I'm still here...

It's been a long time coming, this here heart operation. I've known about it since 1980, when my physician "found" it. Apparently, it was a defect I had from birth, a heart murmur, which was so unimportant that my parents forgot all about it. Sooner or later, it was going to catch up with me.

Well, the first time the murmur got in my way was when I tried to enlist in the US Navy. For reasons of insanity, I signed up for the "special warfare" division, the Seals to be exact. While in the dive company, in basic training, we were all under the microscope and underwent many medical tests. And it might've been because I picked such an arduous discipline that they made it such a big deal. In any case, it got me removed from the service.

Since then, over the next ten years or so, my Kaiser doctors have been monitoring the degrading condition of my valve. We all knew that it was just a matter of time, before I would have to have that bad valve replaced or repaired. For a number of reasons, I've always been a big proponent of getting it done sooner than later 1) Statistically, younger patients recover better and faster 2) Right now, I have great health insurance and with the way health care is going in this country, I'm not sure how my coverage would be in the future, nor can I be certain where Emily or I would be working.

For reasons of economy and liability, it's in the best interest of the HMO to delay the procedure as long as possible. I would estimate that the surgery cost around $500,000.

I had many open discussions with my physician and he explained to me all the conditions to be concerned with, before the operation would happen. Basically, I had a bad leaking valve, my aortic valve, that was creating about 15-20% back-leakage. That's kind of an important valve, in that it's supplying blood to all the major organs, including the brain. Because my valve was leaking so badly, my heart had to work harder to compensate for the "lost" blood- basically, my heart had to work 20% harder. Because my heart was working so much harder, my heart was getting larger, more muscular, and that's not a good thing- a larger heart means that there is less room in my chest cavitity for it to function.

For patients with bad valves, there are basically two options 1)The valve can be replaced with a mechanical valve, which has a great chance of lasting the lifetime of the patient, but blood thinner would be required for life 2)An organic valve can be used in the operation, usually that of a cow or pig. No blood thinners would be required, but the valve won't last all that long, so re-operation is most likely.

My doctor suggested that I might be want to look into the Ross Procedure. This is actually a two-valve operation, where the surgeon replaces the aortic valve with the patient's own pulmonic valve, which is harvested during the surgery. Usually a human cadaver valve will replace the pulmonic valve. The major advantages of the Ross Procedure are that the acceptance of the new aortic valve is practically guaranteed, it is roughly the same size, so it will function the same as the damaged one, and because it's an organic valve, blood thinners are not required after the operation.

Every year, I've been going in to get an echocardiogram, basically a sonogram of the blood flow through my heart, to check out its function and to see if it was getting larger. All muscles have the ability to atrophy back to its normal size, if the muscle doesn't stretch too big and the heart muscle is no exception, but if it gets too large, then it will lose that elasticity. That was one of the major deciding factors of when to do the operation.

So earlier this year, I went in to see my doctor to do my usual annual thing. This time he tells me that it's time to start looking for a cardiologist. Finally, the plot thickens...

At first, I didn't really think much that we were taking the "next step", other than it was a means to an end. After my consultation with my cardiologist, he told me that we were definitely going to need to get this job done soon, within two year's time. I told him that I would prefer to get it done sooner than later. I also asked him about the Ross Procedure, which he seemed to be a little hesitant about. We immediately set up an appointment with a highly respected young surgeon in the Oakland Summit Hospital organization, Dr. Lee.

My visit with Dr. Lee was succinct. He wanted to make sure I knew what was wrong with my heart and I wanted to see if he would do a Ross Procedure on me. He explained that the Ross wasn't a very popular surgical procedure, mostly because it was a lot of work for the surgeons, having to spend two to three times longer on their feet in the operating room. Also, there was more risk involved for the patient, being on the heart/lung [pump] machine for such a long period of time. He did point out the benefits of a successful outcome and he acknowledged that the outcomes are usually successful, although there hasn't really been enough data to note long term successes, since the procedure is still relatively new (1968). He said that he didn't do Ross Procdures, but he didn't try to talk me out of one either. Instead, he referred me to one of his collegues at San Francisco Kaiser, Dr. Flachsbart.

