I didn't see one, but figured maybe we should have a thread of stupid stuff people have done, kind of like the "what have you done to your bike today" thread but funny or face-palm moments
Today not once, but twice tried to shift into first with the kickstand down (was only moving about 3 feet) and wonder why my bike wouldn't start!! then i remembered the switch :icon_rolleyes:
I wont go far into detail, but I will say that my first ride was riddled with stalling in front of people, honking the horn to disengage the blinkers, shifting into 7th, and at the end of it all almost laying it down in my driveway after forgetting to kick down the side stand. It was a fun day.
#5148
From the Bike Cave in West Seattle:
* That fuel starvation problem on the highway..... it helps if the tank fuel valve is ON all the way - a 45* angle of the valve is NOT ON!
* That valve cover gasket doesn't fit NOT because it is a cheap Chinese POS - it is because there really is a front and a back to that gasket. Turn it around 180*.
* Your fuel starvation issue: now that you've torn apart the petcock and put another one on.... try putting gas in your tank. The gas station is 3 blocks down the street. Fuel starvation problem solved.
Went to start my bike in the morning and was thinking more about the pouring rain than the bike for a moment, set the choke too high, pulled the clutch and started her (with kickstand up, since I just walked it out of the garage) and then immediately let go of the clutch thinking she was in neutral...
I nearly got a very close look at the back wall of my garage. :icon_rolleyes:
I like this thread already, good on you iclrag! :thumb:
Ashamed to share this, but I guess its for your enjoyment...
Second day riding, and I actually went out on a major roadway in town to get to my buddy's place. I just pulled out onto the road, and a sneeze started itching up. Of course I didn't want to sneeze inside my full face, so I hurried and lifted my visor. Just as it opened, the sneeze let loose and I quickly grabbed the handlebar again. Tried to put on the throttle, and the bike was dead. I was super embarrassed, cars honking while I try to get onto the side off of the road. I didn't know what happened. My sneeze killed it! No matter what I tried, it wouldn't do anything. So I called my buddy, he shows up 5mins later with his truck and ramps, hits the engine cut-off switch, and starts it right up...
FAIL
- Bboy
Edit: Wanted to note that I would never take my throttle hand off the bars at this point - that was just foolish inexperience yelling back at me.
(http://www.motohouston.com/forums/images/smilies/laughing6.gif)
great thread icl!! (applause)
One of mine was taking apart my first bike thinking I had a blown head gasket. Bought oem parts, took it apart, put all back together and mistimed it. Of course wouldn't start. I sold it dirt cheap. Now I don't even know why I thought it was a bad head gasket. Obviously was carbs. (http://i1206.photobucket.com/albums/bb442/adidasguy/Videos/fail1.gif)
I'm a new rider, and this happened yesterday. Pulled into work and saw a coworker I hadn't seen in a while (and she's an ex-girlfriend). First day to work on the bike, I'd figure I'd say hello (and score a few cool points ;)). So as shes opening her door, I pull up behind her. Except I underestimated the slope of the road I was on (I'm really short, 5'4") and when I went to put my foot down, the ground wasn't there, caught me by surprise and I laid the bike on its side at super slo-mo speed. Face-palm! On my back gritting my teeth, trying to laugh but not succeeding, I then see her and two other guys like "ARE YOU OK?!?!"
Embarassment.
I was working on setting the carb float height once, and I knew it would be more accurate with the center stand on. So I swung my legs over and sat on the bike, rocking back and forth until I had enough momentum to push it on the stand. But just as I lifted up on the handlebars, my foot slipped on the dusty garage floor and the bike toppled over.
Not discouraged, I figured with the bike on its side stand with handlebars turned to the right it would be about level. As I started turning the drain plug on the left carb the subtle push toppled the bike once more. This time landing on a screwdriver I left on the floor. After some cursing at the bike and threats to take it apart and sell it off piece by piece, I calmed down and fixed the carb issue. The tank's got a nasty dent the shape of a screwdriver but the bike runs nice.
Quote from: error on July 26, 2012, 08:04:54 AM
I was working on setting the carb float height once, and I knew it would be more accurate with the center stand on. So I swung my legs over and sat on the bike, rocking back and forth until I had enough momentum to push it on the stand
It's a lot easier to get on the center stand if you're not sitting on it.
This one was the PO of my bike:
Went to see the bike but the ad said it wouldn't start. Talking to him the battery was dead, bike had been sitting for a year. So I take a battery with me and a friend that has been riding for a while longer than me. We start looking the bike over and sure enough there is no power at all. No lights, no click from the starter, nothing. We start looking at the wiring, get to the fuse and it's blown. Dude let the bike sit for a year over a blown fuse! His loss, my gain!
