Tarmac Surfing - Jan 2014

A friend of ours Jeanette is considering buying a new bike. A super lowered Triumph street Triple R. But she would like a second opinion so Ren and I ride over to Bolton Motorcycles to have a look at it with her. Ren would offer the mechanical help and give the bike a good look over while I would be able to confirm if it was a pretty colour and how low and light it may be.

The Triumph was indeed low, so low I could get both of my feel almost flat on the floor. At 5 foot tall Jeanette and I are the same height. It also feels incredibly light and can easily be manoeuvred around by myself. It carries its weight very low just like the Ninja 300. Jeanette seems pleased with the once over and books in a test ride.

After Bolton we're off to Rivington Barn via over the tops along Rivington Road. Rivington Road is a twisty road. Rather a challenge for new riders. The weather has taken a turn for the worse and it begins to rain rather hard. The rain covers my visor reducing my visibility and on this road it helps to be able to see clearly. Add to this a very gusty wind then as you can imagine it is proving to be quite a challenge for me. At one point the wind pushes the bike sideways, yikes. Then the wind hits me head on almost bringing the bike to a unscheduled stop. I have to rev the bike to push it forward through the wind and stop it stalling. However this happens just before a very sharp bend. The kind of place you want to be slowing down not revving up. My heart is in my mouth as I get buffeted by the wind. This weather is too wild for me to really enjoy it. I battle through more with grim determination than a sense of fun today. Somehow I manage to reach Rivington Barn in one piece if some what shaken and windswept

After chats with friends we set off for the bf's house. It is only about 4.30pm but this being winter it is already dark. I turn into the back alley behind the terrace houses. I do not stop like I did when I first started riding and keep my feet up. Next thing I know ..... I and the bike skid sideways. I smack the right front side of my bike into a wheelie bin. The bin does not move an inch it is as solid as a rock and it pushes the front brake onto my hand. This causes me to pull my hand out of the way and therefore pull back on the throttle. Not surprisingly this combination can only result in one thing me and the bike are going down! We hit the tarmac hard with a BANG !!. Both the bike and I slide a short distance before coming to a halt.

My left leg is trapped under the bike. I can not get out from under it. I hit the kill switch and wait for Ren to come and rescue me. I dare not even look at the bike. It made such a terrible noise going down I am certain it will be smashed to bits. The bf lifts the bike off me and I get up. I am not really hurt, my legs throbs a bit and I will probably be a bit sore in the morning but that is it. My major concern is the bike and looking down on the tarmac I see a long gauge out of the road. OH NOO!! With dread in my heart I glance towards the bike. The clutch lever has been snapped in half and the front mud guard's paint has been scraped off along the side. It is too dark to inspect the bike fully now.

Mudguard scrapes


Clutch lever snapped in half right where it is supposed to snap
          (Ren - The Ed note - there's a designed weak point to stop the whole lever breaking)

I am very upset with myself. What an idiot I am. I manged to get safely over a twisty windy road and then I go and bin the bike in a back road I have been up lots of times. I am gutted that I have scraped and scratched my bike yet again. I am being hard on my little Zen, he is not having a very Zen like and peaceful life. However my brave soldier splutters back into life as soon as Ren tries starting him up. He is not broken just a bit battered.

I sit on the stairs quietly by myself for a while sulking. I beat myself up in my own head. I only wondered the other day about where the line is between nervousness and over confidence. Well it seems I found that line. Truth is I was over confident. I should have stopped and looked more carefully maybe into the back alley. At least I should have had my feet down in preparation just in case, especially due to the weather conditions and the back alley's uneven road surface.

In the morning a good inspection of the bike shows that in addition of the damage already mentioned there is paint scraped off both handlebar ends, the brake lever and the end of the footrest. There is further scratches to the mirror's plastic cover and slight scratches to the engine and indicator. Surprisingly this is it. I expected much worse so although I am still unhappy with myself my worse fears about the state of the bike has not been realised. I walk down the back alley to inspect where I skidded. There is a fair bit of diesel on the spot where I skidded. The bin that I hit I also discover must be filled with bricks and rubble because I could not move it when I tried. No wonder the bike bounced off it so hard.

The bf being the resourceful soul that he is just just so happens to have a spare clutch lever. It is not an exact match put it will do for now until a permanent replacement part can be bought. More importantly it means I can get back on the bike.

I climb onto the bike not really expecting too much of a problem. However once on the bike I freeze. I cannot move. Somehow the bike feels like it has grown overnight, my feet don't touch the floor like they used to. It has also put on about 30 kilos and I feel incredibly unstable. As I look down the road everything has now become a major slip and skid hazard. Every bump and rut in the road, every puddle, every shimmer of rainbow on the tarmac, every grid now shouts DANGER!! So many hazards ready to cause me to flip over and have me crashing to the floor again.

Handle Bar scratches

Slight scratches on indicator

After staying static for a good while and a passing comment from the bf as to whether I was just going to sit there all day I very, very nervously edge forward to the end of the back street. I constantly stall the bike like an absolute beginner. Eventually I pull out of the alley and almost plant myself into a fence. Great start!

I bite my lip and carry on. But it is not good at all, my confidence has been severely shaken. I expected to be a little bit apprehensive but I am more than that I am actually scared. After 15 minutes of sheer terror I call it a day. Maybe I was too blasé about the dangers of wet surfaces and the possibility of diesel, mud and ruts. But now I am TOO aware to the point I am bloody terrified. Will I ever calm down and find a harmonious balance?

After lunch I decide to try again because if I leave it like this it could be the end of my riding. I get back on and have a short ride to Rivington Barn and back. It goes ok because I am not as nervous on the main roads as I clearly am on the back rough roads. I don't want to push my luck so I decide to end it there on a better note than this morning. However I am far from at ease. I am determined not to give up on the bike but it is clear that it may take quite some time to get my motorbike mojo back.  

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