Monday, October 08, 2007

Motorcycle Stuck in...Parking Spot?

I've always thought it would be nice to have a motorcycle. Cheap on the pocketbook, fun to drive, easy to find a parking spot.

Apparently, not as easy to get out of a parking spot.

Walking to school, I cut through the motorcycle parking section of a campus parking lot. There I saw something rather amusing: a person on a motorcycle couldn't get out of their parking spot. They had parked right against a row of cars, which blocked him/her from going forward. The two motorcycles on either side were parked so close, however, that he/she could only back straight out. However, the row of motorcycles behind him/her was so close that they couldn't turn to either side as they backed out.

The person was sitting there, half out of the parking spot, with the back tire already hitting the motorcycle behind them, with a presumably-puzzled look on their helmeted face.

I found it amusing.

2 comments:

^_^ said...

I see that all the time here in Japan, but with bicycles. I even get that look as I try to figure out how in the world I'm going to untangle my bike from the compacted bike rack mess without creating some serious domino effect (which I have done, so I know it's an issue) :P

. said...

Careful with the "... Cheap on the pocketbook, fun to drive..." line.

The DMV passes out the statistic that 90% of first-time motorcycle owners get in an accident within the first year. Higher insurance, possible medical bills, possible loss of transportation. It could be pretty expensive unless you end up being in the lucky 10%. :-)

If you do get one and you need someone to teach you how to ride I'd be willing to help. I had always wanted a bike, and had some pretty fun moments once I finally bought one, but there was the constant concern for potential accidents and the lingering doubt that I could keep beating the odds.

I actually felt really good when we finally sold it. We had fun, we're still alive, and I don't think I'd mind getting another one but I'd rather avoid the stress! ;-)