The Idiot's Guide To Dropping A Bike

[sapaul]

Amazing how quick it happens, with my drop, 1 second I am upright, next I am over the wrong side of the bike, upside down with an egg sized bump on my head. 1 cracked fairing, broken mirror and screen, scratched bar end and in the dog box for a month. Ah well, at least I never get to wash the bikes again. I am not trusted

I did one more with my RT

left the disk lock on the front disk, sat on the bike and pushed it off the centre stand and, you guessed it, promptly fell over.

Now I do a 167 point check before I take a bike off a stand

[Johnj]

It was the summer of '77 or '78. I had bought a 69 Triumph, a really nice one, for $100 (it didn't run). The guy had changed out the points, and did a bad job of it. So I set the points, hooked up the condensers and rode it home. A buddy of mine had a ratty old BSA and we took off north on old US71 heading for this stretch of road that was like 3 miles long set between two hills, like a top speed run setup by the state. Gary went first, varoom and a cloud of dust and I took off 30 seconds later. We were past the half way mark, when Gary's BSA let out a big cloud of smoke a slowed dramatically and pulled off the road. I slowed and pulled of the highway too. I went to put the stand down, without looking, and pushed it into a piece of pavement, and over I went. The side of the road sloped down and the bike landed on my leg, so there I was, laying on the side of the road, with a bike on top of me, trapped. Gary walked over and asked, kind of deadpan, "Need a hand?" Those were the days.

[Flesher]

My bike was blown over this past weekend while at a Total Control class. 60 mph gusts while we were in the classroom. Thank you kindly engine guards for taking the blow.

I can't get the visual out of my mind, something about total control and being blown over by the wind strikes me as really funny

[Flesher]

It was the summer of '77 or '78. I had bought a 69 Triumph, a really nice one, for $100 (it didn't run). The guy had changed out the points, and did a bad job of it. So I set the points, hooked up the condensers and rode it home. A buddy of mine had a ratty old BSA and we took off north on old US71 heading for this stretch of road that was like 3 miles long set between two hills, like a top speed run setup by the state. Gary went first, varoom and a cloud of dust and I took off 30 seconds later. We were past the half way mark, when Gary's BSA let out a big cloud of smoke a slowed dramatically and pulled off the road. I slowed and pulled of the highway too. I went to put the stand down, without looking, and pushed it into a piece of pavement, and over I went. The side of the road sloped down and the bike landed on my leg, so there I was, laying on the side of the road, with a bike on top of me, trapped. Gary walked over and asked, kind of deadpan, "Need a hand?" Those were the days.

It's funny how the things that seem really stupid and aggravating at the time, become fond memories as the years go by. Yikes, you didn't end up with the exhaust pipe on your leg did you?

[Flesher]

Amazing how quick it happens, with my drop, 1 second I am upright, next I am over the wrong side of the bike, upside down with an egg sized bump on my head. 1 cracked fairing, broken mirror and screen, scratched bar end and in the dog box for a month. Ah well, at least I never get to wash the bikes again. I am not trusted

I did one more with my RT

left the disk lock on the front disk, sat on the bike and pushed it off the centre stand and, you guessed it, promptly fell over.

Now I do a 167 point check before I take a bike off a stand

So far you're the only one that's admitted to two drops, that would explain the 167 point check

[RhadamYgg]

Well, I dropped my second bike twice in one day.

1) Stopped at a stop sign at the top of a hill (not very steep, but enough) and needing to do a right turn. Still new to the bike. Winter, wearing a lot of extra gear that I hardly ever wore with my old bike. Seat height (with the added gear) was a bit high to flat foot. Stalled in first getting ready to go. Far more concerned about the stall than the immanent approach to the ground - at least for the crucial seconds and next thing the bike is on the ground.

2) That day(!) decided I needed practice. Went to an empty parking lot did some quick stops (which were very easy to do on that bike) and sharp turns in the parking lot. Next decided to do some figure 8s. Made it through one (really butchered it) and then the second one, dropped it on the first right turn in the figure 8....

Really wasn't my day. As I gained experience with the bike I found that in either of my drops I could have saved it with experience - and I had saved it from a drop since those 2. I think the fear of dropping an expensive bike made it so I er, dropped my expensive bike.

I'm convinced now it was/is a great bike, but I got soured on it after dropping it and rode a lot less in the time I had that bike than my previous bike so it had to go. Probably a combination of factors, but in reality I had my 4th or 5th bike as my second bike and lacked the experience to handle such a heavy bike in slow speed maneuvers. I probably could have kept it and been fine and started riding more (as I already had this year), but in the end the switch to a lighter bike and basically restarting my second year of experience was probably the right thing to do.

Damn, though I do miss the B-King sometimes when I'm on the FZ. I may have jumped too far down, but at least I get good mpg and use regular fuel now and I do seem to have more fun on it.

[Grey Thumper]

I'm amazed no one has mentioned just getting off the bike after a ride and completely forgetting to kick down the side stand. I figured it would be pretty common. Guess I'm even more of a moron than I thought

[ceemes]

I'm amazed no one has mentioned just getting off the bike after a ride and completely forgetting to kick down the side stand. I figured it would be pretty common. Guess I'm even more of a moron than I thought

ah no, just braver then most of us for admitting it tho...

[BuzZz]

When I was a young punk, I was riding home from kickboxing class with a friend in the same class. We came to a light in downtown and when I stopped, he pulled up beside me in the same lane. And fell right over because he 'forgot' to put his foot down. Luckily, he fell away from me, because I was laughing too hard to have caught him.

It definitely did not have anything to do with the lefthanded cigarette we smoked after the class....

[Flesher]

Well, I dropped my second bike twice in one day...

...Damn, though I do miss the B-King sometimes when I'm on the FZ. I may have jumped too far down, but at least I get good mpg and use regular fuel now and I do seem to have more fun on it.

Twice in one day? Man that must have really bummed you out with a brand new bike.