So I'm a brand new rider and today I dropped my bike  in my boyfriend's yard trying to back up to turn around to get closer to the hose  (his yard is soft and sandy and lumpy and sloped, and I'm inexperienced). I know what I did wrong this time. What I'd like to know are other times/situations you guys have dropped or almost dropped your bikes so I don't learn the hard way again.

Dropped mine when I first got it trying to put it on the center stand. I let it down slowly but still. Thank Zeus for naked bikes 

I laid mine down turning onto a dirt road off of a paved road. Didn't think I was going very fast. 15MPH tops, but the back and front wheels both washed out simultaneously & very quickly, so there wasn't much I could do other than go slower from now on turning onto the dirt road I live on.

Two close calls for my Virago. Don't ever brake and turn your forks at the same time, or down you go!
Then another time I was going to watch fireworks around the lake. Getting the bike turned, I miscalculated the slope of the ground, under the grass. It started to roll towards the steep embankment! I slammed on the brake, but couldn't pull it back. I thought about asking for help from a cager. Then God gave me the strength, somehow, to pull it back. I'll never forget that 4th of July!  
Watch out for sand on the road! It can be very dangerous for anything on two wheels!

Sahana:

Thanks for asking about situations that can cause a drop.

Every intersection has a Debris Zone. An area on the road where no cars go and so the small bits of gravel, sand, etc, get to build up there.



We ride/drive on the left. So if you were going from bottom right to left and wanted to turn into the side street that goes up and you took the corner late, you would be in the debris zone right at the point you are leaning over.

Not all Debris Zone are so large nor so obvious, but they are there. Look out for them / be aware of them and avoid them.

Other accidental drop situations include...

Pulling up and you go to put your foot down and there is gravel. Slip. Whoops.

Forgetting to put your side stand down first before getting off the bike. Once it starts to fall over do you have the strength to stop it?

Facing on a slight down slop and not leaving the bike in gear before putting the side stand down. As you get off the bike rolls forward in neutral, side stand flicks back up and down she goes.

Getting off your bike too fast while the side stand is on soft ground. Side stand sinks. Down she goes. ALWAYS carry something to act as a sidestand puck. I use plastic packing shims (which are normally used on precast concrete panel erection to help level the panel). A 3mm shim is sturdy.


Michael

Mister I agree with the debris (this has nearly brought me  undone twice) but not the location on the road.  I would move the base of the triangle to the dotted line on the intersection with the ajoining road and keep the triangle pointing in the same direction.

Quote from: Sahana on March 12, 2011, 11:30:41 AM
So I'm a brand new rider and today I dropped my bike  in my boyfriend's yard trying to back up to turn around to get closer to the hose  (his yard is soft and sandy and lumpy and sloped, and I'm inexperienced). I know what I did wrong this time. What I'd like to know are other times/situations you guys have dropped or almost dropped your bikes so I don't learn the hard way again.

It happens to everyone on their first bike. I dropped my first bike probably 3 or 4 times. It happens so quickly its hard to say what even went wrong. But after a little experience you get the hang of it and don't drop it any more. 

Quote from: uninhibited on March 12, 2011, 02:56:29 PM
Mister I agree with the debris (this has nearly brought me  undone twice) but not the location on the road.  I would move the base of the triangle to the dotted line on the intersection with the ajoining road and keep the triangle pointing in the same direction.

At this particular intersection, where I have it is where the gravel is. Trucks used to come out of the side road so there wasn't really any in the area you are referring too. Like I said, they are all a little different in size and location and amount of debris for each intersection, but they are there. And some have multiple debris zones.

The one pictured, when I nearly went down, it was night and a truck was half way out - the prime mover was blocking the other lane of traffic. I had no option but to take the corner through the debris zone which I couldn't see cause it was night. Bike started going down but I saved it - maybe all the dirt bike riding I did when I was young 

Michael

Don't worry too much about dropping your bike. i can't even take a guess as to how many times I dropped my bike when I was learning, not to mention when I thought I had it figured out and was overly confident, and would still drop it in a parking lot of something else that takes more skill than I thought. That's why so many people recommend you start on an old beat up bike, because you're going to drop it, and there's no way around it. Some people get lucky and never do, but most don't.

Grass is a tough place to learn. I know it's a lot softer than pavement so it makes you feel more comfortable, but it's so much harder to control your bike on. Really there's nothing to do but to take it slow and try to be careful, and don't put any nice shiny accessories on your bike until you've gone a few months without dropping it!

