Let me just start out with I'm just fine.

It was just a little accident. Just me, on my motorcycle, sliding in the rain.

There was a work-related meeting after work. I'm a consultant, and the firm had a gathering at a meeting room in a hotel across the street from my current gig. I went there directly after work, and settled in for the slide show. It was the typical "we're doing great, but want to do better, here's how we're going to do it, and why we think you should think it's cool" presentation that I've seen from all the groups I've worked with that have put on such presentations; and, as always, there's a big gap where I thought I fit in.

After the meeting I checked outside and saw it was raining. I'd hoped to leave pretty much immediately after, but I figured I'd wait a bit and see how the rain was doing; usually it can't get worse than raining (well, more rain, wind, dirt, but basically more of the same), and lately the rain has been coming in short spans. I returned to the meeting room, chatted with a few people for a while, and left when the last of the out-in-the-field people did.

Sure enough, it had stopped raining. I squeegied the water from my seat as much as I could with my hand, tucked my jacket as far under my rump as I could, and took of with a mind of extra care.

I made it almost half way home when I had to turn onto the freeway. Well, I didn't have to; I could have taken another route that didn't involve the freeway, but I had chosen this one to cut the time to travel the mile from five minutes to two. I slowed to what I thought was a cautious speed, and turned on the ramp.

Suddenly my bike slid from beneath me. It wasn't quite slow motion, but it wasn't all that fast, either. I was probably riding between 15 and 20 MPH, and had either leaned too sharply for the speed, or throttled up too soon in the turn to straighten out; I had hit about 75% of the way through the turn and was about to straighten out.

The bike tilted onto its right side, and before it hit the ground, I just fell off. I landed on my arse, and tipped onto one elbow. As I did this, the highway peg hit the ground, and the bike started its slow spin to where it ended up facing the wrong way, still on its right side. Some where after my bottom hit the pavement, I tumbled over, just once, and stopped a mere 10 feet from where I started the skid, again sitting on the ground.

I hastily hopped to my feet, checked my sore elbow and knee for tears in the clothes (saw none), and gave myself a quick pat for adrenaline-hidden pain (found none). I took a few tentative steps, still fearing unknown pain, but was relieved to find myself completely in tact.

I went to my motorcycle, and as I approached it, I heard a woman call out "are you OK?" I looked around, and remembered that I was in traffic; not that I'd really forgotten, more like that realization when the car toots its horn behind you that the light has turned green and you'd stopped paying attention. I lifted my helmet's shield and with one hand gave her a thumbs-up and with the other a wave "hello." She asked if I needed any help, and I just shook my head as I grabbed the handlebars on the bike to tug it upright again. Only after I got out of the way did I realize that I hadn't said anything back to her, but just dismissed her with gestures; I didn't mean to be rude, I think I was just a little stunned.

The bike had stopped a few feet away from where I had, facing toward the oncoming traffic; thankfully there really wasn't any. It was a little past seven-o'clock, and it was still a pretty light out, so I was sure I was easy to see. The bike was completely on its side, not tipped on its wheels, as it has done when I've knocked it over. For a moment I was afraid I might not be able to lift it back up, but again the adrenaline boost helped, and it was righted with just one solid tug. I held the handbrake while I mounted up, and push-rode it onto the "shoulder."

Where I had my incident is kind of a "T" in the road. The cross of the "T" is parallel to the freeway, the left side for cars exiting, the right side for cars entering. Cars exiting can continue across the "T" as there are additional exits to the right. I was coming up the "veritcal" of the "T," and turning to the right to join the freeway when I fell. I stopped, facing the wrong way, next to the cement barrier (really a curb-high bit of sidewalk, with a signpost in the middle), and waited for the traffic that had built up behind the kind woman to pass. When it was clear, I pushed the bike back down the hill that I had just climbed.

I stopped, well, when the bike stopped rolling, and assessed the damage to the bike. The lights were still on, but the engine had stopped. The front looked OK. The right-hand mirror had been bent inward, so I bent it back, and realigned it. I couldn't tell if the handlebar was off at all; it didn't seem like it was, but it seemed like it should be. There was a bit of foam rubbed off the grip, but otherwise that all looked OK. The side of the tank, motor, and seat all looked OK. No apparent damage to the exhaust on that side.

The highway peg that had planted in the ground causing the bike to spin had been bent forward and unusable; I'll grab a pipe-wrench later and pull it back. The foot pegs, both driver and passenger, are spring-loaded and had simply folded up as designed.

The right-rear turnsignal was hanging by its wires from its mounts, the amber plastic shattered, but otherwise unscathed. I'm not sure if I can find another plastic cover, but they're designed to break off as it did, so I just need to find a hollow mounting screw and cover, and replace the bulb. While not broken, it didn't light when I tried the signal.

Nothing else looked any more banged up than it was before. I've done things that have caused the bike to tip over before, always on the right side. Someone prior to me had spilled it on the left side, so there are plenty of dings and scrapes all over the old bike. I wasn't too worried about anything on the bike; it still looked rideable--no flats, no frame bends. Everything seemed to work.

Everything except the motor. The engine would turn, but it wouldn't catch. I figured it was probably just fuel in the wrong bits as it had been tipped on its side, and it does have a gravity fuel system (that is, no fuel pump). I tried the starter a bit, let it rest, tried some more, and after a half-dozen cycles it sparked and gurgled. I pulled the choke back on and it fired right up.

I kicked it into gear, spun around, and re-tried the turn on which I had spilled. I made it this time. Instead of hitting the freeway, though, I took one of the other exits, on the other side of the railroad tracks, and continued on other back roads. I like to tell myself that it was because of the broken signal, but I'm sure it was a little bit of nerves and uncertainty regarding the condition of the bike.

I made it home without further incident. I checked out the bike again, and re-examined my person for cuts and scrapes; nothing showed through my clothes. I got in the house, and started the conversation with the wife by saying "let me start by saying I'm unharmed."

Tomorrow I'll order another tail light, and look to straighten out the bent foot peg. I'll reassess the other damage, including checking the fuel and oil lines. I did notice the foot brake depressed a lot further than it had before, but it doesn't seem out of place when at rest, so I'll have to check that out, too.

In all, a lot better than it could have been, I think.