Steve S

Good luck with your new life.

Good morning, Venture friends. My latest good news about my recovery. Yesterday was day 10 since my last surgery and I was able to have the staples removed from my back. To say it feels better is an understatement to the highest level. It seems they had put 44 staples in my back to close up a 10-inch incision. It felt like I had a board on my back when I leaned back on the couch. Recovery is going slow, but after looking at a picture of the Xray of the procedure, I am amazed that I was able to walk before the surgery. The doctor fused all the vertebra from S1 up to T12. I haven't talked to the doctor yet, but I am betting this is going to make a huge change in my lifestyle and ability to do a lot of things I love doing. For me, a good day in the spring or fall, is getting the chainsaw out and clearing tree limbs, shrubs and deadfall out of the overgrown areas of our property. So, it looks like this Spring is going to be an easy season on the chainsaw. I have always been very active, so it will be tough for me to not to be doing something. Maybe that is why the spine was in such bad shape??? ☹️. I am sure my lifestyle has changed dramatically. However, I am very blessed to be as healthy as I am. Steve.

Good afternoon friends. I am home from the hospital and my recovery is going well. Friday the crew told me I would have to go to an inhouse Rehab center because they had made so many changes to my lower spine. Monday the caseworker asked me what rehabs I would prefer so we mentioned a couple close to home we knew were good centers. Occupational PT came up to do an evaluation and before we were halfway through, I was told there were going to recommend that I go home for in-home rehab. The PT came in and he took me through a few procedures and said the same thing. I had back surgery several years ago, so I knew what some of the training was, so I worked on those over the weekend. I am so thankful that God blessed me and allowed me to recover so well. It was late when we finally got settled down, but I am so thankful to be feeling so well and able to get around as well as I can. Thanks to everyone for the thoughts and prayers. Steve

I won't be going anywhere. I have a small convertible that is pretty comfortable to get around in. I didn't have a clue the damage was anything close to what was found when the surgeons got in there. I feel I am very blessed to be able to get around as well as I could and still do some decent work. Most of it was from the seat of a tractor, but it still got done. I have a bro-in-law that is pretty handy on a tractor, so he is going to help with my shop I am building. I will need something to do in about 6 months when I can start getting out and around so some of it may wait until after summer. Thanks to everyone for the thoughts and prayers.

I found out this summer that I had a disc in my back that had canted forward and was causing severe pain. I had 3 vertebrae fused in 2012 and this was the next one above. CT scan with contrast showed there was some damage on S1 in the lower pelvic region as well. Since I can't have an MRI, they decided to wait until they looked at it before they made a decision on what to do. They went through the stomach Monday and discovered the S1 vertebrae was deteriorated so badly they had to put a cage in it to support it. After doing the front, they went in the back to release some fusions and see what had to be done next. Thursday morning, I went back into surgery for the back fusions. Originally, they expected to fuse only one more vertebra, but discovered in Monday's surgery, that the 2nd one up required fusion too. So now I have 6 or 7 fusions and have been told it will be at least 6 months before I can do much of anything. The bad thing about this is I REALLY LOVE riding these Ventures. I had a Venture Trike and sold it this year feeling it just wasn't for me. I may look at a Honda or Harley trike spring of next year, but since I turn 69 this year, I'm really afraid that age has caught up with me. I am so thankful I had some time with this Venture crew and got to make a campout or two. Since I'm paid up for the year, I'll hang around and try to stay in touch when I can.. Probably come around and cause a little trouble some too. Steve

Praying for you and your wife. It's amazing how things come into our lives to show us other issues. For me, I believe it is God working in our lives.

Nice!!!

Happy New Year everyone! I pray we all have a wonderful and blessed 2024.

Prayers going up for the family.

Merry Christmas to my Venture friends and family. And a wonderful Happy New Year as well.

Praying.🙏

Happy Thanksgiving to all.

Great job. Much better than the factory original.

I'm still hanging around. Not riding as much, but still loving my Venture.

Sounds like a bad rod bearing being beaten out. Lack of oil will cause that every time.

We used to see big trucks on the Dragon years ago. Finally, the state of Tennessee stopped anything over 30 feet from going through there. I try to go during the week, so we don't have to deal with the weekend riders. I have ridden hundreds of miles of roads in Tennessee, North and South Carolina in the Smoky Mountains through my riding years. It is some of the most beautiful riding in the south. Steve.

Hello Venture Riders. My bro in law and I went on a nice 1000-mile ride to Tenn and NC to ride the Dragon and several other roads down there. We Rode the Dragon 3 times, Cherohala Skyway, which was closed because a bridge was out, so we had to do it in sections, Over the mountain from Cherokee to Pidgeon Forge and the Foothills Parkway and through the Dragon to Robbinsville. I have done this several times through my riding years, but it was Jeff's first time on a motorcycle, a 2006 RSV of course, and he loved every mile of it. It will be next spring before we both can get back down there, but we are looking forward to another wonderful adventure. Oh, he refused to drag the floorboards on the Dragon even though I showed him how several times. 😁 Steve.

Hello Venture friends. Since I sold the Trike, the wife and I have decided to thin the inventory a little more. I have posted a Time Out Camper for sale in the forum if anyone is interested in a nice camper. It's in very good condition, but our age and my back problems are preventing us from using it. For trips that are more than a day, we will stay in a hotel where they make the beds when we leave. Steve

Hello Venture Friends. I have a Time Out Camper, 16 cu ft. pull behind camper for sale. It's in very good condition with new tires, spare, canvas recently coated, new Serta queen self inflating mattress. New plywood in foyer and beds. swivel hitch, steep, outside table stand. air conditioner stand, no AC unit. Large storage bag to strap to top of camper for camping gear and clothes. It very sturdy, but light enough for one person to move around. Price $2,850

The biggest thing it is a Trike.. I like the lean of a motorcycle. Everything else about it I liked. I do wish Yamaha had put fuel injection on their engines, but that is something I live with.

I bit the bullet and sold my 07 RSV trike yesterday. I bought it last fall and after a trip out west this spring, my wife and I realized it wasn't for us. We only rode it twice since early spring and it was just wasting away. We are going to keep our 2010 RSV for riding locally, but decided due to our age, we will take long trips in our convertible. Steve

Freebird I am so thankful you founded this wonderful site that I have been a part of and used so well for many years. I am thankful you have decided to keep it going on and staying with us as a fellow rider. I will pray for your health and pray you are able to receive excellent treatment that will secure your vision. Steve

Thank you for keeping this keeping this Forum going Freebird.

Yes we do. And maybe others will take the time to ride down and have a meal with us. I've gotten to the point that it has to be no hotter than the mid 80s to enjoy a meal ride now. 😁

Hello Forum friends, My wife and I had a nice 4 hour ride to have lunch. Thankfully the ride to lunch was only 45 minutes, but the ride home was much longer since it was a nice, pleasant day after so much heat. It's been a month since I have ridden because of some back issues. I really don't know what happened, but if I twisted or moved wrong, I was on the floor in pain. Several back X-rays to show nothing was wrong with the fusions I have, and after some serious PT, I am back to doing mostly whatever I want. I say mostly cause the wife has other ideas. 😢 But I am riding again and hope to get the trike out soon.