do NOT do this!!!
Road Captain
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 619
Likes: 9
From: Auburn, GA
I went riding with my dad last weekend for the first time ever. I've been riding since high school, and so has he, but he just got another bike after not having one for about 30 years. Anyway, we stopped at a station to gas up and he stopped at one pump so I swung around and went to another pump. He wanted to pay for both of our gas so he came around and parked his bike nose to nose with mine, except overlapping by about a foot or so. He went to get off and, you guessed it, forgot to put the kickstand down.
He was on the bike enough to keep it from going all the way over, but he still hit my bike and put scratches on the fender and gas tank. He put a golf ball sized dent in his own tank (it's a 900 Vulcan, which I believe has thinner sheet metal than my Softail.) He was very embarrassed about the whole thing and just sick about the dent in his bike. I blew it off and told him it was no big deal; happens to a lot of people. Of course, in the back of my head I was thinking, "If anybody else had dropped their bike on mine I would be sooooo pissed."
Poor dad.
He was on the bike enough to keep it from going all the way over, but he still hit my bike and put scratches on the fender and gas tank. He put a golf ball sized dent in his own tank (it's a 900 Vulcan, which I believe has thinner sheet metal than my Softail.) He was very embarrassed about the whole thing and just sick about the dent in his bike. I blew it off and told him it was no big deal; happens to a lot of people. Of course, in the back of my head I was thinking, "If anybody else had dropped their bike on mine I would be sooooo pissed."
Poor dad.
Road Captain
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 537
Likes: 1
From: Southern California
You did good not to make him feel worse than he already did. I'm sure he feels terrible..
Last edited by Juve996; May 5, 2009 at 12:15 PM.
Road Captain
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 619
Likes: 9
From: Auburn, GA
Exactly. I sense how fortunate I am to be able to enjoy something I love with my dad. Plus, he sent me several text messages the next day telling me how much he enjoyed the ride. We had a rocky relationship growing up and I can definitely feel him trying to make up for that.
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 3,071
Likes: 89
From: NEPA
This happened 2 years ago. I had my bike parked behind my house so I could do some work to it. While I was at work, my daughter called me and told me the bike was on the ground. I left work, and all the way home, I kept thinking that I knew I put it in gear. I picked the bike up and went to put the kick stand down and low and behold, NO KICK STAND! WTF 
The freaking thing snapped in half. The bike landed in the grass so there was no major damage. The only thing that had to be replaced was the battery. The cells collapsed when it hit the ground.
The freaking thing snapped in half. The bike landed in the grass so there was no major damage. The only thing that had to be replaced was the battery. The cells collapsed when it hit the ground.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 46,845
Likes: 22,534
From: Land of the Free, Home of Jack Daniel's
I went riding with my dad last weekend for the first time ever. I've been riding since high school, and so has he, but he just got another bike after not having one for about 30 years. Anyway, we stopped at a station to gas up and he stopped at one pump so I swung around and went to another pump. He wanted to pay for both of our gas so he came around and parked his bike nose to nose with mine, except overlapping by about a foot or so. He went to get off and, you guessed it, forgot to put the kickstand down.
He was on the bike enough to keep it from going all the way over, but he still hit my bike and put scratches on the fender and gas tank. He put a golf ball sized dent in his own tank (it's a 900 Vulcan, which I believe has thinner sheet metal than my Softail.) He was very embarrassed about the whole thing and just sick about the dent in his bike. I blew it off and told him it was no big deal; happens to a lot of people. Of course, in the back of my head I was thinking, "If anybody else had dropped their bike on mine I would be sooooo pissed."
Poor dad.
He was on the bike enough to keep it from going all the way over, but he still hit my bike and put scratches on the fender and gas tank. He put a golf ball sized dent in his own tank (it's a 900 Vulcan, which I believe has thinner sheet metal than my Softail.) He was very embarrassed about the whole thing and just sick about the dent in his bike. I blew it off and told him it was no big deal; happens to a lot of people. Of course, in the back of my head I was thinking, "If anybody else had dropped their bike on mine I would be sooooo pissed."
Poor dad.
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Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 3,071
Likes: 89
From: NEPA
Exactly. I sense how fortunate I am to be able to enjoy something I love with my dad. Plus, he sent me several text messages the next day telling me how much he enjoyed the ride. We had a rocky relationship growing up and I can definitely feel him trying to make up for that.
I know what you mean. Dad and I were like cats and dogs when I was young. Now I wouldn't give him up for the world.
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 2,358
Likes: 53
From: WA State