Back on twowheels in time for Cheaha!
Yea mon! Yesterday, I got the Elite 250 out and rode it! It was 18 miles, hardly an Epic Journey, but I was riding! I was waiting to be able to walk with a cane, so I could be able to get off the scooter and walk when I got to wherever I was going. You could not have pried the grin off my face with a crowbar. For a rider like me, going from June to April without riding was misery. There are still issues - I do not have the stones to try the Silver Wing yet, as it is a 500lb bike; the Elite 250 at less than 300lbs is enough of an issue right now. I have very little mechanical advantage with the legs; both of mine are amputated at about 5 inches below the knee, and flexing the knee and trying to apply forward or back motion with the feet is very tough. I can not "back up" the Elite. A stop at an intersection an uneasy thing, as the same principle applies to side-to-side motion with the feet; I do not have the mechanical advantage. I am getting used to it, but it is taking a while. This morning, I rode to Crestwood Coffee to hang out with the Birmingham Scooter Syndicate. Forty-four miles and a gas stop, and I did well, all things considered. I am a happy gimp boy.
Now to Cheaha. I hang out with the Valkyrie Riders Cruiser Club, a group who ride Honda Valkyries, a huge cruiser built around a Gold Wing engine. These are great folks, and tolerate scooter trash like me very well; in fact it is their fault that I have the Silver Wing, so I can keep up with the group rides. These folks have an annual Alabama state ride-in at Cheaha Mountain State Park in east central Alabama on the first weekend in May. I am going! It looks like I will be on the Elite 250, but I am going! Cheaha is an amazing event - it is promoted as the Alabama state ride-in, but attracts riders from many states, and good times are had. So far this time, there are 127 registered, from 14 states and Canada. There are folks there with whom I communicate on the BBS, Facebook, etc but only see in person once a year at Cheaha, so this is something I will not miss. I leave this Friday afternoon, and will return Sunday. Yeah baby!
