On returning from France I took my bike to the nearest dealer who happened to have a laser jig to see if the frame was bent as the handlebars were always at a slight angle. This later turned out to be a slightly bent fork sent by a dodgy breakers yard when I was rebuilding it (doh!). This dealer happened to be a local Honda dealer and had an ex demonstrator Blade at a knock down price.
It was love at first sight. It was so light compared to the ZZR. It had a gorgeous red tank - it's nice to have sometning red and throbbing between one's thighs (very symbolic) and those gorgeous fox eyed headlights. It WOULD be mine... oh yes it WOULD be mine. I HAD considered a secondhand ZZR1100 but fancied something a bit more sporty as I had ground down the footpegs on the current ZZR600 to a point almost.
Thus, one phonecall to the insurers later (eep!) and one grovel to the bank manager, I signed the dotted line.
It was fantastic. I picked it up on my 26th birthday and rode the life out of it as if it was still my ZZR, touching it down at every bend (only this bike had a lot more ground clearence so I had to be hanging quite far over to do be doing this). I generally rode like a complete silly person intoxicated by its power, torque, and sheer ease at going round bends, faster and faster, searching for the limit until..........
CRASHES & NEAR MISSES
.......I eventually found it :-( 'Twas a hot July day and I was doing a locum as the second on call for psychiatry at our local hospital (Arrowe Park). This was great as I could do it from home. I had just attended to someone in A&E and was on my way home (early warm summer evening). "I know" I thought, "Let's go the fun way home", which involved going around 2 roundabouts at Clatterbridge hospital and a few twisties after that.
I had previously had no probs touching the ZZR down on the roundabout section but to do it on the Blade needed a lot more lean and speed. Thus I banked the bike over at about 70mph around a very tight bend (for those who know, Dutton Forshaw's roundabout by hospital) and hit the footrest against the floor. Unfortunately, so hard that the back wheel lost grip and gently slid from underneath me... the classic "low side". The Blade slid away and I slid across the tarmac and into the kerb and onto the grass verge. It was at this point I realised a very sharp burning pain in my right leg and I suddenly realised I hadn't worn any leathers, just M&S pants as I'd been looking "respectable" for the patients. Ouch! Bad move.
I also became aware of a very severe pain in my sacrum and was convinced I had broken my pelvis (typical medic, always thinking the worst!) It was also at this point that my pager went off in my pocket (God only knows how it survived) which was A&E hassling me to come and see someone else.
I was not concussed (unfortunately!) and felt all the pain nicely but like a good girl, just lay there and waited whilst someone called an ambulance to come and put me on a spinal board. Thus began a very frantic relationship with some Entonox.. good stuff ! Below are the visible results of my injuries...
Oooo that'll teach me to wear leathers next time.
I still have problems sitting down to this day.
Luckily, nothing was broken on me. Just one skinned leg and a very bruised and battered bottom.. ok well nasty coccydenia and some cutaneous sacral nerve damage which meant pain on sitting up to 4 years later.
Interstingly, the hospital continued to page me. The suicidal alcoholic gentleman had to be informed that the doctor who was due to see him was just arriving on that gurney over there (sucking on the gas for all she was worth). I guess they shoud have just wheeled me up to him so I could take a history and said "You think YOU'VE got problems!" Needless to say my nearest and dearest were not impressed and thought they were bringing in a dead body at one point .. ooops sorry :-(
But what of the bike...? Well, 10 days after purchasing it, it was in a very sorry condition. I went to view it at the scrap yard the next day; bent frame, knackered exhaust and one trashed fairing. I was convinced "I can fix it, I can fit it !" but the mechanics from Marriots who came to pick it up just looked grim and said nothing. No surprise to learn it would cost more to fix than the bike was worth.. i.e. a write off... bugger.
It was at this point I was happy the insurance company had insisted on fully comprehensive insurance. One claim (with very heavy loading the next year) and 2 months later (and a small cash injection from locuming my guts out) I was the proud owner of a brand new P reg CBR900RRT.. exactly the same colour as the first.......
for more on the Blade..
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