It had to happen...

Well, it finally happened. I tipped the bike.

It wasn't anything glamorous or death defying. In fact, I had just turned in to a church parking lot when I hit some loose gravel. The bike slipped sideways and fell over. Luckily I was only doing about 5 miles an hour, but it was enough.

Letting loose a few expletives and cursing my stupidity, I quickly got to my feet after making sure I wasn't hurt. Of more importance, I feared for the bike.

As you can see in the picture, there's a pretty big scrape on the tachometer, something that will have to be replaced. There are also some minor scratches to the turn signal on the same side, the beautifully polished chrome pipes and the rear turn signal. Nothing that needs replacing, however.

You've undoubtedly heard the stories of people imbued with superhuman strength while their loved ones lay trapped beneath a burning car; well, I had that bike up faster than you could say Bob's yer uncle, especially when the high octane fuel I had just purchased was leaking out of the tank onto the hot engine and all over the ground. I'll have to check and see if there isn't some sort of seal available for the gas tank opening.

Cursing myself yet again, I made sure the bike was in neutral, then tapped the starter. It hitched a couple of times, but fired right up. I sat on the bike for a few minutes, trying to compose myself, replaying the spill over and over again in my mind. Could have been worse...

Then I looked at my knee, which was burning a bit. I didn't see any blood soaking through the material, but it sure smarted. I pulled up my pant leg and surprise, my first road rash.

To be honest, I never saw the loose gravel. The parking lot I pulled into had a cement driveway, and the gravel blended right in with the rest of the ground. I was way out in the middle of nowhere (about halfway to Flint, about 40 miles from home) so if the bike hadn't started, I would have been in even deeper trouble.

Very depressing day. The ride itself was pretty good, except I really notived the clicking of the front wheel on the way back. Luckily, I am getting new bearings in the next few days, as well as a new brake lever (broken from when the bike was tipped before by the PO) so I am going to have a busy next few days.

You know, since I can't ride it anyway (til that wheel bearing thing is fixed) maybe I'll paint the tank. It's nearly empty, so there's no time like the present.

I'll have to do some thinking...