Day 1: Dog trouble

[hayd3n]

I just dropped my bike for the first time yesterday *cry*
And dammit I was so keen on proving my mate wrong.

of its stand?
low speed?

[Bald Eagle]

It was such an adorable little one too, the type that'd either hop into your lap when you're on the couch or squeeze under your feet to make a good footrest.
But I see your point guys, the dog should've been on a leash in the first place and the situation was beyond my control (and should've been under the control of those little unsupervised girls).

Cheers guys.

forget the dog put the bloody kids on a leash

[50km/h Demon]

of its stand?
low speed?

I U-turned too slowly. Such a rookie mistake.
Thankfully I was practicing on an empty street at the time.

[quickbuck]

I U-turned too slowly. Such a rookie mistake.
Thankfully I was practicing on an empty street at the time.

Yes, a rookie mistake...
BUT there is no such thing as too slowly....

Now, please don't take this the wrong way (Have to put that as many people do take things the wrong way on here....),
but it wasn't the lack of speed that caused you to drop the bike. I will try to explain:

What it was, was a small lack of throttle/ Clutch control, and you looked at the ground... Or not squarely over your shoulder.

KEEP YOUR HEAD AND EYES UP!!! Quote from SGT Wayne Christie (NZ Police).
Along with that, you should operate your throttle and clutch smoothly... NEVER touch the brake while in a turn.

See, you can turn a BMW 1200 full lock in a circle doing about 0.5 km/hr.... It is all experience.

Now, it is great to hear you are practicing. Well done for that.
Hope the bike isn't too broken up.... Most importantly, you didn't get hurt under it.

[CookMySock]

KEEP YOUR HEAD AND EYES UP!! [...] operate your throttle and clutch smoothly... NEVER touch the brake while in a turn.

quickbuck is right.

For myself, I don't like fiddling with the clutch when I'm busy concentrating on stuff. I just move my ass to the outside of the U turn, look as far back over my right shoulder as I can and eyeball where I want to go, and just tip in and go. If you feel the need - quickly check that you are not going to collect the kerb with your front wheel, but otherwise don't look down - keep looking where you want to do. If you feel the bike tip in too far and you run out of steering lock (a common occurrence on the GT250R) then just dribble on a small amount of throttle and the bike will stop tipping in deeper - just like if you had turned toward the turn with the bars.

Steve

[50km/h Demon]

Thanks guys.

Yeah, I took my eyes off where I wanted to go because my turning angle was too wide and it looked like I would hit the curb. I looked at my wheel's angle for a half-second to check whether it would hit or not and that's when my clutch-hand reflexively pulled to slow down. Lack of throttle, not looking at where I wanted to go, you guys have nailed it to the T.

Thankfully, other than a slightly loose mirror and a barely noticeable paint-smudge (as in I could get a towel and polish it away), everything's fine. I stuck my leg out, which decreased the falling velocity. Saved my bike from a thud too. I was walking on a slight limp yesterday but now my leg's back to 100% too. So all good =D

[CookMySock]

[...] that's when my clutch-hand reflexively pulled to slow down.

Ah well no real harm done, but yeah thats why you get your hand away from the clutch - because it forces you to think about it, and leads you to believe that it is part of the solution, when it is more part of the problem.

I used to be adamant that I wouldn't drop my bike, but I have three times in two years. Oh well.

Steve

[R-Soul]

Thanks guys.

Yeah, I took my eyes off where I wanted to go because my turning angle was too wide and it looked like I would hit the curb. I looked at my wheel's angle for a half-second to check whether it would hit or not and that's when my clutch-hand reflexively pulled to slow down. Lack of throttle, not looking at where I wanted to go, you guys have nailed it to the T.

Thankfully, other than a slightly loose mirror and a barely noticeable paint-smudge (as in I could get a towel and polish it away), everything's fine. I stuck my leg out, which decreased the falling velocity. Saved my bike from a thud too. I was walking on a slight limp yesterday but now my leg's back to 100% too. So all good =D

You can also lean to the outside of the turn when doing such low speed manouvers. Thsi helps balance the bike too.