A short time later, I took a drive out to San Francisco to visit the good doctor. He was a smilyey slim, older-looking gentleman, with a short crown of white hair on his head, bald on top, and a white beard to match. We talked about the same things that I had discussed with Dr. Lee. It just so happened that the Ross Procedure was one of Dr. Flachsbart's specialties. (As it turns out later, I found out that he's one of the top five Ross Procedure specialists around the country and he is Chief Surgeon at this Kaiser facility). He agreed to do the Ross and we set a date- about six weeks off in the future. As soon as Thanksgiving was over, I would be reporting to the hospital for the surgery.

Now, as routine as heart surgery is, nowadays, I was still quite worried about the outcome. Since my dad had such a nasty history with haprin (the commonly used blood-thinner used during heart operations), I was a little freaked-out. Suddenly, I realized how much I needed to get done in my life!  What would happen if I were to die? I didn't have a will or living trust in place! What would happen to my remains? I needed a advanced health direct at the very least, in case something went array in the hospital. What about all those things around the house that needed to get done? Even if I survived the surgery, I won't be much help around the house for months afterward! Fall was ending and Winter was coming fast. Those last minute yard chores needed to get finished. So much to do, so little time.

Monday, the day before the actual surgery, I went in, with Emily and both my parents, to do the preliminary consultations, having to do with anesthesiology, the surgical procedure and other odds and ends. They took some blood samples, I signed some papers and after being there for most of the day, we were done. It was time to get a good dinner and get some rest for the day of surgery- I needed to be there at 6:30am, and that was an early drive. We all took a drive down to Half Moon Bay, where we could enjoy looking at the ocean one last time before my surgery, then we had a nice quaint dinner at Barbara's Crab Trap for some excellent New England style clam chowder and some sandwiches.

The next morning came too soon. I only got about four hours of sleep. We were the first ones at the hospital- matter of fact, I was actually surprised that there was someone there at that hour. The nurse took me in and checked out all of my vital stats. My blood pressure was out of control! It was something like 185/120. It's never been like that before! They got me dressed in a gown and isolated me, preparing me for surgery. Emily was with me most of the time. The doctor came in and went over the procedure one last time. We discussed a contingency plan, in case the Ross Procedure was a no-go. I decided on an organic aortic valve as my second choice. My folks came in to visit one last time and the it was time for everyone to go. They gave me an IV and that was the last thing I remember.

I remember waking up....I was in a room that seemed to have no windows. There was a really large Timex clock on the wall right in front of me. The time was about 10:30. I hadn't realized that I had already had surgery yet. I fell back asleep.

About ten minutes later, I woke up, again. This time, I started to figure out that I was already done with the procedure. Then I realized that it must've been successful or I wouldn't be there having those thoughts. I could feel the breathing tube shoved down my throat- it was bothersome, uncomfortable. The two nurses who were attending me in that CVICU gave me a sponge bath, probably trying to clean me up from all that surgery goop that was till left on my body. I tried to get more rest, but kept waking up every few minutes.

Another Day at the Office

The sun was out all weekend, once the Saturday fog burned off. This is what Bay Area weather should be like all the time!

Emily and I made a couple of trips to the nurseries and got our goodies. Then came all the work! I spent about five hours in the yard on Saturday and four hours on Sunday, but I got a ton accomplished. With Winter hanging on for so long and Spring starting so suddenly, it seems like everyone is frantic to get all caught up as soon as they can. It's especially bad for us, since we're taking off to Hawaii for a week- there are plants that absolutely need to get in the ground and some other tasks, like setting up the sprinklers, must be done before heading out.

