Intro.....

Traci <sybil38o9@aol.com>

Barkeep......a round for the house, if you please. It's a little early here in
upstate NY, but hey, it's got to be happy hour somewhere in the world!

It was recommend, by a friend, that I should come out of lurk mode before
spring hits, so I might have the chance to meet some of you fine folks IRL.
Well, here I am! <sfsf> My name is Traci, some call me *sybil*. I'll leave it
for you to decide. I started riding my own about 11 yeas ago, after low back
surgery. The doc told me I should avoid riding on the back of bikes from then
on. OK. So I bought my own.

First bike was a black sporty. Great bike. I won't bore you with all the
*learning how to ride* tales. I taught myself the basics and then was taken
under the wings of a great bunch of men, with more years in the saddle than
I'll ever have if I live to 100! Lost that bike in a storage fire. Insurance
bought me a, brand spankin' new, green Hugger. (from Spitzie's)     :::sigh:::
The memories that bike and I made.......... Well, being a single mom, available
time is sometimes limited, but when it was time to go........we went!

As fate would have it, I wasn't meant to keep that bike either. On my way home
from work, June 21 '99, I stopped at a shop I frequent, ordered a whole bunch
of *toys* for the bike and headed home. I didn't make it too far. I was t-boned
going through an intersection. Make a long story short, my life was saved by a
Harley rider, who had just left the shop I was at. I lost my left leg above the
knee, but I am here to tell the tale!

I was not going to let some ass in a cage ( _I swear, I didn't see her!_) ruin
my life! I was determined to ride again. I formed an addiction to the Internet,
and the search was on! I finally decided that if I was going to go through all
this effort, I was not going to just *settle* for any bike to get back into the
wind. I was going to get my dream bike! I found him. I'm now the proud owner of
an '81 FLH with a sidecar. (well, I didn't really want the sidecar, but falling
over at a red light is soooo embarrassing!)

For those with aohell, I have a pic of my daughter and bike in the bike picture
gallery. My wrench modified it to a tank shift with clutch on the handle. I
don't like it, and I'm going to change it. But that's a story for another day.
I got the bike, after much waiting, in Sept. '01. With only a couple weeks back
under my belt I headed out to the SC fall bike rally, by myself. Hey, _I_ never
claimed to be the sharpest knife in the drawer! It was the adventure from hell!
But worth every moment! Many thanks to my wrench, who was available by phone,
for roadside repairs, and to some Internet friends, who supplied phone #'s
and/or moral support the whole way!

Whew! Barkeep, I'm parched! Another round, if you'd be so kind.

I'd like to add that while lurking, you folks have provided me with untold
assistance. From help with my super B, to leading me in the correct direction
to finding out just what the hell was the deal with my screwy VIN#. And, yup,
it's legal! LOL So, there I am. Please be gentle with the flames. I hate fire!

<sfsf>
--
Traci (aka sybil)
'81 FLH w/sidecar "Doc"

ŠAH#122