Topic: First time out and i drop the bike......wonderfull.....

[78_SaltLick]

I bought a 78 cb750 K bout couple weeks back. Spent the last few weeks working on it until the early morning hrs, well so i take it outside and start it up, put the kickstand down, and walk over to the grass to get my helmet....and hear.....crash!! My bike fell over right on the pavement of my driveway   Tore apart the new grip i just put on, bent the clutch lever, dented the tank, and bent the "Honda" logo on the tank, broke the new mirror i just put on yesterday, and put some huge gouges on the engine itself, not to mention it bent my clubman handlebars back, so i had to re-adjust everything again. And of course, it would not start after it fell, gas all over the place........I think im going to cry. ......our driveway is a slight slope, i had it pointed towards the road, with the bike idleing the vibration moved the bike forward and the kickstand went up.  that sucked bigtime. Oh yeah, did i mention those things are heavyier than hell to pick up also?

[eldar]

OH OWWW   I feel your pain. Parts for these bike(especially ours) are hard enough to get and with our bike, more rare. I might have drown myself using the engine as a weight!

[kghost]

Damn, that sucks. If its consolation, I've done that. Once

[Uncle Ernie]

Only takes once to learn some lessons. You won't believe it, but that's why I keep a 4x4 in my back porch- I have much more than a slight slope, with wet leaves all year 'round.

At least you still have your health and good looks...
                                                                         and an exciting new project.

[Buffo]

That must feel like watching your girlfriend get beat in a cat fight. It sucks but there isn't a lot you can do about it...

I may have thrown a full blown tantrum myself. I have toiled on mine as well...I might have cried.

[Chris Schneiter]

Those kickstands SUCK! I always envy people with newer biks who have those big sweeping stands...I've done that twice...once in my driveway, and once in sand.....I'm a little short on one end, so I usually step up on my foot peg, then swing over the seat...I learned my lesson pretty quickly though...the first time, like you, I rolled into the driveway, stupidly, facing a little downhill...Of course, when I stepped on the peg, off she went, and down we went...naturally, I stood up really fast and got the bike up, but the first thing I did was look around to make sure nobody saw me do it!...The second time, I parked in sand, stood on the peg to get off, over we went...I have this image of me rolling on the ground like Charlie Brown after the footbal is pulled out implanted in my head!

[Chris Schneiter]

Oh, and...the moral of this story is...ALWAYS PARK UPHILL, IN GEAR, ENGINE OFF ON A HARD SURFACE!

[historicjake]

In the mid 90's I had loaded up my 650 with all my camping kit and headed to Skyline Drive in Va.  I stopped in at a BBQ stand and had lunch.  When I turned around my bike stand had sunk into the hot asphalt and fallen over!  I put my back to the bike squatted down to lift it,  you are not kidding they are heavy.  The first time I almost got it but down it went again...reposition and try again...this time I really put myself into it, and up it came and over it went onto the other side!  Finally got it up and recieved an ovation from the BBQ staff, just glad no one else was there.

[Steve F]

Damn, that sucks. If its consolation, I've done that. Once

Had that happen too. I had the bike painted just *JUST* 1 week earlier!!!!  The handle bar smacked the freshly painted tank and put a dent in it about the size of your little finger nail.  Everything else straightened out becouse it happend in the grass.  MAN, what a bummer, I feel for ya!  So now, I just make sure it's not pointed down any kind of a slope.

[Bob Wessner]

Noticed that happening to me once many years ago, but was lucky enough to notice before it was too late. Ever since, I keep a think 3 inch steel washer I found at the hardware store. Ran a few inches of thin nylon rope through it and keep it slipped down next to the battery, easy to retrieve when needed.

[TwoTired]

Oh, I hate it when that happens.  Some lessons are learned painfully.

But, here's dumber.

Preoccupied with an engine running sour and wondering what to do about it when it gets home, read distracted, I stop to complete original trip mission goal.  Stop bike, shut off ignition, gas petcock-off, helmut on mirror,  swing off bike, and start to walk away.  Odd, I didn't notice anybody nearby. Who's bumping me in the ribs? Turn and watch the bike go down, on asphault.  All I can do is slow it's descent a bit, while cursing.
Note to self.  Add "kick stand down" to post ride checklist.  And, a bit of unnecessary rash to side of bike.
Bright side? No one wittnessed the event!  Well, except all of you reading.
Still, this is worse than forgeting to put the kick stand up, witnesses or no...

[dpen]

I seem to scrape a lot on left hand corners.
Funny thing is that it's just after I've had the bike on the sidestand.
Could it have anything to do with being used to a centrestand as sidestands used to break on Pommie bikes?

[kghost]

Well, it could be worse......

There I am on my ZR-7. Warm it up, put it in gear, start to drive away, and the engine dies.

Restart, go to ride away, Same thing. Engine dies.

Repeated this ritual 6 (six) times.

Then I remembered to put the side stand UP!

Damn, those modern bikes.

[clarkjh]

7 pm: flat tire, cut off tubes valve stem (Back)
8 PM: get lift home
9 PM: load tools and spare tube.
10:30 PM to 12:30 AM: remove tire and replace tube.
12:45 AM: cross back into Canada on the way home.
1 AM: stop to adjust head light "UP"
1:10 AM: take a sweeping left hand on ramp.  Bike won't lean over with the damn stand down.
1:30 AM: Finally get home a my wife asks what all the sparks where she seen coming from the bike

I am also going to get a big hunk of plate steel to set under the stand if I think it will sink.
The bike I had years ago (1975 CB550K) sank on me, "Read handle bar hit the dirt and vanished up to the tank."  Took 3 guys to pull it loose.

James

[kghost]

A beer can works wonders under the side stand.

1. Pull tab.
2. Drain contents into gullet.
3. Smash can flat.
4. Place can under sidestand.

Repeat above proceedure at each stop.

[jotor]

New a guy named Howard many years ago who rode a Harley with side car.  One day he decided to take the side car off--came to the first stop sign and.........you know the rest.

 

[dpen]

Take sidecar off........ I love it, I love it.

[broken]

I'm sure most of you do this already but when I learned to ride one of the first things I was taught was when parking, put the stand out, hop off the bike, put a foot on the stand, turn the handle bars and give the stand-side grip a good pull back to ensure the stand is out, locked and not slipping. Good thing to get into the habit of doing and it only takes a second.

bro`ken

[Cvillechopper]

That sucks.  Since everyone is sharing their tradgedies....

Just got the 74 350F I was given as a project bike running.  I'm only 5'4" so the inseam is a bit high for me.  Come to the first stop, wet pavement.  Lean to put my left foot down and I feel the bike start to slip a bit so I try to pull up with my ill-positioned foot.  INWARD it slips.  Not only did the freshly rebuilt engine get some scrapes as well as a bent clutch handle, I was half pinned under the bike at an intersection.  Got some really frightened looks until I was able to wiggle my leg out from under her and shake it off.  Nothing broken, but had some nice bruises, scrapes, and a ruined pair of jeans.  I limped home after a nice motorist helped me get her up patched my ride, my self, and my pride......