Well I hope thats out of the way.

[Foreverunstopable]

Well.... I did it today. I was going in to work, Cycle Gear. It was a slow right hand turn into the parking lot that has a slight grade, about 4%. Rolled in to the turn and I saw it, loose gravel. Front went out and I was on the ground, lowside on my right.  It really happens faster than I would have thought. It took me about 4-5 seconds to realize what had just happened. I thought I was going to be the only one ever not to lay it down... To add insult to injury I hear honking. Turns out there was a white pickup truck behind me that saw the whole thing. The were impatiently honking at me to get out of the way. I pick up the brake handle,  get the bike up and started to push it into the parking lot, white truck about 3 feet behind me then he swerves around and drives past.... No one else was out there that saw the drop as I guess I looked like my bike broke down, needless to say no one offered any assistance. By this point my right knee is hurting pretty bad and im pissed at myself for falling and the white truck for driving by. I get to the store and what do I see... The white truck, parked in front and a guy in his early 30's inside the store. I push the bike to where I normally park it, just in front on the side walk out of the way of foot traffic. Don't even take the helmet off, walk inside, find the guy, asked him.. Hey, did you see me go down back there? Yeah man, are you ok...  Trying to hold back I calmly said, your business is not welcome here. Please go out side, get in your truck and leave.

I hate the fact that he rides as well and didnt even see if I was ok.

After explaining to the manager why he got a call from a customer about me being rude he said people have gone down in that same spot before. The street sweepers come at night and push the loose rocks off the road onto the side right where the turn in is.... Well I checked the knee, its not to bad, grabbed a broom and swept the whole street side. Finally looked at the GS, I broke the brake handle, scrapped the right mirror a little, scraped the suzuki electro cover right off and scraped the last 1in of the exhaust. Overall, $5.25 in repairs and I was back on the road. No better place to brake stuff but in front of a cycle store. You almost cant even tell it went down. I have to say I'm happy I didnt have case guards. I feel that at that angle of drop the guards would have levered the engine and I would have smacked my head on the pavement. Just my .02.

I can still walk, breathe and ride another day. Ride safe and even if you take the same turn/roads every day, watch out. Stuff happens that we would never expect to change road conditions and if I had taken the turn at 5-6 instead of my normal 9-10 mph I may have been able to keep it up.

[wannabebiker2006]

Well glad you are ok.  You know what they say there are 2 types of riders those that have gone done and those that will.

[Blu_Spd_Dmon]

I thought I was going to be the only one ever not to lay it down...

Dam! now ill be the only one.

Trying to hold back I calmly said, your business is not welcome here. Please go out side, get in your truck and leave.

grabbed a broom and swept the whole street side.

no one else will go down there until it snows again.

Im glad to hear your okish, put some ice on that knee and your be good to go in a day or to.
Well atleast it sounds like you lucked out on the damage.

[Foreverunstopable]

Yeah, I only broke my pride...

After the fall the GS started right back up in all its glory. I was happy to see that the stock front right signal had just bent back then went into place with the flex tube it has. I cant say as much for a car crash at 5mph!

[billlang675]

Question:      Have you laid your bike down yet?
You mean crashed. 

[scratch]

Glad you survived, and it wasn't worse.  Hope you and your knee feel better.

The white truck, parked in front and a guy in his early 30's inside the store.  Don't even take the helmet off, walk inside, find the guy, asked him, "Hey, did you see me go down back there?"  "Yeah man, are you ok?"  Trying to hold back I calmly said, "your business is not welcome here.  Please go out side, get in your truck and leave."

This is where my sarcasm would kick in and add, "Thanks for stopping to help a fellow rider".

[FearedGS500]

yup yup .. those are the guys that you just want to let all your anger out on ... me and my cusin was coming back from austin,tx and we got off on a pretty busy off ramp (to way traffic .. yeld sign both ways) .. i almost watched my cusin do a head on .. F-350 almost did not see us but stoped .. but the guy that had to seen us plan as day as he was looking right at us coming off .. desided he was not going to wait .. my cusin went to the left of him .. you could not stick a pice of paper between his bike and that car ... and the guy did not even stop did not even tap his brakes .. i locked mine up so i did not T-bone his car .. so .. just becareful out there .. ppl dont watch, and  dont care .

[Chuck]

I laid down at the track this year.  I drove off the side of the rear tire because I was trying too hard to pass someone on a turn, and botched my posture.  (I had my weight on the inside, causing too much lean.  I might have also levered up on the peg, but I'll never know.)

It was the best thing I ever did, first because in the track environment it was relatively safe, and second because I really know what not to do now.

[pandy]

Forever: you need to add another category.....

