Friends, FJR friends. I look at the photo above and I see my buddies. You see, I rarely ride solo, but on the day this photo was taken...I was riding solo. And not 5 minutes after this photo was taken, I hear and see Lumberg screaming past, heading north through the Gap. Nary a wave, but a familiar bike and guy geared up and ready to Rock and Roll, fighting the Serpent one curve at a time...as is his custom. The date of the photo is 3/16/19. Parked at the Gap. I rode the Cherohala and left the Dragon for Lumberg as he is well armored and suited for that battle. I texted photos to Jwilly and Lumberg on the Cherohala, teasing as I went....showing some well worn tires for my efforts. Yesterday, I rode with Lumberg, having been a long time since last November. It was a glorious day, though the pace I laid down likely seemed a bit um conservative at times...I dreamed that it was decent, but I know better. Lumberg, being a friend, denied it..but that's what friends do. I had an awesome time with my friend.
Back to the photo, this FJR has a tankbag on it that no longer have...a mouse crawled into our warm garage and decided to take a very long nap in it. The day before a ride, I took it off the shelf to place it on the bike...it smelled peculiar, I unzipped it and a swarming, wormy hell greeted me and the reek about knocked me out. I threw it out on the lawn as I screamed like a little girl. The neighbors paid no attention.. evidently a usual occurrence. This has nothing to do with friends, except that they put up with me and my "eccentricities".
Back to the photo, although I changed tires before the next ride a week later, I crashed on US19W going eastbound on some road-colored sand I never saw. So I am told. Not but 8 days after this photo was taken. You are seeing the right side of this bike, this is the side that shedded parts, paint, and bone. The white SHOEI helmet that you see saved my life. Though I had my bell rung, I was alive...though a few shattered parts. My friends gathered around and took care of me. I have a few wispy, mixed up memories at the scene, but my first lasting memory is looking up at Jason, who evidently sneaked into the ER to see me and check on how I was doing. From 1911's singular retelling on Riders, I know what happened and how he felt that day. Its hard to quantify how much that post means to me now.
That pristine FJR you see in the photo is no longer...but my friends gathered the pieces that could be saved, including my gps and put it in the very crashed top box. Cav put that top box on his bike, and rode it to crazy Tommy848's house in Travelers Rest. Crazy Tommy got that top box and contents back to me. I look at that photo and see my friends.
That pristine top box is all rashed on the right side. Every time I see it, I am reminded of my friends and what they did for me. Jason and Lumberg took a good part of their day, not a week later, to ride from the wrong side of Atlanta to visit me and cheer me up. That's when I realized that these people are not normal. These friends are a gift that you treasure if you have any sense about you.
Inside the top box you see in the photo are stickers that remind me of my friends who I can't talk to anymore, though I wish I could. Two of them were there on that day on 3/24/2019 looking out for me. Jason rode an epic ride 6 weeks after this photo was taken, bringing a bike back long distance to me in 40s and storming at triple digits, just because he said he would. You may have seen the arrival video. The bike has a like new V46 top box that he brought back from Weatherford, OK. I told him I might just not use the new top box...he said, "don't be an idiot.". The jwilly top box has remained on my Garage shelf since May 2019. At some point in the future, pending Wayne's permission, this Jwilly top box will be put up for a fundraiser auction at EOM...that way, Jason will still be helping Wayne out...because that's what friends do.
To wrap up this note about FJRs and my FJR friends, yesterday I was handed a ceremonial Jack Daniels bottle by my Georgia riding friend. I was puzzled by it the first time he gave one to me on a ride with Jason and Lumberg on 5/21/22...but am not puzzled anymore. Many hearty and tearful salutes. So treasure your friends, I know I do.
" To our friends! Here in the now, and "over there."
Edit: today is 4/15/24. 51 weeks ago a bunch of my FJR friends came from all over to meet at Duane and Maralee's farm to grieve with her and to honor Duane/1911. Yall did good. I think Wayne has a video somewheres.
