Most Embarrassing Moment With Your Bike

    • 5420 posts
    January 26, 2010 1:19 PM PST
    Ok, Pulled my bike out of the garage and since the was no car in the driveway, I started to just back across the driveway to turn the bike around. Half way through I remembered that I hadn't put my jacket in the saddle bag. So I parked the bike right there on a slopped driveway, with the kickstand on the uphill side. I know, 30 years of riding I should know better...but it felt secure.

    Well I opened the saddle bag on the downhill side and apparently that was just enough weight shift to topple the bike. And since it was on a slope, it didn't just fall...it rolled almost completely over. Now here it is laying there with wheels facing uphill and I was having a bear of a time trying to get it upright. Finally some guy hanging fliers on doors came by and helped.

    Oh, its always the simple rules we forget.
  • January 26, 2010 1:25 PM PST
    my previous bike had a problem with leaning out and stalling till i rejetted, but before i did, and the reason i did, was i pulled out of a little live music tonk down here, got to the light to turn right, in mid turn, stalled out, in front of about thirty guys i knew and rode with. PLUNK over on the right side!
    • 190 posts
    January 26, 2010 1:39 PM PST
    Lucky wrote...
    Ok, Pulled my bike out of the garage and since the was no car in the driveway, I started to just back across the driveway to turn the bike around. Half way through I remembered that I hadn't put my jacket in the saddle bag. So I parked the bike right there on a slopped driveway, with the kickstand on the uphill side. I know, 30 years of riding I should know better...but it felt secure.

    Well I opened the saddle bag on the downhill side and apparently that was just enough weight shift to topple the bike. And since it was on a slope, it didn't just fall...it rolled almost completely over. Now here it is laying there with wheels facing uphill and I was having a bear of a time trying to get it upright. Finally some guy hanging fliers on doors came by and helped.

    Oh, its always the simple rules we forget.





    True.

    • 2 posts
    January 26, 2010 11:55 PM PST
    Long, long ago & not ON a motorcycle BUT -
    About the 1st ride of the year w/ piles of dirty snow everyplace - ride into a small, college town - park - dismount - casually unbutton Marlboro Man coat & 1st few buttons of shirt to showoff hairy chest for co-eds - tuck helmet under arm, all the while starting thoughtfully into a distant horizon, sure I am looking REALLY GOOD, then step in front of truck & end up in gutter full of slush & clinkers.
    • 601 posts
    January 27, 2010 12:27 AM PST
    Some beauties here. Well years ago, before i married i met this girl at a rally who wasn't really into the bike scene just the party atmosphere. Got to talking about how difficult it must be for bikers to pick a one-nite-stand,and make the most of it.....well i decided to demonstrate how it could actually be done on a bike, my cunning little plan almost worked until things got a wee bit hot, the stand flipped,bike fell over, end of one-night-stand.Embarrassing wasn't the word, and of course being half-tanked I told my best mate......needless to say he did not tell a single person at the well packed rally, he just told the lead singer of the band, who decided to share the information with everyone,
  • January 27, 2010 12:56 AM PST
    It had been said that when I was seen on my 250 smoker that it looked like a bear on a bicycle. So one evening I was closing the Sears Tire and Battery Center and was pushing my steed down the center if the Garage to clock out. 18 stalls/9 each side and fresh scrubbed painted floors. My tired feet influenced my body to rest on the seat of the rolling vehicle. Side saddle?? why not..... 4 bays to the front desk and the night crew awaiting the final minutes I eased down on the seat from the left side, slowly rolling toward everyone and the steel floor drain covers announcing my aproach. It seemed at the time everyone was looking at "TINY" comming their way. The bike slowly began to roll over to the right. Brake on the right, floor wet, and the ladies would be proud of my leg position for side saddle....Ssllooowly rolling forward and to the right side all the way to the floor slidding to a stop just as the front tire ever so slightly bumps the Service Desk. . Now laying on the top side of the downed bike, I was greeted by the store Manager, who was standing next to the desk, With "Should We Shoot The Horse That You Rode In On or Will You Take It With You"? I and 12 others laughed about that one for quite a long time.
    • 467 posts
    January 27, 2010 1:22 AM PST
    I was have an awesome time playing " pass the buck" at a bar in Red Lodge during the Beartooth rally a couple years back and suddenly remembered that I had to meet my hubby at the fairgrounds for the Joan Jett concert. So I had taken off my chaps and just had shorts underneath--it's only a couple blocks so I just folded up the chaps and sat on them--wearing just shorts for the short ride.....got to the fairgrounds still excited and giggly, backed into the space next to my hubby, popped down the kickstand, lifted up my right leg to dismount and promptly go smashed between my bike and Clay's! Did not "toe" down the kickstand and it had hit a small clump of grass and popped back up without my knowledge. 2nd and 3rd degree burns on the inside and outside of my left leg from being smashed between the two bikes! Did not really feel it until I got home 2 days later--but it was a GREAT concert! Oh, and there were 6 other people that pulled in with us that were there for that one and they all just kinda stood there for a few seconds in shock trying to figure out what had happened before anyone decided to lift the bike off of me! Those simple things!
  • January 27, 2010 1:36 AM PST

