Bad Karma
My name is Jerome Byrd. I am IBA member #32785. After riding tens of thousands of miles on scooter and MC without a major incident, I fell off a 12 foot elevator roof at my apartment complex and fractured my Sacrum and lower spinal lumbar. If I had hit my head or landed dead on my back I would probably had been killed or paralyzed. What was I doing on the roof? - surveying the view for he possible installation of a ham radio antenna. I had been going up and down another roof in the complex for years without incident. This "untested" one however had a decayed concrete shelf (the ladder hooked over) that gave way without warning and there was no visible cracks or other indications to signal a possible defect.
Doom and Gloom
My wife and I raised seven kids and never asked for any aid from family-friends. This life-time of self reliance, however, did not leave us with significant money for retirement so we both are still working. Having left the corporate world and my own consulting business behind after the kids were grown, I have been teaching at a local community college as my sole means of income for several years. This gave me great flexibility in pursuing my riding passions and with two incomes, I didn't need food stamps or have to stand in the cheese line. We were reasonably comfortable. My teaching position, however, was that of a "visiting lecturer". This meant I was a "contract" employee and not tenured. If I didn't work there was no money/personal days/ sick days/disability, etc. The spring 2017 semester had just started and I hadn't even worked enough to get a full first check when the accident occurred. I would not get any money for nine months - the September-Fall semester. I had good medical insurance but co-pays and other medical cost would still be significant. I would have to make it with a modest monthly Social Security check.
Grasshopper
Like all good addicts, I tried to spread the extreme LD riding disease to whomever was foolish enough to listen. One of my earliest victims was Dr Jon Tan, who saw my IBA license plate on my Majesty scooter when doing a group scooter ride, he on a 150cc scooter. I saw a lot of potential in "HAMMY", and mentored him into bigger scooters and rides. The master s most proud when the student surpasses him, which Hammy has done for sure. Thank you Grasshopper!
Reflections on Extreme LD riding and the IBR
Of all the rallies, rides, places, sights and sounds I have experience riding LD on mostly scooters, the memories I cherished the most was doing the "Redwing 1000" - an in-state-VA SS1000, sponsored by the IBA. I was the only scooter (400 cc) among the large group of mostly HD riders with some IBA types thrown in. I was an early finisher but had been caught improperly dressed in a torrential downpour for several hours at the end of the ride. I was so soaked that I had to take the certificate presented
in-person by Mike Kneebone by the tip of my index finger and thumb so that the water running down my sleeve wouldn't soaked the paper. Mike looked at me with a twinkle in his eye and other nearby finishers gave me congrats. I knew then that I was one of "the world's toughest motorcycle riders". My second favorite memory was doing a BBG on I-95 from Philly-Baltimore-DC-Richmond to outside of Savannah, GA and back. I was riding a 400cc Yamaha Majesty scooter with only internal 3.5 gal tank ( I stopped 13 times) and a old Garman Street Pilot and no music-audio.
I was not good at rallying period. It didn't matter whether it was 24 hours or the IBR. I never managed my time well, and doubt I ever would. I had my share of bad luck, but I always spent 2-10 times more time than others documenting bonuses. This made any mechanical issues or strategy/points collection blunders fatal. The two statements that ring most true to me regarding the IBR is: Jerry White's statement (paraphrased) "You only think you know what the IBR is about until you do it" and my own "The IBR staff wants you to succeed".
The IBA Family
Unsolicited and unknown by me, HAMMY started some kind of medical-bills aide page on the internet. I know Hammy's tremendous popularity helped, but the outpouring of support from the IBA community for me was something I had never experienced before in my seventy-two years. I want to thank all who helped me during this trying period from the bottom of my heart!
Status - Prognosis
The accident happened on January 25th, 2017. For the first couple of days I couldn't do anything but lay in the hospital bed with a bed pan. It was excruciatingly painfully just to move on my sides so staff could get bed-pan or change sheets. On January 27th I was transferred to a rehabilitation facility. I was told my recovery would be painfully and that I would recovery in proportioned to how hard I pushed myself. I walked out using a walker less than three weeks later. I can now walk without a cane for moderate distances and climb stairs. I will be trying a short ride on my Majesty scooter next weekend. It remains to be seen whether throwing my leg over my NT700V and its riding position will be tolerable in the near future. I am suppose to have a full recovery, but my LD riding days are numbered as I will survive, but not economically recover at this stage of my life. I will ride scooters/Mc until no longer safe and hope to ride to Jacksonville or some other IBA event at least one more time. Ride Safe all! I will be following and rooting for all of the 2017 IBR riders.
