Almost two and a half years ago, I wrecked my 2016 Kawasaki Vulcan Vaquero. I slipped on some coolant in the road, a patch over 100ft long and a couple of feet wide. Didn’t see it, bike fell out from under me, and while I slid head-first, face-up, it slid on one side, pirouetted, caught traction, flipped over on the other side, and spun again. Luckily, I wasn’t too injured, at least not physically. Mentally though, I was quite shaken.
I never did get comfortable again while riding the Vaquero after the accident. I still rode it though, over 1,000 miles before trading it in. Most rides would start out OK, only to fall apart. It got bad enough that I experienced tunnel vision on my commute home, and I even thought about giving up riding. After almost a year and a half of that, I got my 2019 Harley Street Glide Special.
The day after I bought it was a work day, and chilly but clear skies, so I decided to ride the new bike to work. Coming home, I rode through the scene of my accident, froze up, and barely made the turn (visible in the pictures below). On the Vaquero, I had avoided the intersection where it happened, and after that day on the Harley, I decided to continue avoiding it. I’d take a different exit, or a different route home altogether.
Today, after 1 year of ownership of my Harley, I was commuting home and decided to ride past where I wrecked…
And I did it! Smooth as butter, fluid, rode right through that intersection like it was nothing. It’s so exciting to have conquered my fear!
That is all.
Oh, here are some pictures I snapped at the scene, right after it happened (and after a driver stopped and helped me pick the bike up):
-John
Wonderful success story! Congratulations 🎉