Glad to hear it Don!! Hope everything is good!

Finally! I bet you are anxious as all hell! Lord knows I am.

YEEHAA!!!:draggin: I finally got my bike back yesterday. Repair bill was $3966.24. I had to pay $281, the amount over a "total". I should be able to recoup that as part of the pain and suffering settlement. I can't tell that the rear wheel was straightened, and the powder coating looks at least as good as original, if not better.

But the best part is my bike was resurrected,:D and it now has Yoshimura Titanium slip-ons. They sound better than I thought they would, even with the street baffles in (it's actually just as loud as my wife's SV650S with the street baffle removed). And it runs great all through the rpm range. I've already got the needles shimmed .020", and I've got 48 pilots that I'm going to install this week or next. I've ridden it 123 miles in the last 2 days, including a hard canyon run this morning, and I'll swear it has more mid range punch than before. I know slip-ons aren't supposed to add that much, so maybe it's the weight reduction (I have the crashed stock cans, and they weigh a ton).

I love my bike, but I don't recommend this as a means to get a set of titanium slip-ons.

Oh, and today is 8 weeks to the day since I got rear ended.

and Willie Nelson chimes in with "back on the road again"...

it's amazing what some people will do to get some free pipes! hahaha

My bike's been running great with the Yosh slip-ons and just a .020" needle shim that I did a while ago. But I thought I would punish myself today by pulling the carbs and installing 48 pilot jets anyway. It's the 3rd time I've had the carbs off, and I'm learning tricks each time. But that front crankcase vent hose clamp is still a pain in the ass.

I left the PAIR on. I get some decel popping (I did with the stock cans too), and an occasional backfire when shifting, but that doesn't bother me.

It sure is nice having my bike back after 8 weeks. And it sounds great!:thumbsup: So much better than stock.

Love it :)
We have got to do a ride sometime

Sounds good to me. My wife and I spend the night at her Mom's house, then ride the 52 to the 125 to the 8 to Sunrise Highway. Sunrise to Julian, then a few laps on Banner Grade and back on the Sunrise, then back to SD. We do this on weekdays to avoid the squids and cruisers. I don't think I'd want to do Banner on a weekend...too much chance of someone going wide and taking you out.

What part of San Diego are you in?

I'm in El Cajon just off the 125. My shift is changing Sun-Wed so week day rides are going to be possible.
I will PM you my Phone #

Today is the 2nd anniversary of my being rear ended by a distracted 19 year old at a red light.

I just got my settlement check last Saturday. I got 2.3 times my medical bills, which included PT, and 2 rounds of epidural injections. My last doctor appointment was last September. I bought myself a present, which I picked up today. A Shoei X-12 Glory 2 helmet.

When I asked the insurance adjuster if the guy had learned a lesson and changed his driving habits, she said, "Unfortunately that's not the case". So I hope I'm never in front of him again.

As for the settlement, my wife and I bought a NOLO book titled "How to Win Your Personal Injury Claim". It was a huge help in writing the settlement letter. I didn't even talk to the adjuster until after she came back with a counter offer of my demand in the letter. Two rounds of counters later, and we were done. What a pain in the ass though. We have a 4 inch thick file of paperwork relating to the collision and my medical.

Hell of a way to earn money for a new lid...:D

You got that right, oahu.

How is your back, two years out?

Not as good as it was before 3/21/2010, that's for sure. The epidural injections last summer, which I was put under for, helped a lot.

I get back pain while paddling when I surf. But the good news is that riding my bike (mountain or VTR) feels pretty good, since my upper back is supported by my arms in the forward lean position. That takes some stress off my lower back.

fortunately you live to ride another day..........and you will never again be able to relax while stopped on the road lest you get pummeled by some "head up his ass" texter, druggie, or other narcissist running on auto pilot.

I Had almost ended up in a crash like this or even worse, if not to my guts feel to look back and what saved me was that I stayed in first gear (a lesson I learn for life from a French older rider that gave me some real life lessons couple decades ago, never to be off guard). I looked back and saw this woman in a suburban had the visor down doing her lips and coming to me on high speed, In a split second I let go the clutch and moved between the cars in front of me from her path and maybe a second later I felt her vehicle brash my jacket while she hit the car that was just in front of me and hit another two cars ahead in a chain, the car that was at the light was pushed hard to the middle of the intersection and got hit from the side by another car crossing the intersection.
Got to tell you, it left in me a mark for life.
Here are few tips to avoid these situations:
1. Slowing down on the bike or car always look back and anticipate an idiot behind you, plan your space in front ahead for this.
2. When you stop, look again and at list wait until you have few cars stopped behind you.
3. Stay in gear so you can maneuver to a safe position at all time if possible.
4. Try to stay away from the middle of the lane when stopping not just due to oil spots.

Good tips. I always pull to the edge of my lane when I stop. Stay out of the middle. Watch the cars pulling up behind you through your mirrors, and regularly flash your rear brake light in three flash bursts, while braking if possible, and after stopped, until a car stops behind you, to help get their attention. Be prepared to MOVE, whether on the bike, or off it if necessary. Sometimes simply jumping out of the way could save your life.

Having ridden for over 200,000 miles, I've survived my share of close calls. In this case, 2 years ago, my wife and I were first in line with a car already stopped in the next lane... no where to go, even if I had seen it coming. He came out of nowhere, with no warning.

The really big one that I escaped was 30 years ago, while commuting to work on the freeway in the #1 lane. The car in front of me slowed abruptly, so I did the usual, going to his right to start splitting lanes. When I came alongside his right front fender, he was hit from behind. I figure I accumulated somewhere close to 10,000 miles of lane splitting over the years.

200,000 miles... still not there yet, but getting close ;) just went over a 100,000 few years ago, that's great, I need to move to the west, so I can ride everyday of the year!!!
The splitting lane law you guy's in have in Cali' needs to be everywhere in the states, it just makes more sense.
I for one do it regardless, for my own safety, if a cop will pull me over for this, I rather pay the ticket and know I did the right thing!

I was pulled over in Laguna Beach over 20 years ago, while riding home from work. The cop, who even at that time was young enough to be my son, said he pulled me over for lane splitting. I said it's not against the law to split lanes in CA, and that I'd even split lanes on the freeway both in front of and behind CHP's. He thought for a moment, then told me to ride safe and walked back to his cruiser.

Way to go, an example of a cop that can think outside of the box!!! Wish for more cops like this dude.

I want to give a final Thank You to all who chimed in with support after my incident 2 years ago.

For anyone who has the unfortunate circumstance to need it, the book I mentioned in Post #70 was a huge help in understanding the claim settlement process, negotiating the final settlement and writing the settlement letter (it was 5 pages). We included 51 enclosures, photos, police report, doctor's assessment of my back issues, etc. I didn't use a lawyer, and I wouldn't have gotten any more if I did, in fact I would have gotten much less, after his cut. My wife was a huge help with the letter, as we argued back and forth on what should and shouldn't be in the letter. She read the book almost cover to cover, highlighting points that related to my claim. In the end, I don't think a lawyer would have presented the claim any better. Did I mention that my wife is a retired English teacher?

I was lucky that my injuries were not worse. I had numerous doctor visits over 18 months, 8 weeks of physical therapy, and 2 rounds of x-ray guided epidural injections last summer, which I was put under for (the doctor doesn't want you sneezing as he's sticking a needle into your spine).

The best was that my bike was repairable, and I've put 20,000 miles on it since I got it back on May 15, 2010, 8 weeks after getting rear ended.

So Thanks again. This is a great group of riders, and I'm proud to be a member.:D