Bought a 883 back in 2008 when gas prices went up to ride to work and back ....hadnt been on one in 30 years ... dropped it in the parking lot making a turn right after buying it .... felt stupid with everybody watching ... anyhow ... took the honda class to get my license ... you could tell some people are naturals at riding and some ... not so much .... rode the heck out of that bike and traded it in on a 2010 Road King which i love ... have put 20,000 miles on it ... however i have dropped it a couple of times ... ( no damage ) and still feel when i ride with others that some people are "naturals" and some arent ... i dont think I am a natural but i love riding .... I feel i have to be extra careful .... which might not be a bad thing .... six inches of snow here in Ohio so I thought I would rant a little ... anybody else willing to admit they aint that Good ???

 

I've found that when you get too comfortable on a bike is when bad things happen.

Just got my new CVO Ultra in Septemeber and a friend came by to see it.
We went for lunch and he backed into a parking spot first and I was going to back in beside him.
I guess the incline was a little steeper that what I expected an I almost dumped my bike as I was backing it in next to his!

I've said for years that bikes are just waiting the the chance to fall over and if you aren't very careful you may provide the opportunity.

 

My brother had a dyna for 8 years and is a pretty good rider. He traded it in on a springer and has tipped over the bike 4 times in a year. The bike are two different animals and you have to adjust out to each.

 

never happened to me , well afew times maybe , like when I tryed a different way to unload mine ,LOL but makes getting to the drain plug easy

 

Am I a natural, probably not. But I did put at least 100,000 miles on a dirt bike when I was very young. Not saying that dirt and asphalt are anything like the same, but I learned how to handle a bike (and how not to handle one) at a very young age. Dexterity has never really been one of my strong points, but willingness to practice until I'm skilled is. I have had my ultra leaned past the point of no return after a couple pitchers of beer (foot down on gravel at a stop) with a passenger and managed to keep it off the ground. My point is that even if you don't feel comfortable on that big scooter yet, don't give up. With enough miles and stubbornness you can master the beast....

 

S__T Happens. 65 yrs old & my knees don't work like they used to. I dropped mine a few months ago. Came to a stop in a dirt parking lot & my knee went out & you know the rest. I'm sure glad I put the saddle bag guards on my FLTRX.

 

anybody that really rides (except friends ) will think it's funny. not make fun of you. Just layed mine down in a daytona resturant parking lot. I got into what appeard to be (later) a golf course sand trap. rear wheel sank to the rim and sideways while turning alittle. There wasn't even a secound between upright and sitting on a downed bike. no harm, just felt kinda stupid sitting on a bike layed over. cit happens
Kroozeabout.

 

That's funny-I been riding for almost 40 years,never really felt I was a "natural" either!! I've dropped 'em quite a few times.It's always embarrasing.
There is a video in the general harley chat section on how to pickup a dropped bike,so I guess it does happen!

 

Everyone that's ridden any amount of time knows how it feels to drop the bike. Hell, I have dropped bikes in the garage and in my own driveway. Seemed it was always stupid stuff on my part that caused the drop.

I've always been amazed at how helpful non-bikers will be when they see you go down. The last time I dropped it was during a front wheel lockup in gravel to keep getting hit by a cager. It went down easy, but I was having trouble backing into the bike and pushing it up in that gravel. A guy in a pickup stopped and helped me. He said "let's get this big Harley back up where she belongs". I never will forget that.

 

best way to pick one up is be sure you are around people , when they quit making fun of you they will help