stained shorts and heartfelt repentance

 Riding home in a light rain, mulling over a list of parts
to be purchased. Finally got impatient and blew past
a really slow Prius through a green light. Looked aside
for a second then looked back and discovered that the
green light was followed by another red one only a few
short yards later and that I was going too fast.

Grabbed a big handful of brakes. Back end steps out
and bike gets seriously sideways.  Kicked hard,
countersteered and decided that if I had to go through
the red light, I'd rather be upright instead of down and
sliding along the pavement . Got the bike righted but
not stopped. Traffic going the opposite direction had
a left turn arrow and I steered behind the last car making
a left, through the intersection and stopped at yet a third
red light a few yards further up by a freeway entrance.

I keep thinking that as I get older, I will magically acquire
some immunity to my own stupidity. Sadly, it doesn't seem
to work that way. Thankful to be alive and in one piece as I
write this. Happy holidays y'all.

 On 28/12/2010 1:05 PM, Rob Kleinschmidt wrote:

I think we all assume we have immunity to our own stupidity.  Moments
like the one you just described consistently prove us wrong.

Glad to hear you and the bike are ok. If only we all had anti lock brakes.

Last summer I was riding with a guy who described himself as one of the
top 1% of motorcycle riders. At least that is what the instructor at his
advanced rider training course told him. He is a skilled rider.  Top 1%?
  I don't know about that.

Anyway he forgot about a wooden bridge in the apex of a corner and lost
traction on the wet wood surface.  He damn near put his bike into the
rock face of the Rocky Mountains, but he salvaged the situation with
little more than a foot between the bike and the rock wall.

My initial thought was it was hardly a display of the top 1% of riding
skills but after some consideration I realized it was. His mistake was
mental and it was his riding skills that saved him from his own stupidity.

I am glad to see you had the skills to keep this situation from being a
hell of a lot worse.

--
Reeky Ride To The Rockies
http://actualriders.ca/reekyrockies.htm

 

  A superior pilot (rider) is one who uses his superior judgment so as not
to have to use his superior skill.

--
RCOS #7
IBA# 11465
http://imagesdesavions.com

 On 28/12/2010 6:04 PM, Stephen! wrote:

Yeah, I wouldn't argue with that.

--
Reeky Ride To The Rockies
http://actualriders.ca/reekyrockies.htm

 On 12/28/2010 06:12 PM, Calgary (Don) wrote:

I rode my motorcycle (yes, the Savage) into work yesterday morning.
There was no snow and it was a cloudy 30 Deg F (-1 Deg C) at 7 in the
morn. Traffic was light due to vacationers. I shifted into 3rd, the rear
wheels spun. There was frozen dew on the road and sun had not yet broken
through the cloud cover, so I dropped my speed to 50 MPH (81 kmh) on the
6 lane highway.

Needless to say, the Savage is not a power house at the rear wheel to be
able to normally scratch in 3rd gear. Last time I was able to scratch in
second was driving on a rain slick limestone paved road. This is the one
time I pro'lly should have taken the cage.

--
HPT