Today, I got the tomatoes in the planter box, along with the pepper plants. This year, we're growing Serranos, Habaneros and a new one (to use) called Pimentos. For tomatoes, we're growing two cherries and two medium tomatoes. We're growing two plants the traditional way, except I did a raised bed, to increase the deep root watering. The other two, we'll be trying the Topsy Turvy upside down planters. They have yet to arrive, but they should be here by the end of the week.

I also planted the rest of the herbs and integrated the Soil Moist into the dirt, then covered the ground with cocoa mulch. Now we have a dozen different herbs! Along with our longstanding sage, rosemary and chives, we have thyme, spearmint and oregano (that survived from last season), a couple of varieties of basil, some parsley, cilantro, majoram and green onions.

Today, I also managed to squeeze in ripping out the geraniums and installing four new gerbera daisies, as well as spray and fertilize the roses.

Yesterday, I did a lot of routine maintenance like lawn-mowing and weed killing, as well as mulching the wild backyard portion. The latter part of my day was spent on the veggie planter box, transplanting all the salvagable strawberry plants, so we can give them away. Afterwards, I turned the soil and started getting it prepared for the new crops. I've since read that it's best to prepare the soil a couple of weeks before planting, but sometimes you just gotta say, "What the hay!".

Next week, I'll finish the veggie box by (hopefully) having lettuce to plant, as well as finishing the hanging tomato plants and setting up all the sprinklers.

My Little Ride

2001 Suzuki SV650S
PIAA SuperWhite H4 Headlamp Bulbs
Diamond Star Headlight Modulator
Back-Off Brake Signal Modulator
Intuitive Race Products Frame Sliders
HVMP Heavy Bar End Weights
Competition Werkes Fender Eliminator Kit
Clear Alternatives Rear Lense w/LED bulbs
Lockhart Phillips Front and Rear Clear Flush Mount Signal Indicators
Keiti Tank Protector
Vortex Rear Spools
LP Aluminum GP Footpegs
BRG Racing Rearset Plates
Micron Titanium Full Exhaust
BMC 205/10 Race Filter
Factory Pro Stage II Jetting Kit

Dunlop D208ZR 120/60-17- Front
Dunlop Qualifier 160/60-17- Rear

Suspension and Brake Setup
Race Tech Gold Valve Cartridge Emulator Kit
Race Tech Fork .80 kg/mm
Bel-Ray 15W Fork Oil @130mm
1999 GSX-R 750 Rear Shock
Fork Sag 32mm
Rear Shock Sag 32.5mm
Dropped the head 8mm on the fork tubes
520 Chain Conversion (Vortex 14/46 Sprockets, RK GB520XSO Chain)

Galfer Front and Rear Stainless Steel Brake Lines
Galfer Black Rear Brake Pads
Galfer HH Front Brake Pads

Fluids
Castrol GPS SAE10W/40
Galfer Super Dot 4 Brake Fluid
Radiator Filled with Water Wetter

Other Modifications
NGK CR8EIX Iridium Spark Plugs
Carburators Rejetted and Needles Shimmed
Air/Fuel Mixture Re-Adjusted
BMC Air Filter Snorkelectomy
Raised the Gas Tank 4mm to Increase Air Flow
2nd Gear Engine Retard Wire Cut (TRE Mod)
R6 Throttle Tube Swap (1/5 Turn Mod)
GP Style Shifting

Been Absent

Kind of buzzed. Had long lunch at work today. The boss took us all out for sushi at Sozo, since the Mudd Crew didn't make any crucial mistakes today. After a couple of really big Asahi beers and a couple of shots of hot sake, he didn't feel like going back to the lab and suggested that we go bowling for the rest of the day, on this find Friday. We still had to go back to the lab and turn off the ovens and power down the compressors and the such, but he threatened anyone who checked the voicemails would be fired, so don't touch the answering machines! We went to Dublin Bowl and bowled a couple of games. I bowled over a hundred for both beating everyone in the first and only being bested by the boss in the second by five or so points, at 155.

