Topic: Dropped the bike

[edbikerii]

It was cold, middle of winter.  My driveway is pretty long asphalt, on a pretty steep incline, and there isn't much speparating it from my neighbor's driveway.  It had snowed the day before, and I shoveled my driveway.  It was about 30 degrees when I left for work and the driveway was clear. 

It was a beautiful day, warmed up to around 50 degrees!

It got chilly again at night.  When I headed home it was about 30F again.  When I arrived at home, I got about halfway up the driveway before my bike just stopped moving forward.  I kept giving it gas, but it wasn't going anywhere.  I came to a stop in the middle of the hill, holding the front brake.  When I put my foot down, it slipped out from under me, but I managed not to drop the bike, and the front brake was holding.

I realized that during the day the snow on my neighbor's driveway had melted and the water ran down the hill onto my driveway.  When it got cold again, all that water turned to ice, leaving a sheet of black ice covering my entire driveway!

I was stuck for about 5 minutes.  Yes, FIVE LONG MINUTES, trying to figure out what to do.  I tried spinning the rear tire to try to melt the ice underneath, but that small patch of asphalt wouldn't allow me to get up the hill.  Then it would just freeze back over.  I tried leaning the bike over onto the sidestand so I could get off, but any leaning immediately caused the front wheel to start sliding sideways.  I could barely even put my feet down without sliding.

I couldn't let go of the bars to get my cell phone and call for help.  I would have called and had someone put salt down. 

Finally, I started realizing that I had to make some choices here.  I could try rolling backwards back down the drive about 25 feet and hope that I didn't fall over before I hit the end.  Seemed like I could easily break my neck doing that.  I could try to slide the bike sideways and point the nose forward, then try to roll down with out falling over and breaking my neck.  Also quite risky.  Then I finally realized that I had better minimize the damage to my body.  I decided to just let the bike fall over as gently as possible, but roll myself out of the way so I wouldn't get hurt too much.

So sure enough, I rolled off the bike onto the ice and tried to keep it from crashing down onto the drive as softly as possible, then I had to let it slide down to the street, about 25 feet.  Due to the ice, I guess, there really wasn't any damage!  I managed to escape uninjured as well.

From that point on, I am much more conscious of the temperature and the possibility of frozen patches when I ride in the cold.

[fuzzybutt]

came to a stop, climbed off and went to walk away.....................without putting down the side stand. broke the clutch lever and a bar end mirror. this was in front of a bunch of people when i was going to AMI

[Hope]

Most unexpected drop: 
After riding for hours with my ex-girlfriend nagging me the entire time, I had rider's fatigue and just couldn't think straight after all the damned nagging.  I stopped at a red light and never put my foot down to balance the bike.  #$%*ing girlfriend and all went down.  After telling her to get off the bike so I could pick it up, I started #$%*ing at her for not hopping off and trying to help me pick up the bike before it fell completely over. 

Common sense has to kick in somewhere. 

[Shenanigans]

Lets see,

Maiden voyage on my 550 riding it down the street for the first time. Idle was set wrong so it died at the end of the street and I kicked it over, in gear.

I dropped my 750 once down a steep incline. I pulled off the road on my way to Tucson, to take a photo or something. I did not realize that the side of the road was so steep. I put my foot down and there was nothing there, I pointed my foot down and slid right off my seat and still nothing. It slowly went down. I swung my left foot off and tried to save it but it was past the point of no return. I manged somehow to set it down pretty gently. That was the easy part, getting it back up took everything I had. I am far from a big person and it was on a maybe 15 degree slope. The gravel did not allow my feet good traction either. Good thing I remembered to put the kick stand down on the other side.

A couple weeks ago there was a big harley that had tipped in a parking space and by tipped I mean maybe sitting at 8 oclock on the bags and rails and pegs it had plenty of.  The guy could not get it up. I went and asked him if he wanted help. He must have felt insulted.  As I drove by he was still trying to lift it solely with his back.

[ev0lve]

I'm wondering why I feel compelled to share. Must be the turkey overdose

Coming up on a red light to make a right hand turn. On the brake in neutral. Light turns green as I reach it. Put bike in first, hit throttle, turn into it... except the bike isn't in first. I have performed a mishift.

Lots of engine wailing, foot goes down, bike gets "gently" laid on the pavement. This is a GS1100e so I'm not quite sure how I got it upright again. Being pissed off probably helps. Some scratches on the bar end and can. Thankfully, no witnesses... except you guys.   

