CRASH

first things first... my knee hurts and kir's neck hurts. i think both may be related to our motorcycle crash yesterday. but, can i really call it a crash? i guess it was more of a wreck. but wrecks usually mean that there is substantial destruction and there was only very minor destruction. anyway, enough with semantics. the bike went to its side while we were moving. whats' the word for that?

i still don't fully know what happened, but the back tire slid out around a turn and before i knew it i was in a panic, pulling my leg from under the hot engine and seeing if kir was alright. after assessing damage, we were both a little shaken but completely fine. i lifted the bike from the ground to stop the gas from spilling out of the carburetors. kir handed me the broken off mirror and i stuffed it in my pocket. i started it up, which it did easily, and then turned it around to face the proper direction for traffic. we got back on and drove the few miles home.

luckily, it was a cold day which meant that we were both bundled well. neither one of us received any scrapes or tears to our clothing save for a small scuff on my ankle. the damage to the bike was minimal. i'll need a new mirror and a new exhaust on the right side. i'll have to bend the brake pedal lever back to its proper position. it got mashed up into the engine.

as far as i can tell, the factors that led up to this incident must have been one, some, or all of the following.

1. the cold weather. though no ice was observed, i'd guess the temperature was high 30s or low-to-mid 40s
2. a rear tire that in hindsight should be replaced
3. the fact that i had just inflated the rear tire with very cold compressed air which theoretically may have overcooled the rubber causing it to be harder and less "grippy"
4. a wet spot that kir thinks we may have hit, although i don't remember seeing said wet spot
5. possible gravel that tends to accumulate in turns especially during winter

the bottom line is that it really scared me because kir was with me and i'd hate myself if i caused any serious harm to her. i also have no real idea what i could have done differently to avoid the situation. i will probably end up buying much higher grade tires for the bike in hopes that a similar incident never plays out again.

i'm thankful for the fact that it could have been far, far worse. we both got away with just some soreness and thank goodness we were both wearing helmets (which we always do) and that surrounding traffic didn't come into play. it was scary but honestly i've been banged up far worse from bicycle wrecks.

i'm going to take this as a cue to do some work on the bike this winter and get back on it in the spring with a new respect and increased sense of caution.