Valley of the windmills

Today I was able to get away for a little while, after doing some yardwork and some dishes. I've been dying to really feel what the bike is like on a twisty road. And I haven't been on a "technical" ride with my full leathers on yet. I figure it might be good to break them in and see how they really feel.

The sky had some high cloud cover here and there, but the sunshine was strong, in general. It was good that I had my dark faceshield on the helmet. I loaded up the MP3 player with Bad Company's 10 from 4 and Boston's Don't Look Back. I had contemplated bringing along my camera, but I passed on it- I didn't want to stop, if the riding was good and the rhythm was right. Today, for the first time, I decided to ride with a Breathe Right strip on my nose. I saw Valentio Rossi do it and it seemed like a cool idea. I zipped my jacket and pants together and I was off. I headed out the door around 2:30.

I decided to go up Patterson Pass Road, starting in Livermore, heading toward Tracy. I had been there once before, but last time, I was stuck following a really slow moving pickup truck. I didn't want to be out for very long and I didn't want to go somewhere I wasn't familiar with. It was a good choice. This time, there was no one in front of me and no one in back of me the whole stretch. It was great!

Mr. Moto handled all the bumps and twists with the greatest of ease. There were some things that I need to correct or make a note of for the next outting. First of all, don't tuck the pants so deep into the boots- it makes it harder to bend the knees and it's nearly impossible to pull them out, once the boots are zipped up. Make sure that I ArmourAll the seat before going out next time. With the leather pants and the texture of the saddle, there's way too much friction. It's even hard to slip to one side at a stoplight. Turn up the MP3 player another 10 volume bars, from 26 to 35- okay, 9 bars. Check the front brake lever. It's set to 3, but let's play around with it. Something that was buggin' me was the boots were too grippy on the footpegs and movement seemed impaired- it might've been the pants tugging at the boots. We'll see if it is the same next ride, after I leave the pants out more. And, it would be nice if I lost 10 pounds or 2 inches in the waist. Not only will I look more svelt, the pants will sure be a lot more comfy.

"Handling" Mr. Moto

Since I had just about everything off of the bike and I was doing some pretty significant changes to the suspension and brake system, I figured I might as well do just a little bit more. Let me list the changes I've done to him, since the end of last year.

1) Changed the oil to a racing synthetic
2) Put in a K&N oil filter
3) Flushed the radiator and used Water Wetter
4) Raised the gas tank 1/2" to increase air flow
5) Replaced front and rear brake lines with Galfer S/S
6) Replaced front and rear brake pads with Galfer
7) New Dunlop 208ZR tyre in front
8) Flushed brake fluid and replaced with Galfer SuperDot4
9) Swapped the rear shock with a GSX-R, which raised the rear by 1/2"
10) Installed Race-Tech .80 fork springs
11) Installed Race-Tech cartridge emulators
12) Changed fork oil to Bel-Ray 15W at 130mm
13) Dropped triple-clamps 2mm to influence head angle
13) Adjusted sag, both front and rear, to 32mm

Some of these changes are more significant than others, but all together, wow! they really make a difference! The handling is a little more plush (though I can't tell the difference as much as others have raved about it on the Net). The suspension feels so much more confident, whereas I can't really tell how fast I'm going anymore. Because of the suspension advances, the bike sits higher off the ground, making it harder for me at stoplights, but the tradeoff is remarkable. And it might just be having a new rounder front tire up there, but it doesn't take hardly any pressure to initiate a turn. It's like the bike had power-steering- almost like the bike can read my mind, when I want to turn! The braking is more crisp, which is really noticable from higher speeds. And since I made those simple maintenance adjustments with the clockworks of the bike (i.e. motor oil and air intake), Mr. Moto runs through the mid-range much more freely. Very sweet! All in all, the cost of all what was forementioned was a hair under $600, but then there's tax, and of course, there's always some lube, solvent or tool that you're going to end up paying for.