    Let's just say I was called "Petcock Rob" for awhile...... then of course "Kickstand Rob"....
    The day I brought home my bike from Indiana I took it off the trailer and proceeded to turn it around in the side yard with half the neighborhood kids watching, well I’m sure you can guess.


  • January 27, 2010 1:56 AM PST
    I am particularly careful on my own bike since going down on the back of one.We were going 90 mph, the tire blew out, slowed it to 50 mph before the 800 lb Ultra Classic flipped up in the air, threw us down, flipped over us, and I bounced 3x on the freeway before sliding on my butt, shoulders, face, arms, thighs down the fast lane. NOT embarrassing since I almost lost my life. I suffered broken bones and road rash on 20-% of my body.

    Because of my over-cautiousness (still not 100% over my PTSD/fears from the accident), I decided to brake on a curve. DUH! Didn't lay the bike down, but I went on a fish-tail ride for what seemed forever. First on my mind when I came to a stop: "Did anyone see that?" My embarrassment far exceeded my fear!
    • 513 posts
    January 27, 2010 4:27 AM PST
    On the way into a rally last August I slipped on gravel and broke my ankle, embarrassing yes but by no means the worst I have ever done.

    Back when I was a young lad and drink driving was almost a requirement in Ireland, we are talking over twenty years ago, it lead to some very funny and embarrassing moments.

    I once pulled into a rally tanked up, kicked down the side stand , stood off the bike and fell down dead drunk.
    I once rode into a car park at a place I worked and was waiting to turn right, was so hungover forgot to put my feet down and fell over.
    Was sitting on the back of a friends bike holding two pint glass bottles of Guinness and he was warming up the bike to do a few wheelies and burnouts, he flipped up the front wheel I flew off the back, hit the deck but managed not to spill a drop of the black stuff.
    Came around a bend to fast and shot through a hedge into a field coming to a stop about a foot away from a fella stacking bales of hay.
    Last but not least, leaving a rally site, I was throwing my leg over a bike as the girlfriend bent down to pick her lid from under the bike and bang down she went, clean knock out, needless to say the relationship died shortly after wards.
    • 2072 posts
    January 27, 2010 4:33 AM PST
    Had just gotten off work after a double shift. It was about 5:00 AM. As I was pulling out of the parking lot, I stopped at the driveway. Did everything right............. Pulled in the clutch, applied the brakes and came to a full and complete stop. Realized right away, Ya gotta put your feet down when your not moving !!!!!!!!!! Thank God it was early in the morning and there were NO witnesses !!!!!!!!!
  • February 2, 2010 12:50 PM PST
    my most embarassing moment so far on my short riding career would definitely be my first ride. I completed my 3 days safety course on sunday riding the little kawasaki 250s...my mom has a honda rebel so i figured that monday i would be able to go for my first ride and it wouldnt be too different from the course....during my course i didnt have any problems with letting the clutch out too fast once i was used to it so i figured i'd have no problem doing it on my moms rebel. pulling out of my driveway you go left to go uphill and right to go downhill..i figured id be fine doing the left uphill even though my mom warned i should probably just start off going down hill. so i released the clutch and stalled...started it up really quick hoping my neighbor and mom didnt notice and tried again, got a little further and stalled out again. tried it for a 3rd time, clearly having the attention of my neighbor who was no longer interested in watering his garden and more interested in watching me trying to get this little bike going, and stalled yet again. so now im in the middle of the road waiting for a car to come down the blind turn hill. luckily i was strong enough to walk the bike to the opposite side of the road onto the shouldar to try and start the bike up again, by this point i was just so nervous and trying to rush. i was completely humiliated but finally able to get my bike up the hill. 2nd ride i made a right but 3rd ride i attempted the left and now i do it just like a pro
    • 1161 posts
    February 2, 2010 1:25 PM PST
    Dyna wrote...

