Motorcycles Are Dangerous, Part II

Ugh, it still makes my stomach do little somersaults when I see this picture. Seeing bikes on their sides always does that to me, but it is definitely worse when the bike in question is yours.

I decided to check out Joshua Tree National Park on my way to LA. I've never been as impressed by deserts as by forests and waterfalls and things like that, but it came highly recommended, so I figured I'd take a ride through it.

As I started riding through the park, I began thinking about just how functional the DL might be in the dirt. I had heard stories that the stock Bridgestone Trailwings (and the Metzler Tourance that replaced my punctured stock rear tire, for that matter) were essentially useless in mud or sand, but they seemed fine on the hard dirt and gravel I had ridden on so far (which amounted to less than 5 miles at most, so that doesn't mean much).

I saw a turnoff that looked interesting and the sand didn't look very deep, so I slowed down and turned off to check it out. At first I was fine, but then the hand of God reached down from the heavens and just smacked my ass down.

Ouch.

Luckily, the DL and I both survived without too much damage. Thankfully, I was smart enough to install Givi Engine Guards on the bike, and they saved me a WHOLE lotta damage and heartache. I figure they have now already payed for themselves several times over. I'm also glad I didn't go with hard saddle bags, since I suspect the left one would have been pretty hammered in this "mishap" unless I'd gone for the really expensive (like a thousand bucks) aluminum or steel ones. My long-suffering Chase Harper saddle bags were champs, though, and - filled with dirty laundry - seemed to actually act as a cushion for the rear of the bike. My Givi trunk (which I had already removed from the bike in this picture so I could lift the DL) never detached and kept my laptop and other goodies intact. If only it came with internet virus protection built in...

Oh, and I'm basically ok. My left arm and shoulder are sore from landing on them and my ego is bruised pretty badly, but all in all it could have been much worse.

C'est la tour...