A searing sting lashed across my calf, causing me to cringe in the passenger seat. Looking down, I realized that my pantleg had blown up just a little to expose about 2 inches of skin. Knowing I couldn't reach it as we flew along the freeway at 75 mph, I ignored it. The day was lovely, so a little sun. . .
Wack!
"What the hell," I thought. Looking down to my right leg again, I saw the culprit. What I had initially thought was a pebble from the road, or a big bug, was my bootlace. The dread filled my mind as I realized my boot had come untied and my bootlace could just barely reach my bare skin. I knew I was screwed.
The snapping of the irritating lace began to become more frequent, often lashing the same spot over and over. What had been simply irritating grew uncomfortable, then grew into real pain.
Wack! Wack! Wack!
Now my mind was filled with ways to get this to stop. I could no longer enjoy the ride, consumed with making the decision to ask my husband to pull over to fix my boot, or to man-up and finish the rest of the ride. Fortunately, we arrived to our destination within 30 minutes and the first thing I did was TIE THAT BOOT! The double knot left me with a sense of reassurance, so I double knotted my other boot as well. The red skin eased, and luckily, no skin was broken.
I consider this the Flap Factor. When mounting the motorcycle, any motorcyclist with any miles behind them will make a quick assessment of their attire to eliminate anything that will flap in the wind. Most motorcyclists have long since considered this and purchased their clothing and gear with this in mind. Collars, ties, laces, etc can all be so painful to ruin a good time quick!
In the time I've been riding I've learned the hard way to eliminate the Flap Factor every ride. But every now and then, I'll buy a new item, only to realize I didn't do my homework first.
Damn, it's hard to be cute and fierce on that bike! But I will not abandon my efforts to be as awesome looking as I am riding.
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