Dropping Motorcycles

[desert_max]

It’s inevitable. You handle motorcycles, eventually you’re going to drop one. Happens to everybody. Today it happened to me.

Dropped my ‘78 GL. I must be losing it. First one I have dropped in a very long time. Can’t even remember the last time. The stupid thing is that I had taken it out for a quick cobweb blowout and the bike was running great. Feeling good about the short ride (less than 30 minutes) sweating a little, temperature not quite 100, dewpoint 62’ish and rolled into the shop to park it.

Squeezed it next to the jealous CX500 turbo, patiently waiting its turn on the operating table. Go to get off the bike and forget to put the dadgum kickstand down! Can you believe it? It fell over onto the 500, smashed my hand and scraped up the tail. I was absolutely bummed out. Still am. And my hand hurts to boot. Almost couldn’t get the darn thing back up. Crazy angle, hand throbbing. Bummer.

 

[Fire-medic]

No broken bones you know-of, a good thing. It could have been much-worse.

 

[apsolus]

damn, my vmax plopped into the mud the other day. i was just taking it off the centerstand and it just got away from me haha.

 

[user 16790]

when life gets crazy it's best to ride with the centre stand down just in case

 

[gentsvmax]

Happened to me, I was down town here in Denver on a REALY busy
street, Larimer, all the outdoor drinking establishments.
I had been working in the basement of the GinMill bar, time had gotten
away from me, when I emerged it was wall to wall drunk and wild pedestrians
and drivers.
I had to open ,close and lock a big sliding gate, keep the drunks from sneaking in and get my bike out. This gate opened out on to the sidewalk
in front of the bar, crowds of really drunk, stoned, fricken crazy ass people.
At the time my bike wasn't quite as modded out but still a bright, shiny, drunk
magnet.
Now besides the drunk guys that wanted to "close talk" about the bike it was the women that were just all over the Max, it was idling that sick Vmax idle
while I chained up the gate, sooo cool.
Suddenly I here this sickening POP, Crunch and screams!
My max is belly up, still running, in gear and starting to try to spin around when the side of the rear tire grabbed the cement AND its losing fluids!
You know how you go into super human strength and anger, that was me,
plowing guys and girls( all smokin hot drunk chics) out of the way to get my
bike up , the gate back open and my bike back in the lot.
So after my hulkster moment , I regroup, now sitting on the bike, I go to put
down the side stand and its already down, half gone and just swinging there.
No spring, no foot, its just gone, I had to lean the bike against a brick wall.
I went back out the gate onto the sidewalk and through the crowd I see the other half of the side stand out in the street! WTF!!!!
It didn't match up to what was left dangling on the bike, it looked as if the material had shattered...weird. Bike wasn't bad, not much to damage back then.
It was the sight of the bike DOWN, flailing, losing fluids that nearly caused me PTSD, like I would check and recheck that the side stand was not only down but that their was a fricken side stand to put down.... whew....
Lookin back now I see that was just the beginning of what the Max had in store for me LOL.

 

[desert_max]

I had my old 94 Vmax idling in the driveway once. It was pointed nose down the driveway which very gently sloped towards the street. I was in the garage putting on jacket and helmet, hear crunch and look out to see my bike on its side running and gas spewing everywhere. The fuel freaked me out. Turns out it had fallen over on a plastic fuel container that my son had out while mowing the grass.

Moral of that story was to never leave a motorcycle idling while pointed down a slope, no matter how slight the grade.

 

[02GF74]

I would not worry too much about that. It is when you come to a stop and forget to put your legs out, and topple over, that is the time to quit 2 wheels.

Moral of that story was to never leave a motorcycle idling while pointed down a slope, no matter how slight the grade.

... actually never leave a motorcycle on the side stand pointing down a slope as it can roll off. I've had that happen once, got away with just a broken clutch lever (was the Z1000 or CG 125 ... a long time ago....)

