Motorcycle Alabama

I know I have been missing in action, but a lot has been going on.  Between hurricanes and work related upgrades and conferences, life has been hectic.  Also I have had a medical issue to come up that I would like to address. 

About a month and a half ago, I went to bed on a Saturday night...everything was fine.  I woke up Sunday morning with no sight in my left eye (which was my dominate eye).  Susan and I went to the ER and was told that it was a central retinal occlusion, by two different doctors.  The following Monday we went to an eye doctor and a retinal specialist with the same diagnosis. 

Nothing can be done.  It is a permanent sight loss.  I am coming to grips with the situation.  I have had to get glasses and learn how to see things all over again. 

Has anyone else had to deal with the loss of sight in an eye and still be able to ride a bike?  My balance, the way I see things, all has changed.  I am giving myself about 6 months to adjust to the new me.  But I am wondering if I will ever be able to ride a bike again.

Now, can anyone teach this old dog some new tricks?  I am kinda slow with this but am willing to suggestions and advice anyone can give me.  It might be the blind leading the blind but who knows it may all work.  LOL

PM me if you have any suggestions.  I am just wondering if anyone else has to deal with something like this.  I guess I could hold onto a string or something to follow the guy in front of me.  LOL

Thanks.

Hang in there Chuck. I've seen guys with parts missing that seems impossible to ride much less still race, but they are still on the track doing what they love.

I can't help with the eye situation, but I bet someone will chime in soon.

This is bad. I sure feel for you. Did they give you any hope that the vein blockage will clear one day and any sight return or has it been to long?

Chuck, really sorry to hear this has happened to you, but I'm also optimistic that someone will chime in who's dealt with a similar challenge.

Sure glad y'all got to do your "Flashmob Series" before this all happened!!!

Quote from: Chuck A. on October 23, 2017, 09:36:02 PM
This is bad. I sure feel for you. Did they give you any hope that the vein blockage will clear one day and any sight return or has it been to long?

Chuck, there is no hope for the sight to return.  Once the damage is done, it is done.  It is what it is and I am learning to live with it.

So sorry that you received this news! Stay positive and let us know if you need anything!

Callahan Eye Center at UAB has a Driving Assesament Clinic. I believe they do driver training as well. I don't know all the particulars, but I have used them for some of my stroke patients. It's worth a call. Let me know if you want me to check them out for you. And as always, if you're in town, WE WANT TO SEE YOU GUYS!

https://www.uabmedicine.org/drive

Chuck, I'm really sorry to hear this.

On a positive note, back in the 80s I lived in San Diego and rode sport bikes.  One of the guys I rode with only had one eye.  He lost one when he was younger.  He rode a GSXR1100.  He was a little slower than the rest of us in the curves but he was still riding around in the mountains at triple digit speeds on a high performance sportbike. 


So I guess you'll just have to go out and buy a high performance sportbike :DANCING-banana-032:


OK, maybe not but I think you'll be able to ride your wing again. :bike-038:

Chuck, does this put you at increased risk of having it happen in your good eye?  This has got to be scary for you. 

But I think, just as I've gotten used to having one contact lens for reading and one for looking far away, which essentially renders me mostly blind in one eye or the other no matter what I'm doing, your brain will adapt to your blind eye. 

And just think!  You can turn a blind eye to offensive stuff, without even trying! 

(https://photos.smugmug.com/My-First-Gallery/i-RwDQLJd/0/be7eedc7/S/owl%20blink-S.png)

Sorry to hear the bad news Chuck.

On the plus side, as a couple others have noted, your riding days are not necessarily over.

I have an old friend that lost an eye horsing around with a pressure washer when he was a teenager.

It was not long before he adjusted and started driving again.  He gets by just fine but complains about depth perception.  He says he just always compensates to the conservative side.

sorry to hear this.

Hopefully you can get back in the saddle again.

"In 1999, Vesco went after and earned the land speed record for a wheel-driven car with his "Turbinator" streamliner powered by a Lycoming gas turbine helicopter engine, which hit 427.832 mph. Vesco was 60 years old when he set that record. In October of 2001, Vesco went even faster and set an FIA World Land Speed Record of 458.440 mph in the "Turbinator" at Bonneville.

Vesco set those records despite having lost an eye after being hit by a rock while watching a sprint-car race in 1996. He also continued to race at vintage motorcycle events and has been known to give fits to young riders on their modern sport bikes while riding a vintage Norton Manx in local club races.

Vesco was inducted into the Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1999. A year later, Cycle World got it right in its June, 2000, feature on Vesco, titled "The Forever Racer."


http://www.motorcyclemuseum.org/halloffame/detail.aspx?RacerID=288

We had a guy at work that rode a Harley into work every so often, he had been missing a eye for a decade or so, you would never know it until you tried to throw him something as catching requires depth perception, I always wondered how safe it was to ride a bike without depth perception but he maintained that unless there was something flying through the air at him he had found different little ways and tricks that seemed to always work when driving / riding. The human brain really is an amazing thing, Give your body time to adjust and deal with the lack of depth perception and then give the bike a chance.

I would like to share with you my friends what feels like a major breakthrough. I have been telling myself not to get on the bike for a few months or at least till I felt that my balance even standing was good. Well my wife is correct I am stubborn and hard headed. It was such a nice day here in LA and I kept seeing bikes passing the house. I got too thinking... You know I started riding minibikes and trail bikes 50 years ago on dirt.... Why not start learning again that way. Besides it's not like I never dropped a bike before... Let's see what happens.... I got Susan to video it thinking it might give me something to laugh at one day. Or to show the hospital what happened.... lol

Anyway this is probably the most boring 5 min motorcycle clip on this site. But for me it's a victory!!!  :DANCING-banana-032:



On the way back!!! Maybe by spring I'll be on the street again for long distance rides again.!!

Chuck (The One-Eyed Jack)  ;-)

 :applause-003: :applause-003: :applause-003: :applause-003: :applause-003:

Quote from: Chuck & Susan on October 29, 2017, 07:43:49 PM
Anyway this is probably the most boring 5 min motorcycle clip on this site.

Nonsense!  One eyed cornering and direction changes...large bike with off-road skills....narrow escape from packs of wild dogs.  It's something for everyone!

Quote from: Chuck & Susan on October 29, 2017, 07:43:49 PM
But for me it's a victory!!!

But then tragedy  :sad-055:  Your eyesight may indeed be pretty bad, because I'm sure that's not a Victory. It's a Honda.

Chuck, Have you considered changing your left side mirror or maybe adding one to give yourself a better field of view on the left side?

 Klav, I have... I was thinking of something more of the fish eye type. Right at the moment I feel like mounting a truck mirror over there..... lol

But then I haven't hit the street yet. A few more weekend rides around the back yard and next move up to the high school parking lot just up the street. I'll set myself up a circle of trust and maybe something along the lines of GP8 that Springer has. I have to build confidence it the butt to seat feel and learn not to rely on vision input so much. Easier said than done... But I WILL get there.

I want to have enough control to make the "Last Ride Of The Year" on Dec. 30th. That is only a leisurely 20 mile ride from here. I guess that's my first goal as of now.

Just saw this Chuck. Sorry to hear the news, but kudos to you for hopping on the bike and getting after it!  I think you just skipped right past the whole denial, and anger phases and said screw it, not gonna let this get me down.  That's pretty awesome!  Let me know when you're ready to get back on the road. I have no doubt you'll be back by spring if you keep it up.

Chuck , if you want to spend a little more time "on the dirt" getting some seat time on a smaller bike, I have a Yamaha XT 225 you can use for as long as you need it. Let me know and I'll bring it to you. Good excuse for a ride to the coast!

Quote from: TFancher on November 01, 2017, 10:58:56 AM
I have a Yamaha XT 225 you can use for as long as you need it. Let me know and I'll bring it to you. Good excuse for a ride to the coast!

I had to think about that a day or so Tony. But I'm all good with the wing. I have to build myself up to it anyway, I'll just keep at it.

But 2 things:
1) Is that not a great example of the good people that I have met on the BamaRides site. Man willing to loan me a bike too get me back in the saddle. Don't think I don't appreciate the offer cuz I do.
2) No excuse needed to come ride the coast. There is always good food, drink, & at least one BR member (ME) who would be glad to join ya!! Or any other BR member that visits the area. And I hope to be back on the street in 60 days or less. (Personal Goal)

Thanks again Tony.

You can do it Chuck ! Someone I ride with only has one eye. He lost the other one when he was a kid. I can barely keep up with him on rides. I haven't asked him if he has challenges riding. I guess because I can't catch up to him to ask !

Hey Chuck, just checking on you. How you doing ?

Quote from: merc16 on November 11, 2017, 07:59:33 AM
Hey Chuck, just checking on you. How you doing ?

