Dangers of a still bike

[4xe1]

Hi all,
I been riding,for maybe two month now and its been awesome, that old dream of mine finally came true...
but there was opposite side of riding I wanna talk about ...
The information on this website is priceless, and I did my research before going on to a real thing and I think that there is one common crush situation that doesn't get the proper attention ...
I manage to crush my bike 3 times :sweatdrop, all of them at almost zero speeds. First time I parked my bike on hill slope, stood up, walked couple of steps..and boom the bike falls down behind me.... broken brake handle. Second time was on my way to work, coming out of my steep driveway, pull on front brake , bike stops and leans to the left, I guessed I reacted to slowly... broken brake handle... third time I was just pushing my bike into the garage, downhill made a turn...bike over leaned again... This time I did my best to lay it down gently... no broken bike parts ... but I pulled my leg pretty badly :doh:.
So the conclusion is...bike at slow speed is MUCH less stable, acceptable lean angle decreases drastically, so if you have a 150kg bike like I do, take special care when parking and pushing it around , don't find that out a hard way :)

[johnnyflash]

Consider it a valuable and and timely lesson 4Xe1, because later when you get on a 300-400kg bike even a minor miscalculation of balance will see you with bike down, and if you were unfortunate enough to be on it at the time and catch a leg, you may be there for the duration until someone comes along :-) the parking one I still see happen with experienced riders, park on hill, either facing downhill instead of uphill or not leaving it in gear, or back against a gutter.. :-)

[Cache Wraith]

Bad luck happening three times. I think many newbies have been confronted with the predicament of arriving at a destination and finding the address on a steep or inclined Road with no flat parking space available. Happened to me early on in the piece, and it was an embarrassing dilemma. Thought racing through my mind was "How the f*** do I park this thing without looking like a complete dunce?" As for your conclusion that " [a] bike at slow speed is MUCH less stable" there are many threads that talk about the nature motorcycles ie. they are inherently unstable at slow speed or stationary. Shame you had to the learn the lesson the hard way. Good on you for posting the experience.

[ital916]

Hey there!

Learn from it aye. was driving out of a party on friday, when i stopped my foot slipped and the bike leaned over, luckily it ways shit all and i managed to catch it half way through the fall hehe. Leave it in gear when parked...always......always....................... ...always. *I think* lol

[awayatc]

look at it from the bright side , if you drop it at speed you do a lot more damage.....:banana:

[PirateJafa]

But on the flip side - it seems that if you drop it at speed you get better pub stories, and get more respect than just dropping it at <1km/h.

Bit of a toss-up eh? ;)

[HornetBoy]

But on the flip side - it seems that if you drop it at speed you get better pub stories, and get more respect than just dropping it at <1km/h.

Bit of a toss-up eh? ;)

lol yea but thats only if you can walk away from the bin:weep:
imo id rarther drop it when still than at speed ,ive found that out the hard way ,it hurts! and im probly on one of the heaviest 600's around at 220kg

[Cache Wraith]

But on the flip side - it seems that if you drop it at speed you get better pub stories, and get more respect than just dropping it at <1km/h.

A lot of bikers seem to consider it a badge of honour every time they bin. Some threads I have read have left me gobsmacked when some riders talk about having x number of bins in the space of a couple of months. For me it's a badge I'd preferably not wear.

[Macstar]

Fit some crash posts

[FJRider]

But on the flip side - it seems that if you drop it at speed you get better pub stories, and get more respect than just dropping it at <1km/h.



You get more respect if you DONT drop your bike at speed. Pub stories are just that...Stories. Spend more time on the road. Not telling/listening to PUB stories.

[PirateJafa]

You get more respect if you DONT drop your bike at speed. Pub stories are just that...Stories. Spend more time on the road. Not telling/listening to PUB stories.
Tongue-in-cheek comments are evidently not as obvious over the internet. Maybe I should try drowning my posts in emoticons to remedy this. Or maybe not.

At any rate, I have experienced dropping my bike while stationary. It's always better when there is noone else around to see. And if you have a naked bike!

[The Pastor]

you can always attach trainer wheels.

