Hardware removal surgery

On Thursday October 11, I had the first of two hardware removal surgeries, this one to remove the tibia plate and its 14 screws. This hardware had been in my leg since April 8, 2006 (see here). I was on crutches until yesterday, and although my leg is still a bit swollen, bruised, and sore at the incision sites, today I can walk without any pain in the bone. I am thrilled to no end - prior to this, every single step I took hurt, causing me to limp. Now I can walk without any limp at all.

Here are a couple of pics of what was removed:

I had the stitches removed Wednesday, October 24, and talked to the surgeon about the fibula plate removal. I had hoped that this could be done next month. Unfortunately, the doctor wants to wait a few months before doing that, so I have to live with those stupid screws on the outside of my ankle until probably February. Being right on the ankle bone and right under the skin, they really do cause a lot of irritation, especially if I try to wear hiking boots or my motorcycle riding boots. I have to get creative with padding to make it possible to ride over long distances. Here's an X-ray of my leg with the tibia plate out. You can see all the little holes in the bone where the screws were. 

Benelli?

Benelli is an Italian motorcycle manufacturer that was formed in 1911, and produced its first complete motorcycle in 1921. Over the years, they went through numerous changes, creating quite a storied history. In the late 1970's they began to lose market share to the big Japanese motorcycle companies (Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, Kawasaki) and eventually shut down production on their motorcycles. Their last motorcycle before the shutdown was the Sei 900, an impressive 6-cylinder machine.

Then, in 1995, the company began its rebirth under the new leadership of Andrea Merloni. In early 2001, plans for a new machine, the Tornado 900 Tre, were announced. I saw photos of the bike on the internet, and instantly fell in love with it. In 2002, came the official launch of the superbike. Australian rider Peter Goddard raced this bike in the World Superbike series. I was lucky enough to witness this machine howling around the track at Laguna Seca that year at the World Superbike event. Seeing and hearing it in person was fantastic!

I finally took delivery of my 2005 Benelli Tornado 900 Tre in October of 2005. Shortly thereafter, I was asked by the editor of CityBike magazine in San Francisco to write an article about it (there were only a handful of the bikes in the US at the time - mine was the first in northern California). Here's a link to my article. There, you can read all about the trials and tribulations I went through to eventually own this beautiful machine.

Big Bike for a Big Trip

Well, I have finally broken down and bought myself a real touring/enduro bike, something I've been needing for quite a while. I ended up getting a nice deal on a used 2006 BMW R1200GS with only 918 miles on it. It's already outfitted with a Touratech headlight protector and windscreen; Adventure engine guards, cylinder guards, and footpegs; plus heated grips, expandable BMW side luggage, and spoked wheels so it's suitable for both on- and off-road riding. It literally looks brand new, not a scratch on it. The only accessory it needs is what my friend Mark calls a "sheila" - a nice sheepskin pad for the seat that is really great to have when you're in the saddle for days on end. Mine will be here this week.

I'll be leaving on May 20th for a 3-week trip with a couple of friends, Terry Naumann and Mark Ellsworth. Mark and I are riding up from the Bay Area to Bellingham, WA where we and our bikes will board this ferry:

The M/V MALASPINA carries 500 passengers, and provides 53 four-berth and 30 two-berth cabins.The vessel was built in Seattle in 1963 at the Lockheed Shipbuilding yards, then lengthened and renovated in 1972 at the Willamette Iron and Steel Company shipyard in Portland. The Malaspina is now 408 feet long, with capacity for 88 vehicles (20' lengths), and a service speed of 16.5 knots. Passenger services include a cafeteria, gift shop, cocktail lounge, solarium, and forward observation lounge.

We'll take a 4-day cruise from Bellingham to Haines, AK, arriving there at 3:30am Saturday May 26. Terry will be arriving there from Anchorage (where he's a geology professor at University of Alaska) on his GS and we will leave Haines together headed east towards the Yukon Territory. The plan is to ride south through the Yukon, then through British Columbia, and into northern Idaho, where we will spend a day in Moscow (where Terry went to college).

From there, we head to Boise and will spend two days there. Another friend, Billy Hines, will meet us there in Mark's RV. Billy has the unenviable task of driving the RV from the Bay Area to Boise, but his compensation is nice - two paid track days. Inside the RV will be Billy's, Mark's, and Terry's dirt bikes and Billy's and Mark's track bikes. Billy, Mark, and Terry are competing in an ISDE qualifier on Saturday and Sunday, June 2-3 (see ISDE 2007). I'll spend some time as a spectator and more time out exploring the Boise area.

Then we head down to Salt Lake City, UT to Miller Motorsports Park, where another friend Dave Johnson will be meeting us from St George, UT with his track bike and Terry's track bike in his truck. All the guys (except for me) will be doing track days on Monday and Tuesday while I sit there green with envy. I'm really dying to get back out on the track, especially such a fantastic track as Miller. But I can't risk it when my broken leg is still being held together by steel plates and screws - see my blog entry here. Perhaps I'll jump on the GS and do some canyon riding around Salt Lake - there are some great roads around there!

From there we will split up, Billy gets to drive the RV back to the Bay Area, while Terry will ride down to his summer home in St George and Dave will drive back there. Mark and I will probably ride across to the Sierras and come through Tioga Pass and Yosemite on the way home. The plan is to be back home sometime the weekend of June 9-10. I should have some great photos from this trip!

UPDATE: Here's a photo taken just as I was about to take off on the trip: