Sienna Brick Road

I have recently been discussing falling off of the motorcycle with some riding friends and I have to report I went down on my new bike on Sunday on the way to a rally. I know that none of us want to hear that another member has fallen off (well I guess that depends on the person ) but sometimes it does help to know you are not the first or the last to have to deal with dropping the bike.

I have been riding my first bike, a 650 Vstar since I bought it new in 2006. In April I bought my dream bike, a Honda Valkyrie. It is too big for me and I have been doing mods to make it fit me better so I can ride. The bike is so much different then my little 650. Its longer, taller and much heavier and much more powerful. My leg position is a lot different and the clutch is harder to squeeze. I know how to ride the 650 and I am quite comfortable and confident in any situation that comes up on it. So if I had progressed from 0-10 on the small bike, when I get on the bigger bike I drop instantly back to a 3 or 4. All the old familiar fears come back when I take the big one out. Heart jumps out of my chest frequently. The advantage is that I know how to ride a motorcycle, I just have to learn how to ride THIS motorcycle. Another advantage is that I really WANT to. I love this bike, but I also love my limbs so I have to be realistic and take it slow as I can.

What happened on Sunday was a rookie mistake and I know better. But my nervousness and lack of confidence on the bigger bike made me forget the rule. I missed the highway turn off so I had to turn around. I did not feel confident making a U turn because of the small highway I was on, my lack of skill on the new bike and the amount of traffic. So I made a left turn onto a gravel side road and would attempt the low speed turn there and go back up onto the highway. I made the turn and as I entered the gravel part and started the turn I was facing down a bit. I looked down, mistake one, was using my front brake, mistake two, and was not giving power to the rear wheel, mistake three. OF COURSE I WENT DOWN!! Sheesh.

Now I want to mention what I did right so I can at least come out of this with something. I attempted the turn in a place where I was not going to get hit by any cars or cause any problems. I was wearing full protective gear. I had rear crash bars installed to ensure that if I did go down I would not get pinned under the bike. I didn’t panic, actually I didn’t have time to panic but still.
I got up dusted myself off, made some pain faces, checked myself and my bike and got back on and rode to the rally. I didn’t have to pick the bike up myself, it was back on the stand thanks to my husband being behind me.

Oh one more mistake I should mention. I should have maybe milked the situation for a little more sympathy.

And something kind of cool happened as a result. I kind of feel like I got it out of the way and I actually feel better and more confident and relaxed now.

Take care everyone and ride safe.

Sienna