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Re: [ST] I think I'm done... long,



Rolo -

i'm just now catching up on old mail.

where to start..

i totalled my sweet '01 ST in February - i would have called it a minor
error, but i got high sided, took a severe thumping, and the bike slid into
a pole and was done for.

more than anything else i felt jilted by the one endeavor that i have
resonated with for fifty years. i meant no harm, wasn't pushing the limits,
wasn't drunk or forced, just overbraked and got tossed.

it has taken a while to heal up the ribs, etc., and even longer to get my
head around the emotional side. it's not that i feel directly threatened by
riding; it's more the recognition of how tenuous my connection is with the
'flow' of riding, and recognition of the limitations of my skills.

i plan on retiring in a year or so, and have a Tiger waiting for me now at
the dealership. i look forward to Alaska, Cape Breton, and other long tours.
but peg scraping for laughs may be behind me, as i rein in from sport
riding.

our kids are grown and gone, so i don't have to 'be there for them' - but
the next phase of mentor is in full swing, including grandkids. it matters
if i'm gone. and a month ago, my wife's dad died, which leaves a huge void
for her. he was a great father and she was his crowning achievement. as the
old saying goes, a girl tries to find a guy like her dad for a husband; she
did, down to the same birthday. no matter how remote, the prospect of losing
me, too, weighs on her strongly now.

there may come a time when i lose interest in riding; there will come a time
when i can't capably handle a bike. at that point i will hang up the keys
and say 'it's been fun, i've enjoyed it, i don't regret it, but this episode
of my life is now behind me.'

we understand and respect the magnitude of your dilemma. you are approaching
it from a very mature perspective, and whatever you decide will be in view
of a long horizon.

bruce

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