[Findlater]

Also, being an individual who likes to provoke confrontation from time to time I was in a motorcycle dealers looking at a few of the used bikes there were a few 2006 Katana 650s and I think a 2007 ANYWAYS I was looking and found the one of those in a colour I liked and at this time Id been in there for probably 10mins kinda walking around so a dealer walks up and asks me if I needed and help. I said "yeah Im interested in this Katana" as I pointed I realized it had been dropped kinda hard on the muffler side aswell and it was all dinged and scratched including some big areas of damage on the fairing.  I stop and say "Oh wait... its been dropped so Im not too interested." Im not going to buy any bike thats been dropped -especially- if it hasnt even been repaired. AT THE DEALERs even!

His immediate response to that comment was "Well son show me something on two wheels and I can tell you its been dropped at one point or another"

After this Im a little fired up so come back at him with a "So what you are saying is every bike in your showroom as been dropped and maybe its just that you didnt bother repairing this one and your still trying to get $6000 for it, how about you show me what other bikes in this room have been dropped?"

I made sure to raise my voice a little for the comments and he didnt have much to say to me after that.

[DarkRider]

Both times i dropped my Interceptor during my first full riding season were either at 0 or just above. The first time was due to a worn out throttle grip and wet pavement. What happened there was i thought i was twisting just enough to get underway unknowing that the grip had slipped when i relaxed my hand at the stop so once i started to take off the rear end broke loose and off to the right side the bikes tail goes and promptly flops down tossing me off in the process. So of course during the repairs from that lil incident new grips were installed...Second time was because i was cut off by a cager. I was pulling into the parking lot where my riding group gathers and had looked both ways before proceeding to turn right from the entrance..just as i do so i see a flash of white to my left side and am instantly on the brakes to stop the bike again...of course not thinking to put the feet down as i do so...so over i go again...That time there were witnesses...my riding group...the people in the car that cut me off and the guy that helped me pick the bike back up off of the pavement. The kids in the car #$%*ed at me for not looking where i was going and the guy that helped me tore a strip out of the driver before i could about not paying attention for bikes because he watched me come to a stop and look before pulling out again...

[JAG]

Yeah. Um... I just got off the bike, and forgot to put the kickstand down.

BOOM..

Damn I felt like an idiot.

Thankfully it was in the privacy of my own garage

[Hope]

Yeah. Um... I just got off the bike, and forgot to put the kickstand down.

BOOM..

Damn I felt like an idiot.

Thankfully it was in the privacy of my own garage

Sometimes I think good ole "rider's fatigue" is the culprit.  I stopped at a light, and put my feet on the pegs instead of the ground.  Tried to catch it on the way down, but just couldn't.  After picking up the bike, I decided it was time to take a break, and that maybe riding for hours on end in the summer heat wasn't in my best interest.

[heffay]

my first "riding" experience came when i was about 10 years old... it was HOT that day.

i was riding my extended family's honda 4 wheeler around their farm in kansas, was wearing a helmet and only really remember careening down a grassy hill after "waking up".

from what i've pieced together... i was a victim of heat exhaustion.  i was getting one of my migraines, then simply passed out on top of this hill.  i ended up in an electric fence  ... the ZAP really woke me up and i was off of that mess in a FLASH!

it was one of those times that your body is in a standstill but you being on a moving vehicle are NOT at a standstill!  i remember that day as if it just happened.

i left the quad in the fence and ran to the house to get help.   

[Grizzly]

When I was a kid a CB200 fell away from me and I went over the top. I'll never forget that one!!

Second time was with a 1000 Varadero. Picture the scene. Parking lot, adverse camber, side stand. Opened sidecase to put helmet in and over it went. Thick or what ??

Back in the 1980 a mate had a new GS750. He had a habit whereby just before coming to a stop he would put the side stand down and park the bike with his feet still on the pegs. It looked quite cool back then.

One summers night at the pub with probably the best part of a 100 bikes parked up he got it wrong. His foot missed the stand he leant the bike over,  he and the GS landed in a heap on the deck. OH DEAR. Very little damage to the bike. His left leg was sore, but what a showed face.

