Went to Sturgis for the motorcycle rally in the late aughts. Went to the Harley Dealership that was offering free test drives on all it's latest models. The guy leading the test drive said that anyone who wanted to go fast should be right up in front behind him. I wanted to go fast, so I was second in line, right behind him, on a brand new V-Rod (I think it was the 2007 almost 1300 CC engine).

He lead us on a dirt road parallel to the highway for a minute, going like 65 mph, which wasn't so bad, but I peeked behind me and the cloud of dust we were trailing was impressive, I wondered how the guys behind me were even keeping sight of us! Then, he turned and got on the highway. Man he opened his up so fast, I almost lost sight of him. I gased that V-Rod so hard just to keep him in eye sight, that the segmented white lines between lanes just turned into one solid line to my vision. I checked my speedometer and swear I was around 160-180mph. That shit was unreal, passing cars going highway speed like they were standing still, on a bike I had never ridden before.

And that's why I won't let myself buy a crotch rocket. Give me a 90's model sportster that maxes out at like 90mph, because I'm scared if I have a machine that can go that fast, I may be tempted to try it again, and the idea of becoming a meat-crayon isn't something I aspire to.

My Dad is a doctor who would bring home pictures of gnarly cases he worked on, and every single one of them would be motorcycle accidents. Doesn't stop him from riding one, and with a fake-DOT helmet (if one at all), but it sure stopped me from ever wanting to emulate those speed-demons that go over 100 weaving through traffic and shit. Those people are insane to me.