Those acorns are like ball bearings.

 

Often ride two up with my Ultra. Last year I had two close calls at redlights when bike started over when I stopped on gravel or a painted line. It doesn't take much. Both times I was able to recover. I suspect it's the adrenaline that helps you keep the half ton or so from going over. Of course my immediate comment to the OL is that she needs to maybe pass on the deserts. (And she is not heavy). Guess how that was received.

 

I'd tell you to hit he gym. I love deserts

 

You tell him swtass! lmao

 

Years ago, in my show off days, I skidded up to the gas pump and put the kickstand down as I came to a stop. Must have "kicked" it too hard because it evidently bounced back to the stowed position, and the bike fell against the gas pump with its startled rider stuck. Now, I'm in the habit of stopping the bike, putting both feet down, turning off the engine, and THEN putting the kickstand down.

Like the aviation saying about gear up landings, there are those that have, and those that will. Yours came sooner rather than later.

 

I came back from a long day of riding pulled in shut it off got off the bike then remembered the kick stand too late.Down it went.That was 4 bikes ago and have checked the kickstand 3 or 4 times to be sure it is down since that time.So far have not repeted it.

 

reminds me of a down event from the 1960's...

2 am Hollywood - a cheap-o gas station (22 cents per gallon or so) I got all the concrete all soapy and ready to wash down and along comes this weird little guy, out of his mind on meth riding a hardtail and he hits the soap...BANG! into one of the pumps. Guy was known as "Johnney PhuckPhuck" - had tourettes syndrome - and some sort of club associations. Bike mighta been a limey...little guy on a little bike. Anyway every few seconds he interrupt himself and loudly utter "PHUK!", hence the name...

Nice fella. Hard to communicate with...

Hollywood - you had to be there...

Filled the tank and split. After that I saw him every few days, but he rode in with greater caution...

 

Came around the corner and a truck pulling a trailer hauling two 4' tall structures made of 4"x 4" fell out of his trailer. First one skidded across the road in front of me 20' and the next one 5' in front of me broke apart a little and I went over a 4"x4" and the bike was going down to the left side. I managed to stop the bike from hitting the pavement and keeping it up by putting all the weight on my left leg. I pulled muscles and a tendon and could barely push the bike up. Not a scratch on the bike. My left leg hurt for 2 months but it was worth the injury. The guy got a ticket for unsecured load and had a CDL license. My old dirt bike days helped me out with this one. The witness walking his dog said I thought you were a goner! Next day I went around the same sharp turn to re-build my confidence. I got letters from lawyer's for a week wanting me to sue. I chose not to respond. One actually sent a copy of the police report. Remember this I didn't want my wife to know. I got the mail from the box daily for two weeks. That was worse than the accident.

 

Where do I start???

I guess I'll start with MY very first time laying my bike down in 2004. I was stationed out in Cali, and was on my way home in Lakeside. Kept telling one of my friends that lived around the corner from me (literally could see his apartment complex from mine) that I would stop by and hang out sometime, but you know how it goes, the closer they are the less you see them. This night I decided to go, I parked in his impressively empty parking lot right in front of the walkway to his door, and shut the bike down. I had a GSX-R 600 at the time. I sat on the bike debating if I wanted to wait until "tomorrow" because I was pretty dang tired. Decided that tomorrow I would say "tomorrow", and that I should go in. So there I was....getting off my probably month old bike....before realizing I didn't put the kickstand down. Those bikes don't have engine guards, but luckily, my ankle was there to break it's fall. Didn't break anything on me or the bike, but it still hurt my pride more than my ankle.

I rode well over 100k - possibly over 200k trouble free miles until 2010...I had my 2008 Heritage, leaving Camp Lejeune headed home after a long day of work, and the traffic was usual (read: horrendous) and it was right where traffic started to move. I take off, shift into second, and then realized that the truck in front of me didn't see the car in front of him slam on their brakes, so he slams on his, and I slam on mine...and my front and rear lock, and I unlock my front and reapply, just in time to slow enough to tap the Silverado lightly and hold my bike up off the ground long enough for him to pull up and to the side of the road so I could lift my bike up and do the same. Just a dented fender and a lot of hurt pride in afternoon traffic.

