There's nothing more frustrating...

You're late for work. You've hurriedly packed your backpack with all you need to take. Your helmet is on, gloves are ready. You jump in the saddle, insert the key and turn. Thumb the kill switch and then starter and then... Nothing. No whine of the starter. No rumble of the exhaust as it catches. Just nothing.

This is what happened to me on the Striple this morning. I'm late and in a hurry but the bike doesn't want to help out.

Of course, the battery is dead. There's nothing showing in the dash. It can't be as I've left the lights on as I leave the lock in the "OFF" position, rather than on the steering lock as it's usually on a paddock stand in the garage.

And it can't be because the battery is dead. It's a reasonably new bike (< 10 months old) and it was out for a good long run last weekend. That being said, it was only mildly frustrating that I had to put it on the charger (literally next to the bike) and go back inside to get my keys for the Tiger. I'd be a lot more pissed if it was my only mode of transport.

It's actually had this problem before, literally the week I got it. In that instance, I put it down to infamiliarlity. Maybe I did leave the lights on. That it's happened again means I now suspect there's more to it than that and maybe the bike has some sort of weird open short on it. Or a crappy alternator? Or maybe it's a voodoo curse?

it's a dilemma either way as we're riding up to Quebec City in two weeks. I guess I can slog across town for an hour to the dealership ultimately wasting a day in the process only for them to find nothing. Or I can tough it out and hope there's nothing wrong. I'll take the charger just in case.

Whatever, if you do see a Black Striple being kicked my a man standing close to a White Tiger 1050, please do stop and tell him it's his own fault. Or check wikipedia and tell him how to lift a voodoo curse...