Just this weekend I got my first bike - a Honda XL750 Transalp. Winter is coming where I live, so when I saw a blue sky, dry roads and temperatures just over 0, I thought I could have a little ride. But that wasn’t the stupid, even though I forgot the keys after being completely suited up with thin jogging gloves and winter gloves.
There wasn’t any stupid during the ride, although I forgot the keys again after putting on the two pairs of gloves after a little break. Or that I kept hitting the hazard lights by accident, or the high beams.
The stupid was when I got back and rolled into the driveway. I wanted to slowly roll in and park in front of the wall of the garage. Had the clutch pulled and apparently twisted my wrist to get my thumb on the kill switch. The motor revved up so loud it scared the whole family out the house and onto the porch, where they witnessed me rolling towards the wall, bumping into it because I was so startled I didn’t remember to apply the brake and me falling very, very slowly and gently (almost with a certain grace, I hope) to the side.
As far as I could see, there’s only a few scratches on the bar end and the peg. Whew! But, I was told I bumped hard enough that the rear wheel lifted into the air! Hope that the fork and frame are ok!
Was a real downer after the nice ride, but I guess it’s true what I heard, that all riders fall at least once!
I’ve had to pick it up off the ground four times, the most notable of which was at the end of a 14-hour 800 mile trip. I believe it’s about 800lbs wet; thankfully I had already unloaded all my gear from it. Took me like two months worth of riding it before I felt confident enough to open the throttle more than 1/4.
The only time mine’s ever been laid down was in the back of a U-Haul after moving it halfway across the US.
I’d already unloaded everything else at a storage unit and was driving the bike (strapped in) to the house…
Well, I went around a curve a little too fast and the straps broke…
Bent my handlebars a little bit… I’ve actually only ridden it once since then to move it from one house to another.
Most memorable ride on it (so far at least) was white knuckling it from San Diego to the Inland Empire shortly after I got it at night without proper eye protection … That was … fun