One of my first camping trips on a bike. Was a tall DRZ400 with a bunch of luggage on the back. Go to make a U-turn near a bunch of people, turn too sharply and slowly drop the darn thing in the middle of the road. So embarresed, I quickly pick the bike up and frantically throw my leg over the bike, forgetting about the luggage. Leg hits luggage and effectively kicks the bike over onto the other side.
Needed to take the front wheel of my GS, so I put it on the center stand. Looked around garage for something heavy to put on the seat to keep the rear wheel down an lift the front wheel while I did the work. Settled on a sledgehammer with the handle resting on the tank and the heavy end on the back of the seat.
At some point I knocked the bike with enough force that the handle of the sledgehammer slipped off the tank. In something like a slow motion sequence from a movie, I watched as the handle swung to the ground, somehow creating enough rotational inertia that, when the handle touched the ground, the head of the hammer swung forward off the seat and put a sizable dent in the tank.
Haven't dropped the bike YET or accidentally hit the tank with a sledgehammer, but I've done everything else mentioned. I guess we're all part of the fail club.
Quote from: Bluesmudge on July 26, 2012, 10:45:11 AM
One of my first camping trips on a bike. Was a tall DRZ400 with a bunch of luggage on the back. Go to make a U-turn near a bunch of people, turn too sharply and slowly drop the darn thing in the middle of the road. So embarresed, I quickly pick the bike up and frantically throw my leg over the bike, forgetting about the luggage. Leg hits luggage and effectively kicks the bike over onto the other side.
Best... Story... Ever. :bowdown:
After I installed my garage door opener button, the horn beeped when I turned the key on. I tapped the horn button and it stopped. I just shrugged and thought I had gotten it jammed a bit when I reassembled the switch box. Then it beeped a short beep a few days later, just when I turned the key. Hmmmm. Then about a week later, when I hit the starter button, it HONKED and wouldn't stop. By the time I gave up and turned the key off all the dogs in the neighborhood were barking! I'm sure some neighbors weren't too happy either.
I found that the screw holding the turn signal switch lever pivot in place was touching a solder connection on the horn switch.
I was on a long trip, my first ever, and had stopped at a gas station. As I was trying to turn around on the hill I had parked on, I stalled it, and over I went. Had my phone in my tank bag, plugged into a 12v outlet on my bike, and earbuds from my phone into my helmet. I had to untangle the cords and lift the bike as other customers looked on. Needless to say, I got my stuff together and left with what dignity I had left.
So this isn't a fail by me, but this is now 3 weeks ive had to wait for my jets, this shop has had me drive in twice a week every week promising me i will get my jets, normally i would have given up by now, but i paid and don't have a reciept. this is a serious fail on their part! still didn't arrive today when they once again said it would.
... several months ago... hadn't been riding a whole lot .. helmet had been sitting on a shelf in the little shed ... got enough time for a quick evening ride so on with the gear and wipe the cobwebs off the helmet and off i go to the local mountain rd .. nice and easy.. just enjoying the solitude kinda thing.. one of the mates happens to be out riding spur of the moment also and at the top turn-around point we chat for a min or so... then both head back down together ..
slight tickle on top of my scalp but as i have my hair usually cut under 5mm i think its just a little rubbing from the helmet cloth .. couple of corners down the hill the tickle on my scalp starts "walking forwards" (along one of the ventilation gaps/channels) ... suddenly the memory image of wiping cobwebs from the helmet seems so much more important! :icon_eek:
in somewhat of a panic i do all the wrong moves and while i did stop without harm on the opposite side of road on a corner in the bushes the mate told me later it looked like i had just been possessed ... frantically scrabbling at the chin strap with gloves on and yelling "theres something alive in my HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELMET!!!!" .. got the damned thing off and peered suspiciously inside ... no spider PHEW .. but one of those little light brown mini cockroaches dawdling around ... removed the bug , replaced the helmet and rode home with slightly less aplomb than normal :oops:
no more helmet in shed on shelf... and i check the inside each time i pull it on now ... dont really want to bin the bike over a bug!
One time I was engine braking before a corner... Became oblivious to the fact that I had finally hit 1st gear: pull in clutch, rev engine, pop clutch, bike JUMPS. Not once, but twice I did that. Looked like an idiot I bet :D
That's actually happened I want to say 3 times.
Was riding my bike near a park in my home town. Just met a guy with a bike and he was following me. Of course he had a ninja 250 and thought it was better so I was in race mode and going fast. Didn't know how sharp a corner was and didn't realize there's no way I would be able to get around. Tried braking but didn't make it, fell at about 8-10 mph because of a curb. Stupid inexperienced me :( guy laughed his head off at me and now I've got some scratches!!
On the highway going lickety-split. Bike dies. Pull over...confused...start looking things over, cranks but no start. Walk up and down the shoulder of the highway wondering how my bike has failed me. Bike has PLENTY of gas in it.
It starts to get dark...I hear animals in the trees next to me. I think of the crazy stories of drop bears. OK...calm down...I'm not in Australia. Still nervously pacing at this point. Why has no one stopped to help me?
OK, think...what have I done recently? I recount the following:
1. new jets that are larger in diameter
2. lunchbox filter
3. WOT to test out new setup
Then it hits me. I flip to reserve, and the bike fires right up. I'm a moron.
Quote from: Janx101 on August 08, 2012, 10:42:22 PM
... several months ago... hadn't been riding a whole lot .. helmet had been sitting on a shelf in the little shed ... got enough time for a quick evening ride so on with the gear and wipe the cobwebs off the helmet and off i go to the local mountain rd .. nice and easy.. just enjoying the solitude kinda thing.. one of the mates happens to be out riding spur of the moment also and at the top turn-around point we chat for a min or so... then both head back down together ..
slight tickle on top of my scalp but as i have my hair usually cut under 5mm i think its just a little rubbing from the helmet cloth .. couple of corners down the hill the tickle on my scalp starts "walking forwards" (along one of the ventilation gaps/channels) ... suddenly the memory image of wiping cobwebs from the helmet seems so much more important! :icon_eek:
in somewhat of a panic i do all the wrong moves and while i did stop without harm on the opposite side of road on a corner in the bushes the mate told me later it looked like i had just been possessed ... frantically scrabbling at the chin strap with gloves on and yelling "theres something alive in my HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELMET!!!!" .. got the damned thing off and peered suspiciously inside ... no spider PHEW .. but one of those little light brown mini cockroaches dawdling around ... removed the bug , replaced the helmet and rode home with slightly less aplomb than normal :oops:
no more helmet in shed on shelf... and i check the inside each time i pull it on now ... dont really want to bin the bike over a bug!
10 years ago, I was in a car with the windows rolled down. Dead middle of the night. Was traveling about 60 (100KM/h) when suddenly a large furry flying thing hit my palm, followed my arm into the car, and lands you know where. Locked up all 4 wheels...got out...and removed said insect. :embarassed:
:icon_lol: Drop bears!
I don't have anything crazy...yet. Yesterday I ran out of gas, but due to some kind of instinct I had decided to take surface streets instead of the highway so I only had to push it 1/4 mi. which wasn't bad. Apparently I have no reserve capacity or something is clogged :dunno_black:. Anyway, I fill up with a gallon to get me home to a cheaper station, flip to prime, start it up, shift to 1st with the kickstand down, :killed:. I decide to run on RES. for the 15 mi. home but I end up running out of fuel again within a mile or less, I had to pull onto the sidewalk, prime it, and then switch it back to ON. After running out of gas twice in 30 min. and walking on the side of the road with my bike I felt pretty dumb, but it worked itself out. I'll inspect the petcock, tank and RES line later in the year.
One morning I had just finished washing the bike and waxing it. I figured I would take my nice and shinny bike out for a ride. I start it up on the side stand and go around the corner to put away the hose. That's when I hear the sound of metal dragging on the pavement. After yelling SOB, run around the corner to see my bike rolling down the driveway backwards and then almost doing a barrel roll as it bounced off the side stand going down the curb. After yelling SOB again I pick up the bike and my mirror that flew across the street. My handle bars were knocked out of the clamps, my mirror was broken, my exhaust was scratched, and my fairings were nice and gouged.
definitely epic on that one cndn,....i wouldve been,....cussing for days,...
So of course, the day after I mention I had never dropped the bike, I gently layed my ST1300 down in the driveway. Fortunately nothing more than a minor scuff on a plastic part. It was a bear to pick it up. Guess I should have kept my big mouth shut!
wow some funny fails there. good to see we can laugh about them. haven't had any epic fails yet on the moto and I hope I never do, but had some close calls.
one was trying to take of in neutral from lights. when I realised no gear selected, I instinctively lifted my left leg to engage first gear, problem was right leg was up on the brake. lucky I was balanced and was able to take off before falling.
another one was after a driver allowed me to merge, I again instinctively waved, with my right hand, off course trying to go up hill with any power doesn't work. nearly stalled it as I tried to recover and not be rear ended by the good Samaritan.
have had some epic fails in the car though, one similar to one above. sitting at the lights waiting for green and a bee flies in the window between my sunnies and my face. off course I panic (allergic to bees) and push back, hitting the accelerator pedal. straight into the back of the car in front of me. ouch.
I have two...
To Preface this one, I am not mechanically inclined at all...just picked up my GS from the dealership after having it re-jetted. Got about 3-4 miles away from the dealership and I come to a stop at a stoplight (first one in line) Once a car had pulled up behind me I went to put the bike into neutral, couldn't seem to do it. Not too worried I just sat there and waited for the light to turn green. It does and I go to accelerate off the line, nothing, I am revving and this thing is bucking like crazy. I could not get it to go no matter how high I revved, finally it just died. Embarrassed and disgusted I get off and push it to the side of the road. Try again to get it into neutral and just cannot seem to find the right position between 1st and 2nd gear. I try to start it and it fires right up and revs nicely. At this point I get really mad >:(, the dealership must have messed with the transmission to get more money out of me. I call them somewhat angry and they come out immediately...(by now you should have a good idea of what I have done??)...the tech guy gets there and tries to put the bike into neutral and realizes that I was in fourth gear, no wonder I could not find neutral...FAIL!!!!!
Fail on my part for not looking at a bike closely when buying. I have since sold my GS and now ride my '93 Ninja exclusively (I bought in Oct). I just sold the GS a few weeks ago, at the point of sale my wife mentions that now my other bike will break because I don't have a backup to ride. Last week I am running slightly late for work and run out start the bike, already had all of my gear on, back it out of the garage and just start going without letting it warm up at all. I coast down my gravel 0.25 mile road to the main road. Pull out on the main road and go through the gears to 4th without going over 5k since I did not let it warm up. I come around a corner and see that the temp needle is up and I just lay into it. It hits 5K and starts coughing and sputtering, then slowly begins to die. I get it off the road and try to restart, it just turns over but won't fire. I start pushing it back home. Call the dealership and have them come get it. Turns out the PO used household caulking as a replacement for o-rings, gaskets and to plug up holes in the Carbs. Just a closer look when buying and I would have never bought this thing...FAIL!!!
Quote from: ThatOtherGuy on August 09, 2012, 11:04:09 AM
another one was after a driver allowed me to merge, I again instinctively waved, with my right hand, off course trying to go up hill with any power doesn't work. nearly stalled it as I tried to recover and not be rear ended by the good Samaritan.
Yeah, I learned this one early on, too, though not with any comedic results.
from first job,....
I used to work at a door manufacturing company. Wood on one side and metal across the street. On the wood side they had a giant sander that the doors would go through and it would level off imperfections etc etc. I got moved to the metal side (learned to weld there!) and one day boss brings me a door that a customer used to step on at a construction site. Dents galore. I tell him it is trash, he says 'fix it!'
Covered in Bondo, I'm air sanding it down, when I get the brilliant idea to carry it across the street and run it through the sander. Everything goes good the first run through. Second run, the operator (buddy of mine) drops the width way too low. The belt hits the metal, sparks fly everywhere, the giant vacuum system sucks sparks into the ducts where they catch the wood dust on fire and a giant speeding fireball erupts the catch bags into a firestorm blaze. All the employees in the plant run out the door yelling while me and my buddy sprint for extinguishers and (eventually) put it out. Fire department shows up, smoke everywhere, people in the street stopping to look.
Yea, epic fail.
They didn't fire me though. Boss should've listened to me in the first place dammit! hahaa
Quote from: omio on August 09, 2012, 11:51:52 AMJust a closer look when buying and I would have never bought this thing...FAIL!!!
Boy do I ever know that feeling. :technical: This bike was straight up broke when I bought it. A previous owner torqued one of the oil filter cap studs right out of the block (didn't break the stud.....stripped it clear out of the block), tried to repair it by threading a bolt into the remaining threads and gluing the now flattened o-ring down so it wouldn't leak. There's a mysterious oil leak coming from somewhere on the left side of the lower case (cant trace it for the life of me), and over a course of 20 miles I lost 2 quarts of oil. New engine/transmission on the way, so hopefully I'll never have to deal with this crap again.
Can't believe it's not up here yet...
But
Struggle for the better part of an hour trying to get a little honda to start with my buddy nate.
Nearly blue in the face, can't figure out why we aren't firing. Getting to seriously pissed mode. :mad: Nearly totally beat.
Step back, put my head in my hand.
Turn killswitch off.
Bike starts first kick.
