arteacher wrote on 05/02/15 at 17:34:06:40 years ago on a hot summer day, I went to the local variety store on my wife's little Suzuki step-through dressed in a t-shirt, shorts, and buffalo sandals. (Heck, I was only going a couple of blocks). There had been some asphalt repair on the turn in to the plaza which they hadn't finished so the put down pea gravel and oiled it. Down I went onto my right side, scraping up my right leg and arm pretty good, and tearing the skin between my right big toe and the next toe. It also ruined the sandal, which I threw away on the spot. After kicking the foot peg to some semblance of straightness, I decided that as long as I was there I would get the milk. I pushed the bike to the store and went in, my right bare foot leaving a bloody foot print all the way to the back of the store and back to the front to the counter. Blood was dripping from my right hand as well. (You should have seen the look on the clerk's face). I must have been a little shocky, because I don't remember feeling any pain. I drove home and my wife spent an hour removing road debris from my arm and leg while I stood in the shower. I then went to emerg and had two stitches between my toes.
Lesson learned.
I'm cringing just thinking about it.
Worst "wreck" I've had on a bike was probably when I was 16 years old, I was on my 1991 Nighthawk 250. My younger brother was riding passenger. It was a busy day, we were on our way to the mall on a Friday afternoon during rush hour, bumper to bumper at a stop light. I realized if I had went in the turn-only "chicken lane" I could get all the way to the light and still make it to the mall parking lot. So I checked my mirrors, -clear-, so I pulled over into the turn lane and right about that moment, BAM! some chick flying down the turn lane at 30MPH hit the left side passenger peg and sent both me and my brother to the ground. Luckily since traffic was otherwise at a stand-still, I didn't have to worry about secondary impact. The only injuries we suffered was I bruised and scraped my left ankle, and my brother had injured his foot to some degree (worse than I had hurt my ankle). We were both limping around the house that weekend, come Monday, I was able to walk normally, but my brother got to ride around in a rolling chair at school for the next week.
All that seemed to happen to the nighthawk was bent the shift lever all the way around and the passenger foot peg she hit was messed up a little bit. Probably some scrapes on the handlebars and muffler.
Moral of the story, checking your mirrors is a good habit, but turning your head and looking is best (assuming you're not moving too quickly with stuff in front of you).
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