mistakes and unfortunate mishaps

[Skippy]

My clutch started badly slipping on a 2 weeks old GS12 - I was cursing bmw and their useless crappily built GS's. I phoned the dealer to have a rant and organise recovery to get it fixed.

The dealer calmly asked if I used motorcycle parking bays in London, to which i replied that I did. He then advised me to move the handguard back into place (remember this is on the phone) so that it didnt foul the clutch lever... Lo and behold the clutch lever can extend back out to its full length and my clutch isnt slipping any more...

The lesson I learned was that looking at all the "problems" on this site can colour your judgement - i was almost expecting a clutch / gearbox / final drive failure.

jon

Blimey, imagine that! Never done that before! (Like only last week and posted on here to cleanse my soul ).

This wasn't me but I saw it happen, guy on a small trial style bike/moped comes a stop at the lights with his trainers laces caught up on the side stand... the rest was definately not funny.

Skip

 

[Bob's yer uncle]

Little tumble

Picking my bike up from its 1000km service, tried to turn it out between 2 bikes and dropped it on the right side - in BMW's service garage !

felt like a right tit(or maybe a left one) anyway, service guy laughs, helps me pick up the bike, pats me on the back and assures me i'm not the first one.
These things are damnn heavy when moving slowly.

 

[PhilM]

Took the bike into the local car park bike bay, got off and leaned it against the side stand - only to find that I hadnt put the side stand down! Whats worse, I had to get help to get it upright again because of the position it had fallen in.

Know the feeling, did the same in a mates drive way and managed to remove a mirror from my GPz900 as it met his wall on the way down.

 

[Mouse]

I've done the "boot lace round gear lever" trick ...

 

[Yoda]

Picking my bike up from its 1000km service, tried to turn it out between 2 bikes and dropped it on the right side - in BMW's service garage !

I think the dealer spanner monkeys do this for fun. Had mine in at the stealer's earlier in the week for an annual service. When I came back to collect, it was on the centre stand and jammed in tightly on both sides. I'm sure I heard some gentle sniggering from the workshop as I winkled the darned thing out.

 

[blobbs]

Not done anything stupid on the GS.....Yet (Famous last words - I hope not ) But I did once own a CBR 600. I called at a mates house and put the bike on the sidestand....facing DOWN the hill . I walked away only to hear a crunch. Looked round and my pride and joy was lying on its side

Learnt me a lesson that did

 

[Deleted account 210609001]

I had a K1200RS which I loved more than life itself. But it was a heavy sod - 285kg was the quoted weight, add in camping kit and two full panniers, it must have been way over 300kgs.

In the Vosges in 2001, stopped in a secluded layby to take a photo - friends carried on riding as expected. Unfortunately, although ground where the sidestand hit the deck went down sidestand was only slightly downhill, just beyond that was a big dip in the ground full of slimy mud.

Took photo, went to get back on, could not lift bike off sidestand. On my own, very little passing traffic, absolutely none that would be stopping there. What to do? After a smoke and a quick cry, I waited for friends to come back and rescue me. Cue the p!ss-taking....

As has been said before, lesson learnt!

 

[Stu-13]

Stu-13 Are you living in my house?

In depends how big your house is? Are you one of the uber minted river view set?

The cobbled streets are the closest I've come to off road action
They are however tricky when the ice forms inbetween them. Dumped my CBR two winters ago trying to get to the salted highway!

 

[GerryC]

long time ago, in Dublin, summers day, flared jeans, and cool shades on a 750/6. Lights go red, stop with front wheel right on the stop line, real cool guy, yeah. Remove foot from peg but it wont reach road, flares caught on the bing carbs, (remember carbs). Big heap on road, not that cool anymore, still rember the shame.

 

[harry]

Just the other day my friend Jim managed to get trapped by his Fireblade falling over, he could not get free from the wall/floor/bike situation but managed to get his mobile out and rang SWMBO in the kitchen.

 

[Chisurz]

Very first bike, Honda 250 Suuuper Dream (remember them?? It was a long time ago...), proudly drove it round to the house of a friend. Pulled up on his drive, switched off, put it on the side stand, walked to his front door, looking cool.

As he opened the door there was this loud crunch noise. I turned back round to see my pride and joy resting on its left hand side, with the predictable damage to bar-end, mirror, indicators, pride etc..

Lesson 1 - Don't leave the bike in neutral, on the side stand, facing down hill... ever...

 

[(RIP) Kaister]

luckily this wasn't me - but it could have been..........

large m/c dealer with various branches transports bikes between branches on a flat bed truck.
2 guys are the regular deliverers - they have to get the bikes onto the flat bed and the quickest way is up a long aluminium plank. Perfect for small trail bikes etc.

you can see it coming can't you.......

one of the first 6 cylinder GL1500 Gold Wings in the country, just pdi'd by me - in a rush - has to go to another branch.
I think no more and go for lunch.
When i get back - the gold wing is upside down by the side of the plank attached to the side of the truck
- and 10 people are trying to manhandle it upright.

They'd tried to ride it up the plank and stalled.

this was the days before digicams - unfortunately - and you think a GS is heavy !!

Needed a whole lot of paintwork and parts to fix it up.

 

[Den]

Two years ago, whilst travelling down to s/o/france. Fully loaded up. Nice quietish country road
Id stopped for a coffee a bit earlier and stuck my sunglasses through a bungee cord on top of the top box. Realising they were still there and liable to be lost, I stopped, put the bike on the sidestand, and with one foot on the ground and one on the footrest, I leaned back to retrieve the glasses.
I didnt even realise that the bike was toppling over until it hit the ground ...with my leg trapped under it.
I had to wait until a car came arrived to help get the bike off.
He was French of course and although I didnt understand a word he said.But I think he was asking how a motorcycle was lying on its side on top of its rider in the middle of a dead straight road.

