Born to be wild
Maybe I shouldn’t admit it but I was a wild and crazy lead footed kid… like when I bought my first motorcycle… It’s a miracle I didn’t die. I was seventeen and it was a six year old 1962 Triumph Thunderbird 650. I was attracted to the high rise handlebar and intrigued by what promised to be roaring great fun!
Well the first thing I did was ride to Interstate 75 and open it up… I mean full throttle… to see how fast it would go!… Well, when the 120 MPH speedometer approached 100 it had begun to bounce so wildly that I couldn’t really say how fast I was traveling. There was so much vibration it was impossible to tell but I suspect I was doing at least 90… then the cool high rise handlebar (they call them ape hangars) spun in its two mounting brackets lurching me backward! That was a little scary… so I slowed down below the speed limit and gently pushed the handlebar back to an upright position.
I figure angels were riding with me! People die on motorcycles… mostly because of riding too fast for conditions.
I think that incident was meant to teach me a lesson… It did make a strong impression but the lesson wasn’t quite over yet. With the handlebar back in position I rode cautiously the rest of the way home. I made it to my driveway and as I slowly leaned into the driveway the left side of the handlebar broke at the mounting bracket. Fortunately, I was able to control my stop with the right side handlebar.
Turns out the handlebar was a bicycle handlebar which is less beefy and has a smaller diameter than the actual motorcycle handlebar. The handlebars had been rigged to fit in the Triumph brackets with shims (strips of thin metal to take up the slack). I discovered that the homemade metal shims had sharp edges and rotating had been cutting into the handlebar weakening the area where the bracket clamped the shim finally breaking in my driveway.
Please always use proper riding gear and only properly engineered accessories for your motorcycle. And above all, please ride safe.
That goes for all you cage dwellers as well… please drive aware and drive safe!
Code of the road
If you’re not a motorcycle rider you may have wondered why riders signal when passing each other on the road. This is usually a downward or side extension of the left arm or nod of the head if the left hand is busy. It’s a friendly and respectful gesture symbolizing that all riders are brothers and sisters.
I believe the spoken message would be… Congratulations, I see you’re still alive too!
Ed’s Website – Rides page 4
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