[Steve F]

First time was with the first bike I ever owned, a '74 CB360.  Didn't have the insurance on it yet, and took it out to get lunch.  Pull in to a parking space, and while getting off the bike, I realized the kick stand wasn't all the way down and lost my balance, falling to the left, and smashed in the door of the car I rested upon (dented it in with my hip!).  Called the insurance guy, and since I hit the car with my body, and not the bike, my homeowners insurance would cover the damages 
Second time was pulling into the driveway at a friends house, and just as I was coming to a complete stop, the front wheel, with the brake applied, rolled onto a stick, and with the stick under the front tire, continued to roll until I could no longer keep balance, and dumped it.

[KeithTurk]

While in the rider coach course this summer one of the other guys forgot to put the stand down after doing a demonstration for our 12 new students.... he gets off... the bike sits there and then FLOPS on it's side...

This of course right after he's introduced as a full time Factory Test Rider for Harley Davidson at the Talladega Al. race track....

He was good sport and made a witty comment about not trying that at home...

K

[Really?]

I see a month or two of SOHC4 site fees paid already, well could be

[Frankenkit]

I pulled up to a restaurant, all excited with the first ride that my bike really felt decent (as in, ran good, started after I stopped it, and everything) and started leaning it onto the kickstand.  Oops! No kickstand! Reached Point of No Return before noticing it wasn't coming close to touching any sort of kickstand, but by this time, MickeyX realized what was happening.  I shut off the bike and turned off the (now spewing) gas.  Those crash bars are great! Set the bike down slowly, then had help lifting the bugger back up.  No one saw it, so it didn't really happen, right?

[seaweb11]

Not quite at 0

900 Seca sport/tour shaft drive

1st new rear tire bike PU experience. Got long lecture on being careful during break in period, Uh,Hu, Uh, Hu what ever.....pay bill, get on bike....pull out onto road, throttle up with a left turn and.......













BOOM
Right in front of the bay windows of the dealership.

P.S. Now I just take the wheels in to have tires put on and then use some rough sand paper on them before instal

[eldar]

I have never had it fall when still. I have almost lost it backing up on a gravel road. I was sitting on it and backing it up and the gravel moved. Started to drop it but I planted my feet and heaved and got it back up.

[rhos1355]

I have never had it fall when still. I have almost lost it backing up on a gravel road. I was sitting on it and backing it up and the gravel moved. Started to drop it but I planted my feet and heaved and got it back up.

Eldar, I afraid you're gonna have to call that a still drop.

[1timduke]

I dropped mine pushing it into the doorway of my basement.   It's a weird angle deal where you have to go in, then out, then in, then out, in, out...   Well, between the summer heat, way too many beers, and the ol' in and out, down goes my Japanese girlfriend, wedged gracefully in the way too small and awkward doorway that goes under my house    

Thankfully that was my only time.

No, not my only time with the old in/out, I mean dropping the bike

-Tim

[BeSeeingYou]

 Only once.  I had just gotten my brand new 79 Yamaha XS650 and I had never driven a motorcycle to that point.  I was riding the bike home from the dealer through the side streets of Minneapolis.  For whatever reason I remember pulling up to a stop sign and just falling over.  No damage but I sure felt like a dope. 

[heffay]

for whatever reason, i just fell over.   

[Gordon]

For whatever reason I remember pulling up to a stop sign and just falling over.

It usually helps if you put your feet down.

[Fuzzball]

Came close a few times----once because I was wearing stupid shoes and slipped on some gravel.
Once, before my wife learned to wait til I was ready before she dismounted (I guess I could have worded that differently....bring it if you must ; )
Another time I just barely caught it but ended up really straining my back. Three chiropractic sessions later and it would have been cheaper to drop the bike.

[Sparked]

I dropped my old bike once, it was dark and I since my bike was the only one with a headlight at the camp site (everyone else had dirtbikes) I was elected to lead as we forged a river off of the island with all the dirtbike trails. lets say 8 inches of flowing water, street tires and wet river rock all worked against me that night.  I was going slow so it didn't hurt the bike much, but I fould a good amount of gravel in the exhaust when I was cleaning it up the following day.

[Industrial Cafe]

I dropped mine against the wall in the garage. I bumped the starter and it was in first on the sidestand.
It was at such a position that I could not pick it up, all wedged in the corner.
 I ended up dragging it out the door and picking it up outside.
broke the bar end mirror, bent the front fender, scratched the turn signal.