Tonight was one heck of a ride, guys. And a real testamonial to the Spyder's ability to handle adverse conditions.
So here it is; I started out from work dry, but it was 68 and very humid. 10 minutes in, it started to rain. It rained for a while. The rain turned into this sticky drizzle.At one point I had to take evasive action to keep from getting hit from the side by a woman on her cell phone. It was a great move and 14 pulled it off like a champ, especially given the conditions.
I got off the freeway, into the mountains and rode right into a blinding, rainy fog. It was so humid though I couldn't keep my visor from fogging. So I rode on, cutting up the twisties while rain pelted my face. 14 got wicked loose a few times but never lost it. Then I rode up into and through the top of the fog layer. That part was actually cool!
I got a brief break while over the top and I was thankful for it. But alas, it was time to come back down. And the fog was even thicker now. ZERO vis. And it happened. I couldn't see the entry into a tight right hander and started the turn waaay late. As I fought to get my line back, the @ss end broke lose and she started to slide.
There was a brief second there when I figured I was going to wreck; you are scared a bit but there is a kind of acceptance. You just hope you're not going to get hurt too bad. And you worry about the bike. But I didn't give up; I kept the wheels pointing in the right direction and stayed with it. And 14 recovered! It was amazing, frightening and a rush all at the same time. Had I been on a 2-wheeler, I don't think the outcome would have been as good. 14 really showed her metal on this night.
When I finally got off the mountain I found a place to pull over and got off the bike. I couldn't believe what just went down! I took a deep breath, thanked the Big Guy, and thanked my trusty Spyder. The rest of the ride home was mercifully uneventful. When I got home, I looked the bike over just to make sure she didn't take any damage, gave her a good wipe-down and wrapped her up for the night. Another epic ride in the books.
I am a Spyder Ryder, and proud of it.
