An Embarrassing Moment.

I’d have to say one of my most embarrassing moments was a few years ago as a novice rider. I showed up at a group ride with a ‘new-to-me’ bike all eager and excited because it was my very first motorcycle.

1990 Kawaski 454S

This motorcycle had been a sticking point between Hubby and myself for a while. I was all antsy to get my first bike. He was all antsy to keep me alive. After much discussion and him trying to discourage me from that particular motorcycle, I bought it anyway. I rode it a couple of times. Then – silly me (hindsight is 20/20) – I rode it to a meeting one evening. No sooner had I gotten it in the parking lot (slow riding alert) on a tall bike that I wasn’t familiar with and – – – – I touched the front break. Well. For those that ride, you all know what that means. For those of you who don’t -> Some motorcycles are manufactured so that the front break has a highest percentage of stopping power. If a rider uses the front break during slow riding, the motorcycle suddenly becomes super charged with negative ions and the ground becomes super charged with positive ions. Mentally picture a highly trained and obedient dog that when you speak the “down” command, the dog hits the deck immediately. I’m sure you’re getting the picture.

Now, the embarrassing part was that this was in front of about 25 people (I’m never allowed to do embarrassing things in front of an audience of less than 25 – it’s a rule). And when the bike toppled over I ended up underneath. So in a panic I wrenched my foot out. Adrenaline kicked in – I admit it. I learned a valuable lesson. When you are in a pack of bikes and someone drops a bike a series of events happen. For a nanosecond no one moves. Then people spring into action to help. Most of them to pick up the bike. So the bike gets about 5 people trying to pick it up and once it is upright again, you as the rider get a cursory glance and a pat on the shoulder ‘you okay?’ before they turn their attention to the bike again to check damage. Skin and bone heal. Chrome doesn’t.

Or shall I say pegs. In the process, the shifter was bent, the clutch lever was broken and that proved the bike unridable for the night. Later on I discovered that my ankle was swelling and for some reason my sock was sticking to my ankle – but was too proud to look or have anyone look for me.

Embarrassing – yes
Costly – yes
Learning curve – yes

Later that night after I got home I discovered I had taken a few layers of skin off, thus the blood that was making my sock stick to the ankle, but also that Hubby had been right (about the bike anyways). So my lessons were, never show up for a group ride if you can’t control your bike during a slow ride. Never let the bike fall on you. Never dismiss Hubby’s input on motorcycles or motorcycle general knowledge.

Thus endeth THAT lesson.