Had to smile, anything else i could've done would have been bad. also, I never, EVER miss checking a killswitch again whilst troublshooting- Believe you me.
that reminds me of when I was helping a mate tune his car. changed plugs, changed points, gapped the points, put distributor cap on, nothing. check all the leads, nothing. spent nearly 30 minutes checking everything until we suddenly realised we'd left the rotor button out of the distributor.
and another one of my mates was building a hemi V8 but couldn't get it started. everything looked right until I took a closer look at the picture in the manual he was using to get the spark leads on the right cylinders. the workshop manual picture had been reproduced in reverse. everything was backwards. I nearly died laughing as he had spent hours trying to get it running and I saw it in about 10 minutes.
I went up a very very very steep driveway to go to a parking lot at the top. Half way up a car comes down the driveway, and it's only wide enough for the width of one car. I do a U turn in the steep steep driveway, but it was too narrow. I stop with my bike perpendicular to the driveway and when I put my foot down, there was no pavement under my foot. I rolled over with the bike on top of my leg. Luckily I had boots on and it didn't hurt. Unluckily, the driver was a little old lady with cataract glasses on. I couldn't get my leg out from under the bike at that awkward angle, so I had to wait for someone to come help me up. I just propped up on my elbow drumming my fingers on the pavement while the little old lady honked her horn at me until help came to upright the bike. ---FAIL!!!!
Okay, i pulled the ultimate newbie fail, so i'm driving to my friends work and about a block away the engine dies on me, so i'm getting frustrated because i'm gonna have to get it moved a way to get home, so anyways im in the gas station parking lot trying to "fix" my bike, testing temps and weak spots etc. anyways, the guy comes out (you can't pump your own gas in oregon unless youre on a motorcycle they will let you) and says "Hey, Kid! if youre not buying gas im gonn ahave to ask you to leave" so i go inside and buy a soda (hey, they can't kick a paying customer out) and keep working. after about 15 minutes i'm like Fark it, i look at the petcock, it was on "ON" instead of RES (i was low on gas) i flip it to prime for about 30 seconds then RES and it starts right up! so iget $15 of gas (nearly a full tank!! very exciting as i pay $60 for my car) and go back to ON and it works fine! i seriously can't believe i did that! atleast i didn't have my bike hauled home only to find out i needed to go all the way back for a gas station.
Rode into work after being off the bike for a few days, and I don't know what made me think about it but I decided to check my fuel line routing once I got there. Last week when I rode to work I made it there fine and then ran out of fuel shortly after leaving to go back home, and didn't seem to have anything in reserve or a blocked line, so now I'm paying more attention to keeping my fuel level higher.
So I checked the lines off of a diagram that I had in my memory and it looks like my hoses are switched from the tank to the petcock :icon_rolleyes:. I don't know if the PO did it and I've always put it back the same way, or if I screwed up and switched the hoses at some point, but I think it explains why I've ran out of gas the last few times and not had anything in reserve. So, I'm going to try riding home with the tank to RES instead of ON and see how that works. If it works okay then it'll at least let me know that the petcock is doing okay, and hopefully I can run it down to the point where I'd have to switch to my "Reserve" and that'll work the way it should. Either way, later in the season I'll probably double check the whole thing and end up switching some hose around.
That could be a really mean prank to pull on someone...
"I wondered why it was going so far before I hit reserve.... SONOFAH!"
It's been a while for since my epic fail. Back in 1980 something. I took a tree branch to the forehead while riding my DR125. Knocked me right off the back and the bike kept going. Buy I OK noww it blerp nay.
I've have a history of getting hit in the head while on 2 wheels.
My mom told me when I was 2 or 3 I came down a hill on my bigwheel and slammed head first into a brick wall so hard it made the pots and pans hanging inside rattle. I still have the knot on my forehead 40 year later. But like Ii sed I OK now. Not muhc bran damige.
Quote from: pliskin on August 22, 2012, 07:06:50 PM
It's been a while for since my epic fail. Back in 1980 something. I took a tree branch to the forehead while riding my DR125. Knocked me right off the back and the bike kept going. Buy I OK noww it blerp nay.
I've have a history of getting hit in the head while on 2 wheels.
My mom told me when I was 2 or 3 I came down a hill on my bigwheel and slammed head first into a brick wall so hard it made the pots and pans hanging inside rattle. I still have the knot on my forehead 40 year later. But like Ii sed I OK now. Not muhc bran damige.
I did the same thing as a child! :cheers:
And just the other day I was driving in traffic, it was hot so I had my sunglasses on with my visor open, and a BEE came right in my helmet! I don't know how I managed to pull off to the shoulder and remove my helmet without crashing, lol. No brain damage from the bee tho. :thumb:
Just yesterday i tried riding off with the DISC LOCK still on.
Worst part is that it has a bright yellow cable from the lock to the front brake lever. I just didnt think.
