You might think it's funny but it's snot

[Joel]

Even in the best conditions, things you can’t see can get you. Some of us have experienced that the hard way, and have offered the rest of us the benefit of that experience by writing about it here. Yesterday morning’s episode has made it my turn to share (double entendre alert!).

 

The local conditions haven’t been the best. The snow from 2 weeks ago has melted, but we’ve been in a freeze-thaw cycle for several days, with daytime temps in the 40s and 50s, and overnight lows in the 20s and 30s. (Did I just audition for the Weather Channel? ) Because of this, the roads might look clear and dry, but I’ve been suspecting they really weren’t. And because of that, I’ve been keeping one of Master Yoda’s metaphors in mind: “tip-toeing” through intersections.

 

My suspicion has been correct a few times in the past 2 weeks. It was correct again yesterday morning as I made the same right turn I’ve made several times in the last 10 days and at least 500 times in the last few years of riding to work. The intersection is 5 lanes wide, with 2 travel lanes and a left-turn lane for each direction. I was turning east from the right northbound lane. This time, my scanning the road surface, and what I thought was tip-toeing around the corner, wasn’t enough. Both tires lost traction. Before I could react, I was lying on the pavement on my right side, watching Big Muddy slide away from me, into the left lane and toward a line of cars waiting to turn south. After a few feet, the crash bar dug in, stopped the slide, and spun Big Muddy around, with the engine still running. I scrambled to my feet and got out of the lane, in case anyone was behind me. Fortunately, no one was. As I made my way over to the bike to kill the engine, three women seemed to spring from nowhere, asking me if I was OK. Two of them helped me get the bike upright again, and then all of them vanished. (Whoever and wherever you ladies are, THANK YOU! ) The bike started right up again, and I rode to the closest driveway to assess myself and Big Muddy. The whole event lasted less than 2 minutes. After a quick inventory, I rode on to the office.

 

The bike and I are mainly OK. My Touratech crash bars did their job, although this was at very low speed. The right crash bar has a new, rougher profile than before, but there’s not a scratch on the cylinder head. My right side case has a new, rougher profile on its outside leading edge, and I may need to replace the mounting bracket. The case stayed attached, but isn’t hanging correctly and wobbles a bit. My right aux. light rattles a bit, but I haven’t isolated the source yet. Otherwise, everything seems OK. I won’t make an insurance claim, or get in line for Marty Hill’s next hand-me-down.

 

I’m a little sore in my right hip and shoulder. Kudos again to Aerostich: my Darien suit and its padding saved my hide and bones for the second time. (Note to self: get the hip pads!) More than anything, I’m sore at myself. There are plenty of “couldas” and “shouldas.” I coulda done almost everything better or differently. I will not concede that I shoulda just left the bike at home yesterday. The weather wasn’t that bad. One patch of road surface was. Given the low speed, I’m pretty sure I landed in or very close to that patch where the tires lost traction. Here’s the right side of my jacket:

 

 

CSI Fort Collins (actually, that would be me ) is calling it a dry black paste of unknown origin that wasn’t visible on asphalt. Probably a mixture of oil, road grime, mag chloride, water, etc. In other words, road snot. After some scrubbing by my dear wife, most of it washed out. My already ugly jacket is now uglier. Actually, no –- it has more character.

 

The snot was a contributing factor, but the blame falls on me and how I handled the situation. Surface hazards lurk, and because they do, it's up to me to handle them. This time I failed. I accept that. By tip-toeing even slower and staying more upright I probably would have been through that patch with nothing more than a wiggle. The thought that I'd made the same turn several times in the last few days, without incident, should not have been in my mind. And I know that just because I can't see something doesn't mean it isn't there.

 

I’m not posting this for sympathy. I’m posting it for reminders: you can seldom be too careful; some things aren’t what they appear to be; and there can be peril in taking some things for granted.

 

Go forth and ride better.

[Francois_Dumas]

Woops, good thing you were slow and wearing that yellow thingy !! Glad you're OK Joel !

 

Francois

[David]

I really like how you think, Joel. Your ability to self-analyze and see it from a bigger perspective is really rare in a rider. How sad if you'd have been hurt--escaping relatively unscathed has to give you a whole new perspective on things.

 

It's a good think you weren't on an RT, either, eh? The GS crashes a whole lot better.

 

I have the hip pads in my 'Stich, and just so you know, they aren't at all restrictive. So there's all the benefit without the downside (which I find wiht knee pads some times).

 

Thanks for sharing.

[Whip]

Glad your okay....

 

 

That yellow was too bright anyway

[Stan Walker]

The snow from 2 weeks ago has melted, but we’ve been in a freeze-thaw cycle for several days

 

I remember those, a very good reason to NOT ride in the mornings for me. What starts as snow and not too hard to ride on, melts and becomes water during the day. Overnight it freezes and becomes black ice in the morning, no fun at all. This cycle can go on for days until it finally evaporates and the roads are clear again. Then it snows again and the cycle starts over. The stuff they use to melt the snow is almost as slippery as the ice itself. I actually preffered sand and salt. Yes, I do remember, and wish I was still there.

