I bought a Kawasaki Mean Streak on Saturday. I had a fun ride home from the dealer to my house, a distance of about 30 miles or so. Then I tried to go down my driveway. That’s when I christened the bike by dropping it. My driveway is steep, graveled, and in complete disrepair – there are rain channels running down the thing on both sides. At some points, these channels are 18 inches deep. No problem for a four wheel drive truck but certainly a real problem for an overconfident 30-something bike rider who hasn’t been on two wheels for a decade or so. Anyhow, I ripped some skin off one leg and put a tiny dent in the gas tank. That was a good lesson. It’s not easy to pick up a 700-pound bike on a hill.
Always be humble when you’re zipping around on two wheels. For the time being, I’m going to park up on the main road. Hopefully the driveway repair guy isn’t overbooked.
The bike is a real pleasure to ride when I’m not busy dropping it on my leg. I took it up past 100 MPH on the interstate this morning on the way to work – smooth as silk. I certainly wouldn’t want to fall at that speed.