Doing good.  Plan on taking the bike to the school parking lot today and see how it goes.  Will let you know how it goes.

Thanks for checking

Chuck

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Just to update you folks on the saga of the One-Eyed Rider....

I have been spending the past couple of weekends just ridding the parking lot of the Robertsdale High School. Encircle the lot and the light post getting my turns tighter and sharper. I also learned something about the bike. It does much better at low speed maneuvers in 2nd gear. The computer keeps the idol up without the throttle and all I have to do is trail brake. It's just that 2nd gear is much smoother than 1st. And nowhere near as jerky.  So I have been getting very confident in my ability and my butt to seat feel again. Also learning that for me now it's not where the NOSE points but the center of my vision is where the bike is going. So I am keeping my head a bit to the left.

Anyway.... On to the setback...

Thursday morning I had to be in a wireless commission meeting in downtown Montgomery at 10am. It was going to be such a gorgeous day. Perfect for a bike ride. I got ready to leave that morning about daybreak. Kinda cool and a little airish but not bad here on the coast. And here was where the SETBACK happened.

I SETBACK into the seat twisted the throttle and I was no my way to Montgomery!!! Oh it felt GREAT!!!! Even the cool air was refreshing!! I was off for my first Road Trip.!!!!

Yea it was I-65 and nothing thrilling but was awesome to now feel the wing up to speed. I learned a few more things along the way. The biggest is I DON'T care for cars to ride alongside me on the left side. I kept the feeling that if they drifted over into my lane I would not know it. Klav asked earlier in the thread about mirrors. I really had no problem with the mirrors. In fact just a slight head turn and I could see the car along side me fine in the mirror.  But those are just glances. It is nothing like the good ole peripheral vision that I am lacking. I'm still getting used to that being the new normal for me. That may take alot of time.

Oh and after the meeting..... Do you think I was in any hurry to just hit I-65 and cruse home.... NO WAY!!!! I took the back roads home. Or at least the NON-Interstate Highways. You know hwys 80, 31, 84, 29, & a few others. Now if you notice I could have followed Hwy 31 from Montgomery all the way home. Nahh That was too quick  of a course to follow. I had to zig zag a bit... Oh Darn... LOL... Hey I just wanted to be home before sunset. I still wasn't sure how my vision was going to affect me after dark on the bike. I know it has to a degree driving the car. I really enjoyed the scenery and the wind therapy.. I noticed just before I got home that I was really close to 500 miles for the day. Yep you guessed it. I hit a couple more back roads before rolling up into the yard. Total for the day -- 508 -- of the best miles I have encountered. And no it was not the Mountains and no not one single twisty. But I was told that I really needed to stay off the bike for 6 months before attempting.  I'm back on the road in just over 2 months!!!

Now for another Minor SETBACK last night.....
Susan is off in the car on a Ghost Hunt with a friend of hers in Atlanta. And yesterday was my moms 75th b'day. The whole family met for dinner at Davids Catfish over in Spanish Fort at 7pm last night. I wasn't driving the Bamalance over there. No way. And one of the family members could have give me a ride. No I figured I needed to find out how I would do on the bike at night. You know just have to face your fears and get over it thing. So I SETBACK into the seat and twisted the throttle again. It was only a 40 - 50 mile round trip with moderate traffic. But I did make it a 100 mile trip... And I'm here telling the story... So yes I made it fine... Was a bit interesting for a learning experience. Night vision with one-eye and corrective glasses thru a face shield and a windshield with all the lights is a bit overwhelming. Nothing to stop me but is going to take a lot of practice. Oh and it was trying to get foggy a bit with dew settling on everything. Cars lights (Head & Tail) ahead of  me was kinda a double vision blur. Coupled with the depth perception thing. I found my self being very overly cautious. I have to learn which starburst of light are the real lights and which are reflections. This too will come with practice. But after getting out of the traffic thing on some back roads it was not bad at all.  Overall it too was a nice experience and I'm glad I did take the bike.

I know I had indicated earlier in this tread that my GOAL was to ride to Stage Coach Cafe for the "Last Ride Of The Year" But I just had to get back on the bike. Too stubborn and hard headed I guess like my darling wife tells me. And once again she is right... I am.... I WILL be back up in North Alabama soon chasing the COOL KIDS from Bama Rides... ahhhh.... MC-AL.com around the hills again. I would love to have been up there now with Al and Melony hearing the stories of the adventures from everyone. But I will be back soon!!!