 

I'm glad it wasn't more serious for you.

 

Stan

[rdfrantz]

Joel, in service for my need for health and well being, I'm feeling glad you're OK, [chuckle]except this now-lingering "need" to express your surprise and concern - which we hope and expect will vanish as you mentally/emotionally/spiritually resolve (I'm guessing) the surprise/emergency aspect here, or perhaps a somewhat "fear thing" that the manifested unpredictability in that experience circumstance might engender[/chuckle].

 

I've had a few, really minor, "Oh crap, now I've dropped the bike!" events, mostly in the dirt, and only a few while actually navigating the highways. Like for you, the bike got picked up and I was quickly on my way... and then began to realize, "Hey! I just had a 'crash'!" - incredibly minor though it had been. After the first or second of those, I've learned to stop again, get off the bike, and fully assess what happened, and find my Responsibility (not Fault or Blame), and get a clear picture of the new Policy - or more adamant adherence to an existing one - that seems certain to keep me off the ground when next I encounter similar circumstances. I do that because rather than being riding down the road wondering what the heck might have actually happened, I want to have my attention fully in the game of riding each and every very next mile I enter. However, before I do that, before I get into the "technical" aspects of the event, I find I'm well served to handle the "emotional issues" of it - even, or especially, the ones I subverted so quickly which doing had me so quickly "rationally" back on my bike and riding again. They are, repeat, are, there. Lurking. Lurking and stealing some of my attention. I'm better off if I take a moment and give some attention to what I'm feeling, accept that and what's behind those feelings, what brought them about, and then better able to do so, get on with finding any "technical issues", the "reasons" for the event/crash.

 

To be certain, I don't expect to fully and completely resolve my mental and emotional issues about the event in the minutes so proximate to the (always?) emotionally charged event. I'm supposing that the degree of emotionality experienced, "how hard it hit me", is going to govern how well - and how quickly - I rationalize the cause-effect factors of the event in that early time. I know that in racing when I fall/crash, I tend to blurt an expletive over losing position in the racing stream, get back on, and either hold what I've now got in that stream of Racers, or get on with getting by Racers and closer to the front again. In a more highly personal (perhaps more social and less single-purposeful) venue, say a bunch of friends standing around staring at me separated from my now grounded bike in the parking lot, I'm more tightly into that emotional rather than rational realm, and I'll be better served to take more time to put away, get beyond, that state where I'm subject to my emotionality - stuck with my attention in my head, so to speak - and reach a state where I'm quite able to put a vast part of my attention to the problems of riding in the here and now circumstances I and the bike are actually in - or going to be in. I gotta get "Out Here", instead of "In Here".

 

Some "In Here" is going to linger for me hours and days after the event. Writing about it, express my thoughts - and particularly my feelings - in a venue like this board and its forums is a good way to get out more of those attention grabbing factors - mostly "emotionalities" - and get them resolved. Talking about it with friends helps too. I know I need to "get off", shed, the emotion; I need to be saying, I'm sad, or shocked, or embarrassed, or confused, or whatever is there alive in me. Personally, I connect those with the need behind it, say like, "I'm embarrassed that I missed that 'clue' because that doesn't meet my need for competence", or whatever. For when I do, I'm understanding, resolving, what's really going on for me, what's so important to me about the event (as silly as it might seem to someone else or not). Doing that frees my attention. The "admission" stops me from having to hold back or hide (in this case), - and using up attention to do so - what I'm so embarrassed about, or fearful of, or sad about, or whatever. Then, free of the need to be handling this internally important personal thing, I can be handling the things of life that are coming at me as they might on my motorcycle. Then, and thus, I'm more able to make a valid and helpful assessment of ways to recognize and handle that and similar circumstance in more life-serving ways than I did. Then I'm more able to implement sound plans and strategies to successfully complete my Rides, or any other conduct of my life.

 

 

When we express an event of our lives here, Friends here will point out 'clues' and methods we can form along with our self-derived ones into policies (or very less valued by me, 'rules'). They'll be hoping to help with "The Technical Issues". Improved knowledge, understanding, and acceptance will come. And, they then could be better focused upon, and better implemented when the emotionality has been resolved. Life gets better.

 

If I'm hearing correctly the lesson you are passing back to us, actually leading off the proceedings with, its that Elevated Prudence is life-serving in the face of circumstances where the conditions are likely to be difficult to discern, perceive, and understand. Cool.

 

 

So, buddy, beyond what you've related, rather than the physical occurrences of the event, taking a moment to quietly reflect on yourself, Now and in this present moment not "back then", is there any feeling or emotion that stands out for you, or just seems to come to the fore? So, personally, for you, is there some need or purpose or desire that's left lacking that you haven't yet expressed - something you could make a change and be more fulfilled about? No need to share it. But if something like that is there for you, I'd want you to resolve it because that would meet my need for peace, and perhaps self-esteem and confidence.