[titirangi]

i remember pulling up to lights on my crappy ole impulse one day and leaning gently over to the left to put my fut down. boot lace had caught on change lever and i couldnt get my foot out in time. my most embarrasing bin - half dozen cars behind me laughing their tits off. bastards,

[Cache Wraith]

Tongue-in-cheek comments are evidently not as obvious over the internet. Maybe I should try drowning my posts in emoticons to remedy this. Or maybe not. At any rate, I have experienced dropping my bike while stationary. It's always better when there is noone else around to see. And if you have a naked bike!

I dropped my bike doing 0 kph in my backyard, thankfully where nobody could see. Had just arrived home from a ride and was pulling up. My mind was on something totally unrelated to biking and I was awoken from my dream by my bike going sideways and me totally unprepared. :weird:

Taught me a very important lesson, when on the bike
STAY FOCUSSED AT ALL TIMES.

[Trudes]

Well that sux, but it happens more than a lot of us care to admit! But I bet you've learnt to be a bit more choosey where and how you park your bike, so lessons learnt.:niceone:
Welcome to KB btw, have fun on that bike when it's not lying on its side, ride safe.

[breakaway]

At least you didn't forget to take off your disc lock and drop the bike in front of a cafe full of people :cry:

[madandy]

Never get off yer steed until you're damn sure its gonna stay put.
I haven't dropped my last couple of bikes but I dropped my RF a couple a times, cracking a fairing and a clutch lever. It's an arse but you soon learn :laugh:

[Jorja]

First time I parked my bike on hill slope, stood up, walked couple of steps..and boom the bike falls down behind me.... broken brake handle. Second time was on my way to work, coming out of my steep driveway, pull on front brake , bike stops and leans to the left, I guessed I reacted to slowly... broken brake handle... third time I was just pushing my bike into the garage, downhill made a turn...bike over leaned again... This time I did my best to lay it down gently... no broken bike parts ... but I pulled my leg pretty badly :doh:.

Did a combination of the first two.

First ever ride leaving our culdersac. Hill start across a main road. Soon realised I didn't know how to do one lol.
Frosty recons I am the only person he has ever seen crass a bike doing 0km per hour.
Rolled back towards the centre island, leg got trapped between bike and island, bike fell forcing my leg at a funny angle.
By the next day I was in a wheel chair waiting for xrays. :Oi:
Now I am really good at hill starts!!!

[shafty]

Hey there!

Learn from it aye. was driving out of a party on friday, when i stopped my foot slipped and the bike leaned over, luckily it ways shit all and i managed to catch it half way through the fall hehe. Leave it in gear when parked...always......always....................... ...always. *I think* lol

Tip: If your bike has a cut out switch on your sidestand, use putting the sidestand down, as the way of killing your engine. That way you know its in gear.

[Dodger]

At least you didn't forget to take off your disc lock and drop the bike in front of a cafe full of people :cry:

Ah, something else we almost all do.
I didn't manage to drop the bike, but it was the shortest trip I've ever had :whistle:

[swt 3]

Hey there,
I'm fairley new to the biking world & newbie to this forum, as in been riding for 12months now. First bike was my partner's, Triumph Bonnieville, America, and still have it. I can say I've been 'gutted' more than once on dropping the bike while stationary, almost. Very embarrassing & very slutted that I can't pick the thing up by myself. Luckily, my partner & others were about to help. Busted footpeg each time, thank goodness that was all, as $180 a pop wasn't good. I get told, it can still happen to even the experienced bikers when least expecting. I have also now bought a Street triple to add to our collection. A lot lighter, although a bit taller then the cruiser, so have to watch out for the balance thing. :rolleyes:

[caseye]

I'd ridden many bikes, road and dirt before geting my GS850G and never fallen off on the road or in the back yard.
in the space of three weeks I'd dropped it three times each time costing me both L/H indicators, foot pegs and fairing glas.
She'd ben cafe raced by the previous owner and would do a gadzillion miles per hour and so she had drop bars anda full Ducati fairing.
I'd never ridden a faired bike before.I kept arriving at traffic lights and stalling to try and stay upright till they changed.No worries aye, we've all done that, but what I kept forgetting was that i had to physically drag my feet off the peg and out from behind the fairing to put it down.
Laughed at several times by pasing motorists/cage dwellers.
Took the fairing off, gave it to my broinlaw who put it on his CB 250 Honda along with ;panniers a stereo and aerials for Africa. Looked great that bike.
I never dropped the 850 again and had huge amounts of fun on her for teh next 4 years.
Awesome machine, kitted with comp clutch, yoshi big bore kit jetted and tuned to do warp nine and she did, surprised many a bigger bike rider, then along came KIDS. Now 15 years later an old but beautiful XV 1000 is my pride and joy.Low enough to sit both feet on the ground and no pesky full fairing, love it!

