Swaping tales of spills.

[Special Ed]

At our recent Tahoe Rally someone suggested we swap "spill" stories as an "ice breaker," (not that we really needed it.) But it was fun, and the consinsus was that I took the honors for "funniest and most embarrassing."
Anyone care to submit your tale of survival?
If there are any takers I will post my ego shrinking tale for comparison.
If we get enough post we can take a vote on "Most amaizing," "funniest," etc.
Liberty

[prometheus578]

Does this count?

Getting ready to turn right from a stop sign, slight hill. Gave it some gas, leaned in to it alittle, released the clutch, picked up my feet, and fell over 'cause it was still in neutral.
(No one around, so it wasn't embarrassing... until now)

[TopCatGr58]

Okay, I'll bite.

On my way to an XS East rally in PA, was to meet up with Brent in Richmond. He missed the rendezvous point, called me and told me the wrong exit. I drove around the 295 loop past the needed exit, and Memorial Weekend Friday 8:30Am traffic was horrendous, regular exits looked like it would take forever to get off and back on going in the other direction.....so....I was actually now on I-95 North, there was this large deep grassy meridian, decided to go enduro, crossed it no problem. Was on the ribbed shoulder aimed southbound, watching 4 FULL LANES of traffic whizz by, saw an opening to pull out into, gunned it, back wheel was nice a wet from the dewey grass, spun out nicely and the back end just went zip out from under me and down I went, in the far LEFT HAND SPEED LANE with cars barrelling down on me It was fully loaded, soft sided saddle bags, back pack on back rest, and bike was laying slightly down hill, when I tried to pick it up, didn't realize I was standing on tightening straps for bags...didn't remember bike being THAT heavy! Finally got it up, restarted, and down the highway to the proper exit. Broke corner off of windshield, bent headlight ears and turn signals, but brute straightened, and made it to the Rally with my "pride" otherwise intact!!

2nd was riding in winter, patches of ice on the road, made it the 35miles one way to work and then back home that day without incident......till I pulled into the parking lot of our apartments, was doing 5mph, trying to stop to park, hit a patch of black ice and whoomp, there it is....fell down on my right side!
T.C.

[Pat Kelly]

Got off work. In parking garage. Bike warmed-up, in gear, let clutch out. Roll 8 inches and the bike stops and falls over. Well, I eased it down as best you can ease a 700 lb motorcycle (or 700 lb anything). Bike was falling against the golfcart we shuttle people around in so I was concerned about getting squished between the two.
Don't forget to take the padlock off the front brake disc before leaving work. My new one has a cord that hooks to the handlebar as a "don't forget the lock dummy" reminder.

[mitch]

Gas

Pull the old xj into a gas station, two pretty blonde ladies standing outside, so i gotta rev that kerker up a little . I am so cool almost James Dean like!! The ladies stand there talking ( but really sneaking looks at the cool guy with the bike ) I am at the pump so i get off to fill up and nod at the ladies and CRASH over she goes . Didnt put the side stand down ( what a jerk ) Oh by the way the ladies did help me get the bike off the ground lol......MITCH

[81xsproject]

I almost did prom's stop sign nuetral fall the other day. I went down on some gravel once. But the worst was on a the memorial day ride this spring. We hit some Thundershowers climbing over the Trinity Alps. Everone stopped and geared up. Once we got out of it, I stopped on the outside of a corner, put the kick down, stepped off, and started to get the wet gear off. It wouldn't have been 1 degree down grade, but it was enough to roll the bike foreward off the kickstand. When it fell it snapped my clutch handlw clean off. I had to stomp-shift home and skip the after ride dinner.

[John]

I'm sure y'all remember this one!

http://www.xs11.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=7295

[Jerry]

I was on my way home from work, and it was raining. In those days I lived several miles out of town on a fairly twisty 2-lane paved road. Coming up on an "S" curve a bit to fast, knew I wasn't going to make it with the rain and all. Over the edge of the road and into a hay field, lucky no fence!

To my surprise I am still upright and moving forward through hay that is about 3 feet high. What to do? Keep going...though the hayfield and back up on the roadway on the other side!

I looked like the Scarecrow from Wizzard of Oz, with hay sticking out of my forks, downtubes, seat, and wrapped around the motor. Mud all over the wheels, rims, and fenders. When I got home I had to park behind the garage and do some rapid cleaning before SWMBO caught site of me.

