The Walk Around

The-Walk-AroundThe article “The Walk Around” by Bud Miller/Zen Motorcyclist was originally published on the “RoadRUNNER Motorcycle Touring & Travel” magazine website on 12/16/2012.

There have been a few occasions on which I failed to do a quick “walk around” before setting off on a ride. It’s easy to forget sometimes, we get in a hurry and want to hit the road and, honestly, how often do things just stop working on today’s modern bikes? It does happen on occasion, though, and can cause dangerous situations that can be avoided if you take your time and check a few things.

On one occasion I did something I almost never do. I left in a hurry and took my motorcycle. The previous night I had done some work on the bike, which necessitated removal of the seat. Now at the time I carried a spare helmet on the seat behind me secured with bungee webbing. After I put the seat back on I apparently failed to secure the spare helmet. I live on a mountain of sorts, so a mile down the road on a steep hill I felt something slide into my back, I reached around and sure enough, my spare helmet was rolling around back there. I pulled over on what I thought was a flat section, put the 4-ways on, and got off to secure the helmet. The V-Strom has a notoriously short kickstand and the slope was enough to cause the bike to topple over once I had dismounted.

The topple-over knocked loose the kickstand sensor on the handlebar so I was unable to start the bike once I’d lifted it. As a result, I was forced to roll quietly down the hill to a flat spot where I could safely reattach the sensor. Of course, during all this at least three cars passed by and offered me assistance. “Dropped it” was all I could say, “Well, we’ve all been there,” was the reply. It was an embarrassing episode but one that drove home the importance of not leaving in a hurry or without doing a walk-around.

On another occasion I was on my way home from work when a truck failed to see me and started pulling forward. I reached for the air-horn and to my shock got nothing. Apparently, one of the connections to the horn had worked itself loose leaving me with no way to warn the driver. Luckily, I hit the brakes and he saw me at the last second.

I’ve had other incidents over the years that weren’t my fault, as I’m sure we all have; but these two wouldn’t have happened had I taken my time and stuck to my safety plan. A quick walk around can keep you from potential disaster. I do a better job of it now, after these incidents, but thought it worth mentioning.

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