Albino Rhino

I suspect things will work out okay; there is too much riding on this for them not to keep me happy. They get only one episode of being stupid; if they persist they will deal with my attorney. To All: Thank you for the good wishes. As soon as the doc gives me the green light I'll be riding again.

I decided to write this for the safety column so that others may learn from my misfortune. Before we go further: I respect your decision to dress as you desire; we’re all adults here. As the saying goes, there are those that have been down, and those that will go down. My questions to you: Are you prepared to go down without notice? Are you adequately protected? I also recognize that the dynamics in any crash are unique to that incident; adequate protection in one case may be inadequate in another case. So the wheel turns… My crash happened this past Wednesday morning at about 6:20 a.m. while commuting to work. I was number two in line in a left-turn lane waiting for the green turn arrows. This is a protected left turn, turn only on green arrow. The light changed and the vehicle in front of me completed his turn before I entered the opposing lanes. As I was crossing the two opposing lanes, my peripheral vision saw the front end of a car approaching very near the trike. I immediately rolled on throttle, trying to get out of the way, but did not make it. The collision ejected me from the bike and I landed on my right side. It was dark. It took a bit to get my bearings; I guess I was looking at the street surface immediately after impact. I remained still and started assessing my condition. I now could see some light; I was breathing, but I had some pain in my right side, I was stunned. As I continued to lie where I landed slowly continuing assessing my condition, people started arriving. After a bit, I slowly turned onto my back (no increase in pain, no new pain in other areas) and opened the front of my Nolan N102 helmet so I could speak clearly. My entire right side is in pain; now my right wrist hurts. I am informed by one of the people on scene that rescue is on the way. I acknowledge the information and thank him for his help. I continue to remain still, not knowing the extent of my injuries. The driver that hit me came to my side and apologized, but stated, “I had the green light and you turned in front of me.” The witnessing driver of the vehicle in the lane next to the offending driver told the law enforcement officer that the light was red for both of their lanes. The paramedics arrived and took charge. They started asking the (I assume) standard questions to determine my alertness and condition and started examining me. I confirmed that I had no neck pain, but of course, they put me a collar around my neck as they removed my helmet. The Nolan chin strap fastening system is a bit different, so I removed my lightly insulated leather gloves (temp was in the mid-50s) and released the chin strap for them. After determining the extent of injuries—apparently only my right side and right wrist, the paramedics slowly worked me out of the First Gear Kilimanjaro jacket, Sidi On Road boots (and my socks), and First Gear Hypertex overpants, in that order. (I’m sure the insurance company will be grateful the riding gear was not cut off of me. ) Then I was rolled on to a backboard and strapped down for the short ride to the ER. No need for a blow-by-blow of the ER stuff. The attending physician, after my negative reports of pain in my head or neck, removed the neck brace. X-rays revealed a broken bone in my right wrist, no broken bones in my pelvis. I slowly hobbled from the hospital with my right arm in a temporary cast, a referral to an Orthopedic physician, and an Rx for pain meds. Considering what happened and what could have happened, my injuries are minor—a broken bone in my wrist and, apparently, deep tissue bruising on the rear right quadrant of my back, starting from the mid-point of my side and ending before the spine. I examined the riding gear. The jacket, pants, and boots show no sign of impact with the pavement; they will continue in-service. The helmet, however, shows impact damage on the right rear quadrant, behind the chin bar hinge area. I do not recall my head striking the pavement, but, obviously, it did, and the helmet performed superbly protecting my head. The replacement helmet will be my third Nolan N100 series… In a situation like this, one can only be prepared. If the rider is already dressed properly, the outcome will be more positive than if he or she is not. As I have stated, I was making a protected left turn. Both lanes of opposing traffic were stopped; their signal was red. My conjecture is the at-fault driver was not paying attention, suddenly noticed traffic was moving and just started going without assessing the situation. My right wrist will be in a splint (no cast!) for six weeks, and I go to my personal doctor Monday for the pain in my side. The pain presents itself as muscular in nature, so I don’t expect any long-term skeletal problems. I was riding a Goldwing trike, and the collision point of impact seems to be at the right rear fender, the wheel took the impact. Had I been on two wheels, I suspect my right leg would have taken some of the impact. Keep your head moving, y’all. If you think your safe, you’ve overlooked something.

Well, good news! Now that you have solved that... I'm wiring my woodworking shop: My service entrance cable to the circuit breaker panel has two hot leads, a neutral, and a ground. My machines are 3-wire 240 (white/black/green), single phase, 20 amps. The current house 240 circuit breakers are wired red and black hot, white to neutral, and bare copper to ground. I'm using 10-2 romex (just like I had it wired in Middleburg); do I paint the white lead red to match this modern wiring? Do the electrons care? Just kidding, Jeff. Congrats on getting your steed back on the road.

