A couple ways to drop your bike...(got any more?)

[Grimes]

201. Letting friend sit on your newly restored bike for a picture, and said friend thinks it's funny to joke around when they don't realize how much a bike can really weigh



Let a friend sit on my restored Honda XL250 for a picture. Said friend thought it would be funny to wobble the bike side to side.

Was about to tell the friend not to do that as the bike is heavy, only to watch in horror as my restored bike fell to the ground. After helping my friend up, I accessed the damage.

It was a broken original Honda clutch lever, scratch in the painted crankcase cover, scratched original turn signal, scratch in the original paint of the tank, and a rub mark on the original grip.


I was not happy to say the least, but the friend payed for a new AFTERMARKET clutch lever. I touched up the other damages as best as I could, but it was never how it was before.


I sold the bike 2 months later.

[Unca Fud]

Add 202. Daughter - 120 lbs after MSF course. Driving her new-to-her Honda CX500 starting on a slight hill after putting both feet down per MSF instruction. Bike rolls backward and down she went. Motorist helps her up. Same thing happened at the next stop sign too. She didn't know how to hold the bike with the brake.

I tried to explain how to use all four appendages to start on a hill, using rear brake, clutch, throttle, and left foot down, but she said the MSF said to just put both your feet down. No instruction on how to start a heavier bike on a slight hill. "Dad, they must know what they are teaching!"

Lost the argument and she left the hobby. MSF instructor said what I was advocating was too complicated. Sold the bike.

[atomicalex]

Well, that sucks. My German instructor had me ride up to a slight hill, gave me the "four appendages" speech, and off we went, no issues at all. Who puts both feet down on a hill?

[Islesfan91]

two examples - on my brand new 2011 ninja 650 (before I crashed it and got the 2012)

example 1 - pulling up to the garage to park it after almost being taken out by a careless cager and still pissed off jumped off it without putting the kickstand down..and got even more pissed off. Bent the clutch lever into an interesting hook and a couple scuffs on the left side

example 2 - making it through the winter on the bike as a new rider without having any further issues and in for the first service at the dealer. Finally finished and I pull out of their parking lot looking left to try and see past the garbage bin and make sure no cars were coming and missed that there was a 3 inch drop to the street thanks to the alley being freshly repaved. Front wheel caught the lip and yanked right, throwing the bike down to the right and creating even bigger scuffs on that side, and snapping the front brake lever in half (the broken lever bounced about 25 feet in the air before coming back down) then having to wheel it back into the dealer to get a new front brake lever, and to bend the rear brake lever back into place as it was jammed into the plastics


thankfully? I crashed the bike in June and it was a complete mess, so I've upgraded to the 2012 Ninja 650 which (knock on wood) is still in pristine condition

[drrider1]

First gas stop on a 600 mile ride home with my new to me r1100rt didnt realize long the side stand was. As I'm filling the tand cg takes over and down it goes with me holding the gas nozzle. found out how expensive mirrors are

[Noth]

Bringing my brand new 2012 Suzuki Burgman home & parking it on the center stand at the end of my drive way & carefully covering it up.. The next day mowing the lawn on my tractor and barely touching the rear tire with the deck as I tried to get the last little tuft of grass at he end of the drive and over it goes.. Luckily the cover on it protects all but the brake on the left side..

Or

Putting my Cycleshell up in a wind protected little area behind my house and not realizing that when I put the side stand down, the floor of the cycle shell will now flex on the soft lawn and there is not enough lean... DUH !

Or

Leaving my new Burgman under the Dowco cover when high winds are predicted and not moving it to said protected area.. On the side stand.. but still.. the wind blew it off the side stand and all the way over on the right side... UGH..

[InlineSkate]

Riding in the snow on a scooter without winter tires. Thinking "you got it" when the only thing you got is a bruise on your ass.

[DirtReeper]

From Sundays ride. Traveling west at about 1730 on KLR 650 on a dirt road in BFE northern AZ Strip come up to a wash that still has a nice gooey slippery mud pit in it. Make it 90% of the way across, glance up to check ahead get blinded by setting sun, quickly look back down at front tire as the spots ruin your shadow sight and watch front drop into hole, get thrown to the left. Look back to see SO drop her KLR 250 from loss of momentum and gravel when she puts foot down, watch Dad run over to check on her leaving you to struggle getting heavy bitch of a KLR back up in zero traction mud. Succed in breaking clutch cable tightener thingie screw and ripping milk crate of its bolts. Loss of time for repairs 30 min Loss of ego meh negligable sun blinded me

[Andyvh1959]

I've been teaching MSF classes for over 20 years. I have lost count at the number of ways to dump a bike. Some happen even after the bike has been succesfully stopped, is stationary on the sidestand, and the newbie attempts to "slither" off the bike like a large garden slug, thereby unbalancing the bike and newbie, and both fall over.

Before I started teaching MSF courses I used to say, "any idiot can ride a motorcycle in a straight line."

HA! That was proved wrong in the very first class I taught!

[Unca Fud]

Originally Posted by Andyvh1959

I've been teaching MSF classes for over 20 years.

Andy - See post 77.

Is the MSF officially still teaching starts on a hill the same way? or is this something that was a hang up of the local instructor? The daughter is getting interested again.

[Chessie-Owner]

letting your father drive your r1200gs for the second time. As he is coming up the steep driveway your dog bolts from one side of your truck bed to the other to bark as its backed up in the drive way. Dog scares your father into a hand full of front break while slightly turning the wheel to drive it into the garage. I watched in slow motion as my bike leans over at my brand new $40,000 truck missing it by less than an inch as it falls in slow motion. My father walked away with a few weeks of jabs about dropping the bike and a sore calf.

In his defence I knew he shouldn't drive it up into the garage, let alone up the steep driveway. Also my Chesapeake has one piercing bark.

[Chessie-Owner]

Originally Posted by Unca Fud

Andy - See post 77.

Is the MSF officially still teaching starts on a hill the same way? or is this something that was a hang up of the local instructor? The daughter is getting interested again.

I took the class not to long ago and they taught us to either use front break both feet down or one foot down and rear break depending on which feels more comfortable.

[Montague]

Painful memory from many years ago, but for the enjoyment and edification of the collective, here goes:

1986 K100RS with a hitch and Westson Roadster camper trailer. Towed it all over Canada for several years with no problems until the day we arrived at Meat Cove NS and went to the camp ground.

No problems negotiating hills to actual camping spot but then decided to take bike up the hill further to the office with trailer still attached. Stalled it on a steep driveway incline, tried to apply brakes quickly but before I could react, trailer had dragged me back a foot or so and I lost my balance.

The rest is history, much to the amusement of locals and campers.

[Honda55]

didnt see this,


having your shoelace get caught on the peg and try to put your footdown but its caught on the peg and down you go.

[yellow 1150GS]

While on a trip to Tampa (Busch Gardens) watched a guy on a BMW pull up next to us at a stoplight and slowly tip over without ever taking his feet off the footpegs. While helping him right the bike, he "confessed" that he had taken off the sidecar at the campground and "forgot" that it was not there. We both had a good laugh out of that one.