jfryhayes@aol.com
Training Wheels
In May of 2013 I took the MSF basic rider course and on the 21st, a Friday, bought my starter bike from a coworker. It was my 2006 C10 and at that time it had 8,907 pampered miles - not a scratch, not a spec of dust.
It was raining and dark that night for my first ride - down to a nearby parking lot to practice drills - tight turns and emergency stops! On the second or third quick stop things got awkward with the wheel turned right, too much lean on the left and damn this bike is heavy. Pristine bike went down on the left and shattered the left peg.
Of course I didn't want to mention this to my wife, so I just went to bed and set my alarm for early Saturday. A quick call to the Kawasaki dealer disappointed - no parts in stock. How am I going to explain breaking my bike on the first day? So I say, "I have some work to do in the garage dear, then I'm going riding.
The replacement was welded by 11:00. (I hope the image uploads correctly)
I didn't fess up til about two months later. Anyway it wasn't the last time. I'd say breaking footpegs has been the only drawback to owning the C10 as a starter. The last time was Labor Day weekend 2014 in a gravel lot after I decided at the last minute to change up my approach to a parking lot. Another time early that same summer was backing out of a parking spot on a hill and hitting a river rock. The Concours and I are both happier at higher speeds!
It was raining and dark that night for my first ride - down to a nearby parking lot to practice drills - tight turns and emergency stops! On the second or third quick stop things got awkward with the wheel turned right, too much lean on the left and damn this bike is heavy. Pristine bike went down on the left and shattered the left peg.
Of course I didn't want to mention this to my wife, so I just went to bed and set my alarm for early Saturday. A quick call to the Kawasaki dealer disappointed - no parts in stock. How am I going to explain breaking my bike on the first day? So I say, "I have some work to do in the garage dear, then I'm going riding.
The replacement was welded by 11:00. (I hope the image uploads correctly)
I didn't fess up til about two months later. Anyway it wasn't the last time. I'd say breaking footpegs has been the only drawback to owning the C10 as a starter. The last time was Labor Day weekend 2014 in a gravel lot after I decided at the last minute to change up my approach to a parking lot. Another time early that same summer was backing out of a parking spot on a hill and hitting a river rock. The Concours and I are both happier at higher speeds!
