Rambler 1-1 9 Posted September 17, 2010 Hey guys, I know I haven't posted around here much, but I'm still an avid lurker. Anyways, today something interesting happened to me, which I think is worth sharing. I have been fortunate enough to land a job at a local motorcycle shop, and I've been working there all summer. One of the liberties I am allowed to take comes at the end of the day, when I help bring the bikes back in to the shop. Needless to say, this is the best part of the day. Anyways, one of the bikes in the shop over the last month has been a '97 Kawasaki KDX 220, a strange animal in that it has a lot of internal components which do the same jobs, but look much different then their counterparts in a '98 KDX 220. Thus, we dubbed the bike The Prototype. The Prototype was bought by my boss for $80 because the top end was toast, and it was missing a gas tank and some panels. Today marked the day it was completed, and it fired up second kick, on the new components and everything. After we were finished in the shop, It was my job to bring it in. Being who I am, I couldn't pass up this opportunity to ride The Prototype, so I hopped on, gave it some choke, and it fired up first kick. Awesome! I took it around the front of the shop, and across the parking lot, gave it the beans to see how it ran. It responded with very quick acceleration and a surprisingly low-end biased power curve, for a 2-stroke. I came to a stop at the end of the parking lot, looking to turn left onto a small residential street to go around the other side of the shop building. I gave it a rev and slipped the clutch, completely neglecting the low-end power. In a snap, the front wheel jumped up. I instantly leaned forward to keep it on the ground, and then the back end kicked out. I just barely had time to countersteer, but it was futile. The back was gone, and in another flash, I was on the left side of my ass, sliding down the street, looking at the front of The Prototype. My arm bent weird and I felt my shoulder pop out, but all I could think of was "SAVE THE BIKE! SAVE THE BIKE!" I hopped up and pushed The Prototype off to the side of the street, then pushed up against the pole I leaned it against and popped my shoulder back in. Long story short, there was no damage to The Prototype, no damage to my ass, thanks to my jeans, and my boss and I had a good laugh over it. He called it a "Learning Experience". In retrospect, I was just happy that I didn't high-side the thing and do more damage to it and myself. Needless to say, I rode home a lot slower then usual! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Slartibartfast 153 Posted September 17, 2010 (edited) Motorbikes... always be careful round a new bike is my usual comment. Me with a new bike, even after nearly 20 years of riding, I always take it easy if I have never ridden one before. And at lrast this moment you had allowed you to learn something... Every bike ride should teach you something... and this one obviously did for you... always be wary of a bike named the Prototype... I have come across a few bikes named The Prototype... and some of them are downright evil... Glad your okay and all that... Edited September 17, 2010 by Slartibartfast Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MigBuster 2,884 Posted September 17, 2010 I could see where that story was going - glad you kept the bike and yourself safe Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rambler 1-1 9 Posted September 18, 2010 Thanks guys. Unfortunately, the skid mark washed away last night, so I can't show that off. I do have a pic of The Prototype, though. For the record, I was back at work today and I rode the thing again, without crashing, to redeem myself. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Abhi 3 Posted September 18, 2010 Damn good jeans u got man!!!!!!!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rambler 1-1 9 Posted September 18, 2010 Damn good jeans u got man!!!!!!!! I owe my butt to blue jeans and ridin' boots. Three times they've saved me from road rash. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Abhi 3 Posted September 20, 2010 I owe my butt to blue jeans and ridin' boots. Three times they've saved me from road rash. rash or crash??? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rambler 1-1 9 Posted September 21, 2010 rash or crash??? "Road Rash" is when you sort of get skinned from sliding along the ground, or specifically, the road. I think the technical name is "Skin Abrasions". Fortunately, my jeans were tough enough to take all the damage, saving my legs. If I had been wearing anything less, it would have been ugly. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
