Blatherings From The Editor

Reminders

(August 2006)  

       Inside and just above the door of my back yard shop, I’ve hung several “reminders” that the Art of Motorcycling has its surprises and can be a bit on the dangerous side.  No matter how hard you try, there’s always someone or something out there trying to upset the delicate balance between two up or two down.

     Two BMW K bike valve covers are suspended by a couple of rusty nails on the door jam.  The ‘88 K100RS ABS SE black valve cover is ground down to the point oil leaked through.  Imagine this, 35 miles from home, on the way back from doing a Saddle Sore 1000 (1,000 miles in under 24 hours), a snow storm comes into Cochise County and the road freezes over just south of Interstate 10.  Living in the heart of the southwestern desert I never would have thought I would be going down in the snow.  Just goes to show you how riding a motorcycle really puts you out in the ever changing elements.  I never did like snow...cold, wet and slippery.

     The other valve cover is off our ’04 K1200RS.  Nice bit of road rash on the front of the cover where we slid along the top of a small concrete dam.  We were visiting my Uncle and to get to his place you had to cross this small concrete dam that creates a picturesque little pond on Wolf Creek just north of Kerrville Texas.  Seems when the first rains come water flows over the dam allowing a light cover of algae to grow.  We were about two thirds across when the front tire washed out.  Damn dam.  Never trust a road with water on it.

     A bootie I wore over a cast I had on my left ankle is stapled to the jam right beside the valve covers.  This is the ultimate reminder that people just don’t see you, even on a big bright red bike with lights a blazin’.  A medium sized pick up truck (thank my lucky stars it wasn’t a dually) accelerated through a stop-signed intersection across three lanes of traffic and broadsided me, crushing my left ankle.  This was the first time someone's run into me rather than me running into someone or something.  Intersections really are dangerous.

     Earlier this year the world’s motorcycling community lost Mr. Safety, Lawrence Grodsky.  Known globally as the resident expert and guru of safe motorcycle riding, a deer and Mr. Grodsky’s motorcycle came together with the end result that we lost one of the good.  It was prophetic that Mr. Grodsky wrote about hitting a deer in his last Staying Safe monthly column in Rider Magazine.  Sometimes even the monkey falls out of the tree.

     Heads up out there guys and gals.  Its a dangerous world and they’re out to get us.  Deryle & Wanda, don’t want any more reminders!