Another necessary item

I have discovered something else I believe will be stuffed in my pack on pretty much every future road trip - a clutch handle.
I made this discovery after a bad morning when I had to stop suddenly just as I was going to make a U-turn. My sudden stop was prompted by a car who had made a right turn onto the street where I was, and was on me so fast I had no choice but to stop quickly, with the wheel already turned to the left. I couldn't keep my bike upright (and felt like a complete moron), dropping it on the pavement.
The car who had caused me to drop the bike slowed down, I saw the brake lights, then kept on going. I was left with a sore knee and a broken clutch handle.
A good friend allowed me to borrow her car so I could drive home and grab he spare I had in my garage. It was a 2-minute repair job once I had the part, and it's a part I plan to always keep with me.

Next generation rider

I probably learned how to ride a motorcycle in the worst possible way. About 25 years ago, I hit up a co-worker who had a dirt bike and asked him to teach me. One afternoon before work, we met at the Rose Bowl parking lot, he showed me the gear sequence, I hopped on the bike, and promptly laid it down and slid into the side of a parked car, the accelerator screaming as I gripped it in a panic and my left hand squeezing the clutch in a death grip.
I was completely unprepared for the speed at which a motorcycle could accelerate. After all, my other vehicle was a 1970 VW bus!
Well, I still ride, but I've had three accidents, two of them bad enough to total the bikes I was riding, one of them bad enough to chip some bones in my ankle. Not the worst record, I know, but still, I know each of those accidents could easily have been avoided.
Well, I wanted my just-turned-18-years-old daughter, who has been wanting a motorcycle for a while, to have a better start than I did. So for her birthday, I didn't buy her a motorcycle, instead, I bought her a gift certificate for motorcycle riding lessons from an outfit here in Western Washington called Puget Sound Safety.
Can you believe, the state subsidizes the lessons?! Personally, I think that's awesome. What better service than to make it easier for motorcycle riders to learn to ride in as safe a manner as possible.
I'll still worry when my daughter rides. Motorcycles inherently carry a greater risk than a big metal cage on wheels. There's just no two ways about it.
But with the right attitude, and the proper training, I do believe it is possible to ride safely.
I plan to sign up for the intermediate rider safety course. I think even an experienced rider can always learn, and maybe unlearn some bad habits.