Next was just about a few months later, and I had finally started getting into the meat and potatoes. Got my cams done and a good tune, so I was showing off a little amongst my exhaust-only counterparts. Forgot all about the 90 degree turn up ahead, so while locking and unlocking the rear wheel trying to shed speed but I made the executive decision to just line up for impact. I still shed as much speed as possible, but squared up on the curb and released and lifted at impact. Made for an impressive Evil Kenevil air trick, landed in the mud about 10ft in straight up with my frame on the mud and wheels sunk in. Was still able to ride out of there.
@08Ultra Brian...do you remember this?

About a month later, I was headed to my friend's house (with the two from the previous incident), and the car in front of me decides to randomly slam on their brakes. I hit mine, but don't want to go through all that locking/unlocking from previously, so I ducked right and punched it. Turns out, he was slamming on his brakes because he was too drunk to realize he was passing the bar he was trying to go to, so then he takes off towards the right. He hits my left rear, but I stay in the throttle and keep the bike up. I pull off at the next drive, and get off the bike (shaking and heart popping out of my chest) and he comes to me with his chest all puffed up until my other two friends pull up since my bike pulled his front bumper off. He just asked WTF, and then put 4 crisp $100 bills in my hand. Just broke my passenger floorboard mounting bolt and scratched the leather on my saddlebag along with an impressively small scrape on my left leg.

This is where I said my next bike WILL have ABS.

The next morning, I went around the parking lot on my friend's sport bike to test out all the new upgrades he made while they were checking out my bike from experience I had the night before. I go to take a right turn, and this is when I realize just how low the headers hung on this bike. I try to correct it but the back tire was already off the ground, so I bail. I go sliding one way...my friend's bike the other.

That night, I was on my way home and my front caliper started locking up. I was on one of those dark two lane roads where people drive way too fast, so I tried to move to the side of the road as best I could. Front tire caught the white line......... I was able to keep the bike from going to the left (street) side, but it laid nicely down and off into the ditch I went. "Luckily" there was a popo doing their rounds at the townhome construction that was going on down the street. I'm sure all he saw were headlights going all crazy, because like I said it was a dark two lane and it was around midnight. He came and checked on me and followed me home in case anything else happened.

Good thing I had to put my bike in the shop for a couple weeks because I needed that time to reflect on the happenings of the past couple days.

Fast forward to 2014. That January, I upgraded to my '14 SGS. On Thanksgiving day, I was doing what we all know we shouldn't be, but I did it. I had closed down the 2am bar, then went to the 4am bar and closed that down too. We went to the beach to chill for a bit, and leaving the beach at about 0730 (after I thought that I was good, but just less intoxicated than I was previously) I took off to take one of the young ladies that was there home. Making a left turn, I played the overachiever and leaned a little too hard. Bike went sliding, I got on top of it and jumped off when it got in the grass. Bike stopped maybe 10" away from a phone pole. Thankfully the week prior I put on my bag guards. They did their job splendidly. Had to replace my engine guard and my bag guard is a little bent still, but otherwise have a small barely noticeable scratch on my bag and a small scratch on my fairing.


I don't think I'll be pushing my luck too much further. God has surely watched over me. I have since stopped mixing my riding hobby with my drinking hobby. That was my first incident under those conditions and I'm making it my last.

 

1969 I think, up on Angeles Crest under a bright moon powering through a long white concrete sweeping turn when the high-low switch vibrated open and the lamp went off - no problem, moon's really bright - but gravel looks like concrete in moonlight...slid through on the crash bars and came back up on the other side. feet never left the pegs on the R-50...