Two weeks after completing a three month rebuild, the PX needs a little TLC. Riding home in the worst possible conditions late on Sunday evening - dark, with high winds, rain, and heavy traffic - I took a spill.

Heading home to Brooklyn after work in Manhattan I figured I’d shave a few minutes off my ride by taking the Manhattan bridge instead of the Brooklyn bridge. For me the pros and cons are as follows: the Brooklyn Bridge is the safer of the two, with an even road surface and a very civilized entry and exit, however it’s a trip further south on the Manhattan side and a few blocks back north on the Brooklyn side. The Manhattan is just the opposite: It’s got arguably the worst road surface of any street in NYC on the Brooklyn side, the exit (on both sides) is a chaos of shifting lanes and sometimes you’re forced onto the exposed upper ramps.

On Sunday as I was leaving the Bowery to get onto the bridge in the dark and rain I realized that with the lower deck closed to traffic I was being forced onto the upper decks. I should have used that moment to check myself and skip the bridge and head further south. Instead I committed.

It had been raining since I’d gotten on the bike but not enough to concern me. I hadn’t even bothered to put on my rain gear, confident that it would stay that way. Heading skyward on to the exposed upper deck was suddenly a whole new story, without cover the rain came beating down and worse yet, high winds began to knock me around. Within seconds I was forced to a 25mph crawl on a bridge where 60 is considered the norm by cab drivers regardless of weather.

As if this wasn’t bad enough, with cars zipping past me, a cross wind hit me just as I was crossing one of the metal toothed plates in the road that joins road sections. I lost traction for a second and the bike’s rear wheel fishtailed. Luckily I was able to plant a foot down to stabilize myself as I caught control of the bike. That could have been a very nasty accident right there, and an experience (and a lesson) I’ll never forget.

Still shaken, and at this point now down to about 15mph I begun my exit from the bridge. As the Flatbush Avenue intersection crosses Tillary Street, 4 lanes squeeze down to 3 on the bumpiest road surface imaginable. Even though I was now only driving a few miles an hour, as I crossed lanes looking over my shoulder and applying the brakes in the rain and wind, I got that sickening feeling that “I’m about to go down” and I lost control of the bike.

The scoot and I skidded to a stop a few feet away. Luckily because traffic was so jam packed at this point I didn’t have anyone racing up behind me, but you’d better believe me when I tell you that I sprung to my feet quicker than I’ve ever done in my life. You don’t want to be lying in the middle of the road at this junction.

I pushed the bike over to the side of the road, checked her over for major damage and then spent the best part of the next ten minutes kick-starting the spilled gas out of the carburetor to get her going again. Oh, did I add that this was still in the dark, still in pouring rain, still in high winds?

My second mistake after choosing the bridge? Not calling it quits right there. I should have pulled the bike over, parked it and caught the subway home. Instead I decided to push on, riding down Flatbush like I’m riding a bicycle - less than ten miles and hour and as close to the curb as I could squeeze. Cars beeped and shot past me. Realizing my vulnerability I managed to get onto a side road and took as many as I could home to Sunset Park.

In the clear light of day Monday morning I had a chance to assess the damage. Luckily it’s nothing major. The engine-side cowl and part of the front fender will need some paint, and the legshield trim has partially broken off on the same side. I also have a broken front brake caliper to replace (cosmetic only.) The worst insult? The brand new replacement legshield “Vespa” badge I had put on a couple of weeks prior had gone flying god knows where. I guess when I replace it next time, some heavy duty epoxy will be added into the mix.

Me? Well I got off lucky. It was cold so I was wearing a Parka jacket over my regular armored jacket. I also had jeans, over the ankle boots and a full face helmet on. I literally didn’t feel a thing when I hit the deck, and my head never took a hit. I’m wearing some bruising on my left ankle from where I’m not quite sure. I think the bike might have caught my leg as it came skidding after me because I certainly didn’t get caught under it.

The important lesson coming out of all of this is the lesson itself. It’s time to retire the PX for the winter. It doesn’t have anywhere near the stability of my 2009 bike in these kinds of riding conditions. I’m also going to think twice about a number of things moving forward. Next time it rains that heavily, I’m going to pull over and wait it out. I’m also going to think twice about hitting that upper deck in any weather condition.

Stay safe…

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