How to make sure I don't drop my motorcycle. How did you drop yours?

Question

I have 2 years of experience on a little 125cc scooter, but I haven't ridden in 2 years and I'm buying a 600cc Honda Shadow ('89). I debated for a long time about starting with a smaller bike, but I finally decided this will be okay to learn on.

It is *beautiful*--and I really do not want to drop it--not even once. I hear everyone drops a bike in their first year. But I would really really like to avoid this. What can I do? How did you drop your bike? What were the circumstances? What could you have done differently, and perhaps most importantly--what was beyond your control?

Answer 1

1. Don't goose the throttle in turns.
2. Pay attention to road surface - (as well as everything else).
3. Think traction,sand, wet manhole covers, wet painted road markings, can trip you up.
(Did me and I'm a 100,000 Mi. Tourer.)
4. Some room ahead of you is the best insurance you can buy.
It's amazing what an extra second to handle a problem can do for you.
5. If you're going to ride you're going to drop the bike. It's only a matter of when. Avoid it as long as you can.
Good luck.- Shiny side up.

Answer 2

Never ever use the front brake when going slow. The shocks have a tendency to dive and change the weight transfer of the machine... Down she goes.. Always use the back brake in parking lots and slow speeds..

getting in the habit of of getting off your bike the proper way will instill good habits..(make absolutely sure) the stand is out all the way! every time...

Never ever let anyone sit on it without you standing right in front with the front wheel between your legs and your hands ready on the handlebars to counter any stupidity.

Never ever let anyone try your bike. Especially ever.

Stay off the painted lines on the street and in the rain those lines can become like ice patches...Stay off em.

Practise in a parking lot from 50-60-70kmh braking hard... Even avoiding pylons and learning control will be the best preventative measures in the book.

Never ever take for granted the road ahead.... If your vision is blocked for ANY reason there is no road!... We can get caught up in a situation where you might think blasting past slower vehicle might be a good idea but never decide to pull out or change lanes if you cannot see your path.

You decide where and when and how fast so pick your spots and see dangerous hazards before they sneek up on you...Some people are born to ride and some aren't...

And don't let anyone try it... hehe

Answer 3

Trust me. You ARE going to drop your bike. It's inevitable. Hopefully it will be in an area with no traffic at low speed.

I have dropped all of my bikes multiple times. Most of my drops have occurred in my own driveway though. My driveway is very long and totally composed of river rock...not a good surface for a sportbike. Luckily driveway speeds are low and damage is minimal (both to the bike and me).

On roads...
I have dropped a bike once to avoid a dog. The dog ran into the road and I swerved, but the dog also swerved the same way and I ran over it.
I have hit gravel and biffed it before also.
Same with an oil (or whatever it was) spill.
Once an odd-shaped pot-hole did me in.
Once my chain came off and wrecked me.

Luckily all of these incidents were at relatively low speed. Some did more damage than others. And with the exception of the broken chain, I was able to ride the bike home.

I have never had a collision with another vehicle (other than bumping in my garage or driveway).

I would very much like to say these incidents were out of my control, but the reality is that most of them could have been avoided by paying closer attention, proper inspection of the bike (in the case of the chain)...and maybe doing a paving job on my driveway.

Of all of them I can only honestly say that the dog strike was totally out of my control.

Naturally this doesn't include my off-road experiences. I couldn't even begin to count the times I've dropped dirt bikes.

Answer 4

i havent had the bike drop me when at speed, but i have dropped it 3 times in the parking lot. it was always from makin the noobie mistake of grabbing the front brake when at 'parking lot speeds' and with the bars turned. that is guarenteed to drop ya like like a dress on prom night every time.

other things that has the capability of dropping u at speed: oil, sand, fine gravel, fresh cut grass, and wet leaves. if u want to keep the scoot up, respect the road. the road wont respect u, and it wont care if u've been on the bike for 40 years; all it takes is just a handful of gravel to take u down.
assume that gravel could be in that corner, and slow the bike down well before u get there. it's much easier to dodge gravel at a slower speed than to try to do it at 80 mph.

respect the bike's power and u'll be ok. assume all cager's are homicidal maniacs looking to turn u into a hood ornament. slow down at night, on unfamiliar roads, and in the rain. in the rain, the first 15 minutes are the most dangerous time. always make sure the tires are in good shape if u ride in the rain; bald tires will drop u without warning or reason.