My name is Jerome Byrd. I am IBA member #32785. After riding tens of thousands of miles on scooter and MC without a major incident, I fell off a 12 foot elevator roof at my apartment complex and fractured my Sacrum and lower spinal lumbar. If I had hit my head or landed dead on my back I would probably had been killed or paralyzed. What was I doing on the roof? - surveying the view for he possible installation of a ham radio antenna. I had been going up and down another roof in the complex for years without incident. This "untested" one however had a decayed concrete shelf (the ladder hooked over) that gave way without warning and there was no visible cracks or other indications to signal a possible defect.
Doom and Gloom
My wife and I raised seven kids and never asked for any aid from family-friends. This life-time of self reliance, however, did not leave us with significant money for retirement so we both are still working. Having left the corporate world and my own consulting business behind after the kids were grown, I have been teaching at a local community college as my sole means of income for several years. This gave me great flexibility in pursuing my riding passions and with two incomes, I didn't need food stamps or have to stand in the cheese line. We were reasonably comfortable. My teaching position, however, was that of a "visiting lecturer". This meant I was a "contract" employee and not tenured. If I didn't work there was no money/personal days/ sick days/disability, etc. The spring 2017 semester had just started and I hadn't even worked enough to get a full first check when the accident occurred. I would not get any money for nine months - the September-Fall semester. I had good medical insurance but co-pays and other medical cost would still be significant. I would have to make it with a modest monthly Social Security check.
Grasshopper
Like all good addicts, I tried to spread the extreme LD riding disease to whomever was foolish enough to listen. One of my earliest victims was Dr Jon Tan, who saw my IBA license plate on my Majesty scooter when doing a group scooter ride, he on a 150cc scooter. I saw a lot of potential in "HAMMY", and mentored him into bigger scooters and rides. The master s most proud when the student surpasses him, which Hammy has done for sure. Thank you Grasshopper!
Reflections on Extreme LD riding and the IBR
Of all the rallies, rides, places, sights and sounds I have experience riding LD on mostly scooters, the memories I cherished the most was doing the "Redwing 1000" - an in-state-VA SS1000, sponsored by the IBA. I was the only scooter (400 cc) among the large group of mostly HD riders with some IBA types thrown in. I was an early finisher but had been caught improperly dressed in a torrential downpour for several hours at the end of the ride. I was so soaked that I had to take the certificate presented
in-person by Mike Kneebone by the tip of my index finger and thumb so that the water running down my sleeve wouldn't soaked the paper. Mike looked at me with a twinkle in his eye and other nearby finishers gave me congrats. I knew then that I was one of "the world's toughest motorcycle riders". My second favorite memory was doing a BBG on I-95 from Philly-Baltimore-DC-Richmond to outside of Savannah, GA and back. I was riding a 400cc Yamaha Majesty scooter with only internal 3.5 gal tank ( I stopped 13 times) and a old Garman Street Pilot and no music-audio.
I was not good at rallying period. It didn't matter whether it was 24 hours or the IBR. I never managed my time well, and doubt I ever would. I had my share of bad luck, but I always spent 2-10 times more time than others documenting bonuses. This made any mechanical issues or strategy/points collection blunders fatal. The two statements that ring most true to me regarding the IBR is: Jerry White's statement (paraphrased) "You only think you know what the IBR is about until you do it" and my own "The IBR staff wants you to succeed".
The IBA Family
Unsolicited and unknown by me, HAMMY started some kind of medical-bills aide page on the internet. I know Hammy's tremendous popularity helped, but the outpouring of support from the IBA community for me was something I had never experienced before in my seventy-two years. I want to thank all who helped me during this trying period from the bottom of my heart!
Status - Prognosis
The accident happened on January 25th, 2017. For the first couple of days I couldn't do anything but lay in the hospital bed with a bed pan. It was excruciatingly painfully just to move on my sides so staff could get bed-pan or change sheets. On January 27th I was transferred to a rehabilitation facility. I was told my recovery would be painfully and that I would recovery in proportioned to how hard I pushed myself. I walked out using a walker less than three weeks later. I can now walk without a cane for moderate distances and climb stairs. I will be trying a short ride on my Majesty scooter next weekend. It remains to be seen whether throwing my leg over my NT700V and its riding position will be tolerable in the near future. I am suppose to have a full recovery, but my LD riding days are numbered as I will survive, but not economically recover at this stage of my life. I will ride scooters/Mc until no longer safe and hope to ride to Jacksonville or some other IBA event at least one more time. Ride Safe all! I will be following and rooting for all of the 2017 IBR riders.
