first try

Hitting the motorcycle’s starter button does little more then generate noise but the bike refuses to start. This has occurred occasionally but today the bike refuses to start even after I spray carburetor cleaner into the intake manifold. I pushed the bike down the block until reaching 10 miles per hour and I pop the clutch. The bike clanks and clunks but wouldn’t fire. I push the bike back the other direction and still the bike wouldn’t start. I spend the next 15 minutes pushing the bike, trying to coax it into starting to no avail. I check to make sure the bike was getting fuel and spark and it was but still no go. At this point I was tired and only pushing the bike to 7-8 miles per hour. On my second to last push the bike lurched when I grabbed some throttle, which meant the bike was ready to go and on the last push the bike roared to life.

“I can fix anything,” I scream, revving the engine and beating my chest like a gorilla. I grab a helmet and rode straight for the freeway. The bike and my heart race faster and faster to prove we are both alive and well. Sometimes I wish I owned a motorcycle that always started but then I remember how good it feels to fix something that is broke. I remember all the times I have fixed a broken down motorcycle but not all the times a I have ridden a motorcycle that refused to start on the first try.

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