The first time I dropped a bike..... It wasn't my own. I was 19 and  it was my sister's 80cc 2 cycle Yamaha street bike. Clutch/throttle action that popped a wheelie and came back on me. I'm hoping our GS500 4 cycles aren't capable of such foolishness.  

Well, actually, I ended up buying a new 175 Enduro and was popping wheelies on purpose. Don't advise it for beginners, though.  

I've dropped Flick twice. One was the newb mistake was at a right turn. I had only ridden a 250 rebel at the MSF course and had not anticipating that cranking the throttle on Flick was different twice the power. He took off on me and left me sittin on my a$$. Thank goodness he fell over in partial grass. Still bent the brake lever and scratched the exhaust. Small price on an "F". Second time I had ran out of gas was in a hurry didn't have my boots on. Thought I'd get the momentem of the incline to help me so didn't put the kickstand down. When I was getting off the pavement was uneven I lost my balance and got my right foot caught on the left side of the bike. I was the cushion so Flick was fine. Me 3 torn ligaments in my ankle!

Mary

I am still a newb myself but I have dropped my bike 3 times. First was on the   ride home at a stop sign, I put my foot down too late and was starting to lean already. When I did get my foot on the ground it was in a pile of cinders. Second time was in a gravel parking lot doing practise  laps. I grabbed too much front brake and was slightly leaned over for a turn. Third time was parking it in garage, I started getting off the bike before it was fully on the kickstand. Thus my bike fell over to the right and snapped the mirror off.

Brandon

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Quote from: wildarmz on March 12, 2011, 11:57:57 AM
Dropped mine when I first got it trying to put it on the center stand. I let it down slowly but still. Thank Zeus for naked bikes 

I've dropped mine taking it off the centrestand in my garage.  Lesson learned was to always jump on the bike and heave it off the stand while sitting on it, that way it comes down with a boot on each side

I used to be unsure about it but I just make sure to keep my finger on the brake lever. Stand on the left side, pull back on the bars a little then rock it forward. As soon as you feel the centerstand get past it's balance point you grab the brake. It'll stop the bike while it's still on the centerstand and the front wheel so there's no chance of it falling over, and then you can slowly let it down by using the brake. No surprises that way as to what direction it's gonna go.

I started riding last season and made it through only laying it down while stationary.  I was on gravel standing to the side and it started goin over.  I was playing tug o war w/ the left side of the handle bar but slowly slipped on the gravel so I ended up letting her down nice and easy.  No moving downs yet

Was turning into a parking lot, just got to the street-meets-apron part when the car ahead of me stopped.  Put my feet down, but the downslope of the camber of the street and the upslope of the apron conspired to make the gutter about 6" further down than I anticipated; nearly dropped my 650R due to the that.

Mrs. dropped her GS once because she didn't yet have the savvy to "read the road."  We had come to a T-intersection, needed to stop, then turn right.  Our surface was high camber, the cross street was also high camber and was a grade to boot (downhill to the right).  Created kind of an optical illusion, so when she stopped she put her feet down normally, instead of compensating for the left being higher than the right.  Gravity did the rest.

A riding friend was duckwalking his moto backwards out of a parking space.  He had the bars fully turned and was watching for traffic, et cetera, when he hit a rock, causing him to bobble and fall right over.  I think he still has the rock.

Many years ago, at the end of a very long day of riding, I was so glad to get home that I hopped off my Eliminator...without putting the kickstand down.

The common thread?  In my experience, it's not paying attention to the "little things" that get you.

Quote from: Cosimo_Zaretti on March 13, 2011, 07:27:28 AM
I've dropped mine taking it off the centrestand in my garage.  Lesson learned was to always jump on the bike and heave it off the stand while sitting on it, that way it comes down with a boot on each side

Me too!

Watch coming to a stop too sudden, and still having the scoot slightly leaned over. I've had some good catches doing that, but nothing I would recommend.

When doing things like backing up, or walking in a driveway, I find it helpful to lean on the tank some. Gives me more control.

I've heard of some people jumping off when taking a turn too slow and the bike starts falling.  They end up okay, but the scoot ends up banged up. Usually, these are people that haven't taken an MSF class. They would have been okay, had they just rolled on the throttle. 

Some people say it is okay to just use the front break. Try that coming to quick stop on a busy street on a hot summer day. The back wheel may keep slipping on an oil spot. Not a good feeling, and can put you down on your side.

Keep the sunny side up! 

I am very reluctant to use front brake on a gravel road. Always engine brake and rear brake and never go to fast.