  They are genuinely looking forward to getting me a smokin deal on anything I want.

Thanks for checking in Jim!  I sent you an e-mail.  We have got to get together and catch up.

Here's a few thousand words:

^ Guardrail hit the right exhaust pipe.  Bike went down on it's right side.  Trunk is cracked, lower wind deflector torn off.  It then flopped over onto the left side.

Windshield is torn off of it's hinges.

The wreck was obvioulsy more violent than I remembered but I am 100% fine.  Funny how the brain works.  Only clue on my body is a slight rug burn on my right knee where I must have hit the fairing. 

I have a lot to be thankful for.  My friends and family are blown away by the response here.  I'll be back in the saddle when the timing is right. 

Ah, that makes sense Chris. 

At this point, my family is making a joke of it.  I got on my 12.5 hp Snapper riding mower the other day and my daughter pulled up in her car.  She hopped out and hollered "Hey!  Where's the helmet, jacket and boots!?"  I responded "Ha! Very funny!  But if I see an old, white, Ford F-150 coming down the street I'm bailing!"  She cracked up.

I'm going back to work this afternoon so I'll drive that cloverleaf for the first time since Sunday and I'm sure I'll play it all over again but that's part of the game. 

johnnyvision,

I know what you are saying but I never trusted anyone prior to the crash.  I don't think I'll change my riding style at all once I get back in the saddle.  It worked for me and possibly saved my life, it just cost me my bike.  Having said that, I feel extrememly lucky to get out of it totally unscathed.  The only thing I will change after I get back into the saddle is the type of riding I will do.  Up until now it has been 99% urban driving.  After I retire and start riding again it will be 99% rural and 1% urban.  I can't believe I have ridden through intersections for 14 years straight and never had a close call with someone turning left in front of me or running a red light.  Maybe it's because I've given intersections a measure of respect and cushion that I don't even think about when I'm in my truck.  I ride like I am invisible and do everything I can to minimize the risk but plan for the worse case. 

If my bike hadn't been totaled, I would ride it home from the dealership the day it was fixed and then ride it to work from then on.  But, now that it is totaled, is it worth buying a brand new bike just to ride to work for the next 18 months in that environment?  Nope.  In 18 months, I'll get back in the saddle with no reservations.  I know I will have lost a lot of my edge by then and will ride accordingly.  I'll watch the DVD's, read the books and spend a lot of time in parking lots working on panic stops and low speed maneuvers.  I can't wait to practice panic stops in a wet parking lot with ABS.  I'll upgrade my gear and as I get older, I'll adjust accordingly.  Being an Iron Butt rider sounded really cool and doable about 10 years ago but it holds absolutely zero appeal to me now. 

Motorcycling has made me better at a lot of things and I look forward to riding something really cool to the 2014 AVR.  The day it turns into a negative aspect of my life, I will walk away.

DersertJim - I'm thinking I had a guard(rail)ian angel.  My right ankle breaks out in a cold sweat every time I see the photo of that gash in the exhaust pipe.

Thanks again for all the well wishes and advice guys.

Glad you had a great weekend at Tomahawk, 8-Ball.  I would love to get together one of these days and swap stories.

bigwill - I'm totally convinced that the outcome would have been a whole lot different with a fork mounted fairing.  You can see in the pics that the front end was a huge crumple zone around me.  You look at that rear-3/4 view and think, "Huh, that doesn't look so bad.  Saddlebag isnt even scratched."  When, in fact. the right front tipover is jammed up under the floorboard and the floorboard is cocked up about an inch.  The frame is bent.  The right exhaust pipe is jammed against the plastic below the saddlebag so hard that I couldn't get the turbine exhaust tip off on that side.  The trunk hit so hard that it is cracked and jammed against the left side grab handle.  The view of the dash shows how hard it hit on both side to crack those speaker grills and pop the instrument bezel completely off.  It was a violent crash but the Vision totally sacrificed itself while I walked away unscathed.  I still can't believe that.

Taz - I agree about the amount of money spent on the bike vs nitpicking about gear.  To be honest, for the most part, we bikers are more concerned about image rather than safety.  If we wanted safety, we'd all be driving Volvos.  I try not to judge a biker by what he is wearing but if he doesn't take his gear and riding technique seriously I will never ride with him more than once.  That's just me.

Well, for those inquiring minds that want to know, I got $15,200 for my bike from the insurance company.  I was blown away.  5 years old (I bought it Fall of '07) and 57,000 miles.  I never realized it until I had to add up every little mod but I had over $6,000 in "upgrades" on that bike.  Chrome fairings, color-matched paint, Clearwater LEDs, Cams/controller/exhaust, tall windshield, leather seat, XM.  I didn't get dollar for dollar payback but was shocked at how much it added to the setttlement. (I was expecting to get between $10-12K.) 

My brother recently got re-married after being divorced for 7 years.  He bought a "bachelor car" Mustang GT in 2007 and has souped it up with a performance chip, cold air K&N intake system, underdrive pulley system, Eibach lowered suspension, 2011 GT wheels with very sticky Continental tires, Rousch cat-back exhaust and a $2000 stereo/Nav system.  When I crashed the Vision he asked if I was going to get another one.  I told him I was going to hold off until I retire.  He said he'd give me a killer deal on the 'Stang but I told him that it was way out of my league and I didn't want to spend a bunch of money on a toy when I'm trying to get 100% debt free in the next year.  He said "I'll sell it to you for whatever you get from the insurance.  Won't cost you a penny out of your budget."  I said "It might only be 10 grand."  He said "I don't care, I want you to have it.  I never drive it anymore and I'm about to sell it anyway."  (I know he has around $28K in that car.) 

Long story short, my wife and I got married in 1980 and our car was a '67 Fastback.  It was her favorite car of all time but we had to sell it after kids started showing up and life got serious and practical.  My wife is the most low maintenance woman on the planet.  She never does anything for herself.  She has raised 5 awesome kids and is now a grandma.  We have been married 32 years (in Nov) and I have known since the very beginning of our relationship that she is "the one".  Over the last two weeks, my brother and I, along with my kids and our closest friends, concoted a huge story that resulted in a reveal that would rival anything you would have seen on "Overhaulin".  Yesterday, I gave her this car (that's not my house by the way):

Luke, you will never meet a guy more blessed than I am.  Not because of the "stuff" but because of the family and friends I have.  Surviving the Vision crash without a scratch has made me exceedingly grateful for my life and the fact that those closest to me aren't having to take care of me.  I could go through the exact same situation as someone else but my outcome always seems to come up roses while the other guy is left with a nightmare.  It happens to me all the time.  I can't explain it but I appreciate every day of what I have.

Part of my blessed life has come from the friends I have made on this forum.  I'm a huge fan of good karma.

Watching the wife having a flashback as she cranks up her very own hot rod..................PRICELESS!

By the way, I'm getting a custom license plate for it that will say:  30YR W8

Thanks John.  I'm not going anywhere.  Vision-Riders is my #1 Favorites tab and will stay there.  I'm very interested to see what rolls out of Spirit Lake between now and 2014.

As far as posters go, they will still get posted as the spirit (of the Vision) moves.

Thanks for checking in Paul.  We'll definitely try and hook up over the Holidays.  PM me when you are getting close to coming out this way.