I doubt this would ever be as popular as the "Stupid things people say or ask about our bikes," thread, however, I'm sure some of you have some great stories that could be at least as entertaining.
A side reason I'm posting this is because seeing some humor in some of my stupid mistakes helps me not dwell on my stupidity and lose confidence.
My stupid thing (not the first, not the last, I'm sure): I thought I would go for a quick ride tonight while the weather was perfect. I chose Roberts Mill Road, a windy road up the side of Signal Mountain here in Chattanooga. A red pickup truck was a good ways behind me before I started up the hill, and nobody was in front of me that I could see.
About a third of the way up, there's a sharp right hand switchback that rises sharply just past the apex.
There was a doe standing on the right side of the road about 20 feet before the turn. I backed off the throttle in case it jumped into the road, but it didn't move. I crept past it cautiously, then entered the turn. For some reason, I thought about Cade's Cove, where people stop in front of you and take pictures of deer that are 300 feet away like they've never seen them before. The thought crossed my mind, "Wouldn't it be my luck somebody's stopped on the uphill side of this blind corner taking pictures of this one?"
As it turns out, it was my luck that a Lexus SUV was stopped on the uphill side of the road just past the blind corner taking pictures of the deer.
Nobody was coming--figured I could go around them. The passenger had her cell phone out the window snapping pictures... The driver's face was turned to the side--they weren't going anywhere yet. I'm in second, and I open the throttle, knowing that the SV could pull from this speed easily in 2nd.
Wait, I'm not on the SV. I hear the engine lug down as I open the throttle. So I quickly downshift and gas it in 1st. But my coordination is so bad at this point that I stall it. The bike starts to roll back slightly, so I feather both brakes and catch it, but the road is banked such that the bike tips to the right.
I thought for sure I was dropping it. The bike goes over...and over... and over. But at full bend of my knee (and feeling my hamstrings or whatever those split-hurting muscles stretching way past their comfort zone), I catch it. The bike looks to be about to touch the road with its turn signals, but lift, lift LIFT LIIIIIIFFFFTTTTT! and it's back upright.
At this point, I look forward, just in time to see the the passenger in the SUV is now taking pictures of ME instead of the deer.
I crank the bike, do the most un-smooth take-off in the world, revving like a deuchebag squid as I take off and fly around the SUV in the double yellow, humming "Entrance of the Gladiators" (my favorite 'looking stupid' song) to try and maintain some sort of dignity as I fly past them.
I'm pretty sure pictures of my Striple, nearly touching the ground, are going to be on either Facebook or Failblog later this week...
A side reason I'm posting this is because seeing some humor in some of my stupid mistakes helps me not dwell on my stupidity and lose confidence.
My stupid thing (not the first, not the last, I'm sure): I thought I would go for a quick ride tonight while the weather was perfect. I chose Roberts Mill Road, a windy road up the side of Signal Mountain here in Chattanooga. A red pickup truck was a good ways behind me before I started up the hill, and nobody was in front of me that I could see.
About a third of the way up, there's a sharp right hand switchback that rises sharply just past the apex.
There was a doe standing on the right side of the road about 20 feet before the turn. I backed off the throttle in case it jumped into the road, but it didn't move. I crept past it cautiously, then entered the turn. For some reason, I thought about Cade's Cove, where people stop in front of you and take pictures of deer that are 300 feet away like they've never seen them before. The thought crossed my mind, "Wouldn't it be my luck somebody's stopped on the uphill side of this blind corner taking pictures of this one?"
As it turns out, it was my luck that a Lexus SUV was stopped on the uphill side of the road just past the blind corner taking pictures of the deer.
Nobody was coming--figured I could go around them. The passenger had her cell phone out the window snapping pictures... The driver's face was turned to the side--they weren't going anywhere yet. I'm in second, and I open the throttle, knowing that the SV could pull from this speed easily in 2nd.
Wait, I'm not on the SV. I hear the engine lug down as I open the throttle. So I quickly downshift and gas it in 1st. But my coordination is so bad at this point that I stall it. The bike starts to roll back slightly, so I feather both brakes and catch it, but the road is banked such that the bike tips to the right.
I thought for sure I was dropping it. The bike goes over...and over... and over. But at full bend of my knee (and feeling my hamstrings or whatever those split-hurting muscles stretching way past their comfort zone), I catch it. The bike looks to be about to touch the road with its turn signals, but lift, lift LIFT LIIIIIIFFFFTTTTT! and it's back upright.
At this point, I look forward, just in time to see the the passenger in the SUV is now taking pictures of ME instead of the deer.
I crank the bike, do the most un-smooth take-off in the world, revving like a deuchebag squid as I take off and fly around the SUV in the double yellow, humming "Entrance of the Gladiators" (my favorite 'looking stupid' song) to try and maintain some sort of dignity as I fly past them.
I'm pretty sure pictures of my Striple, nearly touching the ground, are going to be on either Facebook or Failblog later this week...