Dumb Mistakes and Motorcycles

Oh, boy! How much time you got? :biggrin:

This past summer, I got some new tires scrubbed in and was very excited to hit some really nice back roads at a spirited pace. I wanted to double check tire pressure first, so I pulled into one of the few places left that offers free air. I was impatient to get going so I hopped off the bike and realized right away I had made a critical, not to mention embarrassing, error. Before my right foot hit the ground, I felt the bike push into me. Now, my bike weighs just around 370 lbs or so and I would not normally have any problem lifting it up. But being off balance, I was only able to push against it enough to have what felt like the slowest tip-over ever. The parking lot was crowded and right by a busy intersection, so I was sure that about 100 people watched my "I've fallen and I can't get up!" moment. I was able to get the bike back up in short order and got air in the tires AFTER making sure I'd put the kickstand down...

More recently, I just tried to do the clean air mod after putting in new plugs and air filter. Bike would start up and run fine for about 10 seconds before the revs would kick up and the FI light would come on. Of course, no one had ever had this issue and I was going nuts trying to figure out what was going. Well, I found out that it helps if you don't leave the hose that connects to the MAP sensor off. It had fallen down inside the frame and I had completely overlooked reattaching it. Took about two days for the overwhelming exhaust smell to clear the garage!

I've posted several times here about my embarrassing moments. Several times that sidestand has had me looking around to see how many saw.

I had a Kawasaki 175cc Enduro, highly modified for short track and TT, that I had raced successfully on local tracks in Southern California and I had decided to do some new rings, porting mods and enlarging the timing of the 'rotary valve' intake system before the next track time:smile_big:

I had just finished the mods and I started it an rode it up and down my neighborhood street a few times to seat the rings. I was really used to the 'powerband,' hitting at a certain point, mid-range, with a very strong surge at top end and I wasn't disappointed as the front wheel easily came up in the first 3 gears and then when the 'new' powerband hit, it hit hard and very abruptly and threw me right off the back of the bike and my helmetless body rolled and bounced down the street:surprise: I was not skinned up nor hurt in any way--weird but 'thank you Jesus.':angel:

However, as I slid off the bike I watched it stay upright, acting like a phantom rider was guiding it for a hundred feet down the street and it center punched a brand new 1972 C1500 Chevy pickup, right in the front bumper:sad:

I had to replace the bumper at my expense and my front forks on my track bike were bent back so far that it was a wonder that they hadn't just sheared offlain:

Live and learn:wink2:

Sam:grin:

Dumb Mistakes?

Drinking whisky then going out to do wheel-stands on my Kawasaki H2 750 triple.
Looped it at about 90 MPH. Had a little talk with God while doing earth, sky, earth, sky, earth, sky...
Learned the value of riding sober. Also the value of leathers. (My tee shirt and jeans were no help at all).
But I was a crazy kid back then, so there is that.

In the early days of roadracing, back when I was just starting out and only a motorcycle hobbyist at the time...
The rear brake shoes on my RD350 racer had plenty of lining and plenty of corrosion on the aluminum too.
It never occurred to me that a shoe could break due to corrosion. One did, in the middle of a corner. Somehow I pulled it off without crashing.
But I was a crazy young man back then, so there is that.

Going up a STEEP grade in the Colorado mountains, at about 10,000 feet, I decided to enjoy the view at a pull off.
Keep in mind. I'm a flat-lander.
Turning left I got a little off-balance and needed to put my left foot down, so I did. Problem was my foot was about two feet from the pavement due to the grade. Down I went, no way to catch it.
The bike and all of its soft luggage was all but upside down. Other tourists had to help me pick it up.
(I was very impressed by the concern everyone had for my well being).
But I'm a crazy old fart, so there is that.

There's more but....

I posted this story once before if it sounds familiar, It's a classic OOPS I did everything wrong and dropped my bike story

I was making an unplanned, very slow, tight U-turn in a gas station. I was on a week long trip, pulled in for gas and was headed towards a pump when I noticed it had an out of service sign on it. I quickly saw another island was free and decided that a quick U-turn would get me there, so I got that started, but it was tight, and I realized 1/2 way through that I was going to get too close to the curb in front of the building, and this is where I screwed up.

I could have tightening up the turn, (I could have easily, if I had just looked where I wanted to go and not at the curb!), or stopped smoothly with the rear brake after straightening the bike upright, then backed up (had plenty of room), but instead I got slightly flustered, looked at the curb, and while still turning used the front brake and stopped while leaned over slightly.
Even with these bad moves on my part I still almost saved it, my bike is heavy but I got my feet down and I had the weight under control, but what I never noticed was a gravel filled pothole, my foot was in it, and just when I thought I had everything under control the gravel slid under my boot and over we went!

My bike has tip over protection, nothing was hurt except for some serious bruising to my ego (my wife watched the whole thing from her bike parked at the next island), and I even refused help and picked up the beast myself, but I was rattled for the next 2 gas stops that day!

Lessons (re)learned..look where you want to go, not where you don't. Don't use the front brake when moving slowly. Plan ahead, last minute plan changes are not always the best ones, I should have stopped at the dead pump then planned my next move. Look around, watch for hazards like that gravel patch. Don't stop when a bike is leaned over. Remember that the bike is a lot heavier than you, it's weightless when balanced, and 100% impossible to stop once it's past the tipping point.

Be careful out there!

I just remembered another dumb move on my part, about 3 years ago I had just finished putting my stepdaughters bike (800 Marauder) together (she got it as a wreck), and I took it around the block for a spin to see if it was working.
I had been riding a VStar650, similar weight bike but I didn't fully appreciate the difference in the engines, the VSTAR is very docile, the Marauder had a lot more power and torque and it came on much quicker.
So here I am planning on riding it literally 4 blocks, t shirt, sneakers and without a helmet (I never ride without gear), at 20 mph when I see her pull up in her car. She looked so happy to see her bike on the road, so I stopped down the block, waved, then revved it up and took off quick to show her well it ran..she got a show alright...ok, maybe I kind of dumped the clutch. I think the clutch was grabby from sitting for 5 years, that's my story and I'm sticking to it..whatever, next thing I know the thing takes off like a rocket, the darn front wheel is off the ground and I'm going a whole lot faster than 20 mph trying to figure out WTF I should do next.. mind you the last wheelie I did was about 1980 on a dirt bike and I think I probably crashed doing it
I got it under control, went around the block again and then putt putted back to the garage and handed her the keys to her bike, told her, see it runs GREAT, your mother can go teach you how to ride it now.