I. Introduction

      A. The day I wrecked my motorcycle, was the day that my life was changed forever.

            1. eye-opening

            2. possibly a blessing in disguise

      B. The cause of my accident can best be explained as ignorance and overconfidence.

            1. white van locked his brakes

            2. laid it down in the road

II. Ever since that day, I have been dealing with the effects of that motorcycle wreck.

      A. injuries to myself

            1. arm scuffed up

            2. leg bruised and shirt ripped

            3. minor chest pains

            4. very lucky

      B. effects to my motorcycle

            1. gas tank dented

            2. front and back fenders bent

            3. turn signals and mirror broken

            4. exhaust pipes scuffed up

      C. money situation

            1. repairs made out of my pocket

            2. long project

      D. lesson I learned

            1. people don't look for motorcycles

            2. pretend I'm invisible when I ride

            3. drive slower and more cautiously

III. Conclusion

      A. having fun and being dumb are two totally different things

The day I wrecked my motorcycle was the day that my life was changed forever. It was a very eye-opening experience for me as a young bike rider. Whenever I heard about a bike rider having an accident, I thought, " No way is that going to happen to me." Boy was I wrong! I'm here to tell you that people don't care about motorcycles. Most would just soon run over you as look at you. In my case, I don't know what the fellow who caused the accident was thinking, but his bad driving and my lack of caution have cost me a lot. That's the way that life goes though, and perhaps that little accident was sort of a blessing. Even though I love these great machines, since then I have realized how dangerous motorcycles are, and so I have also learned to be more cautious when I ride.

The cause of my accident was really my ignorance and overconfidence. The day of my accident started in a normal way. I decided to ride my bike to school because it was such a beautiful day. Well, I hadn't gotten a quarter of a mile from my house when a fool in a white van just completely locked his brakes up in front of me. I was following a little too closely, never expecting such a stuped move, and my only way out of the situation was to lay my bike right down in the road.

When the wreck was over, I was fine except for a skinned up arm. At first the situation felt unreal. I jumped right up and immediately picked my motorcycle up. Don't ask how I did it, but I did. The old drunk who was driving the van was mumbling something about a dog, but I just ran to the first house and called my Dad. When I got back to the bike, the driver and his van were gone and I have never seen either of them again. Ever since that day, I have been dealing with the effects of that motorcycle wreck.

As for me personally, I sustained just a few really minor injuries. The biggest was to my left arm. It had a serious case of road rash on it. The name pretty much says it all. Take my word for it, it hurts. That took a few weeks to heal, but I'm good as new now. I also bruised my leg and cut my shirt up, but nothing besides my arm was really hurt. The last thing was that I had a minor pain in my chest, but x-rays said that everything was fine. I am what you would call one of the lucky ones. Motorcycle wrecks can be fatal, but somehow I got up and walked away. I have no doubt in my mind that I had someone watching over my shoulder that morning.

The biggest effect of the accident was the damage it did to my motorcycle. The road was very harsh to her, and it took its toll. Right after the wreck, when I pulled it to the side of the road and hit the key, she fired right up. There was no engine damage done to it at all, so that was the best news that I had. The worst damage was done to the gas tank and both the front and back fenders. Each was banged up pretty badly.

Other little odds and ends were messed up too. The turn signals were totally beyond repair, so I stripped them off. The right hand mirror was broken, so instead of riding around with seven years of bad luck, I took it off. Next to go was the sissy bar. It was ripped up and wasn't worth fixing. The exhaust pipes were also scuffed pretty badly. I took all my graduation money and bought a brand new set of pipes, and I also purchased a new stretch tank. I'm in the midst of repairing the tank and fenders now. My Dad's boss, Bruce Alexander, is going to help fix my bike. Trust me, if anyone can repair it, he can.

Another huge effect of the wreck was the way that it has hit my money. The accident happened in May of this year, and I'm still not finished with paying off everything. To keep my insurance from going through the roof, I've made the repairs out of my own pocket. It has been a long, tedious project, but I'll finish it one day. The way I see it is that it gives me something to work for, and I can add a little at a time and get it like I want it. I'm in no hurry because I probably will never have my bike exactly the way I want it. I'm always thinking of new ideas and concepts for my machine. I'll do as much as my checkbook allows me to do for my motorcycle.

The final effect of the accident, I would say, is the lesson that I learned. Unlike some people in motorcycle wrecks, I was lucky enough to walk away with a lesson learned. I realized very quickly that people don't look for motorcycles. A lot of the time, I'm not even there in the eyes of some motorists. What I do when I ride my bike is to pretend that I am invisible, and I assume that no one sees me. This might mean slowing down a lot, or driving more cautiously, but it's a small price to pay for avoiding another accident. Never again do I want to experience what I did in May, because next time I might not be as lucky. In closing I want to say that I still have a ton of fun on my bike, but having fun and being dumb are two totally different things.