first time laid down (+ near miss)

[empress duc]

well well well...

first of all, thank god for divine timing and blessings of near misses
second of all, thank god for frame sliders

i was downtown (mass ave, just east of 7th street, in front of the
bank of america) yesterday and was attempting to navigate the
rush hour traffic. i was gonna pull into the a driveway (a left) to
make a sensible turnaround, instead of a u-turn.

i heard sirens, but couldn't determine exactly the direction. no one
around me was pulling over and i didn't see anything in the mirrors.
all clear for the left turn since the light ahead was red. unfortunately,
an emergency vehicle was traveling on the LEFT side of the road as
i was pulling off to make the left turn.

the flash of lights startled me and the vehicle swerved and flew by.
i hit the breaks quick with a lean and the wheel turned and the bike
plopped down. hit the cut-off switch.

at this point i'm thinking, *zhit, how am i gonna pick this thing up?*

by now the light had turned green and here comes traffic. *zhit, zhit, zhit*

miraculously, the bike seems light as i squat, lift, push, prop (with my leg)
one more push, hold the break, swing my leg over, start her up, pull into
the turning lane. thanks to frame sliders, no damage, tank or otherwise.

a guy on the sidewalk looks on with amazement and asks if i'm ok. i give
a nod and head on around the corner and park at my destination (less
than 1 block away).

i proceed to teach yoga class (theme: thankfulness and gratitude).
after class, i get back into my leathers, meet up with ducati culture, and
head to Rhodeside. it's a good thing i got right back to riding.

interestingly, it kinda helped me to relax a little bit. it wasn't that bad.
yes, it was slow, but i felt a little less anxious about getting the bike up
by myself. thank god it's not a bigger/heavier bike.

lesson: if there's an emergency vehicle around, when in doubt, stay put
until the sirens fade or you see the vehicle pass you. triple check the
mirrors and turn around.

thanks for reading and thanks for riding,
~~ empress duc ~~

[kc4ag]

So sorry for your drop! It always sucks, even if there's no damage. I'm glad you're not injured and that your Ducling is okay. [thumbsup] Oh, and major bonus points for getting right back in the saddle!

[Skyisthelimit]

Me being a new rider (even though i dont have a bike yet) this is my biggest fear... that i either will be in way to much shock to move and try and pick up the bike or that i wont have enough in me to pick it up. I know this really has hardly anything to do with it but just thought i might share... sorry for the drop! NO DAMAGE THOUGH!!!! [thumbsup]

[jazzi]

Glad that both you and the bike are fine....major bonus points for the way you handled it. That is definitely my biggest fear about being in traffic!!

[empress duc]

because it was slow and i had a lot of space around me,
it definitely was easier to keep my wits about me. i'm so
glad it was on a city street (vs. highway) and it was rush
hour (slower moving traffic)...

...in many ways it was kinda like the perfect opportunity
to screw up. in an odd way, this incident actually put me
at ease about dropping the bike. the frame sliders make
it WAY less scary, it's just about getting it back up and
getting out of harm's way.

thanks for the support,
~ empress ~

[yuu]

Whew - when I read the title of the thread I was a bit worried. That wasn't much mroe than a glorified drop

No matter what - good to hear that everything is fine, and it might have even been a confidence booster. Good-on-ya for getting right back on.

[ducati culture]

Well DONE ...... WB


First give thanks to the most high for thy protection [thumbsup]

Second , I was very proud to see you in the saddle immediately without outside encouragement
a lot of times we are very reserved about getting right back on but its the best thing you can do and you did very well. [clap] [clap]