    Was sitting on the back of a friends bike holding two pint glass bottles of Guinness and he was warming up the bike to do a few wheelies and burnouts, he flipped up the front wheel I flew off the back, hit the deck but managed not to spill a drop of the black stuff.
     


    Wow Now that is Talent!
    • 910 posts
    February 2, 2010 2:33 PM PST
    my most embarassing moment so far on my short riding career would definitely be my first ride.. i figured id be fine doing the left uphill even though my mom warned i should probably just start off going down hill. so i released the clutch and stalled... i was completely humiliated but finally able to get my bike up the hill. 2nd ride i made a right but 3rd ride i attempted the left and now i do it just like a pro

     Good for you for keeping at it. Just goes to show there is no challenge we can't overcome.
    • 1780 posts
    February 3, 2010 12:29 AM PST
    my most embarassing moment so far on my short riding career would definitely be my first ride. I completed my 3 days safety course on sunday riding the little kawasaki 250s...my mom has a honda rebel so i figured that monday i would be able to go for my first ride and it wouldnt be too different from the course....during my course i didnt have any problems with letting the clutch out too fast once i was used to it so i figured i'd have no problem doing it on my moms rebel. pulling out of my driveway you go left to go uphill and right to go downhill..i figured id be fine doing the left uphill even though my mom warned i should probably just start off going down hill. so i released the clutch and stalled...started it up really quick hoping my neighbor and mom didnt notice and tried again, got a little further and stalled out again. tried it for a 3rd time, clearly having the attention of my neighbor who was no longer interested in watering his garden and more interested in watching me trying to get this little bike going, and stalled yet again. so now im in the middle of the road waiting for a car to come down the blind turn hill. luckily i was strong enough to walk the bike to the opposite side of the road onto the shouldar to try and start the bike up again, by this point i was just so nervous and trying to rush. i was completely humiliated but finally able to get my bike up the hill. 2nd ride i made a right but 3rd ride i attempted the left and now i do it just like a pro

    My wife (Angle Eyes) also took the course.....one thing they don't teach in that class (and they should) is how to start off up hill. Luckly we have a parking lot close by with a little hill in it, and that is how she learned the up hill start.

    Dragon
    • Moderator
    • 19067 posts
    February 3, 2010 12:46 AM PST
    Hey Sillygoose, ATTA GIRL! Good job, never give up. You will have them all chasing you in no time.


    Hey Dragon, they did teach that in the two classes I took here in PA. Both the beginner and advanced. I also made sure my daughter learned it from me and I was so glad I did. We were on a day trip and ended up on an uphill right hand 180 and when she downshifted the bike didn't and the engine stalled. She said she remembered me telling (as I was yelling) her to squeeze the clutch immediately and was able to keep the bike upright.

    • 1780 posts
    February 3, 2010 12:49 AM PST
    RexTheRoadDog wrote...
    Hey Sillygoose, ATTA GIRL! Good job, never give up. You will have them all chasing you in no time.


    Hey Dragon, they did teach that in the two classes I took here in PA. Both the beginner and advanced. I also made sure my daughter learned it from me and I was so glad I did. We were on a day trip and ended up on an uphill right hand 180 and when she downshifted the bike didn't and the engine stalled. She said she remembered me telling (as I was yelling) her to squeeze the clutch immediately and was able to keep the bike upright.

