08-14-2018, 08:33 AM
speaking on bucket-listers, I can't believe how appropriate this conversation was to what I saw just today: On my way back from the grocery store with my wife, i was sitting in the passenger side of her car as we sat in the left turn lane waiting for our chance to turn into our neighborhood. Along comes an older gentleman in the opposite direction, grey hair (guess how i could tell? no helmet), heavy build, riding a large classic-style harley touring bike. it had the full outfit, leather bags, floorboards, front and rear crash bars, huge windshield, all that. as he approached the right turn into our neighborhood, i pointed to him and said to my wife, " that's a bucket-lister right there."
She responds "what do you mean?" as i started to explain precisely what the term means, this guy starts to make his right turn. i could see he was a little unsteady from the moment he started his turn, then his floorboard scraped, he lost control and suffered a very low speed lowside right there in the intersection. I couldn't believe it. pulling over to check on him, he wasn't hurt really but looked extremely flustered and upset. he just kept saying "i dunno what happened...i dunno what happened..." I helped him pick up the bike and walk it off the road. he made a phone call ( i think to his son) and we had a short conversation while he waited. turns out I had pegged him exactly right. he had never really ridden before and this was his first bike, a bike that i now had first hand experience was extremely heavy. He insisted he was fine so my wife and i continued home. afterwards i went back out (actually to put some gas in my own bike) and rode by the spot again to see him and a younger man loading the harley into a trailer.
That's a guy I worry about.
She responds "what do you mean?" as i started to explain precisely what the term means, this guy starts to make his right turn. i could see he was a little unsteady from the moment he started his turn, then his floorboard scraped, he lost control and suffered a very low speed lowside right there in the intersection. I couldn't believe it. pulling over to check on him, he wasn't hurt really but looked extremely flustered and upset. he just kept saying "i dunno what happened...i dunno what happened..." I helped him pick up the bike and walk it off the road. he made a phone call ( i think to his son) and we had a short conversation while he waited. turns out I had pegged him exactly right. he had never really ridden before and this was his first bike, a bike that i now had first hand experience was extremely heavy. He insisted he was fine so my wife and i continued home. afterwards i went back out (actually to put some gas in my own bike) and rode by the spot again to see him and a younger man loading the harley into a trailer.
That's a guy I worry about.