GStwin.com GS500 Message Forum

:(  :x  :(  :x   dropped the bike today...... it was my own stupidity, I was in a hurry and I parked it on a hill......I leaned it over and it seemed to be sturdy so I got off, but I guess the shift in weight when I got off it caused it to fall (luckily it didnt fall into a car).  I scratched the side of the crankcase (i think thats what its called, the place where the dipstick is) pretty bad, but it doesnt look like it has any cracks or anything real bad.  It broke off one of the rear view mirrors and messed up one of the turn signals.  Do you guy's think I should get it professionally looked at for major damage or do you think I should just replace the mirror and go on with regular maintenence.....  :(  It seems to still run fine, but then again I dont know a whole lot about engines or what to look for as far as damages go.  Could that cause it to leak oil or something??

When I bought the bike, my brother-in-law bet me i'd drop/fall off the bike at least 3 times within my first 6 months of riding it....its been less than a month and here goes #1.....just my luck...Any similar experiences with being an idiot and dropping your bike or am I just a one in a million dumb@$$

like an even bigger idiot, when it fell, I tried to pick it up and my leg touched the exhaust, burning a nice hole in the flesh, almost to the bone.......i've been stabbed with a knife and it didnt hurt this bad!! watch out for those pipes, they are hot!!!

Quote from: jamesmcblike an even bigger idiot, when it fell, I tried to pick it up and my leg touched the exhaust, burning a nice hole in the flesh, almost to the bone.......i've been stabbed with a knife and it didnt hurt this bad!! watch out for those pipes, they are hot!!!

Don't worry much about the engine. Just do the minor replacements yourself and Ouch..that hurts!!  :(

Take it easy - I've dropped mine twice in a week.  But that's because I have a horrendous parking spot and have to do some crazy manuveuring on two perpendicular steep hills into a driveway surrounded by bushes that aren't as wide as my mirrors.  That's why I bought a '92 bike - because the scratches I caused on the mirror and crankcase just blend in :-)  Both times the engine didn't like running - I would try to start it and it wouldn't idle.  But by giving it some throttle for 10 seconds after starting it, it would finally idle and clear out whatever fluids had gotten into places they shouldn't have been.

Quote from: jamesmcbAny similar experiences with being an idiot and dropping your bike or am I just a one in a million ...

As I have confessed here before, I dropped my fully loaded bike last year - after having logged some 25,000+ miles.  As near as I can tell, I tried to get off without even putting the kickstand down!

This happened halfway through Day 9 of my 10-day trip from Utah to British Columbia.  I had just filled up at a gas pump and then pulled forward to park next to the convenience store.  I can't remember what all was going through my mind.  Perhaps:

* the last few miles we had just ridden?
* the threatening rain clouds?
* the fellow Kawi Concours rider that my Dad was conversing with back at the pumps?
* getting inside to the bathroom?
* something else entirely?

Anyway, I stepped off ... and found myself doing the trying-not-fall-on-my-face, headlong stumble as the bike tipped over behind me.  Luckily for me, the engine guards and the hard saddlebag took the brunt of the weight, and I came out of it with "only" a curled clutch lever:


So don't sweat it!  Just "look forward" to the next one!  :)

PS - I have dropped the bike on at least 2 other occasions, within 20 minutes of each other.  One had to do with ice in the parking lot at work and the other with snow in my yard.  Both of them "front brake mistake"s. :oops:

PPS - Oh yeah!  Then there was the time that I tried to pull through to a better parking spot, between 2 cars parked kitty-corner at a WalMart in Wenatchee, WA.  Only I forgot I had the hard saddlebags attached on the back.  :oops:   The left bag pushed off against the bumper of the car on that side, and tipped me against the van on the other side.  My windshield still has the scratches from that one.  And yes, I paid $300 to the owner to get the crease along his lower panel fixed.

:? Are you feeling better yet?  :roll:

dropped the bike first time within a few weeks (the day my new M license came in the mail!), second time a few weeks later. Third time was a YEAR later.

Then 4 months ago I dropped my brand new cbr600rr the first week I had it. Total riding just under 2 years so far.

Comes with the territory of being a new rider. Now arent you glad you didnt buy a new fancy bike as your first?

I dumped it at my first go at my license, in the rain.   :oops:  That's the only time it's been down in my hands, but damn, it was embarassing.  I did the whole test with no points off despite the rain, and then at the stop test, I grabbed too much front brake, the front tire slid, and she just plopped.

I started riding again 14 months ago after not riding for 33 years. I bought a 98 Suzuki 1400 Intruder as my "get back into it" bike.  I dropped it in my driveway 2x in the first week, bending and breaking the usual turn signal, mirror, clutch lever etc. Three weeks later I lowsided on a turn when gravel was hidden in the shadows of an overpass. More bent and broken parts, but no more than scrapes and scratches to my person. During the 14 months I've owned the 1400 I have logged over 24,000 miles, and the bike is better than ever because I have personalized it to match the way I ride and my personality. My dropping and downing of the bike forced me to get intimate with my machine to put it back to better than ever. My experienced friends have all assured me that there are two kinds of motorcycle riders: Those that have dropped their bikes, and those that will drop their bikes. It is starting again with my '96 GS500E. Less than 1000miles into our relationship and I was learning to drift the rear tire in a dirt lot and somehow it gets really loose in a left  turn drift and then flung me over the bars in a high side recovery onto my chin. Low speed scrapes and bruises to me, the helmet and does any one have a straight adjustable brake lever? My suggestion is to get good leathers and helmet, keep riding to practice your skills and learn to fix it when you bust it. Ride on, and on, and on.

I dropped mine in the driveway last year. And, I've been riding 17 years!

If I had a couple of bucks for everytime I dropped my bike I'd probably have enough for a new GS.

http://www.gstwins.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=103780#103780

I hate it when I drop it on the left though. Almost everytime I do I end up snapping the clutch lever. I've had to replace that thing twice now. I wonder if my Suzuki dealer sells them in a wholesale twelve pack.

Yeah, it happens. To everyone eventually. Sometimes several times. :mrgreen:

How'd you burn a "hole almost to the bone" on the exhaust? Not to rag on you but it sounds like ya got mighty slow reflexes.  :?
Did you get pinned under it?

I dropped mine in a parking lot the second time I ever rode it. I stalled it and it jerked and I fell down with it.

The second time I dropped it was a couple of months ago. I was trying to get it on the centerstand and dropped it on it's right side.

Laura

Day one, hour one... My GS got intimate with a giant bush on the median of the Bryce Jordan center parking lot.  Bent shift lever, scratched mirror... otherwise she was fine.... If you MUST have a wreck, I highty recommend wrecking into a median with a flower-bed on it... like crashing on a cloud   :lol:

since then a few close calls, but I never dropped the R6 or the SV yet.. (knock wood).

Day 1, hour 1, dropped my brand new GS500F taking her off the trailer. :oops: .  No noticeable damage on that one.  That weekend, did the stop and drop, (that i am apparently working on perfecting :dunno: ),  broke the break lever, and rashed the fairing.  3 days later, pulled in the driveway at the house, put it in neutral so I could move the car to pull up, and forgot to put the sidestand down.   Of course I realized this too far into the lean to stop it, so now both sides match. lol.  I just hope that's it for a while.  Every time I meet with my friend to ride he looks over my bike and asks, "what's new this time", lol.
I just tell him I couldn't have her looking to good for too long or people would think I wasn't really riding.  :lol:

Month 2 --
Trying to look smoothe for the girl standing near the car in the spot next to me i pulled up on my 500f pretty smoothly, then as i put the kickstand down my foot hit the clutch lever in the same way it would hit the kickstand to put it down.  Naturally I thought I had very "coolly" tapped down the kickstand.  I dismounted and watched her (no, not the girl, the bike) start to tip over and realized she was about to get "cosmetically broken in".  Luckily I'm still close and catch it midway through the fall but think "there's no way im going to lift this i'll just try to pad the fall", but then flashes of a messed ferring and broken clutch lever went through my mind.  I bend my legs and just before tapping the ground i get it back up.

Once it was over i hardly cared that the girl had made some smart alec comment :oops:  and just was glad my bike was still mint.

Hopefully no more close calls...every time i stop i gotta double check the stand man, it makes me sick just thinkin about a dropped bike!!  

DB

I dropped mine the first day I had it. trying to back it in an unlevel parking lot  :(  No major damage, just a little bit on the mirror.

I dropped mine twice in two days, in my first week! I was taking off after a cold start, stalled it, and it just dropped like a sack of $hit on the right side. Needless to say, I learnt how to use the choke properly after that :oops:
Then just after I put the new brake lever on, I was riding home and tipped over again at a stop sign ! Luckily that one only scratched the new lever. Need faster reflexes :roll:

been there done that. I am a kitty cat of sorts.. cant lift my bike for some reason after i drop it.

dropped my girl the first 300 yards I rode it and had to get a new mirror, plus a couple scratches on engine casing  read about it here (http://www.gstwins.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=9968&highlight=)

Then last week TWICE IN A ROW  :o  trying to get her up on the centerstand in some uneven sandy stuff.  I find that if im really railing to lift her onto the stand, and my left foot is on the centerstand trying to push down, that i can't get off it fast enough to brace us if it starts leaning to the left.

Ah well, such is life.  Thankfully no damage either drop the second time around@!