The REAL test ride

Today was a pretty exciting day, as far as commuting goes. The weather has finally gotten warm enough (for the time being) to ride to work. The sun is coming up earlier, so I was able to swap out my face shield for the dark one- no sunglasses for me!

Well, the commute started off when I was trying to get into the left lane on Bernal, right as Case St. intersects. There's usually a huge backup in the left lane, as people are lined up to turn left onto Case to drop off their kids at school. I cautiously split the lane and just as I was about to claim the pole position in the left lane, some twenty-something bitch in her Daddy's bimmer pops left in front of me without signaling, of course! She was about six inches away from knocking me over! Looking first would've been nice. Angrily I honked her, which activated the headlights to blink. Then I gave her a stern birdy! Too bad for her, I split the lane and she had to sit next to me, as we waited for the light to change green. I didn't badger her anymore- I've done that myself...to a motorcycle cop, no less. The rest of the ride to work was pretty uneventful. Now, coming home was a whole nother story.

Now that the suspension is hopped up, the height of the bike is also hopped up. I can barely get one foot down at a light anymore! The bike handles like a dream, so I don't mind. I had driven down Alcosta and took a right onto San Ramon Blvd. I was pretty excited about taking that new smooth onramp onto the freeway. As I was approaching, I was getting ready to do my stuff. I started to turn right onto the onramp and I saw the new Lexus covertible punch it- he was probably trying to get his ya-ya's off, too, being that it was his new car and all. I was kind of negotiating the drop in, still not really sure of the suspension and all. I swept to the outside left lane and was going to punch it to try and catch that guy, but then the engine kind of stalled! I looked down to see that I was in the redline! I had never done that before! The suspension was so calm that it tricked me into thinking that I wasn't even going to fast, that's why I tried to gun the throttle! Very interesting, I thought to myself... Next, I was getting onto the freeway- I was trying to merge over to the carpool lane. When I got to the leftest lane, I tried to up-shift only to find that there was no 7th gear! I was already going 95mph! I had no idea that I was going to fast! I can only believe that it was the work of the new suspension, giving me the stability, tricking me into thinking I was going much slower than I was actually going.

Shopping, shopping, shopping...

I have spent countless hours on the Internet trying to find the best deals for parts that I need to finish my suspension and brake line conversion projects. I am happy to say that, if you look hard enough, you will find what you are looking for.

I do have a favorite shop to get my SV tuned at. That shop is Hare Racing, down in Sunnyvale. Since my last tune up, however, the shop has turned ownership, selling to the mechanics. They were once owned by the Keigwins, who also started Keigwins@the Track [Racing School]. I guess they were making so much money, they just put all their efforts into the track school.

I am in need of a new front tire, as well, and I figured as long as I'm doing some front suspension work, I might as well get that front tire mounted, too. I checked hareracing.com and they had the Dunlop 208ZR in my size at a very good price, and they will mount and balance the loose wheel for $10 (a late exception to their December sale that I missed).

I'm also looking for the Race Tech Gold Valve Emulator kit and hareracing.com had it generically listed for $120, when my specific kit is listed at $160. When I emailed Gunther, he broke me the bad news and scolded me for not reading the fine print that prices are subject to change. I lied and told him that I saw an online competitor list it at $120, and that I was just trying to throw him some more business, but I'll go elsewhere to get the cheaper price. He replied that he could price match! Wow! Now, all I had to do is find someone who would actually list the kit at $120.

In my hours of searching, I found that Kiernan Racing Supplies, in New Jersey, sells the kits for $114! That's a steal! I figure that after adding in shipping and stuff, it would be in the $120 range. Phew! got that out of the way.

After many, many bad websites, I also found that TrickTape has got some really excellent deals on Galfer brakes. They're selling the 2-line front stainless steel kit for $85 (the low going rate), but if you want to throw in pads (mind you, that it's the front brakes, so you need to get two sets- one set for each caliper), it's only $23 for two sets of blacks and $35 for two sets of HH's! That's less than 50%!! On top of that, there was no tax (because I live out of state) and the shipping was free, since the order was over $100! Now, that's a bargain!

