I felt so stupid

[demito]

Last Friday: came back from the ophtalmologist. Group of lads looking at my bike. Huhuhu, there I came: Rallye 2 suit, sunglasses, felt good, probably looked beyond cool

Jumped on my bike, ignition on, started the engine, guys looked impressed, felt even better, you know how that goes

Off I go for about half a meter until the front wheel completely blocks. Had to let go the bike. Looked at the front wheel and could have killed myself: forgot the U lock.

Got my bike up again, U lock out, group of guys laughing, made a great impression. Think my ego will never be the same again.

1 spoke is slightly bent. don't feel any ill effect when riding and the wheel is optically still straight. Does it harm to continue riding like this for another 2000 kms or so? Cannot manage to take the bike to the dealer for 2 weeks and the wife has the car so...

Anyone had the same experience and dares to admit it?

 

[sparkplug]

I did the same thing in my very early days of biking on an MZ ETZ 125 but with no damage other than dented pride.

In terms of slightly twisted spoke, the only other person I have heard of who rode on a damaged wheel was Kevin & Julia Sanders on their world record ride when they lost several spokes entirely and carried on riding so I think you should be OK.

I don't know if you can cause any damage this way as I immagine it must put extra pressure on other spokes - maybe someone here knows better.

Get it fixed as soon as you can!

 

[iangough]

That's something, but you try pulling away at full speed on a moped, with all your class mates standing in the school car park, only to find your steering lock is on.
It's still mentioned to this day.
Yes, i did fly off the bike. The crowd broke my fall, so to speak. Clutch and gear lever were knackered....

Serves me right trying to do a half circle wheelspin pull away pose...

I feel better now....

 

[carbold]

ha you are not alone!
I've done it as well, audience included...Not a good feeling...Also check if the disc is still straight.

 

[Bronco Billy]

Me as well......

I managed to spring the oxford lock open by pulling away at a good lick with it still on...!

bent Two spokes but just replaced them and used the old spokes as a tuning fork to get the tention the same as the others.

Thought about complaining to oxford but never did....

 

[Piggers]

I rolled my Thunderace back with the Disk Lock on and watched the front Mudguard explode !
Also fell over sideways on the same bike in front of a packed crowd outside a pub on a sunny afternoon with pillion.
I pulled up to close to the curb and when the bike started to lean(due to unexpected movement by pillion), I went to move my left leg and found that it was stuck between the curb and the bike !!
Resulting in a slow-motion fall, cracked fairing and very bruised ankle , not to mention dented ego !!!

Piggers

 

[Taff]

Sods Law I think they call it. If you're going to make a complete tit of yourself - you can guarantee that there will be a pub and a crowd nearby.

Still, it could have been a lot worse - it could have happened to me.

 

[demito]

Glad I am not the only one to make a complete fool of myself in front of an audience!

I think I'll just leave the spokes as they are for now and get them fixed in two weeks.

Cheers

Demito

 

[demito]

To whom it might concern:

contacted BMW dealership and they confirmed that riding a slightly bent spoke is not that much of a problem. Nothing to worry about as long as the wheel is still straight and it's only one or two spokes.

Cheers

Demito

 

[(RIP) Geriatric Germ]

Living the past.

Over the years I've owned five or six yam FJ1200's so a couple of years ago foolishly (me nees u no ) bought another. Decided I could no longer manage the Position and tarted it up for sale, including new peg rubbers, and these, coupled to new WMB posh rubber soled boots caused a broken £48 n/s mirror, and an embarassing few minutes when I pulled up at a junction in the middle of Aberaeron posing on my gleaming machine on Bank Holidy Saturday, in front of a packed audience of holiday makers promenading, but as I stopped my left boot clung to the new rubber and I gracefully fell to the left with my foot trapped under the bike and petrol pouring out onto my leg and exhaust. No one came to help as I struggled to get out from under and lift the bike up, one old couple walking by asked if I was ok, I replied 'yes thanks, I normally ride a Side Car and forgot to put my foot down '

Or the time at Cynthias Dirty Weekend on me little XR250 and the first time out up a steep little incline behind the Baskerville, 200 feet into the course, I forgot to get forward over the bars (nothing to do with copious amounts of the Amber Nectar) and the little bugger shot up and out from under me spitting me unceremoniously down the side of the hill in to a tree, and that was just the start of a weekend's offroad that just got progressively worse but it helped me to realise that no way could I recapture my yoof so I sold the XR.
PS, my rough idea of Camping

 

[Slippy]

I have not had the disk lock senario. I some times forget to flick up the side stand and then try to pull away with style. When the bike dies I cannot understand why its died.

I dropped the bike the other morning before work at 6 in the morning. Now I only waight 64kg and I had to pick that monster up. My back mucles was sore for a week.

Muppet

Slippy

 

[sk8mutie]

got the new girlfriend to come out on the bike....popped into town, went shopping, filled both panniers and top box on the adv....

parked slightly downhill, climbed aboard, turned handlebars downhill away from kerb, and gave it a handful.... the bike launched sideways, both girlfriend and i shot across the parking bay towards road...and it was then that i realised why i had owned the disc lock for 2 yrs and used it only twice...

looked back to see the bikes wheels pointing skywards as she rolled over the panniers witht he momentum...and the shattered indicator lens all around me. killed the engine, and had 2 or 3 guys run over to help me pick the bike up. my girlfriend stood there laughing...nervously...sje just stepped off as the bike went down...not a mark on her.

i asked the guys who ran over to wait as i was gonna try and lift the bike myself, fully laden with shopping...UPHILL...and no thanks to a link from this site i had read the night before, a female rider who had done the BM off road course posted a pic of herself lifting the 650 up with her back to it....

so i tried that, got her upright, leant over, flicked the stand down, lowered her onto it...and from that day, have not been afraid of dropping her....engine bars....worth their weight in gold....girlfriend...passed her cbt...wants a GS650 to go touring with me...result.

 

[Pukmeister]

And for the sake of a £1.99 dayglo yellow stretchy disk lock reminder cable, you could have saved yourself the embarrassment Chris. No doubt you'll piss yourself if I ever forget to remove mine before riding off.

If you use a disklock folks and you haven't bought a reminder cable, get one. The day you forget to remove it will cost far more than the couple of quid they cost.

 

[JOP]

Regarding the bent spokes... Do as I did with my excavator;
One day when digging I managed to break off the "max-bend-stop". I decided to go on until I was finished, being a bit careful about not bending to much. Well, of course I bent too much, and of course i bent the large hydraulic piston. As a new piston would be ~4000 SEK I decided to try and fix it. I rotated the piston 180 degrees, mounted a "half-size-max-bend-stop". and bent too much again. Tadaa!! A straight piston.

So... Put the bike up a steep hill, mount the lock and roll backwards fast. Tadaa!! straight spokes.

No, seriously, shouldn't it be possible to straighten them (before they stress the rim to become untrue), either in situ or removed?

There is a disc lock in the market now with a built-in alarm/siren. Apart from being an alarm it also works as a reminder. Embarrassing, sure, but less embarrassing than to ground the bike.

/JOP