Good luck, don't be too hard on yourself! see?  We all do it![/url]

Quote from: esokittydropped my girl the first 300 yards I rode it and had to get a new mirror, plus a couple scratches on engine casing read about it here

Then last week TWICE IN A ROW  :o  trying to get her up on the centerstand in some uneven sandy stuff.  I find that if im really railing to lift her onto the stand, and my left foot is on the centerstand trying to push down, that i can't get off it fast enough to brace us if it starts leaning to the left.

Ah well, such is life.  Thankfully no damage either drop the second time around@!

Good luck, don't be too hard on yourself! see?  We all do it![/url]

If you wanna drop a bike on sand, you should've gotten a dirt bike in the first place...much more fun to drop.  :lol:  :lol:  sorry j/k

mabbe we should start a  "0 miles dumped" club.  :lol:

lots of us have done this, I did it very early with a new bike and was advised on the UK website that I would feel a lot better if I replaced the emblem (which is the most purchased suzuki part) and I did despite paying for it!
safety wise, make sure the mirrors are good and the levers are OK, sometimes the ball-end breaks and there is a temptation to carry on like that but if you even suspect damage, replace them especially the brake lever. That ball is not there to stop your hand slipping, it is there to stop the lever puncturing something, possibly you! There are plenty of aftermarked "clone" levers to be had cheaper the the origional, pays your money, makes your choice.

Quote from: ollie357Yeah, it happens. To everyone eventually. Sometimes several times. :mrgreen:

How'd you burn a "hole almost to the bone" on the exhaust? Not to rag on you but it sounds like ya got mighty slow reflexes.  :?
Did you get pinned under it?

I was so mad that I dropped the bike, I didnt even really feel it till after I had gotten the bike up and seen that it wasnt damaged to bad.  Then I was like, what the heck is hurting my leg????  looked down and the skin was sizzling and bubbling off.....very gross looking

(my first post)

I dropped Gus the first day I got him.  The previous owner delivered him, so I went for my first ride.  After 10 miles, I went to a gas station, put my 0.63 gallons in and went on my way.  On the way out of the gas station, I tried to turn right from a stop, leaned Gus too much and in real slow motion, he fell on me.  Luckily my leg was there to pad the fall.  I guess that's what legs are for.  Bad parking jobs led to the the next two drops somewhere around the 1 year mark.

Great site.

Some advice that I've learned the hard way over the past 35 years.  

When you extend the sidestand roll the bike back an inch or two to make sure it is fully extended. Turn off the motor.  Then shift into first and move the bike until it doesn't move.  That acts like a parking brake,

When placing the bike on the centerstand (which is much more stable) the key is to exert pressure on the foot lever as you leverage the bike backwards.  Don't try to pick to pick the bike up,  Grab the closest handlebar and some part of the middle of the rear of the bike and push your the centerstand hard with your foot.  Keep practicing till it becomes easy.

When picking up a downed bike, approach the it wiht your back to the bike.  Bend down from the knees and keeyour back straight.  Grab  the lowest handlebar and with the other hand grab something low on the bakc of the bike and then straigten up.  The bike comes right up and then straighten the front wheel and let it go while turning to face the bike.  Get on and ride away.  You should practice this by gently placing the bike down on grass,  Once you've done it, you'll see how easy it can be,

This worked for me when I was on my 900F, a very topheavy bike.  I was riding up a hill on a backroad in the mountains of North Carolina and came to a bend in the road with a pack of drooling crazy eyed dogs 30 feet ahead of me.  They owned that road and I decided to do a u-turn and dropped it.  The slope of the road and gravity were against me and the dogs were slowly coming my way growling like the Hounds from Hell.  Somehow I kept my composure and picked up the bike and got my butt outathere.

Join the club. :thumb:

Last week I did just what neonyello did.
Stopped at an intersection, waited for my turn, then in front of four cagers, leaned before engaging the clutch and the bike just dropped at my feet.
:dunno:

Second drop this season. :lol:

Just to resurrect an old thread...

I dropped my bike yesterday, don't even know what happened, just came out of the driveway, stopped and fell over. The bike's laying on its right, still running, and I'm standing there thinkin', "What happened?". Turn it off and pick it up. Start it again and go to work out. Rides fine. Feels a bit tighter, like it can turn quicker.

So, I figure the bike wasn't warm enough and I hadn't gotten my head into gear yet. As I was riding, I'm thinkin', "Drop Mule".

Edit: Now that I think of it more, I didn't have enough revs, and too much clutch engaged, so I kinda bogged it. Chalk another one up to rider error.

Having had it tip over once on the right and on the left, I have proof that Gravity Sucks!!.  