 

 

Joel, I'm seeing that you actually did "tip toe" through the intersection - Well Done! God, that was wise. And, that because you did, the event turned out to have only mildly negative results... effects. I'm feeling blessed that a man I love and care for has benefited from lessons I've passed on which in turn were formed from helping alerts and 'clues', and attitudes and methods passed to me.

 

Blessings to you for doing the same. And, blessings for keeping that spirit of giving alive and flourishing.

 

 

Best wishes to you and the rest of Team Schnauzer for a wonderful Holiday Season.

[russell_bynum]

Hey man, you're not trying to steal my title are you?

 

David said:

I really like how you think, Joel. Your ability to self-analyze and see it from a bigger perspective is really rare in a rider. How sad if you'd have been hurt--escaping relatively unscathed has to give you a whole new perspective on things.

 

I agree totally. Nice job analyzing what happened and why.

 

Glad you're OK, bro.

[stubble!]

This damn place is rewarding on so many levels. Glad you're OK, and I really appreciate reading yours and Master Yoda's thoughts on the incident and the analytical processing around it.

[Ken H.]

Glad that you came through relatively unscathed Joel!

 

I came close to low-siding mine too this past week in a sandy salty, corner from the snow treatments. And I have been being very aware of the issue. But it kicked out anyway.

 

All of us in winter conditions right now, beware!

[Mike O]

Joel,

 

Glad you came out of this relatively unscathed. Those few items we can buff out at the next tech daze if you wait that long.

 

I agree with your assessment of the roads around here. As a matter of fact, last weekend, several of us were riding in your neck of the woods, just east of Carter Lake and encountered several instances of road snot. After a few 'butt puckers' and some pie at Verns we escaped without incident.

 

...It's a good think you weren't on an RT, either, eh? The GS crashes a whole lot better...

 

Uh, since my get off last August on my RT (sand on Hoosier Pass), I'm not sure I want to test your theory. Are you talking about cost to repair?

 

Regards,

 

Mike O

[David]

Are you talking about cost to repair?

 

Yep. That's what I meant.

[tallman]

Joel,

Glad you're telling us about it, instead of something worse.

Take care, bet you're sore tomorrow.

Thanks for the reminder, thanks for the post.

Hope this is the last one for you.

Oh, please help me with this image of a big friggin' bumble bee tiptoeing down the road.

I apprecaite the analysis of the incident.

Best wishes.

[russell_bynum]

Are you talking about cost to repair?

 

Yep. That's what I meant.

 

I don't know if the 1200RT is any better, but it's pretty hard to lowside an R11XXRT for less than $3,000.

 

The GS definitely crashes better...especially with those big honkin' engine guards on there.

[Joel]

Thanks, everyone, for the kind words. I didn't come here seeking them, but I really do appreciate them.

 

It is no surprise that David and Dick raise insightful points about this. I'm at peace with what’s happened. After my first crash a few years ago, I had to confront the “it could have been worse” scenario. I resolved that by resorting to some fundamentals, physically and mentally. I got into motorcycling with a keen awareness of the risks. I chose to accept those risks, and I respect them. I know I can’t ride in fear of them. Maybe it’s because of the fortunate outcomes, but these incidents haven’t stirred fear in me.

 

So, the emotional residue is relatively minor. I've felt some embarrassment, on the order of "I should be better than this" from a skills standpoint. I am better than that, but I didn’t show it at the time. I’ll be more diligent. I’ve felt some sadness over doing even minor damage to my bike. Yes, it is just a material thing in most respects, but it is also a symbol of something personal that, for me at least, is on the opposite end of the spectrum from materialism. (I could probably write a book about that, but for some reason I doubt I have to explain it to many people reading this.) Finally, I’ve had some concern over the fact that any incident on the bike raises worry in people who care about me. I might have to make some apologies. Overall, talking and writing about this has been cathartic. Thanks for indulging me in the latter.

 

The physical damage assessment is better than I expected. My shoulder and hip felt good enough to take Rodney, a/k/a Mr. Goofy, for a jog yesterday, so we put in about 4 miles. No worse for the wear today.

 

Demonstrating again why we love the guy, Marty Hill PM’d me to send his regards and say he had a side case and mounting bracket if I needed them. I was pleased to see that I don’t. Nothing broke, and a little rotation of the mounting bracket on the frame tube fixed the problem. Now, as long as I’m not bench racing with anyone who’s read this, I can say I ground off the edge of the side case in some aggressive cornering.

 

I don’t want Russell’s title any more than he does.

 

Mike O, don't come up here for pie again without calling!

 

Tim, I think John Belushi has BTDT in his Killer Bee costume. Does that help?

 

Thanks again, all. You folks are tops.