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Posted by Zoar
- November 29, 2016, 23:53:50 PMQuote from: pcarrell on November 29, 2016, 22:47:41 PMAcknowledging your post for its intense message. I had such a year some time ago. Fortitude in kind.I'm thankful that my Drifter, Nadine, saved my life.
I really believe, that although my injuries from my accident were indeed extreme, my beautiful Nadine took the brunt of the force, and as such, allowed me to live another day.
They say that you should never ride faster then your guardian angel can fly, and I now know for certain that mine can do 50mph. That was the speed I was doing when I parted ways with Nadine and took to the air, hoping to end up better then her.
In the end, it was a draw. Nadine was destroyed. I'm glad she'll help another Drifter live on, but she is gone.
I spent days in the ICU. I was on a breathing machine for most of those days. I wouldn't wish that hell on my worst enemy.
(Sorry....big tough biker crying here......)
They tell me that I died a number of times on the operating table. My chest was completely collapsed, my nose broken in many places, my face shredded, broken teeth, and my left foot amputated......but God had another plan!
My face was repaired, my foot reattached, my lungs fixed, and my sense of humor in tact!
Today, I'm walking with a cane. I know I'll never run again, but I'm OK with that. As of now, I could never hold up a bike. I'd love to ride again.....It's in my soul! But I don't think I ever will again. I'll just have to settle for dropping the top on a cage.
As for "Reasons To Be Grateful", I have so many!
I'm grateful to be alive!
I'm grateful to wake up every morning next to the most beautiful woman in the world.....my wife!
I'm grateful to walk on my own two feet, even if it is with a cane! Modern medicine is amazing!
I'm grateful for the friends and family that I have. Without them I don't think I would have made it.
I'm grateful for my God. Without Him, I have no doubt at all.....I wouldn't have made it.
(OK.....Crying again..........)
I'm sorry....big boy's aren't supposed to cry......
It's been a VERY hard year!
But God has another plan!
In the mean time, even though I know Nadine is being parted out, and I'm glad she lives on to help other Drifters, I'll always prefer to remember her as she was........a bad to the bone bad girl!
FIRST PLACE!!!
Sorry, but I guess this wasn't really an 800 thing. I didn't mean to intrude.........
You sound like your head and heart are in such a good place.
And grateful.
Posted by pcarrell
- November 29, 2016, 23:21:20 PMWow, that was a tougher post to make then I thought it would be!
Posted by pcarrell
- November 29, 2016, 22:47:41 PMI'm thankful that my Drifter, Nadine, saved my life.
I really believe, that although my injuries from my accident were indeed extreme, my beautiful Nadine took the brunt of the force, and as such, allowed me to live another day.
They say that you should never ride faster then your guardian angel can fly, and I now know for certain that mine can do 50mph. That was the speed I was doing when I parted ways with Nadine and took to the air, hoping to end up better then her.
In the end, it was a draw. Nadine was destroyed. I'm glad she'll help another Drifter live on, but she is gone.
I spent days in the ICU. I was on a breathing machine for most of those days. I wouldn't wish that hell on my worst enemy. Memories......
(Sorry....big tough biker crying here......)
They tell me that I died a number of times on the operating table. My chest was completely collapsed, my nose broken in many places, my face shredded, broken teeth, and my left foot amputated......but God had another plan!
My face was repaired, my foot reattached, my lungs fixed, and my sense of humor in tact!
Today, I'm walking with a cane. I know I'll never run again, but I'm OK with that. As of now, I could never hold up a bike. I'd love to ride again.....It's in my soul! But I don't think I ever will again. I'll just have to settle for dropping the top on a cage.
As for "Reasons To Be Grateful", I have so many!
I'm grateful to be alive!
I'm grateful to wake up every morning next to the most beautiful woman in the world.....my wife!
I'm grateful to walk on my own two feet, even if it is with a cane! Modern medicine is amazing!
I'm grateful for the friends and family that I have. Without them I don't think I would have made it.
I'm grateful for my God. Without Him, I have no doubt at all.....I wouldn't have made it.
(OK.....Crying again..........)
I'm sorry....big boy's aren't supposed to cry......
It's been a VERY hard year!
But God has another plan!
In the mean time, even though I know Nadine is being parted out, and I'm glad she lives on to help other Drifters, I'll always prefer to remember her as she was........a bad to the bone bad girl!
FIRST PLACE!!!
Posted by Zoar
- November 25, 2016, 22:56:08 PMSo many people were running each other over with shopping carts or getting in fist fights over a dam on sale crock pot... me? I was out riding my Drifter, cutting sharp corners and throttling it up past the speed limit, safely of course. Day after Thanksgiving! I am thankful for my Drifter! And a day in late November to ride!
Posted by CDNRatMan
- November 25, 2016, 18:34:49 PMGood for you and go ahead and rub it in.....salt on the wound..........
Posted by Zoar
- November 25, 2016, 16:21:36 PMReasons to be grateful:
The day after Thanksgiving. 50's temp. Took the 800 for a nice ride here in upstate NY! WOW!
Posted by Zoar
- November 16, 2016, 09:15:45 AMQuote from: CDNRatMan on November 15, 2016, 23:33:37 PMAlso, I am sure we will be communicating and messaging here. No need to rely on the Pi Truck FB page. I am looking forward to seeing my Drifter Compadre's and want to make the trip out here well worth your while. Details. Details. I also highly recommend the Curtis Museum when you are coming out here. You will get to see the origins of the motorcycle and some amazing bikes at that museum as well as history of flying machines and flying boats and even motor homes that will astound you.GB while we are filling our faces with the free pizza Sam can show you around and explain it all to you.........