I haven't had your experience with my GPS V. In fact it has been in a drawer for the past 3 years with batteries in it, and your post prompted me to take out and turn it on--it still works. Gotta love those Duracell batteries.

Some may recall that I transitioned to a GW trike a few months ago. I thoroughly enjoy the trike, but avoiding obstacles can be tough. If you are on two wheels, it is easy to go around the foreign object; if you are on four wheels, you can straddle the object. Where do you go when riding three wheels??

The newer Toyotas are not what they used to be. My bother has a 2000 Tundra with ~200,000 miles on it and a 2006 Tundra with ~47,000 miles on it. He is emphatic that the 2000 T with all that mileage is a better truck than the 2006. Three years ago I decided to move up from my 1995 Toyota T100 to a full-size truck and set out to buy a Tundra. After a week of empty promises of locating a Tundra that met my requirements, I started looking at Ford trucks. After looking and test driving both the Tundra and Ford F150 I bought the Ford. We'll see how reliable it is over the years. Toyota; it isn't what it used to be.

The short answer is: I don't guard it. I carry insurance on the bikes and have a plastic card in my wallet that will get me home.

Jeff, I've been holding my Carbon One lift adapter, no legs, for the new owner of the Rhino. However, I haven't had any interest in the bike so I will let the lift adapter go for $70 + shipping.

Please see classified section; price reduced to $6700.

Goldwing or BMW K1200LT

Yep, filtration in conjunction with good oil is the key. However, I couldn't find a place for a bypass kit on the Venture.

I've put 100k+ miles on the Venture; 100k using Amsoil synthetic 10W-40, changing oil and filter every 8k.

I only ran with Bubs a bit more than a month before deciding they were too loud for me. My mileage did not change with the Bubs. I bought mine used, so cannot help you on price.

Oh, I guess I cheat; I keep a round chambered--all I have to do is flick off the safety.

I will be putting up my '00 RSV MM up for sale soon. For the past year or a bit more I've been using a black seat set off a Midnight RSV and have an almost new Utopia black backrest with studs that I will sell for $100 + shipping. If interested email through profile, please.

I would start with a spray-on general purpose cleaner like 409, Fantastic, Simple Green, etc. Apply, let soak a few minutes, then gently wipe off whatever comes off; repeat. An alternative I would try is polishing compound, not the hard stuff, but the semi-liquid stuff that comes in a bottle with flip-up nozzle. Again, just light applications until the grime is gone.

Well, you're not in the immediate neighborhood, but close enough to scoot over to Jasper and talk to Ronnie at R&R! BTW, I recognize your profile pic--went by there twice yesterday (on the trike).

Yes, the steering has plenty of feedback, but I think that is good because it keeps from oversteering. And as an added benefit, about this time next year my pecs ought to be lookin real good!

If you ever get near Canton, GA, I think I can arrange a test ride for you. My biggest surprise on my initial test ride was the somewhat heavy input to the steering--not like counter steering. But I've decided that this is a good thing as you would have to work real hard to oversteer the trike. I bought mine at R&R Trikes & Bikes in Jasper, GA www.rtrikes.com>. This dealer specializes in buying at auction low mileage Goldwings and then converting them with the Motor Trike kit. The local painter they use does a perfect color & finish match to the front end of the bike.

and here are the photos:

What is the price of a new Starlight? Four Years ago I bought a '98 N-Line trailer (single wheel) and paid $800 for it. It is still in excellent condition, and since they are now going for more than $1800, I would not take less than $800, if I decide to sell it.

An almost new (1800 miles) burgandy 2006 Goldwing Motor Trike is replacing the Albino Rhino. This was a difficult decision for me, but overall safety took priority. I'll miss two wheels, but not having to wrestle with the Rhino to keep it up in certain slow, 2-up maneuvering situations will be a plus--not as young as I used to be! We tested it Saturday and brought it home yesterday. I'll still be hanging out here, though!

