Time-stamp: <2021-10-06 0:37>
I made a mistake. I was overtaking a line of cars, and I was just behind the leader who caused the line in the first place. I knew there was a crossing ahead, and yet I decided to pass this one, too. Next to it I saw the oncoming car. I could not have went back behind the car I was trying to pass, so instead I gave full throttle and managed to barely squeeze in. Only now there was a 90 degree right turn right ahead of me, followed by a T crossing, and I was approaching it at 130 kph. I already saw myself crashing. Only I didn't. I just so made it. Thank goodness for the XT1200's excellent suspension, ABS, and safety trainings.
First take-away: It pays off to always have a safety margin when riding. This was probably the first time when I felt I used it all up. One tiny thing on top goes wrong, and I'm in hospital or dead.
Second take-away: I'm a dumb fuck. This happened two days ago and I still feel like one. I want to apologize to the people in the two cars I put in danger because saving 20 seconds on a 4-hour ride home seemed more important than keeping everyone safe. Also the first take-away is bullshit because I caused this and therefore I'm solely responsible for riding without any margin of safety.
When I turn off the bike, the instrument panel displays »See you next time«. Instead, it should display »Don't be a dumb fuck« when I turn it on.
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✍ Wolfgang Mederle CC BY-SA 4.0
✉ <madearl+gemini@mailbox.org>
language: en
date: 2021-10-06
tags: riding, motorcycles, risk