Get Offs
This Page Details The Various "Moments" San Diego Area Riders Have Had and Contributed To The SDMC Newsgroup. Read These With Good Humor Knowing That Someday, Someway, You Or Someone You Know Will Probably Have A Tale To Add.

Written By Gary Steinweg As Part Of A Ride Report:

Slowing on the downhill approach, the asphalt driveway came into view, and I turned in.  Only after hitting it did I notice that there was sand spread out on about the first five or so feet of driveway.  My bike squirmed just a little, but it wasn't a problem since I was only going about 5 mph. Right after clearing the sandy area, I glanced in my mirror to see how Dawn was faring with the sand.  Disaster had already struck.  She was on the ground, and her shiny bike was laying on her left leg.  I jumped off my bike and got back to her about the same time a couple of others got there.  Someone asked her if she needed any help.  She allowed as to how she did.

Dawn's knee was badly bruised, but when we pulled her chaps, pants leg and leggings to take a look, all she could think about was that she hadn't shaved her legs for this trip.  Gay took her to urgent care "just to be on the safe side" to have it looked at (she didn't think she needed to go, but others did).

My next week is going to include some cosmetic work on Dawn's bike.  There's a scratch on her left rear turn signal housing, a small scrape on the left side of her gas tank, one of the handle bar risers looks to be bent a little, the handle bars may or may not be bent, the left foot peg is bent as is the shift lever.  The front left turn signal mounting is a little loose, and the lens is scratched.  All fairly easy to fix.

I had this overwhelming feeling that I'd somehow let Dawn down.  In reality, I guess that's not true.  I didn't see the sand until it was too late to do anything about it, but by the time we were exiting the road, we were down to 3-4 mph
anyway.  Dawn misfortune was the result of using both brakes while the front wheel was turned to the left as she hit the sand.  She was trying to bring the bike back to vertical (not that there was that much lean), but when that cocked front wheel hit the sand, it stopped turning and shot out to the right.  I don't think there was anything that she could have done at that point to keep the bike from going down, it happened so fast.
Dawn's in good spirits, and I'm sure she's going to be OK.

Experience of David Svoboda

I have crashed a few times. Never tangled with a cage, but that only means that each crash was my own stupidity, skill-less-ness, or lack of foresight.

Most moving crashes are just painful, to the body or to the wallet, or both. Zero speed drops are just wallet-benders, so can be looked back upon with a little
more humor.

I wrote up some zero-speed drops on the Concours Owners Group list, as an application to the Concours Droppers Association (CDA). Here it is:

Are CDA applications retroactive? I've had my Concours since 1990, and have zero-speed dropped it a few times. In no particular chronological order:

1. Campsite in Nebraska. Morning. Load up bags, roll Connie to a flat spot (compressed pea gravel) and centerstand to attach. I've c-standed on gravel many times before, and the c-stand tangs just sink into the gravel a bit, and a little fiddling makes it stable. No problem this morning. Until I walk back over to the
picnic table and hear a crash behind me. Formerly stable shifted a bit on it's own,
and fell on the right side. Crunched the footpeg bracket, finally received new one at Team Bozeman Kawasaki (that's in Montana, four days later), and on with the tour. Lesson: Learn to load up the bike on the sidestand.

2. In my rented garage, Illinois in February, space heater making it barely livable, me changing the tires on Connie in prep for a Daytona run. Bottle jack under the oil pan, on centerstand. Took front wheel off. Tried to take rear wheel off, but had to lower the bottle jack a bit to get it out. As soon as I took the rear wheel off, somehow the centerstand flipped up and the bike hopped forward off
the bottle jack, wheel-less. I had the presence of mind to grab the grab rail and
keep it balanced, fortunately. But at that point, what to do? How does one lift up a 500-odd pound motorcycle, straight up, in order to put it back on a stand? I ended up kicking over various steel tools (thank God I'm a slob) that were cluttering the floor and wedging them with my foot under the oil pan to balance the teetering, wheel-less bike. Then I called three of my riding pals to come over and make fun of me for a while, then help me work out a way to lift the bike one end at a time and put the wheels back on. No damage, thankfully.

Lesson: tie up the c-stand when doing major work like taking off wheels, and never take both wheels off at once.

