How Owning A Hefty Motorcycle Can Harm Your Health

Sarjeet recounts how owning a hefty motorcycle can harm one’s health and cause irreparable damage to your ego.

Eight years ago, I owned a Harley-Davidson. It was a rare version of the V-Rod known as the Street Rod, with mid-foot controls and beefier front forks.

The customized and polished 1130cc “hog” was my pride and joy. I was especially proud of the “lava lamp”, a Pyrex tube with a red LED light to showcase the engine coolant at work.

Like all Harleys, it was not light. So when I needed to make a sharp U-turn, I had to keep as upright as possible and steer the bike with a light throttle, or bank in and power into the turn.

The former was always my preferred choice especially for very tight U-turns.

However, banking into a turn with a light throttle is a recipe for disaster, as I discovered.

The process of falling with the bike is a rather Matrix-like, slow-motion drop. It was like my first motorbike accident when I was 17. I had time to tell myself, “Ah, I am in an accident and I am tumbling now!”