Busted Springs and Dirt Burn-Outs on an On Ramp

I picked my bike up from the mechanic and immediately noticed that smoke was coming out of the rear cylinder exhaust manifold.  After talking with a tech, we decided it was some oil residue from the service burning off under the heat shield. Whew.

After the service, the performance is better but some tweaking is needed for sure.

I rode home and immediately got a text from Meri, who gave me a ride to the shop, saying she hit a huge piece of metal on 75-S.  I called her and she informed me that the metal shard hit another car and both she and the other driver were on the side of the road waiting for the cops.  She also told me she forgot her purse...which meant she didn't have her license or proof of insurance.  Luckily, her purse was safely locked in her apartment. So, I walked over to her windows and checked the locks.  Being the urban expert she is, she had left her bedroom window unlocked. From there, I decided it would be a good idea to pull the screen off, open the window, and dive through...in a black jacket, black gloves, and sunglasses.  No one called the cops.  To be honest, that worries me.  Anyway, I got her stuff and booked it back up 75 to meet her.  She was pulled over on the grass between 75-S and the on-ramp from 285-W.  I got there just in time to find out the cop didn't care that she didn't have her license and everyone was leaving. Super sweet. At least it was a nice night.

I didn't like the idea of pulling into the fast lane so I rode up the grass hill to pull out onto the on-ramp from 285 instead.  I saw a break in the traffic and opened the throttle, only to discover that my rear tire was still in the grass.  I won't lie, peeling out onto the highway and having my back tire slide back and forth for a few feet was pretty awesome (terrifying).

Once we got home, Meri said her car was handling a little funny so I took a peek underneath.

Everything looks fine to me. Plenty of tread on that tire.

Oops.