I'd Had Enough!

[Rob]

A little over three full months of not operating a Mack and my nerves was rattled. I went out in the parking area of my shop, uncovered the R795, and gave the ignition key a twist and roaring to life she came. I parked and wrapped this truck outside in a tarp over the cab on New Year's Day and it hasn't been started since. Like ole "Other Dog" says, "There ain't nothin like the sound of a V8 Mack. Sounded so good at idle that I had to go for a "bounce around" in the fields that surround the shop. After about 1/2 hour of thorough back punishment to myself, I'd had enough. Back to the shop I went, parked, then hobbled off to my office chair.

The pain was worth it.

Rob

[peterj]

Didn't run out of fuel? lol

[Rob]

Didn't run out of fuel? lol

Not this time. Last time I had the fuels guy by the shop he topped all the running trucks off for the winter.

Rob

[Mike]

A little over three full months of not operating a Mack and my nerves was rattled. I went out in the parking area of my shop, uncovered the R795, and gave the ignition key a twist and roaring to life she came. I parked and wrapped this truck outside in a tarp over the cab on New Year's Day and it hasn't been started since. Like ole "Other Dog" says, "There ain't nothin like the sound of a V8 Mack. Sounded so good at idle that I had to go for a "bounce around" in the fields that surround the shop. After about 1/2 hour of thorough back punishment to myself, I'd had enough. Back to the shop I went, parked, then hobbled off to my office chair.

The pain was worth it.

Rob

LOL.... I'm sorry Rob you are hurting cause I feel your pain. It started with my lower back August 2005 getting ready for work that morning. I had tied one shoe and was knealing down to tie the other when it felt like someone had sucker punshed me in the lower back. I grabbed the dresser in front of me and pulled myself up only to look at my ugliness in the mirror with an auwfull look on my face thinking how was I going to work today. I hate (yes I use the hate word at that time)to miss work being sick. I was out 5 days with the back locked up. Since then I feel like an injured person having to be careful at every movement I make. Trying to make a long story short.....I have been going to a Chiropractor since 2006 and has been a no cure method. Everyone i talk to says don't stop moving meaning don't go an sit in a chair.....GO WALKING...HONESTLY IT IS HELPING ME. I look back at this past weekend riding 307 miles knowing I could not have done that unless I had exercised by walking this past week everyday. My g/f had foot surgery in January and is just now starting to walk again, so we are walking a mile each day hoping we can increase that to several more miles in the evening when we get home from work.

Hope This Is Some Encouragement for you!

mike

[Rob]

LOL.... I'm sorry Rob you are hurting cause I feel your pain. It started with my lower back August 2005 getting ready for work that morning. I had tied one shoe and was knealing down to tie the other when it felt like someone had sucker punshed me in the lower back. I grabbed the dresser in front of me and pulled myself up only to look at my ugliness in the mirror with an auwfull look on my face thinking how was I going to work today. I hate (yes I use the hate word at that time)to miss work being sick. I was out 5 days with the back locked up. Since then I feel like an injured person having to be careful at every movement I make. Trying to make a long story short.....I have been going to a Chiropractor since 2006 and has been a no cure method. Everyone i talk to says don't stop moving meaning don't go an sit in a chair.....GO WALKING...HONESTLY IT IS HELPING ME. I look back at this past weekend riding 307 miles knowing I could not have done that unless I had exercised by walking this past week everyday. My g/f had foot surgery in January and is just now starting to walk again, so we are walking a mile each day hoping we can increase that to several more miles in the evening when we get home from work.

Hope This Is Some Encouragement for you!

mike

Why thanks Mike. I do the physical therapy thing three days a week followed by an active night in the shop. I do stay moving as sitting down is not really in my nature unless for a short time. I'm quite a bit better than I was a couple of weeks ago when I ceased the chiropractor visits and started seeing a physical therapist. Although those visits are painfull, my back problem has went on from my motorcycle racing days in the mid 70's. The limited amount I've heard about my mom is said she had back problems also. I compounded the problem by jumping three cars inside a building on a then brand new YZ250 Yamaha and landing hard, (only did that stunt once).

It is definately easier for me to keep moving as opposed to sitting on my ass at a desk. I have a lower back disc in the 5th lumbar that has slipped and is inflamed putting pressure on one of the nerves that runs on the outside of my right leg. That son of a bitch is painful and on a scale of one to ten, I'd put it at a solid eight when flared up. I haven't slept a full night in over three weeks because the throbbing comes on strong about 4:00am. A few floor stretches and exercises and I'm back off to sleep for another hour if Momma ain't taken to snoring too loudly.

At least I ain't pushing daisys yet.

Rob

[Mike]

Why thanks Mike. I do the physical therapy thing three days a week followed by an active night in the shop. I do stay moving as sitting down is not really in my nature unless for a short time. I'm quite a bit better than I was a couple of weeks ago when I ceased the chiropractor visits and started seeing a physical therapist. Although those visits are painfull, my back problem has went on from my motorcycle racing days in the mid 70's. The limited amount I've heard about my mom is said she had back problems also. I compounded the problem by jumping three cars inside a building on a then brand new YZ250 Yamaha and landing hard, (only did that stunt once).

It is definately easier for me to keep moving as opposed to sitting on my ass at a desk. I have a lower back disc in the 5th lumbar that has slipped and is inflamed putting pressure on one of the nerves that runs on the outside of my right leg. That son of a bitch is painful and on a scale of one to ten, I'd put it at a solid eight when flared up. I haven't slept a full night in over three weeks because the throbbing comes on strong about 4:00am. A few floor stretches and exercises and I'm back off to sleep for another hour if Momma ain't taken to snoring too loudly.

At least I ain't pushing daisys yet.

I raced Motocross bikes back in those days also an ran a 125cc Hodaka Super Combat and a YZ400 and had good luck with both but my back stems from getting hit in the back, he was bigger than me. LOL

mike

Rob

[Rob]

I was never competitive on the moto track. Used to like the "hair scrambles" around here as it was all low buck racing. I stuck to the flat track stuff and didn't have too many problems running with the pack. I started out on a 60cc Bridgestone, went to a 1973 100MX Yamaha, then a 1974 125MX Yamaha, then to a 1972 100 Kawasaki "Green Streak", then a Kawasaki 1975 KX125, and a 1975 KX250, then jumped ship with a move to Ossa on a 250TT. That Ossa was damned fast but hard to get parts for after about 1/2 a season. For a brief time I had a 250 Maico but never ran it competitively. Husqvarna looked good for a time but the parts availability was not real good either.

When Suzuki came out with the RM series I had to have one of those in the 250 size. I couldn't get out of the heats without exploding something internal so never raced one. I had the most consistency with Kawasaki motorcycles but was good friends with the local dealer's kids so he looked after us rather well. Can't say I ever blew one of their motors up but they did require freshening up after every event.

When Yamaha brought out the YZ series, (1975) I borrowed one, (250cc) to ride as a demo. I really liked the way it handled, but was choppy in dirt with sharp corners at speed. Think I fell on that one more than any other as it would just wash out from you without warning. Don't know how many sets of leathers I went through due to falling. Also the only one that a clutch wouldn't hold up in through a month of events without replacement.

As I look back it is hard to believe how many motorcycle engines exploded under me. Not one was a Kawasaki. I always believed if your afraid of falling, you don't need to be on it and I rode as hard as humanly possible for me. Meeting "Momma" in high school changed my outlook, so I began the slow process of adulthood and you all know the settled down Rob.

Rob