 

[hops]

the old disklock trick

Returned to my old VTR a couple of years ago to find a fellow bike rider looking for a space. I'll move off quick and give him my space I thought, jump aboard fire up the thumping V twin (with open carbon pipes, sounded lovely) A large blip for effect and squirt off. A bit of movement whilst the padlock attached to the front disc does a partial revolution then tw@ts against the caliper with a sudden jolt, one very ungraceful tumble onto my arris and one knackered rotor.

What a girls front bottom I felt, and to his credit he waited 'til I limped off before he collapsed in fits of laughter.

 

[its all poo]

Took back wheel off to swop exhaust, went for a nice cuppa. Walked back into garage forgot what I had done and lent on the back seat, as the bike falls over the bars smash a number or fluorescent tubes leaning up the wall mate hears the bangs and crashes and comes into the garage to find me under the bike ! he was as confused as me !

 

[Graham G]

Not a GS but R1100S Sports...

I'd only had the bike a day and arranged to have an immobiliser fitted whilst I was at work (good old Carole Nash). Pulled up in the car park and stopped to see if I could find a parking bay that would give the alarm guy enough room to work in. I thought my right foot was down...it wasn't down far enough. Once the bike was over the centre of gravity, I was on the deck with the engine revving. Oh, my pride and joy scratched!!!!! Hit the kill switch. Then the next thing was a quick look around...did anyone see this tosser fall off? No! Whew! Then I come to lift the bike - "...f**k, that's heavy!". The thought of having to find someone else to help me lift the bike was enough for me to get it up in one laboured go. It's amazing just how much adrenalin potential embarrassment creates!

That's the first...and hopefully only time I've dropped a bike.

 

[Flying banana]

Picture the scene, a few years ago, I owned an FJ 1200. Cracking bike, luvved it to bits.

There was I, in me Dad's garage taking the forks out to get the seals changed. Dad was out, so I was all on my lonesome. I had the front of the bike propped up on a jack, and sitting on its mainstand. I took the wheel out, loosened off the fork clamp bolts.

It was just about then, the jack decided to move, the front of the bike dropped, bike rolls off mainstand, forks hit the floor, shoot up through the clamps, and the whole shooting match crashes to the floor on its side.

Is it not amazing, the strength one manages to find in oneself at times of crisis. Bearing in mind the FJ was a heavy old beastie, i managed to pick it up on my own, with obviously only one wheel on it. Not easy, I can tell you!!

How I managed it, I will never know.

And there was no damage.

Mind you, I felt a right tit

 

[ScottyKM]

Aah picture the scene

Nice sunny day on the exercise area in germany, get a call, the C.O wants you to do a familarisation run round today on the harley, can you do it, TOO RIGHT, sit on the radio or spend the day swanning around on a bike
So i takes him through the basics, then off we go visiting the boys, i spot my boss, bored in his cab, decide to wave as i all flash like turn round, ooops, bike on side in front of boss & C.O
Dont worry no one willl ever know
then while hacking across a field following said CO, checking all round, look forward, why has he stopped, bugger, target fixation, straight in from behind

CO heard muttering something about getting an instructor review board

there we go, soul is cleansed, hope i dont do the same when i finally get my GS

 

[dickie]

prat fall admissions:

pull up at junction - try to put left foot down - can't. Laces from trainers snagged on footpeg. Grab nearby bus for support.

jeans snag on side stand of Vespa - same senario as above - grab local biker for support.

spend a day cleaning Bimota, borrowed for the weekend from brother. Randomly decide to go for one last turn around the block. Get to the edge of the drive, front wheel on the road, stall, fail to reach grown with stumpy little legs. Wait for passing stranger to lift bike off

other than forced dismounts when attempting off-road manouvers, haven't dropped the GS yet. But have caused much hilarity by failing to get it off the side stand - parked on a camber, outside a coffee shop. tall bike, short arse. joy.

 

[dickie]

Enjoyed reading about our misadventures so much, i've remembered a few more.

first - brother, taking shiny new race rap to dealers for service. Is asked to take the bike into workshop - decides to go one better and rides straight onto the work bench. puts leg out - into space - falls off from great height. Nice mechanics catch bike.

On another occassion, bro rode sports bike from Lyon to London nonstop after the Bol d'or. After marathon stint, rode up drive to garage. Stoped. Found his legs had totally seized up. Was later found, swearing, underneath bike, in rose bush.

Last one is the near miss that still makes me shiver. Another trip to the Bol. Half asleep after overnight ferry crossing. 6am, cold and wet - not really wanting to be on a bike. Notice at the last minute that my two companions are peeling off the motorway for petrol - I execute combat right turn in front of lorry to join them (not having a clue where in France where i'm going). In the half light, and being a divvy, I mistake flat tarmac for a four feet high pile of gravel, which I hit doing about 40mph. Somehow plough over / through - but now on course to torpedo my friends who are sat filling up at the pumps mere yards ahead. Know that if i hit the brakes I'll go down and hit them like a bowling ball. The time slowing down thing happened (interesting experience in itself) and at last second I grab everything and close my eyes. And stop, a foot away from firey armeggedon. They never noticed me hit the gravel, but called me a twat anyway for being 'flash'.