Topic: Dropped the bike

[upperlake04]

    The embarrassment and self loathing is fading and I can now admit  that earlier this summer I dropped my bike - engine off, standing beside it on the driveway, brain dead, and not paying attention to the balance of a 500lb. bike.  It just fell over away from me. Landed on the front of a snowmobile which broke a mirror and deep scratched the rear cowl and the headlight bucket.   

[Really?]

Sorry, how does anyone drop one of these bikes?  They do not weight anything.

Now, if you had an 800 pounder like my other bike, I could give someone a break, even though I have never dropped it in the almost 15 years of owning it.

I might be middle aged with a bad knee cap from an accident when I was 16 (still effects me), but still.

Not trying to be mean at at all.

Oops, wife want me to watch "The Hills" with her, gotta run.  Got a hard on for for Loren.  Heidi might look cute but she got ugly legs and seen her before she started learning how to wear makeup.  Yuck.  Adriana has a sweet body but the eyes, those too white teeth and stupidness ruin it all.

[boatsdickson]

From zero miles an hour no. From 1 mile an hour twice. Just startin to move, just startin to lean, just raisin the feet, and poof engine dies. Before you know it, bikes headin down. More of a ungraceful controlled lay over, but it still touched the ground.

Thats my embarrassment and Im stickin to it. At least they have both been at the house not somewhere busy with everyone watching.

[UnCrash]

I was busy with other projects one day last summer and must have moved my bike in the garage 4 or 5 times.  I moved it each time with the kickstand down.

The last time I went to move it that day I sat on it to move it and pulled the kickstand up unconsciously.  I walked it forward and then leaned it down onto the non-existent sidestand and couldn't save it as it went over.

 

[mystic_1]

I stepped in a patch of oil at a tollbooth just as I started to reach for my change.  Bam!  Down in a flash.

You wanna talk embarrasment, try having thousands of Chicago area tollway users as an audience as you pick up your bike.  This was before I-Pass and traffic was heavy.


mystic_1

[Bob Wessner]

Thirty-five years ago, first bike ('69 CB350) exiting a freeway just after dusk going too fast. Got off onto gravel on the shoulder as I was just about to enter a curve in the exit ramp. Touched the brake.. end of story. Cost several hundred in repairs to the bike and cracked my Bell helmet. Hope it's my only time [crosses fingers, knocks on wood, etc.].

[upperlake04]

 Thank you, the 25% that have dropped your bike many times.

[nickjtc]

Not Sophie, fortunately. The VFR800 once, on gravel, and the KLX twice in the dirt.

[TwoTired]

Mostly in the small back yard, maneuvering the bikes on grass to get into the storage garage.  The bikes are more unstable with the bars turned to full tuning lock.  And, they don't roll easily in the uneven grass.  Once the CG gets too far away from you, all you can do is slow the fall velocity and jump over the bike so you don't fall on top of it.  So far, no breakage, though.

I dropped the 74 in an airport parking lot once, though. I hadn't run it for a while and one of the slow jets was alternately plugging and then flowing.  I sat there a while trying to use RPM and the Choke to pull the blockage through the slow jet. It finally worked and I checked off in my mind that I was finished with the bike.  Preoccupied with other thoughts dealing with the airplane mechanic, I quickly walked away from the bike without putting down the side stand.  The front fender brushed my leg as I was walking away, and I thought what the...?  And, then realized what had happened.  Scraped and cracked the Vetter fairing and the rear turn sig, otherwise no other damage.  But, no one saw it so it really didn't happen, right?

Anybody else had a slow jet make your bike fall over?

Cheers,

[upperlake04]

  I had no idea that confronting and publicly confessing to an act of boneheadedness could be so therapeutic. I don't feel so badly about it now.      And TT, you sure know how to write a feelgood post.   

Mostly in the small back yard, maneuvering the bikes on grass to get into the storage garage.  The bikes are more unstable with the bars turned to full tuning lock.  And, they don't roll easily in the uneven grass.  Once the CG gets too far away from you, all you can do is slow the fall velocity and jump over the bike so you don't fall on top of it.  So far, no breakage, though.

[heffay]

Now, if you had an 800 pounder like my other bike, I could give someone a break, even though I have never dropped it in the almost 15 years of owning it.

its not about dropping a bike from standing completely upright, no one does that unless they just let go... go get your wimpy 500 pound bike and take it 20-25 degrees past vertical and get back to us... once a bike gets past a certain point, they're impossible to get back w/out severe back strain, especially trying to pull it back up from the opposite side. 

never dropped one from a standstill but, yes... have dropped one on slick grass, pulling a wrecked vfr off the back of a truck (by myself) and another time when i was young, stupid and tipsy.

[heffay]

They do not weight anything.

are you serious  ... you're "anything" is 3-4 times as much as i weigh!... i don't know about you, but i consider that a substantial amount.

[Findlater]

Decided I wanted to kickstart my bike, put the foot down just started to rumble and cut out on me, have no idea what I did or how I manged to "throw" the bike in the other direction but I managed to control the slide and stopped in just as it was getting to the frame and engine covers, but I will admit they hit the ground   But yeah even over top of the bike once it hit that 20-25 degree mark (which Im still not sure how I did on kickstart) it wanted to go over, but it was a lot easier to control it and have it happen slowly from directly over the bike.

