The reason I wreck is probably not because I'm a squid (I don't think I'm one of those). I think the reason is because I haven't been riding long, I make mistakes/poor choices as a result, and I am willing to ride in less than ideal conditions. I talked to a girl who rides a mid-size metric cruiser (Yamaha, I think). From what she said, I don't think she had ever taken her bike on gravel, mud, or the superslab; and she has been riding at least twice as long as I have. Her bike is probably more comfortable on the Interstate than mine, and she won't try it; I have. Heck,
I can't even get out of the house without going through gravel and dirt/mud. If I was too scared to slip and slide in the mud, I probably wouldn't get much riding done.
If I were scared of gravel, there would be no way I could ride short of parking the bike at a neighbor's house
.
I almost dropped it the other day when the tires got so
clogged with mud that the thing just wouldn't hold itself up. I literally had to set my feet down and hold the thing from falling
flat. It had leaned over, ready to hit the ground, and I had to wrestle it back up. Both of my real wrecks, though, have been on asphalt.
There are sometimes I literally have to peel the clods of mud off the cylinder fins. Good for keeping the engine warm on cold days.
... Uh... maybe...
Tonight, I stayed below the speed limit in certain areas due to deer. The fellow behind me probably wished I would get out of his way
.
There have been nights recently that I've had to stay notably below the speed limit (maybe
too slow) because I didn't feel confident with the conditions.