 

[Coastal Grey]

yeah im in
funny shit i was going to write something about that same thing thought i had the stand down and surprise and to boot dropped on the other side 2 weeks later not sure whats up with tha must be "oldtimers " or something so now i have a couple little tatoos on both side and officially can say i have dropped every single bike i have ever owned.... cant win unless you play

 

[Jerry Klay]

I was 18 had a Honda CL175. Yes I'm old Pulled into a parking spot on the street. Went to put my feet down. My right pant cuff hooked on the peg and it was over. To top it off the cuff was now wrapped around the peg and there was no getting out from under the bike. Fortunately some passers by got the dam thing off of me. Embarrassing to say the least.

 

[maleko89]

I was 18 had a Honda CL175. Yes I'm old Pulled into a parking spot on the street. Went to put my feet down. My right pant cuff hooked on the peg and it was over. To top it off the cuff was now wrapped around the peg and there was no getting out from under the bike. Fortunately some passers by got the dam thing off of me. Embarrassing to say the least.

Haha, I had same thing happen to me but was able to free my left leg cuff in time. No one saw so got lucky.

 

[Fire-medic]

I was 18 had a Honda CL175. Yes I'm old Pulled into a parking spot on the street. Went to put my feet down. My right pant cuff hooked on the peg and it was over. To top it off the cuff was now wrapped around the peg and there was no getting out from under the bike. Fortunately some passers by got the dam thing off of me. Embarrassing to say the least.

I'll see your 175 Scrambler and raise you a CT175 Yamaha, sitting in the collection waiting its turn. My neighbor in MI bought one new, it was a pretty-bike, and it ran well. I rode it a bit and liked it. He decided to do more-of a 'street-thing,' he sold it and bought a new 500 Titan Suzuki. That was one of the bikes which made Suzuki's reputation for performance and durability.

 

[Jerry Klay]

A lot of new bikes these days seem to be going back to chain drive. I hope I never have to go back. I love the VMAX shaft drive..

Anyway, that CL (I think it was a 71 or 72) had an oiler on the counter sprocket. There was a little screw to adjust the weep to the chain. I thought that was a great thing. I see a hell of a lot of dry ( and rusty) chains.

 

[MImax]

Ahh it's never fun, but eventually you'll feel better. I left my YZ250 supermoto (with new FMF Chrome pipe) idling once on a triangle stand while getting the gate and of course it fell over on the pipe. Luckily just a scrape on it but was a sickening feeling ha.

 

[Dansmaxresto]

yeah im in
funny shit i was going to write something about that same thing thought i had the stand down and surprise and to boot dropped on the other side 2 weeks later not sure whats up with tha must be "oldtimers " or something so now i have a couple little tatoos on both side and officially can say i have dropped every single bike i have ever owned.... cant win unless you play

Yep, same here…dropped every bike I’ve ever owned

 

[bob gitchell]

Just heading out for a ride..........
Taking it easy going down long gravel driveway; had just had it regravled with 1 inch clean gravel. Front tire hit a deep patch of gravel right beside culvert at end of driveway. Lost balance when front end gets squirrely. Front tire goes over the edge of culvert and bike lands on it's right side. I am in deep part of ditch, hit off switch and pop out from under it real quick. Wife watched it all happen, and is there in a heartbeat. We get into position to get bike upright, but can't get it up because bike in nearly unside down in bottom of ditch.
Luckily, neighbor comes by, stops truck, and we have it upright and out of ditch in a couple of minutes. Exhaust pipe and front fender are scratched up pretty bad; no buff out will take care of it!
A month later I get a complete, and "brand new" exhaust system for "free"!!! But that is another story............

I did finish my ride, but back was damn sore the next day from trying to muscle "the beast" into an upright position.

Jester 42View attachment 78204View attachment 78204

 

[bob gitchell]

That was my first drop of either one of my V Maxs; hopefully the last.............
I am what I would describe as a picky bastard, and I hate scratches, and bumps!!!!!

Photos: The "other one" and the pair together.

Jester 42