My Own Worst Enemy

My worst commute was in August of 1990. I was working the night shift at a hospital in Maryland. I was traveling on the outer loop of the beltway to northern Virginia.

I was being harassed by an idiot in a car and I decided to end my dilemma with a burst of speed. At the time my bike was a 1987 Kawasaki ZL 1000 Eliminator. I was enjoying the jerk in the Honda Accord disappearing in my mirrors, when I passed two Maryland state troopers at about 120 MPH.

I cranked up the speed and was back in VA before the troopers even got back in their patrol cars. I was feeling good and went home.

The next day, while traveling the same road I glanced in my mirror noticed that there were flashing lights approaching fast. My first thought was that those troopers were waiting for me and they were out for revenge.

I immediately took off and was planning to out run troopers when I realized that traffic was too congested and I'd never get away. I decided to get off the highway ASAP. I planned to take the first exit I came to, all was going well when I realized to my horror that the exit made a sharp right hand turn.

I was traveling approximately 80 MPH when I took the exit and I jumped on the brakes. After sliding for what seemed to be a eternity, I ran out of road. As soon as my front wheel left the pavement, I went over the handle bars and crashed.

I thought I was dead, because I felt no pain. I looked back toward my bike and saw it in a twisted lump of smoking metal and plastic. I ran back to observe the result of my stupidity, when the flashing lights caught up to me. It wasn't the police after all; it was an ambulance and the worst part it drove right by me.

I managed to wheel my crippled bike down the exit ramp and found a woman walking her dog. I asked her to call me a ambulance. I spent two days in the hospital.

The result $3,200 dollars damage to my bike and a Left shoulder injury( torn rotator cuff).

- Kurt