5/24/06

Skid Marks

Do-da-do-de-doo... Hey, look, a stray dog! Careful, stray dog...

Man, I'm hungry. I hope Lope's got something to make for lunch. Why's this truck going so slow? Hurry, we're gonna miss the light!

You know what's cool? The Corvette Z06. 500 horsepower, I think. That would be-


WHOA! HOLY CRAPCAKES!

*****

So I had a near miss on the motorcycle yesterday afternoon. I was following too closely, not paying enough attention, and - most critcally - riding on a front tire that was about 20 psi low on air pressure.

The truck in front of me stopped to turn right, I went around him on the left, and saw a little Toyota already stopped there in the turn lane. Instinctively, I grabbed both brakes, and instead of slowing me down, both tires skidded. I ended up sliding diagonally around the Toyota, missing the driver's side window by a few feet, then letting off, straightening out, and motoring away from the intersection.

Yes, I had my helmet on.

Never again will I take a motorcycle out on the road after a long winter without checking the pressure in the tires. When I got home, I aired them up to recommended specs, and the ride back to work was blissfully uneventful.

And I'm proud to say I kept my cool, for some reason, never panicking or dropping the bike or anything like that.

But sheesh: I'll tell you. When I looked up and saw those brake lights, only a few bike-lengths from my front wheel, well...

There was almost a second set of skid marks created at that moment - right there in my shorts.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Way to go Col! You got bike skillz!

vz

Anonymous said...

o... I can't look! I can't look! I'm still busy cringing! Eeekkkk. Colin.... be careful!!! I need you to amuse me in one piece!!! Thank god my hubby has no inclination toward motorcycles. I could NOT deal.

xo Wee

Thomas said...

Hilarious and dangerous. Be careful, even if you're not as accident prone as some of us.

Anonymous said...

okay, um... Apropos of nothing (this is my current fave phrase. My current fave word just so you know is 'twee') ... remember that really bizarre ferociously catchy video you once linked to with all the strange black and white animation and the doodle-do-dos and the manic blackbirds? remember that? Do you still have that? because I have an irrepressible urge to hear it. Right. NOW. and I've been thru your archives but I can't find it!!! Must find it!!!

xo Wee

Colin said...

No problem! Look no further than here:
http://onlikepopcorn.blogspot.com/2005/10/bah-doodle-dee.html