Kawasaki Z1 - photo credit : Kevin Wing young and free-from-soul-crushingobligations status at that time , meant that I rode the bike a lot .
Once , I was out trailriding on the Penton , all by myself , about half a mile from Boo-Foo Nowhereville . I had finished taking a leak break and was ready to refire the bike and head on down the trail . Standing on the left side of the bike , in the proper style , I flipped out the kicker , and gave her a nice little snap . Didn ’ t fire . Oh well , reach down again , and . . . what the heck ?
The top half of the kickstarter was gone ! I stared dumbly at the bare stub of the lower section . I knew the pivot mechanism was sloppy , which had prompted me to keep a
rubber strap looped over the end to keep it from flopping around while riding , but this was crazy ! That thing had to have flipped back up and separated , the top half zinging between my arms , which were stretched out to hold each end of the bars , without being seen . I knew I had been performing my practiced I ’ m-so-cool-I-gaze-off-into-thedistance-while-I-effortlesslyfire-my-bike look , but to miss a kickstarter flying by , inches from my nose was just too much .
I looked around , but didn ’ t see the kicker section lying on the ground . It was chrome plated , and you figure , pretty hard to miss , right ? Well , I couldn ’ t find it . I tore the bushes apart , stomped around , cursed and
VOL . 6 ISSUE 7 - JULY 2021 // PAGE 171