Rose640
New member
Re: WC 150K Post Challenge - You Ready?!
Too sad man, i know some will say 'he should have settled down', but reading the story made me realise that this bike actually was his settlement.I'll tell you guys a quick story. I guess all this talk about life and death made me remember, that, and for some reason I just feel like typing today. This is a true story.
One of my best friends back in my high school days Ralph, that I used to hang out with every day (my graduating year was 1987 for reference) became a framer/roofer in the 90's. Over the years, we lost touch. Each took different career paths and such, got married and had kids, and went on with our lives etc.
Well one day, a mutual friend that I still talked to, had told me about this terrible accident that Ralph had been in on the job. He'd fallen from a two story building and had broken nearly every bone in his body. Said friend gave me the number to the hospital room where he was, so I called and talked to him. We talked for hours it seemed! Reminiscing on old times, laughing and catching up; he told me that he had a son "James". We vowed to keep in touch.
Ralph spent the next 6 months in traction (full body cast), followed by 3 more months of rehabilitation and had to learn how to walk again, and pretty much had to re-learn how to do everything again... but he did it! A year after the accident, he was back on his feet as if nothing ever happened! Due to getting hurt on the job, he was also awarded a hefty settlement.. He got a ton of money. Money which he quickly went out and bought the motorcycle of his dreams with - A Suzuki GSX1100 (IIRC or something like that) Ralph had always been a rider, even back in high school. He was the guy who was always doing wheelies down the road on his "crotch-rocket" type Japanese bikes. A speed demon. So much so, that it really wasn't a huge surprise to any of us that knew him, that he was killed on that new bike shortly after getting it. He lost control of it on one of our local bridges here, hit the side barrier and plummeting about 200ft to a parking lot below. Ralph was wearing a helmet.
Fast forward to about 2006-2007. I was telling this very story to a couple young newly hired dishwashers at the restaurant I was managing at. As I'm telling it, I notice one of these kids eyes lighting up, as he's almost mouthing the words coming out of my mouth... he stops me and corrects me; "no, it was a GS1100" ... this kid's name was James. Ralph's son...