Stay tuned for later updates.... Susan and I are planning to ride 2 up some locally this week. She is starting to trust me & I hope I don't drop her for the 2nd time.... lol

Chuck

So happy to hear about your setbacks, Chuck! And welcome to mc-al!

Thank you and believe me I am THRILLED to be here or back here!!

Oh and Nice Job carting over all the stuff into the new servers follks..

This is so great to hear Chuck !!!! That's a good positive way to use the word setback.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk

 :D I thought it was a cute play on words..  8)

 GOOD ON YOU CHUCK!!!

Quote from: Chuck & Susan on November 18, 2017, 10:33:01 AM
...
I have been spending the past couple of weekends just ridding the parking lot of the Robertsdale High School. Encircle the lot and the light post getting my turns tighter and sharper. I also learned something about the bike. It does much better at low speed maneuvers in 2nd gear. The computer keeps the idol up without the throttle and all I have to do is trail brake. It's just that 2nd gear is much smoother than 1st. And nowhere near as jerky.  So I have been getting very confident in my ability and my butt to seat feel again. Also learning that for me now it's not where the NOSE points but the center of my vision is where the bike is going. So I am keeping my head a bit to the left.
...

Sounds like you had a nice gymkhana "a-ha" moment too.  Very nice.

The nice A-ha moment I'm really looking forward too is when I see an event with yall that I say "A_HA... I can make that one"

Miss yall.... Have a good time tonight in Huntsville. You know I like my Flashmobs....

Now that is one hell of a SETBACK!!  :D

Great to hear! Keep us posted if you ride up towards the center of the state!!

Looking forward to seeing you two at The Last Ride of the Year.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk

We will be looking for ya Merc!! And you too can come to the house if you would like for the weekend.

Also if one of the Moderators would please move this thread to a public area. I placed it here at the start thinking that someone might not want the guest or general public seeing anything they might post. But I know when I first started trying to find out information on one-eyed motorcycling that there really is nothing much out there on the internet. If anyone in the future finds this tread on a search of the net then maybe they can benefit from something that I found worked for me. Or restart the thread after joining to tell their story or view.

Thank you too all the Moderators... You ROCK!!

Chuck

I think you have a good idea there so I moved it.  I always find it inspiring when people overcome handicaps or hardships to continue riding.  Maybe this thread will inspire someone else to continue doing what they love.

Thank you Klav. That is my hope. I know I kept thinking in the back of my mind that I had messed up buying a new Wing and was going to have to sell it for a huge loss. Boy was I wrong and I'm glad. Thank you to everyone supporting me on this adventure into the new normal.

You probably don't need it and it might have been mentioned earlier,  I have seen bicyclists with helmet mounted mirrors.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk

Okay, Chuck has been giving his reports of this issue.  Want to hear from the back-seat rider???

Well, at first, I was scared to death.  My husband lost sight in one of his eye and there was nothing I could do to fix it.  I didn't know what to expect.  All I knew is that I needed to be here to support him. 

Yes, I said I would not get back on the bike as long as he did not feel confident.  But I also know my husband --  stubborn as a mule!!!!  I knew there would be one day and he would be back on that bike riding again and there was nothing I could or would do to stop it.  He has to get his confidence back. 

When he took his first trip around the back yard I just knew he would get through this new normal.  It may take time, but he would get through it.  Then he went to the school parking lot (I did not go with him).  He made it and I was proud and happy. 

Then he took his trip to Montgomery and back.  Yes, I stayed busy so I would not sit and worry the entire time he was gone.  But when he called me when he arrived in Montgomery, the glee was back in his voice.  I knew it was going to be alright.  When he returned from the trip, I could see the excitement and some of the stress gone (K know that a bike ride is the best stress reliver for Chuck).  We were on the way.

And yes, I did 'setback' into the back seat.  Yes, I did feel safe.  Yes, I enjoyed myself.  I am getting my motorcycle riding husband back!!!

When my daughter found out that we had gone riding together, her first question was "Did you feel safe?".  Yes, I did.  I know that Chuck would never intentional put me in harms way and I trust him completely. 

I am not ready for a Crow Hill ride yet with him, but you will see us in the mountains again one day. 

Oh, and the fact he is posting more on Motorcycle Alabama I know he getting back to normal.  LOL


;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

Susan

Thank you, Susan, for tour perspective. Good to hear from you!

Thanks for your input Susan.  We would like to hear from you in the future as well.  You are a member of this forum as well. 

I'm sure that Chuck really appreciates your support and is lucky to have you there.