Right...so after a recent post (
http://www.zx10r.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,8959.0.html) I decided to make the most of my lunch hour (well ok, its not technically as I work from home but it makes it sound better) and get on the bike and do some wheelie practice! Thanks to truescot and Horse (as always)
I roll the bike out the garage and pop round to my friends sandwich shop for a quick bit of bacon courage and a brew. "After all, this country was built on tea and I ain't going to war without one"....
20 mins later and back in the saddle I head for a well known car manufacturer plant to attempt this wheelies. Lots of straight bits, roundabout, more straight bits. So...stomach in my mouth...I start rolling....I am perf0rming a mantra into my helmet...."2nd Gear, 6-8k revs...throttle on....clutch in...clutch out".."2nd Gear, 6-8k revs...throttle on....clutch in...clutch out"..."2nd Gear, 6-8k revs...throttle on....clutch in...clutch out"
Now....the first few times I did it...the bike just lurched a lot and made some funny sounds. Not good...but finally...after trying to find the timing I managed to get it pretty close. Now AndyJ always tells me its just the suspension expanding and nothing really happening. So I try again until I can feel the front wheel go really light....its starting to happen. I couple of times I definately got the wheel of the ground.
Not wanting to completely burn the clutch out and thinking I should go home...I open the bike up and fuck off towards the other exit to the estate. Doing about 130-140....brake hard....over speed ramp...only thing left is do a right at the little lights...and I'm away....erm....NO!!!!
I turn right to be confronted by what can only be described as a bikers worse nightmare (esp 1 who has just been nearly 3 times the limit (50) and hooning around)....about 5 cop cars...2 unmarked cop cars and about 50 coppers. Holy Mother of Christ and all the orphans....fuck fuck fuck.
Right...pootle past Andy..no worries...even give them a nod! Now, the next feeling is abit like that which you get when your driving examiner tells you to do an emergency stop. A cross between sheer panic and relief that he's finally asked you. The copper stands in my path and waves me to pull over....He walks over to me, with 2 other coppers in tow. I flip MY BLACK AS FOOK VISOR up and switch my engine with the two NO BAFFLE AKKY CANS off. He looks at the fledgling rozzer behind him who hands him some paperwork.
"Excuse me sir...sorry to stop you...but...?" At this point I am waiting for him to make an example of me infront of the two new coppers and show them how to fill in all the necessary paperwork. Speeding, Dangerous Driving, Due Care and Attention, Visor, Cans...etc etc! I can feel my arse sucking the bike up my crack.
".....we are stopping people here today for help with a recent hijacking of a lorry? I was wondering if you could help us". Now you don't need to be a Sherlock Holmes or Inspector morse to work out how I was feeling....
"Sorry mate", I said...."..but I don't come here often, was just taking a shortcut home..sorry can't be of much help"...." He smiled, and said he thanked me for my help. Took my name and details to show he'd asked me and waved me off....with a passing comment of "Nice bike". Ha ha...brilliant.
So I went passed the other army of police, who by this time has a queue of vehicles to ask the same question to....I felt relived and less picked on.
I get onto the roundabout and decide to go the quick way back...however in my haste to get away I had forgot to change gear....and was still sitting in 1st. I accelarated with a fair bit of heavy right hand without realising this basic error. Without any hesitation...UP COME THE FRONT WHEEL!!! Like a trooper....I didn't know whether to shit myself or cry with elation!
....who'd have thunk it?
Things just never happen how you plan em