I dont think it damaged anything, except my pride. Scared me though, the sudden juddering and "Oh S###". Thoughts of a bent disc, broken caliper etc. I wont forget it again!
I've seen people use a key blank hooked to the cord, stuck in the ignition.
My dad did the same thing on his Buell, except it was a stem/steering lock. The Buell had a separate cylinder in the neck so he rode off and started tipping a little, and then couldn't straighten the bars out, kept tipping...BAM! He tried to invent a plug that you could stick in the ignition, but I don't think he was able to fully follow through on it.
Oh, and I definitely have my tank hoses switched, however it happened. For some reason, every time I looked at a hose diagram it never raised a flag, and I never felt anything weird when I was hooking my hoses up. But sure enough, I go to ride home on RES and it dies within a mile. Flip it to ON, ride all the way home to a gas station and put another 1.5 gal. in, switch back to RES and it got me the rest of the way home, and back to work again today. Which means that multiple days I have been riding well into my Reserve tank without even a clue as to how much fuel I actually had, and how far that would take me. :icon_eek: I'm pretty sure that someone posted a good 3/4 perspective color drawing of the hoses within the last few days that helped me out, but I can't find it. If someone knows what I'm talking about, make sure that photo gets tagged and stuck in the Wiki and stuff.
Quote from: vinny on August 23, 2012, 06:28:17 AM
Just yesterday i tried riding off with the DISC LOCK still on.
Worst part is that it has a bright yellow cable from the lock to the front brake lever. I just didnt think.
I dont think it damaged anything, except my pride. Scared me though, the sudden juddering and "Oh S###". Thoughts of a bent disc, broken caliper etc. I wont forget it again!
I think everyone who has a disk lock has done that, me included. I always lock it up against the caliper so it has less chance of rotating very far to cause any significant damage.
When pulling a head on an engine (i.e. motor) in the bike, alone, with no one around.....
........insure you are pulling ONLY the head.
Getting a piston back in the jugs all by yourself late at night is fun. :technical:
If adidasguy screams in the bike cave and no one is around, does he make a sound?
Alone in the bike cave, no one can hear you scream.
Connected up the MotionPro carb SyncPro without reading the instructions. You know - hose->>> carb so what could go wrong?
Sucked all the blue fluid out.
(So selling it with a new bottle of replacement fluid because I bought one that doesn't use fluid for more money so I can't be a dumbass again.)
Well, top of Mt Tamborine today, stopped with a mate, 88kms into a 376km ride to take in the views. Go to head of and bike's back wheel catches the edge of the asphalt/ gravel edge. Bike starts to tip, not to worry I'll put my foot out, right into a pothole so bike goes right over smashing the clutch lever of the bars, squashing the indicator and bending the rear view mirror back. No lever means no electric starting. Considered a clutchless ride home, but didn't fancy a steep descent on no clutch and then Saturday morning traffic trying to judge every traffic light to roll through on a green light. So ended up having it towed home which took twice as long to arrange and complete than it took to ride there in the first place. Not to mention the cost, even tried to organise a new lever at a shop that was within my free towing distance (50kms), but would you believe no one had one in stock. Oh well replacement parts now ordered including a spare clutch lever to keep in the recovery bag so it doesn't happen again (stranded without a clutch lever).
Quote from: ThatOtherGuy on August 25, 2012, 12:37:49 AM
Well, top of Mt Tamborine today, stopped with a mate, 88kms into a 376km ride to take in the views. Go to head of and bike's back wheel catches the edge of the asphalt/ gravel edge. Bike starts to tip, not to worry I'll put my foot out, right into a pothole so bike goes right over smashing the clutch lever of the bars, squashing the indicator and bending the rear view mirror back. No lever means no electric starting. Considered a clutchless ride home, but didn't fancy a steep descent on no clutch and then Saturday morning traffic trying to judge every traffic light to roll through on a green light. So ended up having it towed home which took twice as long to arrange and complete than it took to ride there in the first place. Not to mention the cost, even tried to organise a new lever at a shop that was within my free towing distance (50kms), but would you believe no one had one in stock. Oh well replacement parts now ordered including a spare clutch lever to keep in the recovery bag so it doesn't happen again (stranded without a clutch lever).
Well its a shame you dont have my number as I have spare clutch levers and I can tow bikes for a cheap price,,,,,,and I live at the bottom of Tambo!!