We just have to keep an eye on his face book page to find him as he seems to move around a lot, might be to keep people from finding him and asking for free food.......
As indicated, you guys are welcome to stay at my place, overnighting for a few days, if you want. There is a lot to see how here and you don't want to try forcing it into one day or two.
Posted by Zoar
- November 16, 2016, 09:02:31 AMQuote from: CDNRatMan on November 15, 2016, 23:33:37 PMThankfully the only ones asking for free food are here. So I was able to survive year two of operations!GB while we are filling our faces with the free pizza Sam can show you around and explain it all to you.........
We just have to keep an eye on his face book page to find him as he seems to move around a lot, might be to keep people from finding him and asking for free food.......
A solar and battery based electric system is really simple and is so superior to fossil fuel generators which is how 99.99% of all food trucks run now. I love it that I do NOT have to fuel up constantly. The other food trucks I know have constant generator hassles. One is parked right now at my mechanics where the generator platform is getting a complete RE-DO because they have to constantly work on the generator and the old setup did not give them access, so now they are putting in on a big metal drawer so they can slide it out to work on it... meanwhile the owner of the food truck could have paid for a solar system for all the money she has dicked around and invested into her gasoline generator fiasco. But she is smarter than me and knows food trucks way better than me so she does it her way... meanwhile I make all my electricity for free and no stink and no noise and no costs to fuel up every week and no hassles! But she is the expert. I am just some crazy idealist.
Posted by CDNRatMan
- November 15, 2016, 23:33:37 PMGB while we are filling our faces with the free pizza Sam can show you around and explain it all to you.........
We just have to keep an eye on his face book page to find him as he seems to move around a lot, might be to keep people from finding him and asking for free food.......
Posted by greenbarn
- November 15, 2016, 21:59:05 PMQuote from: Zoar on November 15, 2016, 12:26:07 PMZoar, I wouldn't mind checking out all of your solar panels and all that stuff if we get out there. Sounds really interesting.Sounds awesome. Sitting on your big 'ole Drifter to watch a hockey game and TV!!! With popcorn! Man, what could be better??!
On the Pi Truck note, food trucks are made to make food, and every which is spoken for - for the task at hand of making food, not to house people, so it wouldn't work well at all to live in unless you want to sleep under (about 11 inches of clearance) or on top of the rounded dome of the wood fired oven, or on a sink, or on a food prep table. I wouldn't recommend it. I am sure many a chef has worked way too many hours or had too much to drink and ended up sleeping in his kitchen but I can almost guarantee they would say that really sucked and will never do that again. In a food truck that would be a sentiment magnified by about 25 times especially in the winter and since it is not set up to have heat other than what is generated in the truck while the wood stove is going and since it is highly insulated the heat going onto the truck is about nil.
If every thing went to shit the best bet would still be to stay in my house since I am off grid and make my own power and have no electric grid or utilities (I have a well for water and use my solar power to power the jet pump so I have pressure for the water.) The Pi Truck is parked in the driveway an since it is solar paneled up and has massive battery bank I can and have plugged my house into it and powered my house that was as well. Essentially I have two separate power plants and battery storage facilities at my disposal, one is the system that is hardwired from a shed in my garden to the house with the solar panels and the shed roof and the other is the MOBILE system that is on and in the Pi Truck.
Heating the house is done with a separate solar heating system, it heats glycol and a tiny pump moves it through base boards and I also heat with a wood stove. In the Pi Truck heat would need to be by electric heaters that I do not own. I used heat lamps for one event once last winter to try to help keep the workers warm. It was about close to ZERO in terms of how effective it was. Of course, the 8 degree F air temps and 40 to 50 Mile Per Hour wind were no help in the matter. Miserable night. One I never want to repeat. Ever.
Yup I hope to ride my Drifter 800 tonight. I will be dressed warmly and thinking about some of the forum members here watching hockey and crunching on a big ole bowl of popcorn from the Drifter seat! Whata-way-to-go!
Posted by CDNRatMan
- November 15, 2016, 16:55:51 PM 
Well I am not going to get caught with my bike in the shed for that "last" ride and wake up in the morning and have 2 ft of snow in the driveway, been there done that and had to leave the bike in the shed all winter, now I am not needing to be the hero who gets that last ride in.
1730 and it is dark outside, the puddles have a skim of ice on them, So I'll be sitting on my bike in the living room and thinking of you riding the Finger Lakes area, and hope you enjoy it........now to see if there is a game on or watch Ink Master tonight.......
Posted by Zoar
- November 15, 2016, 15:11:14 PMQuote from: CDNRatMan on November 15, 2016, 15:07:31 PMAnd I hope to be riding my 800 outside while yours is parked in front of the TV set! (as long as the temps don't tumble and the rain start pouring). Cold night rain is not my preference for a mid November ride.Consider it done.........lol....
Posted by CDNRatMan
- November 15, 2016, 15:07:31 PMConsider it done.........lol....
Posted by Zoar
- November 15, 2016, 14:57:14 PMQuote from: CDNRatMan on November 15, 2016, 14:53:56 PMI think I speak for all of us when we express our utmost gratitude to you for not posting you clad only in your underwears riding your Drifter in the house.
That said, can you get a picture of your bike in the room with the TV on and the TV showing hockey??? That alone would be worth a lot! You do not need be in the pic. Just the big ole Drifter and the TV tuned to Hockey!
Posted by CDNRatMan
- November 15, 2016, 14:53:56 PM of course I would post a picture to prove it but I watch TV in my underwear and for some reason that just gets poor old PC wound right up and he can not get any rest for days on end........