Quote Originally Posted by greminn View Post
...Front wheel got into the gravel with the front brake on, full lock, over the handle bars, hit the ground, rolled a bit, ended up flat on back. Stood up, dusted off, turned around... about 20 guys with bikes at the other end of the stopping area! - all looking at me...
Ouch, that sucks. What hurt worst; the pride, gravel rash, or the scratches to the paint?

Many (about 16) years ago, I was coming home from school on my motorbike, turned into my own road that I live on, to find that they had been doing a patch of road works right on the entry to the road during the day whilst I was at school. No signs up. No trucks about. All done, and nothing left but a pile of gravel right on the corner, which I entered with all the confidence of a teenage boy who knows the road like the back of his hand...
Hit the road, slid along for a bit, and came to a stop when I hit the kerb.
I wasn't wearing leathers, just school uniform, but I found that my leather belt took the brunt of the slide, so I wasn't injured, except for my pride.
Fortunately there were no bystanders or cars coming the other way at the time!