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General Category >> Rubber Side Down! >> Putting your savage down!?!
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Message started by jbrough7 on 11/03/05 at 16:12:05

Title: Putting your savage down!?!
Post by jbrough7 on 11/03/05 at 16:12:05

I'm kinda new to this so maybe I shouldn't broach the topic..but , what the heck, maybe us newbies will learn something.

What do they say? There are only two kinds of bike riders - those who have been down and those who will be down in the future--

I took a corner too quickly and was well into it before i saw THE GRAVEL!! sitting there on the pavement. Don't know how it got there as that was my country trip to work and I felt like I could ride it in my sleep!

Went down quick - scraped my hands up a bit - clutch lever hit my helmet and not my eye! - but thank goodness for cordura and icon jeans - not much else...the suzi had a bit of a dent in her tank and a few scratches i sanded out...seemed like the footpegs took everything!

Anybody else wanna yak about this?

Title: Re: Putting your savage down!?!
Post by babbalou on 11/03/05 at 16:41:35

Had a bad experience with a gravelly corner on a bicycle as a kid. Eased on the front brake & hit the road so fast I didn't know what happened. Gravel is hard to see sometimes. Ever since I favor the rear brake when leaned over & the front for all else. I wouldn't ride a bike with a linked brake system. Crashed a lot on dirt bikes, twice on the street. One my fault, the other a cager's fault.

Title: Re: Putting your savage down!?!
Post by torque on 11/03/05 at 17:35:31

theres another saying......"if u ride a motorcycle,your going to crash at least once,just depends how bad" :(

Title: Re: Putting your savage down!?!
Post by sluggo on 11/03/05 at 18:13:12

i've put over 150,000 miles in the saddle, and have been down 6 times. some my fault, some others.

here's what i've gained from the experience

1. quit counting the near miss's.
2. sliding down the road is ok with good safety equipment.
3. sliding down the road and hitting something bad.
4. hitting cages bad.

so it's the old adage, it ain't the fall the will kill ya, it's the sudden stop at the end.

Title: Re: Putting your savage down!?!
Post by RadarORiley on 11/03/05 at 22:41:58

I dumped my baby last year on gravel and broke her little turn signal, so to insure that didn't happen again, I bought some extras from Bassman. If you have spare parts you can pretty much guarantee that you won't need them. ;D
So far it's working, but I think I've pretty much pushed my luck with wrecks, 45 stitches in my face when I was 17, multiple scrapes and bruises until I bought my own bike. I trust my own driving much more than riding passenger. And so far, Knock on Wood, no injuries except to my pride and my turn signal.

Title: Re: Putting your savage down!?!
Post by Ryan G (RG) on 11/04/05 at 02:18:15

I laid my Suzy down about 2 weeks after I bought it. Yeah, suck. I was starting my first day of college the next day, so I left it in my parents garage, still dusty and all, and didn't touch it for a month (oh yeah, it wouldn't start after I laid it down). A month later I came back, hosed it off, and she started right up for me. Guess she just wanted some love. It was rideable at that point, but had a few problems.
-Large dent in the tank (the handlebars came back, broke the stop and the triple tree dented the tank).
-Broken mirror
-Bent/broken footpeg
-Broken headlight housing

It all turned out good for me though. I ended up repainting the bike myself, and doing quite a few other things (if ya wanna see pics, go to the poster's picture gallery--I'm 21, Ryan G). It turned into a great project that may not have happened without the wreck. I wasn't hurt at all and the damage to my bike wasn't too bad. Yes, I consider myself quite lucky.

-RG

Title: Re: Putting your savage down!?!
Post by Ed_L. on 11/04/05 at 06:04:17

I did a gravel high side spill two or three weeks after getting my savage. Didn't hurt the bike too much but landing on the asphalt destroyed my helmet and cracked three ribs, went in head first. Rode the bike home and didn't talk about it to the wife. :( Live and learn.

Title: Re: Putting your savage down!?!
Post by clueless on 11/04/05 at 06:13:22

Absolutely correct....you WILL hit the ground. I cringe when I see folks ridind in shorts, the woman on the back with flip-flops on. I bet they haven't hit the ground....YET.

