Thanks guys, for all your kind words. And I can't say that it didn't choke me up to! It was so great to watch. And I'm glad you all are still following along. Man, it is so nice to see everyones interest continuing.

It was a great day Saturday. You could tell Bill was a little nervous, hell I know I was LOL. He sat on the bike in my garage. Leaning over side to side to see how it felt and what his limits were. Then he began pushing it around just to see what he could do. And practiced getting his feet on and off the pegs. His strength seemed adequate and before long, we were discussing whether he was ready for a test spin. Well, you seen his answer.

So we decided to take it to the parking lot you seen in the videos. When he got on, he fired it up and sat there for a while before pulling out the first time. Seemed to be contemplating the first stop, thinking it out.

Including me, we had four guys there so that he could drive back to us and stop in between, just in case he lost his balance as he came to a stop. We grabbed him the first time just as he stopped, but he seemed to do pretty well. The next time, we gave him some room, just far enough away that we could still catch him if need be. After that, he would still come back to us to stop, but he was doing it all on his own.

And yes, he was practicing turning and getting a feel for the bike again. He said missing the leg does make a difference when corning, but it was not too bad.

My wife and son went and picked Bill up for me on Saturday, and Bill told her that he could not fall asleep the night before. And I'm sure he was wound up the rest of the evening after I dropped him off to.

Testing him starting and stopping was obviously a big step. One of the other things he worked on was using the rear brake. Bill didn't think he would need a thumb brake, but he quickly found out that going with a thumb brake is pretty much a must. He was not able to properly use the pedal. So, we will continue on the hunt for a front brake master cylinder and I will convert it into a thumb brake.

Bill said he did ok without a stirrup, but he said he obviously wouldn't be able to tell if a stirrup would be helpful or if it would make getting his foot down difficult unless he tried one. There is a forum member checking into some assistance on getting a stirrup, so we don't really need to push finding one right now.

He rode around the parking lot for a good half hour. He joked about just pulling out on the road and taking a ride. He said it would have been comical to see all of us chase after him! LOL. But seriously, he made the comment that he felt he was not ready for that. He would know best and was very methodical in everything he did, which made it easier on me and the other guys that were there.

At this time, I would like to thank Brad, Jamie, and John for coming out to assist us the other day. I know it made me feel a lot better about the test ride, and I'm sure it helped Bill relax a little bit. Thanks for the hand guys!

 

Incredible thread, incredible people. Congratulations on a job well done. I salute you.

 

That was good to hear. I was a bit worried with the early start and all that he'd get overconfident and have a setback, but he seems to be taking the smart route.
I drove big rigs, larger and larger bikes, heavy equipment and such over the years and one thing I could tell Bill is that ALL that stuff just shrunk as I got used to them. I can easily scrape floorboard to floorboard on my Harley, but wouldn't have dreamed of it on the first ride, not knowing the bike yet.

Thoughts on the thumb brake: If I were to make it, I'd weld a thumb ring as far out as possible on the lever to maximize leverage. You'd have to first mount the cylinder assembly of course, then adjust the ring angle to accommodate the hand. What about using a hydraulic clutch on the left side along with the actual clutch lever and do that? I would think that trying to control two brakes and throttle downshifts with one hand would be kinda busy. I seem to also recall thumb rings used on snowmobiles for something or another.
Another weird thot comes to mind - if a bracket and brake cylinder could be rigged with a pad on it inside of the thigh. He could use the leg to squeeze the pad and have rear brake? That may be a bit of work though, but I can see it in my mind's eye. At least with that, when you have a butt-puckering moment, you'd automatically be applying the brakes!

 

Hey Quad,

We are planning on modifying a thumb brake to the left hand. I totally agree that with double braking systems on the right, there would be way too much going on. I know some people out there use them, and I have to give them props, because that would take some serious getting use to.

Yeah, Bill handled everything very intelligently. It was reassuring to see him ride like it was the first time. He knows he needs some practice in a controlled environment for a while.

 

What an inspiring post. COD, your family and friends are angels, I am sorry that I just discovered this post, I would and will still donate when the need arises. drop me a line when the time comes.
Thanks for the inspiration and Good Luck Bill with your new scooter. A special thanks to all that contributed to keep Bill's dream alive. This post shows there are still good people out there.

 

Thanks Stamper, I will be sure to get your good wishes to Bill.

 

AWESOME!!! Great to see Bill back in the saddle!

 

Chaz, I just watched the video's, Great Stuff. I'm sure Bill did'nt want that day to end. The work you have done on both the motocycle and Bills spirit is incredible and for all of us who have followed this thread, we salute you!

 

Hey Mike! Thanks buddy, you guys have all made it come together with a lot of generosity. I bet when you guys watch it you get the same feeling as I had being there; I hope so anyway. Very cool.

 

Good job COD, makes you think there is still hope for humans.