palerider
Well-known member
Hi,
I was late for a doctor's appointment Monday morning. I didn't want to pay the exorbitant rates at the parking lot, so I parked on the street at a meter between two cars. It was a little downhill, so I backed in. Because the gap between the two cars was a little narrow, I heisted Silver onto the center stand and hurried off to see the wizard.
After the appointment I got back to Silver. I noticed that the rear tire was actually touching the top corner of the curb. I mounted and twerked forward to drop the bike off the center stand. The bike rolled forward to just before the point where it would drop, then stalled. Didn't quite make it over the hump. No problem--it often takes a second twerk. I settled back onto the curb and twerked again. Rolled to just before the point where it would drop, then stalled. Twerked again. Stalled again. Normally when this happens I grab some front brake to hold the bike forward and then nudge it passed the drop point on the next twerk--a sort of cumulative twerk--but the angle was a little steeper than I had first realized, and the brakes wouldn't hold the bike from settling back. I twerked about sixteen times. I twerked like Miley Cyrus. No joy. Einstien said that one of the signs of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. I'm sure I looked like a total idiot.
I tried rocking the bike, but it wouldn't rock because the rear wheel was touching the top corner of the curb. I was stuck. And humiliated. I couldn't get my bike down off the center stand.
I admitted to myself that I wasn't going to be able to twerk the bike down from bestride it, that the only way I was going to get home was to stand beside the bike and push it off the center stand. As you all know, this can be tricky with the FJR because if you don't have the angle just right when it comes down it's pretty easy to lose control of this buxom beast and have it fall over to one side or the other. And I can't pick it up myself. Yes, I've seen the video where the 90-pound girl does it. I can't do it.
But what made pushing it off the stand really dicey was that--did I mention that this doctor's office is in Beverly Hills?--I was slotted between a Ferrari and an Audi R8. I have full insurance, but I don't know what AAA would say if I reported that I damaged a Ferrari by dropping my bike onto a Ferrari's hood while I was pushing the bike off the center stand. Not to mention having to tell the owner of the Ferrari or Audi: "Gee, I'm sorry. I dropped my $15,000 bike onto your $15,000 hood."
Ultimately I realized I had no choice--I had to go home eventually--so I got off the bike, positioned myself, took a breath, and pushed. It dropped down off the center stand, luckily remaining upright. I exhaled and looked around. Fortunately the papprazi were not there, or you might have seen me twerking my bike on TMZ.
I was late for a doctor's appointment Monday morning. I didn't want to pay the exorbitant rates at the parking lot, so I parked on the street at a meter between two cars. It was a little downhill, so I backed in. Because the gap between the two cars was a little narrow, I heisted Silver onto the center stand and hurried off to see the wizard.
After the appointment I got back to Silver. I noticed that the rear tire was actually touching the top corner of the curb. I mounted and twerked forward to drop the bike off the center stand. The bike rolled forward to just before the point where it would drop, then stalled. Didn't quite make it over the hump. No problem--it often takes a second twerk. I settled back onto the curb and twerked again. Rolled to just before the point where it would drop, then stalled. Twerked again. Stalled again. Normally when this happens I grab some front brake to hold the bike forward and then nudge it passed the drop point on the next twerk--a sort of cumulative twerk--but the angle was a little steeper than I had first realized, and the brakes wouldn't hold the bike from settling back. I twerked about sixteen times. I twerked like Miley Cyrus. No joy. Einstien said that one of the signs of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. I'm sure I looked like a total idiot.
I tried rocking the bike, but it wouldn't rock because the rear wheel was touching the top corner of the curb. I was stuck. And humiliated. I couldn't get my bike down off the center stand.
I admitted to myself that I wasn't going to be able to twerk the bike down from bestride it, that the only way I was going to get home was to stand beside the bike and push it off the center stand. As you all know, this can be tricky with the FJR because if you don't have the angle just right when it comes down it's pretty easy to lose control of this buxom beast and have it fall over to one side or the other. And I can't pick it up myself. Yes, I've seen the video where the 90-pound girl does it. I can't do it.
But what made pushing it off the stand really dicey was that--did I mention that this doctor's office is in Beverly Hills?--I was slotted between a Ferrari and an Audi R8. I have full insurance, but I don't know what AAA would say if I reported that I damaged a Ferrari by dropping my bike onto a Ferrari's hood while I was pushing the bike off the center stand. Not to mention having to tell the owner of the Ferrari or Audi: "Gee, I'm sorry. I dropped my $15,000 bike onto your $15,000 hood."
Ultimately I realized I had no choice--I had to go home eventually--so I got off the bike, positioned myself, took a breath, and pushed. It dropped down off the center stand, luckily remaining upright. I exhaled and looked around. Fortunately the papprazi were not there, or you might have seen me twerking my bike on TMZ.
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