Motorcycle License, Part 4
I’ve never laid my bike down while riding but I have dropped my bike 3 times (as I was finishing this, I realize I had dropped a couple of rental bikes but I’m going to ignore those stories). What’s the difference you might ask? Well, my motorcycle weighs about 800 lbs (without me on it). You might remember from science class about centrifugal motion. Centrifugal motion is when the wheels on a vehicle (car, motorcycle, or bicycles) turn, produces a stabilizing force on the vehicle. In other words, a moving motorcycle is harder to tip over than a stopped motorcycle.
Laying a motorcycle down is when, usually, someone pulls in front of you at the last minute, and you have to adjust your course of travel so much that the bike falls over while still moving forward due to momentum. Dropping a motorcycle, on the other hand, usually happens when you are stopped and trying to balance all 800 lbs of the motorcycle to be upright and something causes you to fail at that. Maybe my examples will clarify this.
The first time I dropped a bike, I was test driving a bike (I eventually bought it) as my first touring bike (big bike). I pulled up to a stop sign and stopped. Somehow my jean pant leg got caught on the shifter pedal and I couldn’t get my foot to the ground before the bike tipped over.
The third time I dropped my bike, I was loading my bike onto our trailer for the first time and I didn’t realize that the fairing (the painted part on the front of some bikes that hold the radio, etc) was bigger than my previous bike and I needed to make adjustments to the shelf in the front of the trailer.
In both examples (and the second time I haven’t mentioned yet), the bike was essentially stopped so besides any minor cosmetic damage, the biggest problem was getting the bike back upright. If your interested in how a person rights an 800 lb. motorcycle, there are many videos on YouTube.
The second time I dropped my bike, I was riding home and got to a round-a-bout with a bunch of high school kids leaving school. There is a certain flow to effectively sharing a round-a-bout that only about half of experienced drivers are successful at (and virtually no inexperienced drivers). Anyway, this young lady in front of me yielded to the bus that was in the round-a-bout before her (as she should have). After the bus went by, she started to enter the round-a-bout and then second guessed her ability or priority. Since I was following (and there wasn’t anyone else in the round-a-bout), I started forward too. When the young lady stopped again, I had to hard stop and my bike fell over. I hit my head in my helmet on the pavement (remember I was virtually at a stop) and jumped up. Unfortunately, my bike fell over on the wrong side (again watch the videos, there is a good side and a bad side). Several people ran over to make sure I was ok and helped me right the bike.
When I got home, I noticed my helmet had a road abrasion on it. Besides thinking that that abrasion could have been on my head, I remembered that, with all helmets, once they are involved in an accident, they need to be replaced so that the helmet has structural integrity. Since protecting my melon is important to me, I decided it was time for a new helmet.
“In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.” - Psalm 4:8 ESV
“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” - Psalm 23:1-6
Taking risks is part of being an adult. It is impossible to protect yourself from all possible negative consequences nor should you blindly rush into risky situations. We have decided that helmets are a requirement of riding motorcycles.
