. . . One More Time
Replacing control levers is a fact of life with a motorcycle
The son was cautious when it came to riding with me. After all, I was the one that had dropped his BRAND NEW Ninja pushing it out of it's hiding space in the garage to give him as a college graduation present.
The clutch control lever broke.
Then I dropped my Harley while we were riding. My front brake lever broke - along with my collar bone.
(Here's a video of us rolling out that day)
I replaced his clutch lever and placed an order for my brake lever.
So, three weeks later when I ask "Want to ride the bikes 'round the block?" he hesitates.
"Uh... okay," he mutters.
He suits up, backs out of the garage and is gone before I can even get my boots on. I knew he was nervous, but not that much.
I head out and circle the neighborhood several times without seeing him. I thought if we were missing each other he could just stop and listen - the Harley could be heard around the block. But no sign of him.
I pull in, undress and go inside. A few minutes later he comes storming in, still dressed in riding gear. He walks up to me and holds his hand out, waiting for me to accept whatever he was holding. I hold out my hand.
It's a nib from a lever.
He yanks his helmet off.
"I dropped it," he says "At the gas station. I parked, got off, and turned to the pump. When I turned back to the bike, it was falling on me."
"That," he says, nodding at the nib in my hand, "is from the clutch lever you replaced yesterday."
He was not hurt - other than a couple of bruises (a maybe one on his ego). Now he sees how easily it is to lose control of a motorcycle and how quickly an accident can happen.
"No biggie," I told him. "It only take 5 minutes to replace."
Needing to replacing broken motorcycle levers is a fact of riding.
I prefer the bike being broken than him.
Perhaps it's time for some frame sliders.