[Stormer]

Well, I did it a few times.
Never the 400F, but other bikes, oh man...
Specially the tall and heavy DL1000 Vstrom.
This one was unmercifully, bend it a little, and she was all over the ground.

[Findlater]

Sorry, how does anyone drop one of these bikes?  They do not weight anything.
I might be middle aged with a bad knee cap from an accident when I was 16 (still effects me), but still.

Even with a bum knee. I think Im going to need some steriods too.

Seriously man that was like the time my grandfather told me when he was a kid he had to walk uphill both ways in a blizzard to get to school everyday.

Although maybe your slightly taller than average which makes moving bikes around alot easier. My father is about 3/4foot shorter than me and he has a hard time keeping my bike upright when he is at a stop. -So I dont let him ride it hehe.

[Really?]

Heff and FindLater, y'all are a hoot!

I said I never dropped the 800 lb'der but sure got close a few times.  The bike, me, the ole lady and the bags stuffed can go 1100 lbs+.  Yes, I have strained a few times, lol.

Maybe it is me being used to the big bike that makes the 500 lb'der feel like bicycle.  It sure feels nekkid.  It is actually easier to get that big bike on the center stand than the 750.

[heffay]

Heff and FindLater, y'all are a hoot!

just so long as you will agree that there is a point of no return which, in this situation, is probably the cause of dropping. 
past that point, it doesn't matter how much the bike weighs... but, upperlake could just be wimpy too.   

[Kevin D]

Couple years back, I parked the cycle in the driveway, very slight grade, I failed to leave the bike in gear. As I was working in the garage, I heard a couple of tiny chirps from the sidestand walking down the drive, but I didn't make the noise out for what it was. Next.......... a BIG noise as the bike topples over and falls into the car. It's saved from going all the way down by, of all things, the sissy bar. Final tally - no damage to cycle, the car has a new crease in the door from the sissy bar.

[Really?]

Heff and FindLater, y'all are a hoot!

just so long as you will agree that there is a point of no return which, in this situation, is probably the cause of dropping. 
past that point, it doesn't matter how much the bike weighs... but, upperlake could just be wimpy too.   

LOL, yes Heff, I will let you have the "Point of No Return".  But there is a limit to that too, lol.

I think we need to start a "Dropped the Bike Club" here.  And, when someone drops the bike, $5 goes to SOHC4 (the person that dropped it).  It is done in other clubs, why not here.

[ghost]

i voted 2 although once was my vertically challenged wife, she rode it fine, till she stopped in the driveway, the other time was all me, got to the grocery store for a couple things and put my foot right in a oil slick and that was all she wrote. worst part was the car load of cute girls who were checkin me out when i rode up. my poor ego still hurts

[jbailey]

I haven't dropped my 550, but did fall over once.  I was two up on my Concours which weighs 675 pounds and had a full 7.5 gallon tank of gas.  It's not a nice feeling.  We just kind of rolled gently to the ground.  Nobody got hurt and hardly any damage.  With a big plastic laden bike, that was a miracle.  Luckily I did it way out in the country where nobody saw it!

[Findlater]

Heff and FindLater, y'all are a hoot!

just so long as you will agree that there is a point of no return which, in this situation, is probably the cause of dropping. 
past that point, it doesn't matter how much the bike weighs... but, upperlake could just be wimpy too.   

LOL, yes Heff, I will let you have the "Point of No Return".  But there is a limit to that too, lol.

I think we need to start a "Dropped the Bike Club" here.  And, when someone drops the bike, $5 goes to SOHC4 (the person that dropped it).  It is done in other clubs, why not here.

I dunno about that, if we were to do it there would have to be some sort of account and account holder then the question is raised as to what the money should go towards. Local groups are easier to do this with. Also people probably need that $5 to fix their bikes after 

[heffay]

fin... he means that the money goes to this site.

glenn is THE account holder and DOES have an account strictly for this site... donations can be made here:

http://www.sohc4.net/index.php?title=SOHC4:Site_support





that's all we're talking about... drop the bike: donate to the site!
its like the tree of shame on the tail of the dragon... only you don't pay w/ broken motorcycle parts.   

[rhos1355]

Dropped my Tiger twice. Man are they a #$%* to pick up again, especially with a full tank. The most embarrassing one was the last one;

Had been trimming my garden hedge 2 summers ago so I had to move the tiger to the front garden. When I finished I decided to start her up and ride slowly back to where she stands normally. I still dunno what happened but one second I was proudly riding my bike next second I was in the hedge! I was in my shorts and my right leg was trapped under the bike, the right handle bar was deep in the hedge, so I couldn't hit the kill switch! Boy that exhaust was getting hotter by the second so I started hollerin at the missus to come help me. Help me? when she stopped laughing she was a complete wreck! What am I gonna do? Sh!t this exhaust is starting to burn my tender inner thigh My friendly neighbour was away on holiday, my unfriendly neighbour (long story - we fell out over a cockrell crowing at 4.30 am) was at home. We, I, had to eat humble pie and get my missus to go call him to get the bike off me

[Findlater]

My dads friend dropped his big-ass harley the other summer and couldnt get it up on his own so he wouldnt be so embarrassed. Instead he had walk back into work and get my dads help to lift it again.

DOH!!! I dont think anyone here has been THAT bad