3. Fully tour loaded, in Oklahoma, along old Rt 66, pre-dawn, in a sleepy little unnamed town, mostly still asleep. I have pulled over to the curb to shift my map in the tankbag window. Took the key out of the ignition to open the locking fairing pocket to get a compass. Went to put the key back in the ignition, and DROPPED IT. There it was, on the ground right by my left boot. Okay, try to put the sidestand down, nope, road is crowned wrong. Try to push the bike into the street, but no, I'm in a depression, can't push while straddling. Can't get off the bike while balancing it because of the duffels strapped behind me like a backrest-- can't get my leg over without letting go my hands. Hmm. I guess I can only try to reach the key while sitting on the bike. So, stretch....nope. Kick the key to a little more convenient spot. Try again. I can't reach it without lifting my right foot off the ground. Slowly, carefully. Did I mention the bike had an alarm? And that if you push both buttons on the remote simultaneously it sets
the alarm off? The remote was in my left front jeans pocket, and I guess in doubling my body down along my left leg, I somehow pushed both buttons,
because suddenly Connie was screaming with it's alarm siren, the speaker horn
of which was situated about three inches from my right ear as I was stretched out along the fairing. Naturally, I flinched. Wrong move. Balance now lost, and left foot *inside* the balance point, I was holding up the screeching motorcycle with my left hand flat to the ground *on top* of the key, rather upside-down at this point, with the screaming bike slowly exerting more and more pressure on my arm. I thought quickly and got my right arm into the job, and managed to walk on my hands, basically upside-down, away from the falling bike, and ease it down onto the pavement, no critical bits trapped beneath Well, no critical bits except the ignition key, which was what I needed to turn the alarm off, unless I wanted to take off my Aerostich suit to get to the jeans pocket and the remote. I opted for that. I often wonder what the sleepy residents thought looking out their windows at the annoying motorcycle, the alarm echoing around the buildings, laying on it's side, lights flashing, with the rider frantically undressing in the middle of Main Street.

Lesson: don't do that again.

Experience of Clare Francavilla

I haven't fallen while riding but did have a little problem with stop signs.
My first bike was an '82 Virago, that I proudly say I rebuilt most of by myself. I could take those carbs off and put them back on with eyes shut, but couldn't ride the thing to save my life. It had a 29 inch seat height and I have a 28 inch leg height. Very top heavy...not me, the bike. Anyway while I was riding I was fine but I would stop at a stop sign and when I got ready to go it would just tip over. AHHHH!!!! One of my first ventures out I was riding to work and did fine until I got into the parking space. I was feeling so proud that I had made it without even a little waiver. I pulled in the spot and I don't know what happened but it started to go over. I held on for a little while. The engine was still running and in trying to hold it up I was rolling down on the throttle. So the engine is racing like it was going to blow and finally I thought screw it and let it go. Of course there was construction going on in the building right next door and it was all the guys break time. They all just sat and watched (and laughed after I'm sure). After I shut it off and kicked it one of the guys came over chuckling and helped me pick it back up.

About a week later I opened the garage determined to master the beast. I got a block away from the house when I hit the first stop sign. Went to put my foot down and I was a little too close to the curb, where the road starts to dip down, and over it went. I jumped and somehow wound up standing on the side walk. Thank goodness there was a Pac Bell man watching across the street to help me pick it back up (in between the giggles). I thought, that's it, back in the garage. Went around the corner heading back to the garage when I got to the next stop sign and down I went again. Down twice and I wasn't even a mile away from home. This time I went over with it. I'm sure from behind it was quite a site. But you could probably ask the two young guys in the car behind me. They didn't giggle when they came over to help. After they saw I was OK they outright laughed their asses off. It doesn't get too much more embarrassing than that. Anyway I almost gave up riding. I thought there was something wrong with me (besides just being short). But it was the bad, bad stupid bike. It was just too damn big. I haven't had so much as a ripple since I've had my Intruder. I'm glad I didn't stop trying. It's my favorite past time.

Experience of Randy Lazar

1) First bike in 1986 - Yamaha Seca 750, Houston, TX..........chain bike up in front of apartment. Started up in morning, got on to go to work, slowly let the clutch out, felt like someone yanked the bike out from under me, fell over, looked at chain still wrapped around wheel and post. Pain level: Idiot Damage: Minor

2) Same bike, rode to show friends my bike, rode up their sidewalk in backyard, front tire caught edge of sidewalk, fall down and go boom. Pain Level: Dork Damage: Minor

3) Same bike, Long Island, NY........winter time, ride to beach, turn into parking lot at about 10mph, front tire slides out due to moisture and/or sand on pavement. Pain Level: Bruised hand Damage: Minor

4) Brand new bike.....1989 Yamaha FJ1200..........park in driveway, facing slightly downhill, in neutral with engine running to warm up, bike rolls forward and falls onto driveway.........bike only few days old. Pain Level: Idiot Damage: Minor

5) Ducati 748......loading into pickup truck.......holding onto bike and try to attach tiedowns, lose grip on bike, falls over against side of pickup, cracks already damaged fairing where girlfriend dropped bike. Pain Level: Idiot Damage: Minor

Experience of Jimi

82 Yamaha Maxim 650 (first bike)

1> On a late night ride, middle of nowhere. Firetruck comes up behind me, lights going. I move to the shoulder to get out of his way, all gravel, and at a 45-degree angle. Not only does bike go down, but I spend an hour trying to get it back up the embankment.... grrrr...