[BiK3RChiK]

the parking one I still see happen with experienced riders, park on hill, either facing downhill instead of uphill or not leaving it in gear, or back against a gutter.. :-)

So on a hill, I park facing up the hill with it in gear and NOT angled back to the gutter?

Thanks,
Mavis

[BiK3RChiK]

Tip: If your bike has a cut out switch on your sidestand, use putting the sidestand down, as the way of killing your engine. That way you know its in gear.

+1 Thanks for that, I'll try to remember it!

M

[Shaz]

After reading all these comments I really feel alot better lol.
I put my hand up at lying the bike down with a thud :doh: going 0 in a hurry to nowhere, wasn't concentrating, did i or didn't i put the stand down....too late :laugh:
or pulling up to an island in the middle of the road thinking i'm gonna rest my right foot on it while waiting for the lights to change lol....too late gone the other way :stupid: <<<< me myself and I.

[Soul.Trader]

Dropped my bike in the first week of ownership - forgot to take the disc lock off. I went straight to the key cutters, and got a blank key that fits my ignition. Now, whenever the disc lock goes on, the blank key goes into the ignition, so I remember there's a lock on the wheel before I can put my key in.

[WanderBird]

I had an embarrasing drop today. Downhill, r.h corner, - stop sign, and because I wasn't focusing, I put my LEFT (read as downhill) foot down - into thin ai, and of course dropped it.

There is something really sad seeing ur baby lay down - it's just not right!:argh:

I couldn't pick it up, - about 10 cars manouvered around both me and bike, before a dear old gent stopped to give me a hand. I hoped he wasn't going to have a coronary!

Bike fine, pride critical injury

The only times I have ever dropped a bike, it has been stationery.

Lesson=CONCENTRATE *reminds self again*

[Subike]

Wet grass seems to be the one thing me and my bike dont like.
Tends to make it slide sideways when doing strange things late at night after consuming too much alcahol. mmmmmm
Must remember...........grass not good when drinking.
Sore leg next day from weight of bike lying on it

[BiK3RChiK]

I had an embarrasing drop today. Downhill, r.h corner, - stop sign, and because I wasn't focusing, I put my LEFT (read as downhill) foot down - into thin ai, and of course dropped it.

There is something really sad seeing ur baby lay down - it's just not right!:argh:

I couldn't pick it up, - about 10 cars manouvered around both me and bike, before a dear old gent stopped to give me a hand. I hoped he wasn't going to have a coronary!

Bike fine, pride critical injury

The only times I have ever dropped a bike, it has been stationery.

Lesson=CONCENTRATE *reminds self again*

Oh dear! :eek5: Glad you are okay and were able to get your bike back up albeit with the help of an older gentleman! I would hope someone would stop to help me pick up my bike if ever (touch wood I don't) I was to drop it! I don't think I'd be able to pick mine up either!:(

[WanderBird]

Aww thanks - I feel better now:)

Two things here - it REALLY bothers me that I can't pick up my bike. I like to ride gravel, but have been hesitant to go into the back blocks alone, since my only other drop, when I was completely stopped at a cross roads, deciding 'which way?' I luckily had a rescuer that time as well, but I dislike the limitation of not being able to pick it up.

Actually I don't think it is that I can't pick it up, so much as I don't have the technique right. I am going to get a couple of strong fellas, lay it down ( the bike that is!!) & prove, one way or the other, if it is a question of technique

Second thing that bothered me was the number of cars that drove around me. Sheez, I dunno, maybe cage drivers are just like that, but it is not something I would ever do

[BiK3RChiK]

Aww thanks - I feel better now:)


Actually I don't think it is that I can't pick it up, so much as I don't have the technique right. I am going to get a couple of strong fellas, lay it down ( the bike that is!!) & prove, one way or the other, if it is a question of technique

Second thing that bothered me was the number of cars that drove around me. Sheez, I dunno, maybe cage drivers are just like that, but it is not something I would ever do

Hmm... yes. Maybe I should be shown the correct way to pick my bike up too. Lucky for me my hubby was on hand when I dropped it the once and only time!

