Thursday evening after my Chemistry class, I get a call from my best friend. She just got new Michelin Pilot Power 2's, and wanted to break them in on some twisties, at low speeds. I was more than eager to ride the road she had in mind, it's THE place for a few minutes of fun in the area. So I head over, she throws on a riding jacket, gloves, and a helmet. I don't bother ridiculing her anymore because she doesn't listen to me anymore, and I would feel like a hypocrite. Coming from class I didn't have boots or riding pants. Her boyfriend is in full gear, making us both look like squids.

So we head out in staggered formation, drawing stares. (Her boyfriend on his deep blue ZX-10, her on the black Monster special edition ZX-6, and me right behind them with the beautiful silver 600rr.) We do the speed limit out of town, turn onto airport road, round a corner, and fly off. The roads here are pretty gentle at first, working their way to twisties. So we ride up to Mary's Peak. (Google maps, Route 34, Oregon, Alsea) We ride up fine, with me hitting it harder than I ever have before. It was an incredible ride, one of the best of my life. We ride up once, down another time, and up again.

The second time up, I was less conservative. Leaning harder, going a little faster, but well within road limits. (Don't mistake that for the speed limit, just the limits of the road. Middle of the lane, cages love riding the yellow around corners. ********.) I approach the first really hard turn, look through the corner, and see my friend on the shoulder, next to the embankment. Her bike on it's left side, facing downhill, the wrong way. I brake, pull over, and attend to her. Fortunately her boyfriend was coming back down, and got there 30 seconds after I stopped. We ascertain that she isn't too badly hurt, but she has wicked road rash on her left leg. And my god, what gorgeous legs. I mourned a little bit, but that's beside the point. She contacts her parents, then 911.

Her story is that she came around the corner, and the vehicle coming around the corner and down the hill decided it would be pertinent to share her lane with her. Following the apex of the turn, she had little recourse but to swing wide, lose traction, and low side off the road. For the benefit of you all, I believe her. Yes, she was breaking in new tires. Yes, she's a girl. But she is a capable and competent rider, and I even saw the vehicle that she claimed did it, and he was hogging a bit of my lane as well. I just happened to be on the apex of a turn away from him at that point. Her boyfriend rode off and got the license plate, and we got it to the cops.

She's doing fine, aside from the emotional and psychological damage of the crash coupled with road rash and a fractured wrist. The bike.. Brand new, bought in July. It was a seriously beautiful bike. Extremely aggressive, never failed to draw stares. The insurance company is going to total it, most likely. Her boyfriend and I estimated parts at about 2000 dollars. Full fairing replacement on the left side, which in the back means an entirely new piece. New windscreen, new clutch lever, new bar end slider, new headlight, new footpegs, (passenger/operator), new case for the gearbox, new chain cover on the swing arm, plus mechanical work. The bike won't shift above second, but it was rideable, we got it back to town. She's absolutely devastated.

However the title of this was 'A sobering experience'. I've always known the dangers of motorcycling. I'm not an idiot, I understand what can happen. My father died in an automotive crash when I was 10, I know that vehicles are dangerous. But this brought it home in a way other things haven't. My best friend, a capable and talented rider, had an accident. I didn't witness it, but hitting that corner, looking through, and seeing her on the ground scared me in a way that has happened to me only one other time; when my mother had a heart attack in front of me. I was convinced that she was badly injured, but fortunately she wasn't. Luck, and soft dirt (This particular shoulder had a dirt wall several feet off the edge of the road. If she would have high sided she would have been pinned against the embankment.) saved her severe injury. I'm not going to stop riding, and it most likely won't change my riding style, but it will cause me to think. When I start hitting corners, sailing through them at 2-3x the recommended speed, I will think of the white to blue to red streak her jeans and leg left on the ground, I'll think of the helplessness I felt as I dismounted and ran to her. I'll consider the perfect lean angle matched with appropriate speed, and a man driving a white utility truck who happened to take a corner too fast, and who didn't even stop to see if she was okay.

I'm going to wear riding pants for anything more than a jaunt to school. (A 2-3 minute ride) And to any new/er riders reading this, please, wear your gear. You may want to show off your flawless *** in tight jeans, but think how that flawless *** will look with a chunk missing. Think of your perfect legs with a 4 inch scar and an ugly divot because you didn't wear proper gear. You're probably not going to listen.. but I am.

 

Glad your friend is okay and no one was serioulsy hurt. Its a good thing she had on her other gear or it could have been worse. I never feel to safe while wearing jeans but i just dont have the extra dough to buy some riding pants yet. I cant wait till i do though.

 

Thanks for sharing, glad she's alright. Poor pretty bike.

I've been slowly getting to the place where I'd really like something more than jeans. We get hot summers, so I don't particularly want to have to wear leather all the time, but it seems that gear companies don't believe tall girls exist, so I haven't had any luck finding kevlar jeans that would go past my calves. I'm hoping to be able to pick up a pair of leather pants and some good boots by next spring, though.

Will she be riding again?