Back in the saddle

I was bugging Marcus all weekend about getting the Ducati fixed so I could get back on it. Then when we finally got it fixed and running again last night Marcus took it for a test spin and then said, "Ok, it's all yours!" I stood there for a minute and thought, "Hmm, ok. I'm not sure I want to get on it now." I dragged myself inside, geared up, and talked Marcus into dropping the bike down the street at the Marina off Lake Washington Blvd. At least I could hop on then without any tight turns to negotiate right off the bat.

I sat on the bike for a while and decided I had spent way too much money on gear and had too much fun riding to not get back on, so away I went. I cruised up and down Lake Washington Blvd a few times with a deathgrip on the handlebars. After a while I started to relax but since it was my first time riding since the crash and my first time nearly in the dark I found it hard to go much over 30. I was VERY easy on the throttle and really nervous about turning but did just fine. At one point Marcus was worried I had been out for a while so he ended up cruising up behind me as I headed home. He said I took the left turn to the house so slowly he worried that I would tip over.

I decided to hop on today and ride to work. I'm very tentative and nervous about turns now and I wasn't before. I'm getting ready to leave work and head over to the empty parking lot across the way and play on the bike. I figure I need a nice empty lot with no traffic worries to get familiar with the bike and learn how to control the throttle better. I think doing laps in the parking lot for about an hour will really help me get familiar with the bike and increase my confidence. Here we go!