Yeah, I'm surprised that so many drove around you too. I would definitely stop and try to assist in any way I could and I know my hubby would too. We wouldn't hesitate! They must have been late for appointments or something...

[H00dz]

My mate has an RF900 which he dropped constantly at low speed, turns out the bike was set up for a taller rider and he fixed it by lowering it slightly... dont know how he did it but it worked......Pity really cause it was funny as hell when he did it!!!!:laugh:

[The Lone Rider]

Wet grass seems to be the one thing me and my bike dont like.
Tends to make it slide sideways when doing strange things late at night after consuming too much alcahol. mmmmmm
Must remember...........grass not good when drinking.
Sore leg next day from weight of bike lying on it

You should give them a link to the video people took that night :2thumbsup

[Learner Zealot]

Have dropped my bike once in my short (6 month) riding experience. Thankfully I bought the bike off a guy who was smart enough to have oggy knobs on there - barely a scratch on the mirror and handle bar. Without them I would have made a mess of the plasic housing around the radiator. It was a good reminder for me not to grab the front brake cornering no matter how slow you're going - though in this instance it was either that or risk hitting cage driver who decided to accelerate rather than have me cross his lane. Felt like a real dick though having the front wheel slip out like that rather than having a bit of patience.

[Mint Sauce]

Isn't it good to know you are not alone on this!

I am quite new back to riding after a long gap and with my first tall and fairly heavy bike. First time I dropped it was trying my first bit of gravel, having only ever ridden seal previously. Found myself in a tight spot I wasn't confident to manoeuvre at low speed. Tried to 'paddle' it round on tippy toes (bit short on the bike) and down we both went. Quite a grunt to lift it up.

Second time I was out on my first full ride off the seal in the Lees Valley with Transalper and FQ. Taking a tightish RH I lost concentaration, looked where I didn' want to end up (should know better from mountain biking); stuffed the rear brake pedal, RH handguard and first set of scratches on the front mudguard, the crash bars and panneir racks saved it being more expensive. Picture down below!

A few weeks ago after a ride on the Banks and a stop for a coffee I came out to the bike and was just manoeuvering it around to a start position and I let it slip off the point of balance. Braced to hold it and heard and felt an explosion in my right calf. The result physiopherapy for the last few weeks and banned off the bike. I have my final session with the physio today and hopefully will be back on the bike so that I can do my first planned multi day trip on the bike, which I had to delay, to the Catlins.

Anyway picking up on the questions realting to parking the bike. I found the attached link very helpful

http://www.msgroup.org/forums/mtt/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=213

With regard to picking the bike up. I was shown the following technique to make it easier and to save the back (very important in my more progressed years). Stand with your back to the bike (seat and handle bar end!), crouch, grab bars with one hand and grab rail or the like with the other, lift with legs as per weight lifters, as the bike starts to come up dig in the heels and walk the bike up by pushing your butt against it (leverage effect), take this last step at an easy pace so that you do not end up pushing the bike over and find yourself sitting on top of it.

Anyone got any good tips for interesting roads or places down in the Catlins?

[Bren]

i have dropped at low speeds a couple of times...i try not to do it now...cos it makes ya look stoopid...




Anyone got any good tips for interesting roads or places down in the Catlins?
all of them

[Rhino]

With regard to picking the bike up. I was shown the following technique to make it easier and to save the back (very important in my more progressed years). Stand with your back to the bike (seat and handle bar end!), crouch, grab bars with one hand and grab rail or the like with the other, lift with legs as per weight lifters, as the bike starts to come up dig in the heels and walk the bike up by pushing your butt against it (leverage effect), take this last step at an easy pace so that you do not end up pushing the bike over and find yourself sitting on top of it.
That is the way I was taught to pick em up too. Managed to get the Wing upright the one and only time it lay down on me (luckily while stopped, so no damage.) I managed to get 400kgs vertical again, but it was a struggle.:sweatdrop

ALWAYS use your legs to lift a bike, otherwise you may knacker your back.:sick:

[CookMySock]

crouch, grab bars with one hand and grab rail or the like with the other, lift with legs as per weight liftershold the front brake on too, so the bike can't wheel itself away from you as you lift it.

DB