It is bad if you ride with your mouth open. You learn that soon after you start riding motorcycle. At 60 MPH, big bugs hurt, hitting your face. We rode around town with no helmet in the mid 1960s. Any long trips we wore helmets with a clear shield for our face. We were not stupid, just dumb.
When you are in your teens, nothing can hurt you; RIGHT?? Well we thought so. We were riding with a group of about 9 or 10 bikes. Like when the two cycle bike froze up and locked the back wheel, and skidded off the road. It was toothless Bill this time.
We were about 60 miles from home, on a four lane divided highway. We worked out hand signals to communicate. Need gas, need to drain the lizard, stop for eats, and waved both hands if trouble. Toothless Bill was third in line. I was leader again, and Bob my mechanic was always next to me.
Bob hit his horn wildly and pointed back to Bill. Bill was in trouble. He was clawing at his helmet, trying to get it off. He slowly swung right to the grass beside the cement roadway. With both hands off the handle bars, the bike turned which way you leaned. Bill was trying to get on the grass, it is a little softer than concrete.
On the grass, he grabbed one hand on the bars, hit the rear brake and laid the bike down. He jumped off the bike as it was almost down. A smart move. Bill ripped off his helmet. Out came the biggest Yellow Jacket any of us had ever seen. It was in his ear canal, making noise. Bill had no shield on his helmet, the bug was jammed in where his helmet met his head. I think he was allergic to bee stings. Don't know if this Yellow Jacket would have hurt him.
Next ride, Bill had a face shield. The other guys with us did too.
When you are in your teens, nothing can hurt you; RIGHT?? Well we thought so. We were riding with a group of about 9 or 10 bikes. Like when the two cycle bike froze up and locked the back wheel, and skidded off the road. It was toothless Bill this time.
We were about 60 miles from home, on a four lane divided highway. We worked out hand signals to communicate. Need gas, need to drain the lizard, stop for eats, and waved both hands if trouble. Toothless Bill was third in line. I was leader again, and Bob my mechanic was always next to me.
Bob hit his horn wildly and pointed back to Bill. Bill was in trouble. He was clawing at his helmet, trying to get it off. He slowly swung right to the grass beside the cement roadway. With both hands off the handle bars, the bike turned which way you leaned. Bill was trying to get on the grass, it is a little softer than concrete.
On the grass, he grabbed one hand on the bars, hit the rear brake and laid the bike down. He jumped off the bike as it was almost down. A smart move. Bill ripped off his helmet. Out came the biggest Yellow Jacket any of us had ever seen. It was in his ear canal, making noise. Bill had no shield on his helmet, the bug was jammed in where his helmet met his head. I think he was allergic to bee stings. Don't know if this Yellow Jacket would have hurt him.
Next ride, Bill had a face shield. The other guys with us did too.
I never had a windshield until I got my four cylinder 650 in 1982. Jeff was soon joining our family. I was older and wiser. You believe I was wiser?
When Jeff was 18, he would ride this 650 to help with the Louisiana Flood twice, and once to the pan-handle of Florida. At the flood cleanup, Jeff told us he stayed in the Hotel that was flooded. The high water line there was 32 feet. I never realized they had that much water.
When Jeff asked me if he could get his cycle license, I told him he must take the class, and ride like they are out to get you. He did. On the 650, he went to pull out at a stop light, the pickup truck behind him was in a hurry, and rear ended him. He called me and said what to do.
He was 16, I told him call the police. I am glad he did. The guy was self insured, he paid the first $5,000 of any accident. The repair was close to $1,000. Always call the police, people will lie to avoid a bill. It happened to me February 2018. $3,500 damage to my 1998 Astro van. This story later.
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