     

    Bet your a great teacher, and bet your daughter was glade you were there. I don't know why they didn't teach the up hill start in my wifes class, because that can be frightfull for a new rider.
    Dragon
  • February 3, 2010 12:53 AM PST
    Good point Dragon about not teaching the uphill start in class here in Texas. The first thing I did with my son was to have him start on my sloped driveway just so it got the feel of the clutch and throttle....start and stop many times. It's the same way I learned to drive a stick.....
  • February 3, 2010 1:16 AM PST
    Note: In Pa they also teach to turn the steering wheels to the curb when parking and set the parking brake...Everywhere is up or down...It may be straight edge flat but they don't have buble level....A Dallas hill would be a Pensylvania bubble level..
  • February 3, 2010 2:37 AM PST
    As I was told when I wrecked my bike less than 30 days after I got it.... there are two kinds of bikers... those that have wrecked, and those that will wreck.

    I lost mine less than 2 miles from my house on my way home from work. DOT had patched the road in a curve and left some extra paving materials at the edge of the patch. I got into the loose patch, and when I leaned the bike to take the curve, the bike did not turn. I ended up losing the bike in the grass at the edge of the road. I did 4G worth of damage, but ended up with a chromed front end on the bike for $80.00... the difference in the cost of chrome parts vs stock...
  • February 3, 2010 11:43 PM PST
    Several years ago I bought a 650 dual sport Honda for a 2nd bike, grew up in the woods with dirtbikes. I was feeling it out where my son worked west of town. I set up a pretty good power slide in 2nd gear showing my ass off in front of him and everything was going real well until................ the front wheel hit a soft sand pocket, it yanked the handlebars out of my hands and over the bars I went. SPLATTTTTTTTTTTtttttttttttttt! He yell's, panicks and starts running over to me as I waved at him to let him know I was okay, lil bastad starts rolling on the ground laughing his ass off at me.

    I made HIM buy dinner that night........... Sold the bike a year later, damn things are so high now I never could get comfy with it.
    • 6 posts
    February 13, 2010 11:23 AM PST
    ok, I'll give in. I bought my very first bike when I was 15, it was a Yamaha Maxim 650; I rode it around my neighborhood for a little while, but it really didn't run right, mostly because I had taken the tailpipes/mufflers off due to damage and uneven backpressure. With no backpressure at all, the carbs we'ren't tuned right, so it was a real pain to keep it from stalling. In addition, it had no plates (couldn't afford them), no front brakes, and a whole pack of other things what made riding it just plain stupid. I also had no license. At all. SO, I decided riding it was a bad idea and parked it in the driveway behind our fence, covered it with a tarp, and waited for money to pay for the legalities. Winter started up, we got a decent snow, and the wind blew the tarp off, and I was forced to see my first bike covered in snow for a couple weeks. It killed me, because I really like to take care of my stuff. I finally was able to help my uncle, (a lifelong biker like my Dad) to clear out some space in his box trailer that was in the yard, and we were gonna store my bike in there. Well, the trailer was on a slight downhill across the yard from the driveway, and I thought that I could get enough momentum to "ride" down the grade, and up the ramp into the trailer. I was wrong. I got halfway up the ramp, bike stopped, I didn't have anywhere to land my feet, so I started to go over. By the time I could reach the ground on the ramp, my foot slipped on the snow and ice, and down I went, almost with the bike on my leg. I was only down for a couple seconds, picked it up, and shoved it up the ramp and into the trailer myself. It would have been less embarrassing if my Dad and uncle weren't standing in the driveway watching the whole thing.
  • February 14, 2010 6:56 PM PST
    Waiting at a stoplight several years ago, stood up and straddled my bike to stretch my legs, and simply dropped my bike. Stopped traffic for a little while until I got a helper to raise it.
    • 2 posts
    February 14, 2010 11:38 PM PST
    RexTheRoadDog wrote...
    Losing an axle while riding is right up there on my list of things I NEVER WANT TO HAPPEN. Glad it didn't happen to you there Bull.

  • February 25, 2010 9:46 AM PST
    Riding with some buddies I took off in the lead. Well I guess I had forgotten to strap my helmet because it flew off and busted my buddies headlight. I was embarrassed, but actaull more relieved it didn't hit him and cause an accident.