Confession is good for the soul, so …(coming out of lurk mode to share) My wife and I just returned from our annual trip on the Blue Ridge Parkway. This trip was 6 days and 5 nights on the parkway, staying at the Pisgah Inn and Bluffs Lodge. We live about 125 miles from the parkway, so this trip was about 550 miles of parkway riding, not including detours, from the southern end in Cherokee, NC, to Rocky Knob in Virginia. I especially enjoy the southern, mountainous section from Cherokee to Asheville. I don’t know about those of you who have ridden the parkway, but after 5 days and 500 miles of twisties, I’m also happy to get off that road and ride some straight lines for a change. For those of you that do not know me, my 2000 model Yamaha Venture (the Albino Rhino) and I have shared more than 100k miles of roads over the past 8 years. To say that I am familiar with the Rhino is an understatement. Mistakes, I made a few… For me, bike condition and safety are always supreme. Good tires are a must, especially before beginning a road trip. The rear tire, an Avon, only has 4k on it—good to go. The front tire, a Metzler 880, has 10k on it and is at minimums (a surprise as I normally get much better mileage from the front 880), but this is only a short trip and I have no time to mount a new tire, so I decide to go with it. The first day is 190 miles to the Pisgah Inn (mile post 408.6), where we spend the night. This segment includes 60 miles of that glorious mountainous portion of the parkway, including the high point of the parkway, and the day is fine. The next day we travel to Bluffs Lodge at MP 241, where we will spend the next 3 nights. The first detour traveling north puts us off the parkway in Asheville. The official detour goes east on I-40, to US 221 north, to SR 226 north, then back to the parkway. I don’t like this route and choose to get off I-40 in Old Fort and take US 70 east to SR 80 and go north to the parkway. While enjoying twisty SR 80 I misjudge a mild right-hand curve and go wide into the opposing lane. Fortunately, there is no traffic for a close encounter. (whew!) Three days later, I realize that I did not misjudge the curve; I, for just the briefest of moments, stopped piloting the bike and missed setting up the proper entry. Later that day as I am putting the Rhino to bed (covering the bike), I notice the front tire, with only 350 additional miles on it since leaving the house, is getting real thin left and right of center. So, the next morning, Wednesday, a no ride day (!), I call the dealer I buy tires from and ask him to order an Avon for the front and make arrangements to stop by his business on the way home at trip’s end to have it installed. The remainder of the day is spent relaxing and hiking some local trails. Thursday we ride 70 miles north on the parkway to check out the Rocky Knob cabins, built in 1936, for next year’s accommodations. Friday morning we depart Bluffs lodge traveling south for another night at the Pisgah Inn. Again we endure the two detours between Bluffs Lodge and Asheville, and just before getting back onto the parkway at Asheville, I get fuel. While fueling, we see that rain is close upon us, so we don our water repellant garments before continuing south. A small thunderstorm rolls over us while traversing the parkway around the Asheville area. We are out of the heavy rain after only a few miles, and a few miles further on, we stop at an overlook to wipe off the windshield and face shields. Shortly after continuing on, and only about 20 miles from our destination, I again go wide in a right-hand curve. This time there is opposing traffic. Fortunately, the driver is alert and brakes and gives me room to get back to my side of the road. Again, I had momentarily stopped piloting the bike and lost control. TARGET FIXATION. We learn about this in our riding classes. During my two departures of controlled riding, when I realized I was drifting wide, I fixated on the center line, and consequently crossed into the other lane. Needless to say, I was not happy with my performance, and I was especially unhappy about putting my wife’s life in jeopardy. (Let the fool kill himself, no others.) Immediately after my second excursion, I did not know what had caused me to cross the center line. It was only afterward, when my mind had time to replay, many times, the event as it unfolded, did I understand that I had stopped riding the bike—my mind was completely focused on something else for just a brief instant in time. Another aspect factors into the successful recoveries from my lane departures. I have become very conservative with speed when riding twisty roads; I am well inside the performance envelop and have maneuvering room while in a curve. Had I been traveling at a safe but faster speed in these curves the outcome mostly likely would have been ugly. Devine intervention … Remember that front tire? As arranged, we stopped this afternoon to have the new tire installed. I had considered waiting until Thursday (my day off) to do it, but decided to get it done today. While waiting for the tire change, we tested a Goldwing trike, but that is another story. After the test ride, the owner came up to me and showed me the valve stem that had been removed from the wheel. As I’m looking at it (not seeing anything wrong with it), he takes it back and says to me, “it’s a good thing you didn’t check the air in your tires this morning.” Having said that, he easily slides the brass core of the valve stem from its rubber housing! He hands it back to me and the ease in which the brass core slides out flabbergasts me. The thing is, I did check the air in my tires this morning! Ronnie, the owner, explained that he had started to remove the valve core (Schrader valve) from the stem and heard air escaping, so he pulled on the stem an the brass core pulled out with virtually no resistance. Today we rode 185 miles to get to Ronnie’s: twisty roads and highway speeds up to 70 mph. As best as I can recall, this is the original valve stem: 103,000 miles on it. I recommend that you change yours more often.

Not in the State of Florida. If a person is physically attacked in public, Florida law allows the use of leathal force to defend yourself. (unless that law has changed since it went in to force a couple years ago).

Curious: How many of these tire failures have been reported to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration?