October 16, 2007; Hillsboro, Texas  

Traveling through Hillsboro on highway 22.   Traffic is heavy (in a Hillsboro kind of way).   A stop light looms before me.   This stop light has always been in the same location.   No big surprise that it is currently red (they do that sometimes).   I see its red and stop, the girl behind me doesn't.   The scenario is this; I'm not moving; she keeps moving; strikes the rear end of my bike.  

CRASH!  

"DAMN", I say to myself.  

Now at this point, I still would have been in pretty good shape, might have stayed with the bike.   Unfortunately there is a pickup in front of me.  

CRASH!  

I'm now on the pavement, lying on my side, amazed that I'm not being intimate with the tailgate of the truck.   I kinda check myself for injuries, get to my hands and knees, recheck myself, and then get up on my knees.   By this time the girl that hit me is out of her car asking if I'm alright and telling me she has insurance.  

I remember saying, "You better have insurance".  

Bike is on its side.   Everyone asking me if I'm ok (you draw quite the crowd when you go down on a bike).   Police are called.   I pick up my windshield off the pavement.  

The bike looks a mess.  

The day had been cool (at 70 miles an hour), but not while standing out on the pavement and I get out of my leather.   I have one skinned place on my right arm, the only injury that i got from the accident.   I attribute this in part to 1) wearing leather and a helmet; 2) my superb physical conditioning; 3) the Motorcycle Gods were smiling that day.  

The police show up and were extremely proffesional.   A mini-van from a local radio/tv (who knows) station shows up and I'm thinking I'm gonna get an interview.   No such luck!   No broken body or gore to talk about, so off he goes.   The tow truck driver bends the fenders out away from the tires so I can drive it up on the truck and I watch it go off.  

Everyone leaves.   I'm waiting for a friend to come and take me to Stephenville.   Several people stop and ask if I'm alright, if i need a ride, that they had seen the wreck.  

I pick the bike up the next day from the towing company.   It's in much better shape than I remember (both of these pictures taken before loading into my truck).   It's off to Streamline Cycles in Stephenville to let them begin the rebuilding process.  

Many thanks to:

      Hillsboro Police Dept.

      The truck driver that stopped and helped pick up my bike

      Robert (Slag Daddy) Harris for giving me a ride

      All the people that asked if I was ok and offered a ride

      Progressive Insurance (very professional and helpful)

      Streamline Cycles, Stephenville, Texas (did a great job)

Got the bike back on December 13 and the weather has been totally crappy ever since.  

Remember, it's not the destination, it's the journey that matters.