Quote from: codajastal on August 25, 2012, 12:45:52 AM
Quote from: ThatOtherGuy on August 25, 2012, 12:37:49 AM
Well, top of Mt Tamborine today, stopped with a mate, 88kms into a 376km ride to take in the views. Go to head of and bike's back wheel catches the edge of the asphalt/ gravel edge. Bike starts to tip, not to worry I'll put my foot out, right into a pothole so bike goes right over smashing the clutch lever of the bars, squashing the indicator and bending the rear view mirror back. No lever means no electric starting. Considered a clutchless ride home, but didn't fancy a steep descent on no clutch and then Saturday morning traffic trying to judge every traffic light to roll through on a green light. So ended up having it towed home which took twice as long to arrange and complete than it took to ride there in the first place. Not to mention the cost, even tried to organise a new lever at a shop that was within my free towing distance (50kms), but would you believe no one had one in stock. Oh well replacement parts now ordered including a spare clutch lever to keep in the recovery bag so it doesn't happen again (stranded without a clutch lever).
Well its a shame you dont have my number as I have spare clutch levers and I can tow bikes for a cheap price,,,,,,and I live at the bottom of Tambo!!
Damn.
I don't know if this is an epic fail or sheer brilliance or both....
So it is night time. Around 11pm. I am riding my push bike on the roads in the estate I lived in at the time (sober, not effected by drugs). Street lights are sparse. As I am riding under a tree my front wheel SLAMS into something dark on the road. The bike starts tipping up. As it does so I leap off the pegs, pass over the handlebars and land on the street running - like some kind of super stunt guy or something - while the bike goes sprawling behind.
I go back to see what it was I'd hit. Two black high metal ramps perpendicular to the road. As I'm picking up my bike two blokes from the property come out to ask if I'm ok. It is now I see a bobcat in the front yard. Who the fuk leaves bobcat ramps on the friggin road? Who needs them to get up a slightly slopped gutter. I just hopped on my undamaged bike and rode away, thankful for my catlike- ninja reflexes.
This wasn't me, but someone that I was with this weekend.
Sunday (yesterday) was really nice and sunny, so I decided to go for a good drive down the windy road next to the bay and when I came back there was a few of my neighbors all standing around with their little kiddies playing in the street. I couldn't drive straight through the kiddies to my driveway, so I coasted over to where the neighbors were chatting and shut off the bike to talk and see what was up.
The conversation revolved around construction in our area, surprise-surprise, and so I got off my bike to stand up and chat. While standing on the left side of my bike with my hand rested on the handlebars (helmet in hand) one of my neighbors decides to lean on the opposite handlebar, but he actually put his weight on it...
The wheel turned, bike started to tip, I couldn't stop it so I push the guy out from getting impaled by my handlebar (that would just be a mess to clean out of my throttle) and let the bike fall over.
The guy is scared shitless, I'm now running around the bike to get it back up and check for damage, and nobody else in 6 people has moved. There's no damage other than another scrape on my frame-slider peg and a scratch on the handlebar end (which is already scratched). The guy is now profusely apologizing and the other guys start saying how bikes are dangerous and such...
I finish picking the bike up, check it again, and then look level with them and say, "Sorry, but a motorcycle is no more dangerous than a car, depends on the driver." and look right at the guy who tipped it over.
We chat for a few minutes more, since some of them seem to see reason in what I said, and then I go on home, but now all of those neighbors wave when I drive by in the morning with my bike, hmm.
Nice reflexes mister. I've taken a couple of headers off of my mountain bike at night, but I could never land on my feet :icon_mrgreen:. I'll share them as fails because it did happen on two wheels :).
Once I rode into a gate at ~17 mph, it was raining and I wasn't looking for it. The gate hit right in the center of the neck and I was locked into the pedals so the bike and I rolled over the gate and crashed down on the other side. Got pretty lucky on that one. The second time I was riding down a bike path and was going slow [10 mph] because it was dark and ended up driving straight into one of those removable ATV barriers. The stupid thing is only 3-4 in. wide and my tire goes straight into it, which rocks me forward until the neck hits, which stops the bike dead and sends me super manning off of it. Landed on all fours and scrapped my knees a little.
I only took one more header that I can think of, and that was when I was heading down a 40 degree decline on the Portal Decent in Moab, UT. When I hit the bottom the angle was just steep enough to slow the bike and shift my weight slightly over the tipping point. After that ride I found a crack in the side of the neck and that pretty much sealed the fate of my mountain biking career.
This reminds me of my not-so-long-ago- adolescent self... expect mine, I could clearly see the danger ahead...
Me and my brothers built a ramp for our bikes down by the lake near our old house... it was made from metal roofing, old clothes dryer, and some other scrap bits people dump out there... We thought it would be a good idea to ramp off it, down a hill into the lake...