Live and learn...   :)

The first drop the GS had happened while practicing the msf figure-8 u-turns... the bike sputtered  in the middle of my lean and the GS just hit the ground...the brake pedal hit my feet notchin a pretty pinch in my Catterpillar boot (removed it immediately to see if have bloody toes :mrgreen: )...being a new skinny owner of > 50cc motorcycle, i was worried i that i cant picked it up..i guess adrenalin took over and i pushed the GS upright...i dont think i can do it again, though :nono: ... i dont mind dropping the GS again as long as no one see me  :P

(first post)
My first (and thankfully) only drop occured at a gas station. I had just tanked up and climbed aboard my bike only to see that a motorcyclist behind me was having time starting his bike. For whatever reason I felt obliged by some mystical "bikers code" to at least see what was wrong and offer my assistance. So I dismount and head over to help him. While I'm talking to him and stops me and says "Man your bike just fell over". I turned to see my GS laying on its left side at the base of the fuel pump.

Apparently I failed to fully extend the side stand causing the bike to tip over. Thankfully the GS is pretty sturdy so the only thing I had to replace was the left mirror and a balancer set for the left handlebar. Meanwhile whatever problem the biker I went to help was having suddenly "cured" itself and after I lifted my bike he was off and away. Oh well..

I dunno guys.. i think riding a dirt bike for years and years helps a lot.

Ive dropped dirtbikes many times, but usually because i can, and because i would break something if i hadnt gotten off "during that crazy hillclimb" or whatever.. (broke my ankle two years ago anyways...)

BUT

Ive never dropped my streetbike. Funny thing is, it wouldnt matter if i did...it would blend.

Ive gotten tailhappy a few times around turns.........

I drove through snow and ice moving it around the last few weeks...

I have no oil in my forks... :oops:  (fork seals on teh way)...

I dunno i guess i cant relate.

Ride a dirtbike.... the best defense against being a newb to riding. I would be scared shitless if i started out on the street now that i think about it!!!

well to add to an old thread..

I've dropped it probably about 4-5 times in the two years i've had it... only once while riding though ;)

first time I let a friend sit on it after ten minutes of him saying "I promise I wont drop it"... he gets on, I turn around for two seconds all I hear is "sorry danny!" and then crash he falls over.. lol he said sorry as he was slipping BEFORE the bike even touched the ground.. that was about three months after I had the bike, in the three weeks folowing that I dropped it twice, once putting the kickstand in an inclined driveway, I tried to catch it but it was too heavy so I let it down gently. The next one I was fooling around in gravel spinning the rear and then I went to stop and locked the rear whipping it a bit, when I put my foot down I transfered the weight of the bike too hard and couldnt hold it.. d'oh!  :lol:

welcome to the club

Welcome, Vince!

Chalk another one up to rider error (I'm refering to me).

Being dumped totally sucks!

I dropped mine only twice. First time I could have kicked my own ass so hard ... It was in the dealership, 10 minutes after I had just purchased my Brand NEW 2004 F :oops:. I was embarrased. Oh well, I have only a tiny scratch on the right hand side and I'm probably the only one who'd notice it... The second time was because of gravel about 2 weeks following - luckily that time it fell on softer ground :D  

... It's funny because the guy who sold me my bike had this thing where he never watched a customer drive away... Superstitions or something so it went un noticed...  

But man was that a proverbial kick in the nuts.

JG

To keep this going:

In my two years riding, I owned a scooter, a CB250 and now my '98 GS.  

I've been lucky in that I've only dropped once, which was unfortunately the GS.  I was going along the interstate and it started sputtering and jerking.  I pulled in the clutch and pulled off onto the shoulder.  Then I put down the sidestand and got off to take a look from the right side.  Then I heard the traffic buzz by and freaked out a little, so I started walking the bike from the right side to get her farther away from the traffic, probably pushing the stand back up, and she started leaning left.  And once she started I couldn't stop her, so down she went left while I'm standing on the right doing my best to slow her, and probably taking years off my lower back in the process.  By then I'm totally freaked and somehow got on the left and popped her right back up rather quickly.  Must have been adrenaline since I hadn't really read how to do it.

I was already paranoid because a year before, on my CB250 with the wife following in a car, I stopped to talk to her and leaned toward her car window, and the bike started falling, but I managed to notice quickly and stop it.  Even that little 300lb bike wanted to dive sideways HARD.  I'd like to think it taught me something.

I helped a younger kid purchase a used, but minty, GZ250 recently, and he's dropped it about four times, once with me witnessing it.  These bikes can take a lot, but it still breaks my heart to see it.  Glad to have a forum like this to help realize it's just part of life, like that first scratch you put on your folks' car when you're a kid.  Still stinks, but not worth leaping off a bridge after.

FWIW,
Mike D.