____yes
____no
____yes, a whole buncha times (pandy) 

Glad your damage (and your bike's) was minimal. 

[NWDave]

I have yet to lay it down at a stop or a turn.. but it scares the shaZam! outta me everytime I go through a turn or start to get alittle lean.. I have a phobia of loose gravel.

[Chuck]

I slip on loose crap at turns (I mean intersections) all the time.  It's really important that you pretend it never happened.  Just keep looking through the turn.

Because a motorcycle is self-correcting, if you react, the odds are close to 0% that you'll do something to make your situation better.  Usually, your tires will re-grip, and the bike will recover itself.  You might have to recover by changing underpants, but usually that's all.

[Kasumi]

I think Chuck is so right here. The roads around here are absolutly awful this time of year, and some roads all year round. There are alot of trees over the roads here so the roads are often smiley with sap and leaves and some roads have gravel. I know all the roads that usualy have gravel and can have bad conditions and i ride them with much more caution but so often i have found myself lent over on a corner then seen a stream of loose gravel and stand the bike up braking gently to avoid sliding and then trying to correct my turn but so often been in the oncoming lane (thankfully mostly this happens at night and roads arn't busy here so ive been lucky) Recently ive been thinking that dirt bikes slide and recover constantly all the time and you don't often fall off, and i do alot of dirt bike riding. So instead of panicing and throwing weight around i do my best to make any slighty corrections and just ride it out. As Chuck, im always slipping on loose stuff.

[Foreverunstopable]

Yeah good input on the loose stuff. I'm much more careful now in turns.

[davidcl]

Sometimes when the roads are bad (ice, dirt, gravel, water, salt, sand, etc) I think it would be nice to have training wheels. Yes, I know that sounds weird.  I'm not sure if they could be bought as I've never searched for them (might be surprised). It could be a beefy but small wheel with a strong hinge attached at the wheel hub where a shock would run from hub to the wheel at the end of the hinge. The hinge and shock would allow the bike to sway either way but at a certain point, keep the bike from hitting the ground. I would have liked something of this nature when I first learned how to ride. I remember I got on my GS for the first time, not realizing the touchy throttle, hit the gas, did a little wheelie, and fell over five feet away. And for some reason, the three times I've laid it down it has only been on the one side. 

Thanks. 

[pandy]

I think training wheels would have been my second mod on my SVS....after the frame sliders that I *did* put on.... 

[starwalt]

I don't think I have ever seen anyone just blow off another rider in need like that, especially right behind them. Heck, the neighbor that helped me right my GS a few weeks ago wasn't even the problem. (I stopped too close to the road edge and didn't get a foot down until the point of no return.)

Several months ago I saw several people trying to dig a Harley Road King out of a ditch. Often, cars stop in the curve where the ditch is to turn left. There is no room on the right for a car to pass on the shoulder, but enough for a bike to go around...except that the shoulder drops off after about 18 inches.  The bike was upright, but just about 2 feet below the road surface. I can only imagine hauling that hog out of the grass and muck with traffic all around.

No honking, just friendly help.

But then I'd honk at Pandy and help her too!
Hey, Pandy!

[pandy]

If there's a biker at the side of the road (no matter what kind), I stop...whether I'm in my car or riding my bike. Conversely, I've had auto drivers stop and help me when bikers have blown by (it's rare that they don't stop, though). I've also had Harley riders stop to make sure I'm ok...and BMW riders (heck, a BMW rider waved last week!  ). I can't pass up a rider who might need, even if they've just pulled to the side of the road to adjust their gloves or gear, which is most often the case. Even if I can lend my cell or keep them company until help arrives, I'm happy to do it (and the karma seems to come around since I got a lot of help last week when I was the one at the side of the freeway   ).

Hi starwalt!!! 

[pantablo]

I laid down at the track this year.  I drove off the side of the rear tire because I was trying too hard to pass someone on a turn, and botched my posture.  (I had my weight on the inside, causing too much lean.  I might have also levered up on the peg, but I'll never know.)

You should have your weight inside. thats what allows you to push the bike more vertical, by getting your bodyweight inside the turn.

[pandy]

You should have your weight inside. thats what allows you to push the bike more vertical, by getting your bodyweight inside the turn.

This is what I have the hardest time with: weight on the inside while turning.... I feel as though I'm going to fall over (even though with timid testing, I find that I'm able to lean the bike more when I'm leaning my body in the same direction that I'm leaning the bike). This is a mental thing I'm working on and have to practice more (track day....I really am going to take that plunge one of these days so I can keep up with the big boys on BAGS rides  ).

[Chuck]

You should have your weight inside. thats what allows you to push the bike more vertical, by getting your bodyweight inside the turn.

I meant I had my weight on the inside peg.  Which I should not have done.