Doh! Clunk!

[Dragon on Wheels]

Argh! I dropped it. Hopefully I got that out of my system though.(Maybe I should have dropped one at the BRC instead of my own)

Anyways, I took it out to ride around the neighborhood a bit and after a few 'laps' up and down the streets, I decided to try the u-turn/figure 8 because I bombed that part of my BRC riding test. Well, I was able to get a u-turn off, but no figure 8 and my bike tumbled a bit. Fortunately, I was moving slowly and I was able to semi-catch it.

The left mirror seems like it was hit the hardest with a medium scratch at the bottom and the clutch lever and left signal light also have small scratches. Other than that it seems ok. It wouldn't start after I dropped it and so I walked it back home and then tried again after waiting 20 minutes and it started with no problems. I was told that perhaps there was too much liquid(oil?) in someplace because I had tried several times to start it and it needed to dry off(or something) before it could start. I rode around a bit after that just to see if it would still move and it seems like there was no major problems.

I was also wondering whether the issue I had with the loss of power could be because I was in too high a gear and not rolling on the throttle enough(?) Would that cause the bike to stall/slow down/stop?

I kept it in 1st / 2nd gear today and there didn't seem to be any problems.

[Sicko]

Congrats. Dropping your bike for the first time is an important rite of passage. Here's hoping it doesn't become a habit.

[Nalian]

It wouldn't start after I dropped it and so I walked it back home and then tried again after waiting 20 minutes and it started with no problems. I was told that perhaps there was too much liquid(oil?) in someplace because I had tried several times to start it and it needed to dry off(or something) before it could start. I rode around a bit after that just to see if it would still move and it seems like there was no major problems.

I was also wondering whether the issue I had with the loss of power could be because I was in too high a gear and not rolling on the throttle enough(?) Would that cause the bike to stall/slow down/stop?

It sounds like the drop made your gas flood the bike. If you waited a bit and it started up that was likely the cause - but hopefully someone with more technical knowledge on this will chime in.

As far as the loss of power - if you're riding around lugging the engine (too high of a gear for your speed/rpm) it can certainly make the bike stall out. What gear are you in and how fast are you going when you lose power?

[Flipper]

Dragon on Wheels,

When doing slow speed u-turns and figure 8's, it's a good idea to use your clutch to stay in the friction zone and drag your rear brake.
This will keep your rpm's up which makes the bike want to stand up and also keeps you from stalling.

[Dragon on Wheels]

As far as the loss of power - if you're riding around lugging the engine (too high of a gear for your speed/rpm) it can certainly make the bike stall out. What gear are you in and how fast are you going when you lose power?

That's probably it! I was moving up the gears (to 4th or 5th) because the cars were flying by me so quickly(I had to take it down a small highway to get home), but I didn't dare roll on the throttle too much(because I was scared of moving too fast) and I think the rpms stayed at about 4 - 5000 while I was moving at about 30 - 40 mph.

After today and this knowledge, I probably should have kept it in 2nd or 3rd gear and gotten the rpms higher...the bike seems to be able to move up to 35 - 40 mph in 2nd gear.

[nate1714]

that sucks but im glad ur ok...and so is the bike...

[kellanv]

It wouldnt start because when a bike ends up on its side, it will usually flood the carbs(assuming the bike has carbs) with gasoline. It takes a little bit for the gas to flow back out of the carbs so you can start it.

U-turns can be tricky, epecially in the real world. Gravel, changes in the road topography etc can affect how the bike feels.

One thing you definitely want to do is stay in first or second when doing a low speed uturn. The biggest thing here is you want to give the bike enough power to where it will stabilize itself around the turn. Second gear is probably best for starting out, because your clutch/throttle control is probably not quite up to par at this point for a smooth roll-on etc.

You also will want to counter-lean the bike. What does this mean? Well in a curve or turn at speed, generally mooryclists will want to either keep their weight centered on the bike, or even lean a bit to the inside of the turn. This allows a better turning radius at a lower lean angle(thus conserving traction and stabilizing the turn) For low speed maneuvers tho, it helps to lean your weight to the outside of the turn, which allows a greater lean angle at a slower speed, which helps to decrease the radius of the turn.

One common mistake of newbies is to get worried and hit a brake(dragging the rear is ok) or be too afraid to roll on the trottle, which actually HELPS in stabilizing the u-turn.

I dont know if any of this helps but dont worry at all about the spill. We have all taken them at one point or another(some worse than others) Just keep riding and have fun.

-Kellan

[Sicko]

It wouldnt start because when a bike ends up on its side, it will usually flood the carbs(assuming the bike has carbs) with gasoline. It takes a little bit for the gas to flow back out of the carbs so you can start it.

U-turns can be tricky, epecially in the real world. Gravel, changes in the road topography etc can affect how the bike feels.

One thing you definitely want to do is stay in first or second when doing a low speed uturn. The biggest thing here is you want to give the bike enough power to where it will stabilize itself around the turn. Second gear is probably best for starting out, because your clutch/throttle control is probably not quite up to par at this point for a smooth roll-on etc.

You also will want to counter-lean the bike. What does this mean? Well in a curve or turn at speed, generally mooryclists will want to either keep their weight centered on the bike, or even lean a bit to the inside of the turn. This allows a better turning radius at a lower lean angle(thus conserving traction and stabilizing the turn) For low speed maneuvers tho, it helps to lean your weight to the outside of the turn, which allows a greater lean angle at a slower speed, which helps to decrease the radius of the turn.

One common mistake of newbies is to get worried and hit a brake(dragging the rear is ok) or be too afraid to roll on the trottle, which actually HELPS in stabilizing the u-turn.

I dont know if any of this helps but dont worry at all about the spill. We have all taken them at one point or another(some worse than others) Just keep riding and have fun.

-Kellan

Good info. Thanks.

[noodlenoggin]

Enh...when I got my first bike...
* I locked up the front brake on wet grass and went down
* I gassed it too hard in mud and went down.
* I found out I couldn't start and turn at the same time, and hit my best friend's dad's truck

When I got my first street bike...
* I found out street tires on wet grass = going down.
* I found out stopping sideways on a hill means noplace to put my foot, and I went down.
* I rode into a ditch in the dark and went down
* I rode into a 25mph corner signed as a 40mph corner and went down.

That was all a decade ago and I haven't dropped it since. Don't feel bad about going down. We all did it.