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  • Adrenaline

    Too much is not enough
    Nobody said this stuff makes any sense
    We're hooked again


    We were hard over in the corner when she let me know we had a problem.

    Point of no return
    See how the buildings burn
    Light up the night
    Such pretty sight


    Pushing it to the limit, hanging off the left of the bike, the perfect tension on the bars, and punching it hard out of the corner. The scream of tortured metal sounded as the Kuryakyn cruising peg mounted on the crash bar left another tenth of an inch of metal on the road in a glorious shower of sparks. The spring loaded driver’s peg was folded and the edge of my boot grew hot as I ruined yet another sole.

    Oh yeah.

    That’s what we were made for. Some of the most challenging roads in the nation are not all that far away. Some of these city-born twisties can simply kick your ass if you underestimate ‘em, especially when you toss in a couple thousand cages with every mile of freeway.

    Adrenaline keeps me in the game
    Adrenaline you don't even feel the pain
    Wilder than your wildest dreams
    When you're going to extremes
    It takes adrenaline


    Yeah. That’s what we do...and generally we do it very, very well.

    But she bobbled. Accelerating hard, just as the throttle hit the stop, she bobbled. It wasn’t much, but in a maximum performance turn on a long, sweeping downhill ramp, nearly surrounded by high-speed highway traffic, with no room to maneuver other than what I had already carved out, it was enough.

    Sail through an empty night
    It's only you and I who understand
    There is no plan


    “This ain’t the time babe.”

    “Sorry boss. We’ve got a problem.”

    “No sh!t.”

    Yeah, I talk to my machines. They talk back. Doesn’t take long...that exchange started and finished before the bobble did.

    You don’t talk to your’s? Maybe you should start. They’ll tell you a lot...if you’re listening. Usually prevents lots of swearing later anyway.

    The bobble was exciting, and almost fatal. The Kuryakyn, which I’d just been feathering as it slowly turned into molten metal on the road, touched down hard. It’s attached to a crash bar. Hard parts. Parts that don’t give. There are exceptions...but the general gist is that ya don’t want to drag those.

    Get closer to the thrill
    Only time will kill
    What's in your eyes
    Is so alive


    The suspension unloaded a bit. That’s bad. I eased off the throttle a bit...chopping it would have catapulted me off the road...the hard power was part of the turn dynamic. This far in, I couldn’t make it without it.

    Adrenaline keeps me in the game
    Adrenaline you don't even feel the pain
    Wilder than your wildest dreams
    When you're going to extremes
    It takes adrenaline


    The front tire slipped...just a little. With the forces in play, it doesn’t take much. She nearly highsided me. We bobbled some more. I watched the hole in traffic I wanted to be a part of and put everything else out of my mind. Head down and ride!

    Yeah, we’d make it. We work well together. I grinned and twisted the throttle again. I was starting to understand the handling difference and use it to my advantage. We cleared the concrete barrier by at least a foot.

    Run through the speed of sound
    Every thing slows you down
    And all color that surrounds you
    Are bleeding to the walls
    All the things you really need
    Just wait to find the speed
    Then you will achieve
    Escape velocity


    Shortly, I joined the throngs of traffic, under control, but not really safe...a 40 foot wide concrete canyon with hundreds of speeding cars hurtling their way toward oblivion at around 120 feet per second is never really safe.

    Fun though. Nothing quite like a little adrenaline to remind you that you’re alive.

    Adrenaline
    Screaming out your name
    Adrenaline
    you don't even feel the pain
    Wilder than your wildest dreams
    When you're going to extremes
    It takes adrenaline


    “What the hell was that all about?” I picked the least dangerous lane, but I didn’t slow down. Not yet. That’d be really dangerous.

    “Dunno boss. Bad tire? Maybe a bearing? Something’s not right in the rear.”

    “You okay to get us home?” I knew the answer before I asked.

    “Oh hell yeah! We are SO not stopping here.”

    I laughed out loud at that. We know each other well. She and I.

    So, home we went. A typical commute...in the next 20+ miles, very seldom did we drop under 80mph, and that was on the surface streets.

    I popped her onto the center stand in my driveway. The problem was obvious. Three large screws in the rear tire. Five PSI. Yeah, that can be an issue.

    Not sure where or when I picked them up. The pressure was fine when I left this morning.

    I’ll pull it tomorrow after work and see if it’s patchable. I don’t have time to attend to it tonight.

    I guess I’ll have to take the cage to work in the morning. Maybe it’ll even start.

    Hmmm...I wonder where I’ve left the keys to that thing?

    (Adrenaline)
    You don't even feel the pain
    You don't even feel the pain
    I'm going to extremes
    There is nothing in between
    You don't even feel the pain


    CUAgain,
    Daniel Meyer
    http://lifeisaroad.com

    Lyrics are from the song, Adrenaline, by Gavin Rossdale
    CUAgain,
    Daniel Meyer
    Author. Adventurer. Electrician.
    Find out why...It's About the Ride.

  • #2
    The front tire slipped...just a little. With the forces in play, it doesn’t take much. She nearly highsided me. We bobbled some more.

    Riding back to my shop on 880 (last year on the G) had run over a bunch of construction staples.
    Picked up several in both front and rear, lucky they were small diameter and traffic was running only 50 mph. The air leaked slowly enough to let me get to the shop.
    Bikes sure handle different with near flat tires.


    Adrenaline rush...
    when so bold, to split lanes at over a hundred fold
    adrenaline high is where I'm at, less than a heart beat from going splat
    thoughts of things that could go wrong, get dismissed as I zip along
    cages to the left, cages to the right, all there lights so bright
    down the center line, long right sweep...bowing under a side mirror, my head I keep
    powering out the turn, oh ya... the adrenaline burns
    when adrenaline kicks in time slows down
    a mans greatest high with strength and speed that help to get by
    would like to be aware like this all the time
    instead of just riding thru the dream, not just when $hit happens I scream
    adrenaline provides the greatest high with strength and speed that help to get by
    most times it is enough to keep you out of the ruff
    but when beyond control, murphy san demands a toll
    just not this time please, I just polished the merriam


    mro

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    • #3
      Ahh Danny, putting the music of life to the music of the soul....
      Marty in NW PA
      Gone - 1978E - one of the first XS11 made
      Gone - 2007A FJR - the only year of Dark Red Metallic
      This IS my happy face.

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