Adidasguy Patrick Lajko - Passed away Apr 26th 2014

[centuryghost]

Guys, I really hope all of Patrick's collection is going to well deserved places.

I havent been on here in awhile because it's been difficult. Always a memory attached. I'm starting to work on my GS now with a frame swap that Patrick GAVE me. I remember him telling me, "just give me a call, we'll swap it out in a day". Always the optimist.

I've known Patrick since he first appeared on this forum. The dude could barely ride, Saw him dump his bike a few times when we went on Alki runs. He learned fast. He was like my favorite student, listened hard and silent. Then took the info and owned it. He was a by-the-book kind of guy, it always amazed me he still wanted to ride with a rogue like myself. But he was Patrick, ever present and flowingly generous. I've been around the world and never met someone like him.

[NortwestRider]

Rode by his house a couple of days ago ,not sure why because it stirs up a lot of feelings but I think I'm secretly hoping to see him in the bike cave with a big smile !!.


Live life,be yourself !!!!.

[NortwestRider]

Memorial ride on the 26th ??.


Live life,be yourself !!!!.

[Janx101]

Nearly a year! .. it went so quick!

Wish I could be over there for a ride!

[OompaLoompa]

I just found out about this. I sold my GS perhaps a month or so before Patrick passed. I got out of motorcycling for a while and spent time traveling to Europe. I've been looking for another GS and emailed someone on Craigslist who was looking for parts, telling him "if you join GS Twin there's a guy named Patrick who lives in West Seattle who basically has a whole Suzuki parts department in his garage dedicated to GS500s".

The guy wrote me back to let me know that Patrick had passed.

I met Patrick so that I could trade him my factory gel seat for a new wheel & tire combo. When I met up with him at his place we sort of hit it off and he encouraged me to upgrade my soggy forks. Never having done it before, he offered to show me. For the next two days I came over to his house and fixed up various parts of my bike interspersed with many long breaks, conversing about a slew of random topics.

When the bike was fixed I put her up for sale (along with my OTHER bike and car) to finance my travels. I had always intended on checking up on Patrick once I came back to Washington and got another bike (a Suzuki, of course) which it looks like I'm going to do TOMORROW. I'd literally be riding over to his place to show off my new bike and letting him test ride it if he were still with us.

What a lovely guy Patrick was. I wish I had seen him more and had a chance to go on rides with him. He *DID* let me ride the red bike once, and I saw him wipe the sweat from his brow when I brought it back all in once piece.

Does anyone know if ever managed to get the city to pave over that gravel driveway that was bugging him?

"Today was a good day. Any day I get to work on a bike and get it back on the road better than it was before is a good day, to me." -Patrick

If there's a memorial ride on the 26th, will someone please PM me? If I have a bike by then I will absolutely ride with you all.

[NortwestRider]

Nope it was never paved.
I have a GS500 that Bought from Pat ( DORA the purple explorer ) that I will be selling in the next couple months of your interested.



Live life,be yourself !!!!.

[NortwestRider]

I started a ride thread for a memorial ride on 4/26/15.


Live life,be yourself !!!!.

[Toogoofy317]

It has been rough riding Flick over the past year because I can't look at any part of my bike and see something that Patrick hadn't given me. The lights, the brake reservoir, chain guard, heel guards, dammit even my chymler all came from him!

There is so much anger welled up inside because of stupid drivers! I encounter them daily and as an ex- EMT seen the results too many times. I really hope that person fullly knows what she deprived this world of. A friend, a mentor, a son, a brother, a co-worker he was so many things to all of us but most of all he was the one of the kindest and most compassionate men I had the honor of knowing.

8 months before Patrick's death my co-worker and wonderful friend went into the National Guard to be a chaplain healthiest person you would ever see. But, a day after his 30th birthday during a run he had a cardiac arrest and passed on in some aspects I was still in shock from that. Then about six months after Patrick's death one of my pastors (mid 30's) was diagnosed with stomach cancer he passed on a year ago Saturday.  To say I am soo sick of losing friends is an understatement.

I always assumed I would be gone before any of these guys with the heart failure and all but for some reason God thinks my job isn't finished here. These three men will always be in my heart and never be forgotten!

Mary

[The fink]

I wish I got to know Adidasguy better, but I've been all over this message board and have seen his mark that will last forever. For those of you that had the pleasure of knowing him, my thoughts are with you this day. Best wishes. RIP Patrick.  

[ben2go]

One year today.I will be taking a moment of silence.

[Big Rich]

One year today.I will be taking a moment of silence.

It's hard to believe it's been a year. Still such a tragedy.....

[Slack]

Patrick  - I never got over on that side of the country to meet you face to face. But you still helped me, and hundreds of others from across this country and around the world. Like many others I can point to multiple parts on my bike that came from you. Some for free. And I can list the countless projects that I would have thrown in the towel on, if it weren't for your help and advise.

Thank you for your time and generosity. Thank you for being who you were: a great guy.

Your mark will always be here with us. All to often the questions I search for have already been answered by you, even now. And every time I find that snip-it of information from you you live on.

Thank you

[john]

I still miss him.  His photo watches over cats being adopted in his home town every day...

[1971_AMC_GUY]

Ironically, I check this thread from time to time to enjoy the stories of how Patrick has touched others lives. In my life, he not only touched my heart, but, he also lives in my children's lives. My kids still love to watch his YouTube videos and every time I start one, my son yells out, "its daddy's friend". He gets so mad when I stop playing the videos for the night. I keep building and customising my GS and miss our lengthy chats. I was searching for those awesome chain guards tonight and realised that it was Patrick that had those too. Always the go to guy.

Patrick, where ever you are, thank you for touching the hearts and minds of us all. Even in your absence you touch the young hearts and minds of my children. Your teachings inspire them in their love and learning of the world of motorcycles.

[EdChen]

I was doing some brake work and came across a lot of adidas guy's posts. I took the liberty of taking some of his posts and pictures and putting them on the wiki (to his credit, of course). I missed the initial group donation, but I just went to kitty harbor's site and made a small donation in his name.

[Kijona]

Nope it was never paved.
I have a GS500 that Bought from Pat ( DORA the purple explorer ) that I will be selling in the next couple months of your interested.

Live life,be yourself !!!!.

Please make sure this bike goes to a good home.

[Bluesmudge]

I was browsing craigslist and saw Pat's first bike, "Suzi" pop up again for sale:
http://seattle.craigslist.org/oly/mcy/5084238806.html

[NortwestRider]

It's hard to look at those pics of the empty bike cave !!.


Live life,be yourself !!!!.

[yamahonkawazuki]

GOD bless you pat still miss you dearly. still luv ya. when i replace my avatar, it will be a combination of that piston of his and his riding gloves. since i am confined to a wheelchair for now, im using his gloves. to protect my hands, and going to use the piston for  the tip of my next cane

[gsatterw]

Damn I just found out about this :/

I haven't been on this forum in a while but adidas helped me out on several occasions. He was so knowledgeable and so helpful. I never really knew him, and I haven't been around, but I miss him. I was hoping to catch up and never expected this.

Ride safe everyone