too much of a good thing...

went out for my usual sunday, pick up the newspaper and breakfast for my wonderful wife ride this morning... except is wasn't as usual this morning!!

you might remember my ramblings of washing the bike... i think i forgot to mention that i decided to use some "engine brightener" this time. it's basically stuff that's supposed to keep the black parts on an engine black instead of turning a dull gray. i've used it once before. i can't really say how well it works because my bike really doesn't seem to need it. either it's not quite old enough yet, i don't ride it enough, or the stuff does work...

so i start spraying it on the engine - trying to be careful not to overspray onto the clean bike. this stuff does sorta seem to work - the black areas are looking a deeper black. but who knows, maybe it's just because it's still wet. as i spray more and more, i'm really liking how black it's turning everything... as my father-in-law says, if a little is good, a lot is more better. hmmmm, what if i spray it on the foot rests?? and the brake pedal and shifter. and grips?? man, this stuff is really making the bike look nice. the chrome is really shining and the black is popping with its rich blackness...

after surveying the bike and deciding there really isn't much else i can spray, i read the label on the can. more specifically, the warning on the can... uh, yeah, avoid spraying on controls, grips, food pegs, rests, etc. damn!!! so now i can either go back and try to clean those areas or just leave it and see what happens. guess what i do?? leave it...

i found out this morning why they tell you not to spray that stuff on those parts. can you say slippery?? as i took off up the road this morning, i could feel the foot rests and brake pedal were noticeably slick. hell, any sliding would have been noticeable as i can't normally slide my feet when they're on the rests. before i get to the end of the street, i decide i can handle this to the store and back - i just can't rely on my feet not sliding on the rest when i go to apply the back brake.

no big deal, i get to the store, get my stuff, get on the bike and leave. as i'm pulling out onto the major road, some bonehead cage starts switching lanes. in caution, i decide to stop, let him go by and then pull out. as i stop, i put the brakes on and put one of my feet down. remember, my foot is already slippery on the brake. as my right foot hits the ground to hold the bike up, it slips a little. oh no - the slipperiness has transferred from the foot rest onto my boot - making my boot slippery!!! luckily i wasn't going fast enough for anything serious happen, like dumping the bike. now i proceed home with extra caution.

i do finally make safely - being aware that my boots aren't providing as much traction as i've come accustom to... now my challenge is to figure out how to clean this crap off my foot rests and brake pedal. and maybe my hand grips - i didn't notice anything slippery about those. yet.

i'm thinking maybe i should put the scotch-brite pads to a test. then i'm also thinking i have some "rebate" money saved up on my card. i haven't figured out what to spend that on. maybe i could just buy some new foot boards - take the lazy way out.

so, kids, the lesson here is to follow the manufacturer’s directions. especially when it says to avoid spraying crap on important items like brake pedals, foot pegs/boards, grips...

peace...