but I was on my little Honda CB360T driving out of a neighborhood that I had visited several times. The street did a right-left jog just before it reaches a main street. I noted that the street had been tarred and pea-graveled within the past 2 weeks. Well, I navigated the right turn just fine. When I entered the left, I got a little wide and got into the loose pea-gravel. I tried to stop with only the back brake, but the bike kept wanting to slip out from under me. After about 2 or 3 tries, I ran out of street and slammed both wheels into the curb (by this point I was only doing about 5 or 10 MPH (10 - 20 Kph). The bike fell over in the grass strip between the curb and the sidewalk and threw me on the sidewalk where my helmet (with my head inside) bounced once. The bike was still running while it was resting lightly on my right leg. I reached up and killed the engine with the key (not the kill switch) and heard a voice: "Are you all right?"
Well, I pulled myself from under the bike, carefully got up and took inventory (PAIN CHECK - ALL EXTREMITIES REPORT! FEET - OK!; SHINS - OK!; KNEES - OK!; LEGS - OK! etc., etc. - only a scratch/bruise or two.
Well, I picked up the bike, noted that the crash bar was bent (AKA "sissy bar" - but that's why it was "lightly" resting on my leg!), the forks were now slightly out of line and the fork stop on the fork tube was broken. I determined that the bike was rideable, so I rode it about 20 miles (~33Km) home. Later I took it to a friend and welded the fork stop back on and straigtened out the crash bar.
[sigh]
I only rode that bike for about another 3 months until I had to sell it (I was transferred overseas). Never owned another bike.
Ah, the memories |
