You Dropped Your Bike!

[msor]

Just to start another bike chat.

You know that saying, "Everyone drops their bike..." or "...first bike." I want to hear everyones stories or thoughts on it.

When did you get this bike? Was it yours? Was it your first one? What bike was it and year? How bad was the drop? What did you do and/or what was your reaction? etc., TELL AWAY!

[Dirt Rider]

the only bike i have ever had on its side, was my old R6.... buddy i was with hit the ditch.. and in my haist, my foot slipped on some gravel and lost my footing.. .. just leaned it over on its side...


been lucky so far *knocks on wood

[Spec V]

ive been lucky so far. ive dropped my new gixxer 600 at a stand still after i did a wheelie. lucky there was no scratches. however, i let my buddy ride my bike and he dropped it while goin 5km. he gave it some nice scratches. w/e he paid for the damages. at the time my heart sunk and i was in awww.

[asian_XL]

you don't know how to ride your bike if you never dropped it.
It's true that motorcycle school doesn't tell you all the things
you shouldn't do on a bike.

I am glad I dropped it at very low speed. Minor scratch only.
The sad thing is it was in front of a bunch of girls I know. super
embarrassing.

[Noizz]

i dropped mine when i forgot that my kick stand was up while i was removing the rear stand.... doh.....

[RRxtar]

dropped my first bike.
i was backing out of my carport into the back alley and while i was still rolling i went to kick the kickstand up with my left foot but my right foot slipped on some gravel and shot forward and i went down to the right.

[HyperREV]

i dropped your first bike too. and iceman's, and dirt rider's.

haha

u-turns gone bad

[doggface]

The first and only time i dropped my bike was the day after i installed my frame sliders. i was so angry that it happened, that i gained instantaneous superstrength and quickly picked the bike up.

[impactX]

Dropped it at the gas station on the first day (slow speed ride + sharp 90 degree turn with my legs up on the pegs, idiotic), dropped it again on the same day (fixing the mirrors while going at 20-30km/h, idiotic), then lowsided it going around 20-30km/h... using the front brake while the front wheel is turned is a very bad idea. The first thought after the lowside was "OH SHIT this is going to be expensive..." the second thought was "ouch my knee hurts!" I was wearing jeans only while I have protective gear for all the other parts...

You will definitely drop it; but I don't regret dropping mine as I really learned what NOT to do the hard way. I find myself screwing up more during slow-speed ride.

[Ulic Qel-Droma]

dropped my first bike when i was really young, it was the first time i rode without training wheels.

[Eternal_SiR]

was backing down a driveway, then hit uneven concrete and lost balance.. then layed it now, wasn't that bad.. second time was when i came to a stop.. put my foot down, knee gave out and down i went.. both time have been at a stand still or just rolling speed

[haymura]

dropped mine doing a slow u-turn. i felt my bike leaning to one side and i was like "oh shit its gonna drop!" so i just jumped out of the bike and let it drop. couple of scratches and a sprained thumb but nothing serious.

on another note:
when ur bike drops while the engine is still running, what are u supposed to do? my engine was running at the time i dropped it and when i picked it up, it suddenly chugged then died. I tried to restart it a couple times but it had a hard time starting until my 4th try with a little throttle. also the oil indicator light is on.

[Noizz]

Originally posted by impactX
lowsided it going around 20-30km/h... using the front brake while the front wheel is turned is a very bad idea.

front wheel braking is used very often for corners. its called trail braking. done correctly you can turn in faster and therefore go through the corner faster than if u braked and THEN turned in.

the theory behind it is, if you keep the brakes on from the point before turn in and into the turn, it loads the front suspension keeping the bike "dipped down" so theres more force on the tire + pavement = more grip.

usually a front wheel brake applied mid corner leads to a highside. duno how u managed a low side, because the laws of physics will usually bring ur bike up and over the other side if u applied front brakes.

if u want to control it, expect that it will bring ur bike up during the corner, and fight it with more countersteer, using one finger to brake, u don't need alot of braking maybe ~5% is enough, remember you're just putting weight bias to the front.

its more for track and canyons though, not really street... but just don't stomp on ur rear mid corner.... that would really be a bitch.

Originally posted by haymura
on another note:
when ur bike drops while the engine is still running, what are u supposed to do? my engine was running at the time i dropped it and when i picked it up, it suddenly chugged then died. I tried to restart it a couple times but it had a hard time starting until my 4th try with a little throttle. also the oil indicator light is on.

bike has a tip over sensor i believe, if u ever drop it and it doesn't auto matically shut off, reach for the kill switch asap. but i think most bikes shut off auto with tip over sensor.

engine light came on because of oil starvation, your bike was tipped over so al the oil isn't reaching the top of ur crankcase, guys who wheelie alot have the same problem, quick solutions is filling a quart or 2 more oil than prescribed. in ur case give it some time and the oil will settle back down to the pan.

[6thGear.]

