So back when I was younger and foolish, I decided a motorcycle was a good idea. I bought a used Kawasaki Ninja 600R. Not my first bike...I had a Honda CBR450 (I think) when I was younger. The 600R is not super big for those who are crazy riders, but definitely a crotch rocket plenty quick enough for me and more than enough bike to get you into trouble. I was no daredevil on the thing, but it had enough power to pucker you up if you hit the throttle too hard.
I had been riding it pretty much daily for about 6 months when I was cruising along some winding back roads near where I grew up one day and decided to test my skills and nerve on some nice turns and such. Everything was fine until I gave just a hair too much throttle as I crested (what I did not know was a slightly steeper hill on the other side). Came over the hill and the front wheel came up and I was pretty much weightless and doing an unintentional wheelie for about 100 yards. Did not know I had so much pucker power in my backside, but that's pretty much what held me to the damn thing. Scared the living bejeezus out of me. Lucky for me there was a straight stretch for a bit and I eased the wheel back down. Thinking about it afterward, I could have just tapped the rear brake a bit and it would have brought the nose down but at the time I was just hanging on for dear life.
So being young and foolish, I did NOT learn a whole lot that day and many days later after being fully confident in my riding skills, I decided to see just how fast this thing would go. I was on I-66 out past Haymarket (which back in the 90's was pretty barren at night). It was about 10 at night and I hit 80 then 90, then 100 like it was nothing. Tucked down really low, chest on the tank and head down behind the very minimal windscreen and hit it. I was doing 120 like it was nothing. Although I could really hear the wind and feel the road. I topped out about 130 and although the bike probably had a little more in it....I DID NOT. I let off the throttle and started to "slow"
SO, let me tell you something I learned that night and will never forget: If you are brave (foolish) enough to ride a bike at that speed on an open highway, here is something you should never ever ever do at that speed. DO NOT lift your head, even a tiny little bit. Which I did.
The wind, which had previously been roaring over the windscreen and my empty head, smacked me in the face shield like I had been hit by a baseball bat. Physical dynamics being what they are, the snapping back of my head lifted me higher and when the wind hit me in the chest it very nearly jerked me off the bike. I mean my arms grew longer and I very nearly let go of the handlebars. I was at the extreme edge of grip at the tip of my fingers when I slowed enough for me to lower myself back down. I was about 25 and a very active athlete at the time, and had I not had a pretty solid core, I am 100% certain I would have launched from that thing and altered my life forever. I had already let off the throttle and started to slow - I would guess somewhere around 110 when I relaxed and lifted my head. At 130 or or even 120 I'm sure I would not have held on. I just wasn't thinking.
That was a lesson I Did learn from and never made that mistake again. Pretty sure God was telling me in both circumstances that I did not have quite as much control or power as I thought I did. I did take these lessons to heart and managed to survive my Ninja days with only laying the bike down one minor time and suffering no real injuries. I had the bike for 4 or 5 years and then met my current wife, fell in love and forgot the bike. Had her on the back of it ONCE when we were dating. She did not enjoy it, and I didn't either. It's not really meant for 2. I kept it and rode it off and on until she got pregnant with our twins and decided I better be around to help raise them. Gave the bike to a friend who had been a rider his whole life. Although he was more of a Harley guy at that point.
I see guys riding these monster rockets like 1000cc racing bikes wearing tank tops, shorts, and flip-flops and think...."how stupid can you be" I was young and dumb, but not THAT dumb.
Anyway, true story. Lived through it, don't need to do it again. Sometimes I think a nice cruising bike would be nice, but meh...my knees and back hurt enough already without a life altering bike incident.
Pretty sure my Ninja was an '86. I owned it in the mid-90's. Think I paid like $3k for it and it did not have a lot of miles on it (maybe 30K). I did enjoy it, and rode it almost every day (NOT in Dec - Feb). I think I put 30k miles on it myself, so got my money's worth and lived through it.
Rode it with a buddy down to the "Honda Hoot" in Asheville, NC (sometime in the light 90's) where they used to have an annual week long Honda rally there. My family is from down there, so I know the area and it's beautiful place to ride. I only got minor grief for riding a Ninja there.
I see the 2015 Ninja H2 will go 209mph. Yikes. 130 was too much for me.
found a pic online of what mine looked like...it was red/black (not the Kawasaki green)
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