2009 Polar Bear Ride!

[cheriann]

Our local group got together on January 1st for our annual Polar Bear ride! It was a great success again! Two chapters met up in our area and we had 17 people! Then we rode 60 miles to a nice family style diner. Along the way we met up with two other chapters local to the diner area. By the time we were ready to be seated, we had 32 people. This is SUPER great because is was SO DARN COLD! When we left our house it was 29 degrees and only averaged as high as 31 degrees for the whole ride.

I have a confession to make too....I USED to be very proud of the fact that I had never dumped my bike....until now... :'(

I was following behind Chaz and the Road Captain when we approached a sharp left turn we were taking, the kind that is almost like a u-turn AND we were on an incline uphill. I was cruising along, following Chaz into the turn. However, after Chaz crossed over, a car suddenly appeared over the hill from the other way and I had to make a sudden stop. I KNOW that is what messed me up!!! So, then I had to go into the sharp turn from a stop. I didn't pay attention to my handlebar position and I must have had it too sharply turned because when I started to throttle for the turn, my bike went down to the left, almost in slow motion.....fortunately I wasn't hurt and neither was my bike. It just fell over slowly on the crash bar. The thing that WAS hurt, was my bruised ego!! The people there were GREAT! A guy ran over and lifted my bike for me, two other riders ran ahead of me and blocked traffic coming over the hill from the other side.

I am still SO MAD at myself!!!! DUMB, DUMB, DUMB!!!!!

Well, I made a video slide show. YouTube made the pictures blurry now, but you can still get an idea of the amount of fine people that showed up to ride and break bread together for the New Year!!!

[Top Cat]

Geez that poor guy in the Steelers jacket looks like his face is ready to fall off. Man he looks cold.

Just a heads up, your avitar pic is not showing anymore. ???

[cheriann]

Originally Posted by Top Cat (TC)

Geez that poor guy in the Steelers jacket looks like his face is ready to fall off. Man he looks cold.

Just a heads up, your avitar pic is not showing anymore. ???

LOL....you noticed if my avatar picture was there or not?
Thank you!!! I'll work on that!!!

[dantama]

That is quite a mix of bikes, what is the group?

[paul]

Now that looks like a great day!

[dabull]

First, glad you are ok;) next glad you laid her down gently, next BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!

Glad ya'll had a good ride!!

Aloha

Derry

[chainsaw]

Ya see, we've all been there and it really doesn't matter. Glad you and the bike are alright. With all those clothes on and the cold weather, who could tell if your embarrassed or not.

[rlfaubion]

No blood, no foul..... Good to see motors runn'n :)

[cheriann]

Thanks for the kind words!!!

[coacha]

Glad you are ok from the drop. Sounds like a fun group and a great ride.

[pirate]

Thanks for sharing the pics. I'd give anything now to put on a couple extra layers and ride in the cold. The -20 temps and three feet of snow put the kaibosh on that, though!

[skeeter]

Dropped a bike more than once.
Learned something every time like;

a) put foot down on uphillside before looking over shoulder to the downward side.
b) keep at least one finger on the handbrake while backing up just in case you get in a bind.

Nice slides. Looks like a good time.

[cheriann]

Thanks again!

Let's see....I need to think about the lesson I learned from this....
Don't try to turn the handlebars too sharp!!! I guess I could have backed my bike up before starting, or even better, backed up at an angle facing more towards the turn!!!

[dantama]

Originally Posted by CheriAnn

Thanks again!

Let's see....I need to think about the lesson I learned from this....
Don't try to turn the handlebars too sharp!!! I guess I could have backed my bike up before starting, or even better, backed up at an angle facing more towards the turn!!!

Cheriann, this isn't to criticise you at all, so please don't take it that way, just a pointer.

I think (though I wasn't there to know) that is what probably made you go down was letting off the throttle, not turning the bars to sharply.

You can be stopped and turn the bars all the way to the stops, and pull away. It is a very uncomfortable feeling though. When the holy sh*t feeling hits, if you let off the throttle, you will go down; and letting off the throttle is probably the natural instinct in that situation. Letting out more clutch and giving more throttle is what really needs to happen in that situation.

When riding in a very slow uncomfortable situation, when the instinct to put your foot down or let off the throttle happens, the right thing to do in almost all of them is to let out more clutch and give more throttle.

I wasn't there, but that is what almost always will make you go down when in a tight slow maneuver.

[cheriann]

Hi Dan!

I'm not offended at all!! You could possibly be right! I just remember it happening so fast (at least to me at the time) After having to stop quickly, I'm sure I had turned my bars straighter for the quick stop. That put me past where I would have comfortably made the turn. So, I'm thinking that maybe you're right! I need to pay attention to that and remember what you have taught me here.
Thank you!!!