I try to remember this when I saddle up. I always, always wear boots. Jeans are OK but if you go down with any kinda speed, they will be picking blue fiber outa your a$$ for a while. Leather jacket in winter, jean jacket in summer.
See? I do remember.

Title: Re: Putting your savage down!?!
Post by RadarORiley on 11/04/05 at 08:25:54

My hubby always teases me and says he's going to put a sticker on my gas tank with "This Side Up" on it. He's only seen me go down once, back in 1977. Misjudged a turn and slid up on a curb right up to a chain link fence. Wouldn't you know it was the home of one of his ex-girlfriends! Pride was sorely offended by her smirk. Bike was fine, but if I should dump it now, won't tell him.

Title: Re: Putting your savage down!?!
Post by saabsaviur on 11/04/05 at 08:39:50

wrecked tons of dirtbikes but not the savage YET ive had it about two months a couple close calls but no bologne have misjudged a turn and bounced off a curb and twisted my ankle cause i put my foot down and wobbled all over the road but kept it up that was the closest been cut off and almost been hit or hit a couple of cages

Title: Re: Putting your savage down!?!
Post by klx650sm2002 on 11/05/05 at 01:34:27

I dropped my first bike (RD125LC,2 weeks old) while showing off to a girl. I spun the back up on a gravel footpath then hit the front brake to stop and instantly went down, scratched front mudguard, brake lever and pride.

Clive W :D

Title: Re: Putting your savage down!?!
Post by Greg_650 on 11/05/05 at 06:43:05

Here is a summary of my 39 years of "Live to Fall". I'll just mention street bikes since falling is a given when riding offroad :)

I laid this bike down under the rear bumper of a school bus when I was young, dumb, and full of myself at 16. I later got hit by a car and my Dad sold the bike.
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b277/gmdinusa/Sport50.jpg
I flipped this bike a few times at highway speed when pulling off the roadway into the gravel shoulder after I dropped a glass bottle of Coke on the tank and freaked....had to haul it home in the trunk of a car for repairs and get a few stitches.
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b277/gmdinusa/HonCB36002.jpg
I dropped this bike while making a u-turn when I was stoned and drunk riding home from an all day outdoor rock concert....made it to a motel. I think it was a good concert too.

I also ran straight off the road in a curve when I was drunk a few years later....still drove it home.
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b277/gmdinusa/GMD850g.jpg

And finally (using an older stock photo), I laid this bike down passing a pickup on a windy country road at about 35. I was stone sober, but wasn't watching for some slippery old leaves as I leaned into a curve. Went to a bar, had a beer, and went back home to heal my pride and start repairs. That was 5 years ago, so maybe I finally learned.

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b277/gmdinusa/00Suz650.jpg

Title: Re: Putting your savage down!?!
Post by Trippah on 11/06/05 at 18:27:24

dropped my rd350 @ 15 years ago. paving a town road, the higher freshly paved lane properly set off by barrels, only no one directing traffic. I started at one end, a car at the other. Since I had crossed into the left (usable lane) i thought i should get outta the way. I learned if you must get up onto a higher lane, go for as close to 90 degree approach, my 30 degree meant instand drop, sore ankle, bent bars. thankfully only going about 20 mph :)

Title: Re: Putting your savage down!?!
Post by WavJamR on 11/11/05 at 22:41:53

It's one of those things. When the bike's all shiny and new we're over protective. We might even spend more time waxing it then riding it. One we gotten over the scratching and denting part, then the real riding begins :)

I could see this in a movie: Guy/Gal buys new bike. The first thing he/she does once the dealer wheels it out the door, is to drop it on the asphalt (on purpose). Just to get that part out of the way and not have to worry about it.

Keep it in perspective. If you drop the bike in the garage, it's not a big deal although your not happy about it. However, if you 'touch down' while in motion, that's much more serious. Try to prevent a repeat, review the series of events leading to the incident. What steps could you have taken to prevent it. Watch for those warnings signs in the future. ( okay, I'll get off the soap box)