2> Jerk in a Toyota truck makes a lane change into me, clips my front wheel, and knocks the bike down at 30mph. Nothing broken, but sore for a week.

3> Freshly sanded road (good old highway department) and then it decided not to snow. I didn't know this, until I had turned onto the road at too steep an angle. Another handle bar, tank and mirror.

4> Out riding on a really hot day, not drinking enough liquids. I pull into a gas station on my way home, and my leg just doesn't respond to my request for it to hold the bike up. The pair of us fall over. No damage, but it took me about 30 minutes before I felt coherent enough to ride the rest of the way home.

86 Yamaha FJ1200

1> Dropped at the dealership, third day I have it, when I hit the starter and it was in gear (defective kill switch).

2> Lowsided int a guardrail at about 60, when the front tire disintegrated for some reason, to this day unknown. About five months in the hospital, and most of a year learning to walk unaided. Bike totalled.

95 Honda CBR900RR

1> Did the rotor lock thing in the middle of a crowded grocery store
parking lot. Stolen two weeks later.

96 Ducati 916

1> Flipped it under braking, trying to avoid a minivan that had just pulled out in front of me. I have no idea if it would have been better or worse to hit it. Broken collarbone and a totalled bike.

All in all, I have no complaints. I've learned a lot of lessons over the
years, a big one being "things happen".

Experience of Tera Salo

ride 250 for 3 months. too small. buy 750. too big. drive from dealer to gas station. fall over. shatter clutch handle. walk to dealer, buy 2 clutch handles...

Experience of Don Presten

Bought a brand new 1999 Yamaha Venture. Rode it home from the dealer and
parked in the garage. Sat on the bike and played with the new AM/FM/Cassette radio controls for about 1/2 hour - having lots of fun with new gizmos. Bobbie calls me for dinner. Get off bike. Bike go crash. Forgot to put kickstand down. Miles on bike = 9.

Experience of Simon Parry

Here's 2:

1) Backing out of the parking area at the store at Laguna, I just turned too quickly, and over she (the little Ninja 250) went. Me too. Spent more time being embarrassed than hurt.

2) Pulled away from a first major client meeting, having pulled off a serious deal. Forgot to take the darned disk lock off, didn't I.
Ho, bluddy ho.

Experience of Dick Useted

A young lad was skate boarding on the sidewalk as I was rolling up to a stop light. Young lad choose the moment just before I got to him to fall off his board. Young lad stayed on his feet but skateboard did a 90 to the right into the street. I got on the binders but the front wheel went up on the board. Board didn't slow down and took front wheel with it. I ended up face down in the street. No injury but windscreen was shattered. Young lad thought he was in deep stuff but luckily for him, I saw the humor of it. Anyway, I claim to be the only person that fell off a skateboard while riding my bike.
Dick

Renee's Four "Learning Experiences" In Just Two Months

1) Walking friend's '87 Honda Rebel 250 to home, battery dead. Friend is driving my truck. I see a little downhill and think, I'll just jump on and coast down...NOT! As if in slow motion, the bike falls over to the left and on my leg. The dramatic fall I displayed with both my hands spread out in the middle of the street was award winning in any book. As I was looking back at my friend, only to see her with her mouth wide open. First thing out of her mouth, "My Bike!". so so embarrassed. wait, there's more.

2) Get my '92 Yamaha Virago 750 and take the back road to my mom's house. Stopped on an incline between 2 cars at a light. Light turns green and I go backwards, almost hitting the car behind me. I waived the cars on, trying to figure out what the hell was wrong. Figured, that I should keep my foot on the brake and hit the throttle and ease out on the clutch. Can anyone say, "Duh???"

3) Leave my mom's house, taking the backroad home. Neighborhood kids outside playing as I drive up to my garage. I just keep forgetting that the bike can't balance on it's own, and down she went. Gas is now spilling out of the tank and I tried to pick that baby up, only to empty my bladder (literally). Kids are now laughing hysterically and I'm so embarrassed. Finally pickup the bike and with head down, I put that baby into the garage.

4) Friend and I rode out to Imperial Beach, parked the bikes, put on the wheel locks. Walked the pier and ate on the pier. Went to leave and she's already down the street but for some reason, every time I started to take off, the bike would pull back and stop. Kept trying for over 5 minutes, then it dawned on me...WHEEL LOCK ANYONE!

Hey, what can you do but laugh about it, right?

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