Ckaliban
09-26-2010, 12:44 PM
Contrary to what the weatherman said (low 60's and raining) it has been close to, if not over, 70 and sunny, so I have been riding all weekend. (Without a speedometer/odometer cable I'm not sure the mileage--somewhere between 2 and 3 hundred miles this weekend!) Today I decided to go into the bigger town next door and stop at my bank to get some cash and I decided to take the "scenic" route. One of the problems I faced was a construction site and a loooooong gravel road. My friend had warned me about this particular road and I thought it was just a small section. Two miles riding on gravel (a first for me and difficult to get used to) I decided to turn around and head back to take a different route altogether. After turning around in someone's driveway I pulled out and was traveling at around 15-20 mph (my assumption anyway...). It was then that two SUV's decided to whip passed me, kicking gravel, dirt, and what-have-you at me (the drumming of small stones and pebbles against my visor wasn't pleasant). However, there was nothing I could do except swear to myself and continue on my journey.
After reaching my destination I pulled into a parking spot and I didn't notice the accumulated wet leaves and mud near the curb and lost control of my bike. I quickly applied the brake (forgetting the rule of thumb to pull in the clutch as well) and cranked the throttle while the front brake was pulled. The engine revved and I shot forward like a cannonball. I released the throttle, remembered to pull in the clutch, and squeezed the brake again. However, there was so much mud that I slid forward and almost over the curb--if the bike hadn't stalled just then, I probably would have dumped the bike. I took a deep breath, put down the stand, and then withdrew my money.
I made it home with little incidents and thought I'd make myself a huge lunch since my stomach growled like a menacing cougar. When I opened the refridgerator and checked the cupboards I discovered that I didn't have much food in my apartment. :( I only found some stale bread, a scraping of peanut butter and whatever was left of jelly in a jar in the back of the fridge.
Oh well. At least I didn't dump my bike! :D
After reaching my destination I pulled into a parking spot and I didn't notice the accumulated wet leaves and mud near the curb and lost control of my bike. I quickly applied the brake (forgetting the rule of thumb to pull in the clutch as well) and cranked the throttle while the front brake was pulled. The engine revved and I shot forward like a cannonball. I released the throttle, remembered to pull in the clutch, and squeezed the brake again. However, there was so much mud that I slid forward and almost over the curb--if the bike hadn't stalled just then, I probably would have dumped the bike. I took a deep breath, put down the stand, and then withdrew my money.
I made it home with little incidents and thought I'd make myself a huge lunch since my stomach growled like a menacing cougar. When I opened the refridgerator and checked the cupboards I discovered that I didn't have much food in my apartment. :( I only found some stale bread, a scraping of peanut butter and whatever was left of jelly in a jar in the back of the fridge.
Oh well. At least I didn't dump my bike! :D