Around the last time that I had posted here to the blog, I had been feeling kind of odd. Not sick, not unhealthy, but definitely not as sharp as I was used to feeling. So on a nice, breezy Saturday afternoon I decided against my better judgment that a motorcycle ride would be a good idea. "Maybe it'll help me get back into a rhythm. Plus it's nice outside, and I can stop off for lunch somewhere," is what I had thought to myself.
That, as it turns out, was a horrible plan. I was traveling northbound on my local two lane highway and got into an accident at highway speeds. Totally my fault, not gonna get into how or why it happened, but rest assured I was not revving at old ladies or trying to wheelie past police officers. I was being well behaved and cruising around like a good boy and just had a bout of crappy luck that day.
Myself and my trusty SV that I've had since it was new in 2007 made contact with the car and were separated. I can tell you that having an accident is no fun, and being virtually unprotected while your place in space is completely unknown to you is even less so. I was wearing full body armor from head to toe, a full face helmet, and proper boots and gloves. All the gear however didn't stop my mind from thinking a million "last thoughts" at once....
Here's a taste of my train of thought...
"SHIT!"
"I got this!"
"I don't got this!"
"Where's my bike?"
"I hope my bike doesn't fall on me"
"Is that the sky?"
"That's the sky spinning... I'm spinning?"
"Yup, definitely spinning."
"Where did my bike go, again?"
"What's on my back?"
"Oh, that's ground. I'm probably sliding."
"Yup, sliding."
"I stopped?"
"Oh crap, I hope I'm not dead."
"Wiggling fingers and toes... if I'm dead, at least I'm not paralyzed."
"Wait, that doesn't make sense... I'm gonna take a look."
"I'M ALIVE!"
That my friends is what goes through your mind during a motorcycle accident. I was extremely lucky. A few women from across the street said they saw me fly through the air, hit the ground and roll to my back, and then slide between a telephone pole and a guide wire (said telephone pole is what stopped my motorcycle from coming after me). I got up, apologized to the driver and gave him my information, police showed up and I was issued a ticket (fine police work, boys. Bravo), and then finally coerced into going to the hospital, where I flirted with one nurse, received two Advil and some bandages, a pair of crutches that were missing screws, and then flirted with the nurse again.
Unfortunately the SV was totaled and later in the month it was hauled away. I started recovering and went back to work earlier than I probably should have. My left leg still had open wounds from car shrapnel and my knee and ankle didn't really work very well. I was worried about getting fired for missing work, so I sucked it up and went anyway.
Truth be told, I couldn't even look at a motorcycle without feeling nauseous. I've had accidents before in different cars, either as the driver or the passenger, and after the fact I considered it an adrenaline rush.
It was fun. Now, I'm not a crazy person, I certainly don't like getting into traffic accidents or rolling over cars (which has happened), but I try to look on the bright side.
This motorcycle accident was
not fun. I started looking for bikes and didn't care. It was such a draining feeling. I love motorcycles, I know I love motorcycles, I can't go without having a motorcycle.
That feeling finally went away when I found a 2006 Honda CBR600RR, which I've now affectionately named, "Hell Kitty."
This bike is terrifying, it's thrilling, it's fast, it's sexy, it's putting back into me what I lost when I killed my SV. I'm very pleased to have found her, I think she'll make a very good addition to the garage.