[strom]

In a S bend in the city, not a fast one. A guy on a bicycle rides onto the road just in front of me from behind a parked car. I grab everything on a guzzi V35 (had it for a week and it was not paid for at all...yet). Guzzi has linked brakes, so both wheels blocked, and I had a nice spill... the guzzi went in front of the cyclist while I skidded behind him. Learned a valuable lesson. Never brake for pedestrians, cyclists and small animals.

85 non reg. ZX 600R and me with no licence (yet). At a stoplight I get a green, get to the middle of the intersection, see a car from my left, turning slowly, the driver touching up her make-up. She was turning left (the same direction I was going). Just touched the left engine cover with the bumper. Nothing visible. I didnt want to make trouble due to my lack of anything.... that could put me on the bike and on the road legally.

A few weeks ago I was turning onto a gravel road with my XS. The sand was the soft mushy kind... the worst. The bike stopped mid turn and I barely held it at an angle. So I gave it some gas, dropped the clutch hoping it would get it upright. The rear tire spun and it had an opposite effect. The bike fell onto my leg. The result was a VERY fast bike pick-up.

LP

[Czekus21]

In 85 I landed a job with a steal erector company in Cal. Was running late for my first day. Had about 90 miles to ride and about a little over an hour to get there.winding twisties on old hyway 4 just outside of Angels Camp. Thought I knew the road. Was haulin A$$ rounded the top of a hill and thought that the road went straight, Found out that the road went left. Me and the bike went straight ocer the embankment, down the hill, over the rocks and into a bush. Got the bike upright and hit the starter button, She fired up. I walked it in gear back up the hill to the road. Bent handle bars, broken left blinker, bent headlight bucket, dented tank, Scuffed up engine cover.scratched up left exhaust and pride hurt really bad. Didn't go home though, Instead, I pointed the bike in the same direction I was going and Hauled A$$. I was about 20 min late for work. That bike was an 82 NightHawk 650. Ive been in a few others but that was the most embarrasing, pride hurting spill I've had

[Hobbit]

Dumb stunt

Many (many) years ago I had a Honda 305 Scrambler that I kept stored on my side porch. The 2 x 6 that I used for a ramp must have slipped on my way up (it couldn't have been my fault) and I ended up dragging the bubble shield on my helmet down the side of the old "gravel" style shingles on the side of the house. (There may have been alcohol involved, I can't really remember.)
But I did learn several things:
1. face protection is a good thing (I'm ugly enough).
2. unsecured wood ramps are not a good idea.
3. Alcohol and bikes don't mix very well.

[lsippell]

I think the most embarrassing 'accident' I had was once I had a Kawasaki 450 back in about '74 and had it on it's center stand in the shop at work, about 3 ft. in front of a plywood wall. We were all killing time and I was sitting on the bike and started it up and shifted it through the gears (don't know why) and a few minutes later got ready to leave and rocked it off the center stand and in doing so opened the throttle. Well, the bike was still in gear and put the front tire and wheel through the wall. Didn't even scratch the fender but it took us about 20 minuets to get it out of that plywood without puncturing the tire.

Louis

[Artic_rider]

At a weekend camping trip, and we started doing burnouts. You know, impress the other sex, see who can shred a tire, that kinda stuff. Anyways, was doin real good, had her burning for a good ten seconds, then it took off on me, went for fifty feet, and parked itself on a tree after glancing a few others. When I woke up the next morning, called my brother to bring the trailer...someone already said it...booze and bikes don't mix, and another word of advice, no matter what you think, no matter how messed you are, riding the bike home from the bar is not a good idea. You might think you are all set by riding with one eye open, planting your front tire on the solid right line on the road...but, if you miss the turn, and the road turns to gravel...your screwed. Another experiance...lol...I came out very lucky in both cases, learnt a lesson, and now happily cab it home when the solid lines are weavy

[prometheus578]

Didn't happen to me, but I just saw it Saturday.
Guy came in to pick up his two week old 2005 VN750 that I had done some warrenty work on. I pushed it out onto the lot, and fired it up for him.
He's got a bad leg, so instead of standing to the left and swinging the right leg over, his usual routine is to put his left foot up on the left foot peg and then straddle.
Seemed like a good technique, till his toe pressed down the shift lever, knocking it into first. He was able to hop along side the runaway bike for a few steps before it dove left and pinned him underneath. (Bent the clutch lever)

[Parr8hed]

bolt that holds my sidestand on had vibrated out, went to put the bike on the side stand after riding to breakfast with my family, well you can imagine that the side stand did not hold too well. luckily I had a hold on the bars and the bike did not go down very far. I caught it but paid for it in soreness the next morning.

Had to have my brother in law ride with me to NAPA to hold her up in the parking lot while I got a new bolt.