Originally posted by haymura
dropped mine doing a slow u-turn. i felt my bike leaning to one side and i was like "oh shit its gonna drop!" so i just jumped out of the bike and let it drop. couple of scratches and a sprained thumb but nothing serious.

on another note:
when ur bike drops while the engine is still running, what are u supposed to do? my engine was running at the time i dropped it and when i picked it up, it suddenly chugged then died. I tried to restart it a couple times but it had a hard time starting until my 4th try with a little throttle. also the oil indicator light is on.

if your bike is carburated, when you dropped it, it floods the carbs...thats why it chugged and died and you couldn't start it up right away. if its FI..well, i dunno then, since i haven't dropped a FI bike...yet(knock on wood) but if its carburated, then you should hit the engine switch right away. as for my 2 drops, the first time was when i first got my ninja500, i got home, came to a stop...and brainfarted cause for some reason, i didn't put my foot down. quickly jumped off the bike and then gingerly layed it down. 2nd time was a u-turn on gravel road...same thing..jumped off and gingerly layed it down. so far no drops on my F4I(knock on wood again)

if you guys are doing a tight turn and don't want to drop your bike on low speed, then do what i do....i put pressure on the other foot peg, IE-right turn, then put pressure on left foot peg and vise versa. also, don't lean in the direction of your turn, instead, shift your upper body in the opposite direction, IE-right turn, shift upper body to the left. back at action(before PRS), i couldn't do a tight turn if my life depended on it. chris told me to try out these tricks and ever since, i've never had a problem doing tight turns

[Noizz]

Originally posted by 6thGear.
if you guys are doing a tight turn and don't want to drop your bike on low speed, then do what i do....i put pressure on the other foot peg, IE-right turn, then put pressure on left foot peg and vise versa. also, don't lean in the direction of your turn, instead, shift your upper body in the opposite direction, IE-right turn, shift upper body to the left. back at action(before PRS), i couldn't do a tight turn if my life depended on it. chris told me to try out these tricks and ever since, i've never had a problem doing tight turns

known as counter body steering, steering the bike but keeping center of gravity up! very very good way to u turn, remember to not go so too slow, the slower u are the more tendency u have to drop the bike. i always have my clutch about 3/4 out, too fast pull it in, too slow let it out!

[haymura]

^

thats probably why i dropped. i was making a slow u-turn and leaning to the direction i was going thinking that it will make my turn sharper. sure learned my lesson. got a sprain thumb cuz of that. lol!

[Gh0stRider]

lets see some pictures!!

[msor]

^^ yah lets see some pictures!! before and after =P

[RRxtar]

even tho your riding instructor and the MST instructor will both tell you otherwise, once you pass those tests, dont hesitate to keep your feet off the pegs and sort of help walk yourself around thru a slow Uturn if you feel uncomfortable. it might not look all pro, but picking your bike up in an intersection will look worse.

you dont always have to only have your left foot down while your stopped and put it back on the peg imediately after you start moving. comfort > style.

[6thGear.]

yup...duck walk if you can, thats what i used to do when i first started.

[dachinesedude]

Anyone notice? When you drop your bike, you suddenly have super strength to pick it back up, like with no effort at all.

I dropped my kawi ninja 250 once when I first started biking.

[evil_jigglypuff]

I've dropped my first bike(which is my current one) while on a stand still. I just finished the course and I was feeling good about going for a ride on my own. So I jump on my bike and tried to pull up the the kickstands but couldn't(I'm quite short, only 5'6). I tried harder and then all of a sudden, I lost the bikes balance and leaned it on the ground... minor scratches here and there... quite embarrassing lol

[dubzz24]

I've got a story

Never "dropped" but I had to lay my bike down a couple months back.

I was going south bound in the right lane of a 4 lane rd (2 each way). A truck going north bound turned left over a double yellow right the fuck in front of me. I grabbed the brakes but there was no way I was stopping in time so I cut left and layed her down on her left side. I was going about 70 when it all went down. Tumbled and rolled for a second before landing on my back, sliding on my back, feet first for the better part of 150 feet. All the while watching my bike slide further away from me. There was shit all I could do to slow down so I just kept my head up and tried to "swim" to keep in my lane. I didn't even come to a full stop when I kicked myself to my feet and started running after my bike (which was still sliding). To top it all off the asshole in the truck took off, and he definately saw me since I made eye contact with him.

The bike took it pretty well. Left fairing cracked, mirror, signal, tank dented, and left rear-set bent. Pretty much all cosmetic.

The kicker, a couple friends of mine were following in a car behind me and saw the whole thing and one had a camera so there are some good pics of the aftermath. I'll try to post some up later

[68style]

I didn't drop mine while I had it, but the guy before me punched the turn signal through the fairing... and some dude came to look at it and buy from me and he hopped on it all gung-ho and almost fell over sideways into the front of my car. Moron. Turned out he hadn't even done his road test yet... learned my lesson to check licenses and crap before even letting them near it after that.

[lexluthor09]

I've dropped mine three times in my first year of riding. Twice on the day I bought the bike... I cried. Hahah but I did learn never to use the front brakes while turning at parking lot speed. Not too much damage though, and I've been lucky ever since.