Worked great for that, but then ideas went south. I was nominated to let go of the bike in mid-air and land on a mattress, while the bike plumeted down the hill into the lake... IN THEORY
I let go of the bike in mid-air, but the seat got caught on the crotch of my baggy shorts! I couldn't get my feet back on the pedals before landing. I hit the edge of the mattress, the seat reaked havok on my crotch. The bike was left on the mattress and I plumeted down the hill into the lake...
9 stitches and 8 years later, its still a big laugh for my brothers, and a story I'm sharing online...
- Bboy
One of the guys I work with has a huge Harley Ultra with about every available add-on like microwave ovens and a waffle-bot. Anyhow, We left work one day and stop at the same gas station. As normal, we are talking trash on each others bikes, and I tell him that thing takes 50ft to turn around, of course he says "no way" and proceeds to show me by putting it into a full lock turn . It actually would've been impressive if he didn't get his 12ft wide handlebars stuck onto the ghey pirate chaps he was wearing and throw that big son of beotch in the middle of the lot. I ran over to make sure he's ok and we both struggle to put it back up. Seriously, heaviest bike ever...
So MY best one was on the first bike I had. Being a young Marine with a little cash I thought I'd be a cool guy and bought a Ducati 748. Well, lets say it's a little different than the dirtbikes I was used to. On the first trip to the gas station on base, I pull up all badass like and proceed to the pump. Only problem was that when I went to get off, the bike wanted to go with me as I never put down the stand. Luckily, it just pinned me against the pump and didn't damage the bike. And one great thing about being on base is that there is always plenty on strong people around to help out.
Upgraded to an R6 shock. Had to remove the tank, and airbox to drop it down into the frame. So, some hoses got removed and replaced while I was at it. Worked late into the night and I didn't want to wake the fiance with warming up the bike. So, I put my faith in my handywork, and decided my test ride with the new shock and hoses would be to work the next morning. Not a big deal if the bike doesn't go because I can drive the truck and troubleshoot the bike when I get back.
Next morning comes, and my truck has a flat, so my bike better run!
Starts okay, warms up well, rolls out of the garage on two wheels alright. Must be okay, right?
I start up the hill away from my house, and get to the first stop sign a mile away from home... and the bike dies, won't restart either. I pull to the side, take off the seat, and check over everything I can see. As a last resort I switch to prime to start it, and it works! Switch back to on, and it dies a minute later...
Not a big deal, it will get me to work even if I have to use prime... Then all the sudden I remember my tank felt light when I took it off last night... Switch to reserve, and head on my way...
FAIL
- Bboy
So first my bike was warm and ready to go fast and at a light i was ready to gun it to get in front of car so i hit the gas upshift in 2nd but instead of 2nd i go to neutral preparing for the shift kick if give you i fall into the tank no crash but looks stupid and super high revs in neutral. Also did that downshifting.
Also the first time i rode the bike. I was getting low on gas and this is the first tank i ever rode on the bike. At a fairly busy road coming to a stop i look at the dash and notice the oil light is on and try to tell me dad to pull over but i didnt notice the bike was dead so in the middle of traffic i had to get off the bike and bring it to a side road and we were trying to start it and start it but wont and finally realized im on reserve for the first time. :thumb:
Quote from: MNgs500 on October 01, 2012, 12:52:08 PM
So first my bike was warm and ready to go fast and at a light i was ready to gun it to get in front of car so i hit the gas upshift in 2nd but instead of 2nd i go to neutral preparing for the shift kick if give you i fall into the tank no crash but looks stupid and super high revs in neutral. Also did that downshifting.
Also the first time i rode the bike. I was getting low on gas and this is the first tank i ever rode on the bike. At a fairly busy road coming to a stop i look at the dash and notice the oil light is on and try to tell me dad to pull over but i didnt notice the bike was dead so in the middle of traffic i had to get off the bike and bring it to a side road and we were trying to start it and start it but wont and finally realized im on reserve for the first time. :thumb:
Occam's Razor.
Simplest solution, is most often the correct one.
Left my bike in the driveway, key in the ignition, headlight on, entirely unattended for 5 days. Bike is still there, but the battery is just shot. Won't hold a charge at all. If I jump the bike, it'll run fine on the charging system alone, but even if I run it for 15 minutes all the lights shut off when I kill the engine.
1976, riding my Yamaha MX125C dirt bike, I ride to the gas station by our dirt playground (4-Corners Maple Valley Wa) to get a drink of water from the water fountain. I think I was trying to impress some chick with my wheelie skills? Anywho I grab a handful of Rpm and drop the clutch....ended up on my back with the bike on top of me, handlebars on my chest....me pinned to the ground by the weight of the bike :oops:
Epic fail - RH lane at lights (the fast lane here) front of the queue, light goes green, and the bike quits as it just hits reserve...