Gunther's going to sell me Race Tech fork springs for $100; that's $10 off the msrp, the low going rate. After all this stuff is on the bike, I'll be good to go for a while!

Weekend Maintenance

This weekend, I finally got a chance to do a little fluid maintenance on the bike. I did some radiator work and changed the oil and oil filter.

I started working on the radiator first. I had to disassemble the right side fairing and disconnect the signal indicator. I used a webpage I found on svrider.com, and everything was going pretty smoothly. Halfway through the radiator flush, I decided that working with my bike tilted on its side via kickstand wasn't good enough for me. I need the bike to be upright on stands!

I had a set of car jack stands. I had seen on the web that some guy stuck a skewer through his swingarm axle and got his bike suspended on some sort of stand. That was good enough for me! Quickly, I got the jack out of the Toyota and found a suitable solid spot underneath the bike to jack up the bike. I stuck a tire iron in one side and (since the drive side has a smaller hole) I put a 8mm allen wrench in the other side. As I steadied the bike, I asked my wife, Emily to do the jacking. When the bike reached the proper height, she slipped the jack stands under the rests and presto! mission accomplished! Now, I could concentrate on the work...

I quickly finished flushing the radiator, then I put in my seven capfuls of Water Wetter and filled the rest with tap water. After a few minutes of warming up the motorcycle, the water mixed and there- that was done.

Next was the oil stuff. Now that the bike was stationed upright, the oil could drain out more evenly. Having the bike warmed from the radiator job, I pulled the oil plug and opened the filler hole. I exchanged the retired filter with a new K&N filter, a bit more costly, but I'm sure it will be well worth it. I replaced the plug bolt and filled her up with the Castrol GPS oil. The color is transluscent deep red- very beautiful. I warmed up the engine and took her for a test ride.

The first thing I noticed was that the gears were easier to shift. The bike didn't lurch or clunk upon shifting from neutral to first- just an easy "nick-nick". Same as when shifting with riding. I also noticed a little more power in the mid-range of the powerband; the bike just wanted to rev up faster. Interesting. Was it work $6.99 per quart? Hell, yeah!

Enough of that. I'm shopping around for front suspension parts and more brake lines. That will be my next major upgrade.

All about fluids

The other day, while I was at my local Cycle Gear shop, I decided to pick up some Water Wetter and Galfer brake fluid.

Water Wetter is a radiator water treatment fluid, an alternative to the usual glycol based antifreeze and it actually works better. http://www.redlineoil.com/products_coolant.asp If you're going to hit the track, you're usually not allowed to have the glycol stuff in your radiator anyway, so I thought it would be a good change. The Galfer Super Dot 4 brake fluid has a really high boiling point, so it will have minimal expansion during extended heavy braking application.

While cruising the aisles, I ran across their large selection of motorcycle engine oils. Castrol, Motul, PJ1, synthetic, full synthetic, aye-yay-yay! There were so many different brands and types to pick from, I didn't have a clue what I would get. I decided to go home and do a little research on my own. I found this really good article written by Sport Rider magazine.

http://www.sportrider.com/tech/146_0308_oil/

Afer reading through that article and a couple of others, I think I'm going to go with the Castrol R4 Full Synthetic oil. At Cycle Gear, they sell it for about $10 per quart. I'll see if I can find it cheaper online.

Bought my rear shock

After weeks of poking around on Ebay, I finally found a suitable shock for my bike. It was a 1999 gixxer 750 shock. According to all the websites that I read, this year should be the right length and all- you just don't want to get '00 or later. As soon as I get all the stuff for the front forks and the brake lines, I'll be getting busy!

Here's the link to the website for setting up the rear shock.
http://www.svrider.com/tips/gsxr_shock.htm