On my very first motorcycle ride on public streets I crashed at around 35-40MPH. By the grace of God I escaped with no significant damage to myself — had I fallen in the other direction I would have left a lot of skin on the asphault and possibly broken some bones — but for months after the bike was little more than a lawn ornament as I pondered the risk to myself and the stupidity of an inexperienced rider buying a very heavy 1,298cc monster.
A few weeks ago I finally decided to man up, started scooting around the neighborhood after work and after a few uneventful rides I moved on to the busier main streets. Having cars all around me for the first time was pretty scary but I survived.
One morning last week I downed a double-shot of courage and set off on the 35+ mile ride to work. Turned out to be not such a big deal. Riding in I kept my speed to that of slower traffic, going home I stuck with the faster traffic and took a couple of opportunities to really open ‘er up.
The trip computer says I got 38MPG.
Now I’m really itching to go on some real rides. Unfortunately I’ll be flying the next two weekends so it will have to wait a while. Need some time to find cooler protective gear anyways. The stuff I’ve got is well ventilated but still ridiculously hot in the summer sun…