Answer 5

The Honda Shadow has a nice low centre of gravity and I don't think you will drop it a low speeds.
I do think that if you are too paranoid about it though, you might run the risk of over correcting yourself when you are doing something on it and put it on its side!
Your best bet is to ride accordingly and watch out for the tin tops and dont assume that they always see you! You probably already do it anyway.

When I went down I was on the racetrack and my pride and joy at the time was a Kawasaki ZX6R 97 model.
I had been riding for about 6months and was doing really well but made a fatal error when powering out of a corner.
The front wheel came up out of the turn and I was setting up for the next turn and touch the front brake, but the problem was the front wheel was still in the air. When it touch back down again it washed out and down I went! I never really liked that checkered flag crap on the belly pan anyway!
Once I was free from the bike I began sliding with it just behind and as it slowed down the wheels bit the tarmac and up she flipped and onto the tank as it landed.
It didn't cost me too much to get her back to what I wanted.
I did all the work myself except the plastic!

Anyway mate, don't sweat it too much, and enjoy your ride.

Troy.

Answer 6

lets see how did I drop my bike... I dropped it in the yard learnign how to turn the day I bought it, no damage.

I hit some sand that an 18 wheeler spilled in a curve @ about 30 miles an hour, slid 20-25 feet, bent the handelbars, skuffed the chrome on the pipes.

jumping a curb trying to dodge trafic and also not get run over by a redneck in a F-250 how didnt notice I was stopped in the turnign lane, nearly ripped the rightt pipe off on the curb.

About the only way to guarantee you will never drop your bike is to never ride it. I have layed a bike over because I was goofing off, not paying attention, many reasons.

Just be thankfull you have an older bike that hoepfully didnt cost you too much money and enjoy your self.

Answer 7

There's two types of riders in the world, one's who have dropped a bike and the others that lie about it. You will drop a bike sometime in your time on them.
Start on a cheaper beat up bike, drop it and no worries. Most people don't learn how to drive using a Corvette, same thing.

Answer 8

I dropped my bike(s) twice. Both were preventable. First time, as a newbie, I was playing with the centerstand, trying to bring it up on flat cement. Now the only way I even try to get it up on the center stand is parked on a slight gradient. Live and learn.

Second time I was coming to a stop at a downsloping intersection to make a right hand turn. Put my right foot down on some rain-gathered gravel and it slipped right out from under me. I was wearing poorly treaded "boat" shoes at the time. Went right out and got some properly treaded sturdy leather riding boots. I pay particular attention to loose debris on the roadway now, especially when stopping or turning! Live and Learn.

Engine gaurds saved both bikes. Just minor pipe scraps to show for it. Good gloves saved my hands.

Moral of the story. Invest in quality riding gear for yourself and safety equipment for your bike BEFORE you ride.

Ride safe!

Answer 9

Dropped my bike test-riding it before I bought it. Don't test-ride a bike when you've never been on a bike. (It was stopped at a sign, and I let it fall over.)

I let it fall once in the garage. Much like the 5th poster, I tried to put it on the centerstand on flat concrete. At least I'm not the only one.

But I purposely got an old bike that I can learn on and not feel too bad about dropping once or twice. (I'm at my limit already.)

Answer 10

Strong winds and rain Northbound I-25, got cut off by someone over eager to get by a semi. He didn't stop when I spilled

Turning right on a green arrow I got hit by someone doing an illegal u-turn Dropped the bike.

Rear ended at a red light.

Once when I was parking in a Hotel's parking garage. I didn't see the oil until I decided to start walking my bike back. Lost my footing and fell. That one was stupid of me.