Let me say this first, I have already been in 3 serious motorcycle accidents and always rode sooner than was medically advisable after every crash. One crash that ended my stunt riding days, I looped over at 125mph (after riding almost 1 mile at that speed on 1 wheel). Broke or fractured every rib, as the bike landed right on my chest (I have some great photos of the bike, it was destroyed). I walked away from that crash and even dragged the bike off the highway. Three days later I bought another 2004 GXR1000 (since I destroyed my 2 month old one), got right on the highway and rode a wheelie at 100mph for 1/8 mile. Put the front tire down, I proved I wasn't a coward to myself and have never rode a "showing off" wheelie, stoppie, ANYTHING, ever again....... And when I ride, I am an animal, back tires last me 2 weeks (and I NEVER spin the tires, I'm not 17 years old) that just the abuse I give them from accelorating the way I do with a turbo bike. Let me say this, the only life I put in danger is my own, I don't swerve in an out of traffic and act like an ass when cars are in dangerous proximity. I do respect other peoples lives, just not my own......LOL I also never assume I know what's around a corner, if I can't see what's coming up next, I don't act like I am on a closed course. But when it's safe I ride like a fucking maniac!!! But it's one of the only things I truly love in this world and take that away from me and I would be a miserable excuse for a human....LOL Anyway, what I am trying to convey and you must really get this, I am just not scared on a motorcycle, PERIOD!!!! Most of the way I ride, I know 90% of you would never ride that way and most likely don't approve and I totally respect that. But just understand I have been hurt badly, missed 1/2 year of work and almost financially ruined my life because of motorcycle crashes. But I get right back on and ride like it never happened. So understand when I tell you guys I was scared, that is not an understatement.
So here's what happened and of course it was totally my fault for putting myself in that situation. I know what I did was stupid, so please no lectures, believe me I KNOW!!!!
It was a beautiful New England evening (7PM) and the weather was perfect!!!! If you read my post about the 2008 BUSA, that's where the night started. It was a bunch of my riding buddies and we where going to a bike night that is held every Tuesday that get's over 1,000 bikes. I LOVE this bike night!!!!! So we get on the highway and I am in the rear (as I don't know the way and at over 100mph missing an exit is easy). The lead rider is keeping a modest pace of 110mph for the 1st 30 minutes (all liter bikes and 1 2008 BUSA).... Then in true New England fashion it goes for beautiful weather to rain in about 100 feet. Now we are still 20 minutes away, but do any of us turn around?!?!?!? NO!!!!!! Do you think we even slowed down??? Only to about 95mph. Which actually because the road was nice and it was still light out, really wasn't that bad. And my turbo bike LOVED it, it ran at 150 and even idle smoother afterwards (water cleans internal parts when it changes to steam). But a reasonable person would have thought, every mile we ride into this mess is a mile we have to ride out of it. Also more reasonable sorts would have realized most people on motorcycles are weekend warriors, fair weather riders and most likely no one would be there. But when you get a bunch hard core riders, most of which where in the M.C. Leign of Doom and the President was riding with us. Now what does that get you?
? A bunch of guys who are not going to be the one to even suggest we turn around, me included. Hey it was only another 20-30 minutes at our present velocity, so WHATEVER!!!!!!
So we get there and low and behold, everyone was gone.............LOL Except for a few (less than 3) bikes, the owners where inside eating. EVERYONE ELSE ALREADY LEFT!!!!!!!!
So we grab something to eat. We busted Gary's balls for a bit for not turning around sooner, since he was in the lead. Being Pres. and all. One of the group (I am so bad with names) had just had surgery on his hand and shouldn't be riding for 2 months (had the surgery 2 weeks ago and this was a 2 hour ride, like I said hard core riders). But now we where worried his hand was getting wet and Dr.'s orders included not getting it wet. We decide to get something to eat, maybe it will clear up. That actually happens in Massachusetts. But no such luck........ So he tried to wrap his hand best we could and we put on our soaked leathers on that felt like they where frozen and filled with lead.
Now it's pouring out, it's no longer raining......... As soon as we get on the highway it turns into a down pour, it's coming down in buckets. And now it's PITCH BLACK out and NO LIGHTS on the highway. But this is Massachusetts, do you think that people in cars or semitrucks would slow down?!?!?!? ONLY 1/2 of them!!!!!!! Which means you have vehicles moving at 75mph and 45mph!!!!!!! Now you have to picture this, you can barely see anything and your rear view mirrors are completely useless. What does that mean for you??? The ONLY safe place to be is driving faster than all the cars, so you can't get hit from behind. Because driving slow would have meant staying with traffic and that was a risk I was not willing to take. So we are going at about 85mph threw this mess. Gary decides that's too slow and takes off doing 110mph. But he was the only one on a BUSA and he had a passanger. If I had a BUSA and that much weight, I would have been going faster, but I was solo on a 1000. And at 85mph and me only being 160#, that bike bounces around with bumps in the road. Which is not a problem usually. So Gary takes off and the rest of the group sticks together....
A couple miles later the road becomes GROOVED!!!!!! Which is awful when you can't see that far ahead of you.... But by this time I had decided I would ride the entire way home. I know people ride in this type of weather all the time and I know they even race AMA Superbikes in this weather in Europe. So if it can be done, I know I can do it. That's just the way I am. (If you think you can or can't, you are correct!) Even though I didn't know how bad things where about to get, I made up my mind. With me, once my mind is made up, I follow threw, no matter what. Most of the times it's my best quality, tonight, NOT SO MUCH!!!!!!!!
NOW THINGS GET REALLY BAD!!!!!!!!!
The rain DOUBLES in intensity, it's coming down like rain you only get in the summer... It is about as fast as rain can possibly come down, it was horrible. Did we slow down.............LOL NO!!!!!!! But in our defence, that really wasn't a safer option. But traveling over 80mph in that weather you can barely see and need to use vehicles as much as the lines to judge the road. And I still had 1 hour left of this to ride through!!!!!!!!!!
Now as I said before, I had made up my mind and I know no one would ever know that I broke that promise, but I would. I knew it could be done and I was going to do it.......
But as the miles ticked on, I realized how dangerous what I was doing was. Every groove in the road moved me over inch's at a time. There was road construction the entire way and a sign that said BUMP about every 1/2 mile. Just wondering when is the bump coming that I miss judge and throws me. Or when will that semi not see me and just veer into my lane. A million things where pounding in my head. The other riders got off the highway about 1/2 way through (they also made it home OK).
At this point I am terrified, my heart is pounding in my chest and my adrenalin is so high I had a BUZZ!!!!! If it didn't last so long, I may have thought I was in heaven. But the fear of the other vehicles and the road conditions really began to wear on me after 30 minutes.
That was the only time in my life I have been scared on a motorcycle (and didn't like it)!!!!! I was actually saying things like GOD please let me live threw this and I promise to always take the weather man seriously from now on. I was really scared, terrified in fact. But it wasn't for like a second or a few seconds, which happens all the time on a motorcycle. It was the fact the pressure never seemed to subside. I was really scared....
I just wanted to share that with you guys, because I feel only you guys could understand. You have to ride to have the faintest idea of what kind of experience that was...
I must say, I am very happy to be alive at this very moment!!!!!
Here is a pic at the resturant. You can't tell from the pic how bad the rain is coming down.
