Stupid Newby Tricks -- Riding with kickstand down and trying to turn left

[seanarthurmachado]

Hi all

Probably a boring story, but I'll tell it anyways:

I finally got some time to take the bike out today. For once it wasn't 90+ degrees or raining and the sun wasn't about to go down. (I don't even try to ride at night yet.)

I pulled the bike out of the shed, down the ramp, got it started, let it warm, checked and refilled the tire pressure to 30lbs, then got ready to go for a short ride, with the idea I needed to be at home for the "Cable guy" to look over my ONT (optical network terminal) which was causing issues for internet and tv.

I first realized the gears were a little grabby, so I adjusted the clutch back and forth for a bit, eased out down the grass to the driveway then finally decided get off for a moment and take off my coat and cool off. I shut the bike down, relaxed for a few, (got my first wave from a guy on a scooter, I waved back.)

SO Onto the bike I go down the sidewalk to the nieghbors driveway (my house is on a corner so I would need to watch 3 directions, neighbor needs to watch only 2 directions.) I pulled out, went down the road to a side street, cruising along about 20-25.

I curiously heard "pops" as I was cruising, 1st gear 3000-4000 rpm's about 25-20 mph, which was weird, but the motor still ran smoothly. I slowed, turned right, saw a car moving slowly toward me from opposite direction and eyeballing a driveway, I covered the horn button ready to use my Fancy HIGHWAY BLASTER if needed but they saw me, and waited. I pulled past went down to the stop sign, slowed, used back and front brakes, and clutch pulled all the way in, and then realized the bike had STALLED and was coasting to the stop sign!

I duck walked to the side of the road, tried to start and found the bike would not start.

I put the kickstand DOWN -- with the idea of getting off the bike then reconsidered since I had so much trouble getting my leg over in the first place today. (Ive started to stretch a bit but hasnt helped really.)

I used the "choke" lever, got the bike started.

I then PULLED OUT to the right.

I took another right, following the "slow, look, roll" mantra, then went down the road, which curved to the LEFT.

Instead of going left the bike seemed to stop leaning and I heard a scraping sound. I immediately said to myself "OH SH!T! The Kickstand!" and managed to clutch in and pull over. After a minor heart attack I pulled out, continued on, and pulled into the yard of my house, leaving the bike in the driveway.

JUST in time to take a shower, and wait 4 hours for the Cincinnati Bell tech who NEVER SHOWED UP.


(it turns out per technical support in the Philippines had no record of my appointment that I set up on Friday.)

 

[tkent02]

It's not strictly a newby trick. I do it all the time.

 

[JamesWhut?]

I did it once...

And yeah about the cable guy...

 

[cowboyup3371]

Heck, I just did it at the bank in Bedford a couple of weeks ago; fortunately, I had only pulled forward a few feet when I heard it dragging on the parking lot pavement and stopped to kick it back up.

 

[steve murdoch]

Guilty as charged.
Or how about....standing beside the bike on the left side, having the side stand down and rocking it forward to get it down from the center stand.
Clunk, both wheels hit the ground and the bike falls over into another bike.....or so i have heard.

 

[gbw]

Been there done that. Done it in front of a long line of traffic and in front of hundreds of bikers (mostly on Harleys). It's embarrassing and scary. Never had a crash because of it, but it could happen.

Good luck with the phone company

 

[dorkburger]

There's only one type of person who has never taken off with the side stand down - fibbers.....
Yeah, I did it last week..... and my bike has a warning light.......

 

[argonsagas]

Start out with the kickstand down?

Probably every one of us has done it at least once.


For me, the best one was when my ex was heading home through a new area in the car and was using the GPS, while I was following on the GK.

When I saw she was going waaaaay wrong, I rode up beside her and had her stop. We were on a street with no artificial light source and there was no moon: it was DARK.

An argument ensued about the accuracy of a GPS versus my aged think pot.

I got annoyed and told her to follow me, walked back to the bike, started it and took off.

Ah, yes....the kickstand...... it touched at the first left curve and a great shower of sparks poured out before I got it raised enough to complete the turn.

Picture that in complete darkness. Embarrassing? Yes.

She told me later that she first thought the bike had exploded.

 

[mcycle-nut]

When I was a young lad living in Germany, I had a Zundapp moped. It was on the centre stand and I flashed it up, the bars were pointed the right way, as I was going to turn around. I bumped it off of the stand and suddenly it wouldn't straighten out! I managed to step off of it as it slammed onto the ground. Aaah, the steering lock! DOH!:stupid:

 

[TxGSrider]

I did it last week. I never realized how far I actually ride on my way into work before I have to lean left, but I was jarred into reality when it gave me a "not so subtle reminder" that I had left it down...

 

[Guest]

Many years ago, a bunch of us had ridden to a jet boat race. On the way back, one of our buddies was riding with the side stand down. I pulled up next to him, motioning about the stand, but he didn't get it. Up ahead was a left hand curve. We watched as he started into the curve, but ran off the road and flipped the bike and he flew off. We pulled over, he was standing there and we lifted the bike up (a 1980 KZ1000 LTD.) Not a mark on it or him. I guess it helped that he flipped it in sand.

 

[shakeybone]

I did it luckily in the garage.

 

[bobgroger]

My Bandit was much more forgiving of leaving the stand down, the slightest touch would flip it up. Unfortunately, it also flipped up regularly getting off the bike. My GS's have never done that. And I last left mine down at the dragstrip last week. The starter pointed it out. Slightly embarrassing in front of a few hundred people.

 

[tkent02]

I made a little side stand flipper upper out of a piece of car tire and a couple hose clamps, similar to what Hondas have always had. It worked.

 

[Motojoe2492]

I have done that, thank god only a couple times and it always seems to clunk its way up before I get much out of the parking space :drunk:

I like the idea of the rubber flipper though, that would make it a bit more forgiving. I miiiight have to try that!

 

[robertbarr]

I like the idea of the rubber flipper though, that would make it a bit more forgiving. I miiiight have to try that!

Some of the Nighthawks (including mine) actually came with that -- and it's considered a wear item. There's a little 'wear limit' line on them. They don't help much, though; in the interest of science, I tested it in a real-life situation, and it's every bit as disturbing and embarrassing as regular sidestands.

 

[Guest]

The beauty of modern bikes, you can't start with the stand down. Unfortunately most modern bikes don't have self canceling signals. PS I've left stands down and signals on.

 

[Kaiser Sosei]

Some of the Nighthawks (including mine) actually came with that -- and it's considered a wear item. There's a little 'wear limit' line on them. They don't help much, though; in the interest of science, I tested it in a real-life situation, and it's every bit as disturbing and embarrassing as regular sidestands.

Yeah, my dad's CB750 had that thing and it didn't really work. The angle the kickstand was at would give the bike a good jolt before it went up like it was trying to dig into the ground. The GS is much easier on the bike and rider.

 

[850 Combat]

I hit a guard rail in a left turn around Monterey, CA after riding all night from Orange County on the way to Yosemite. Just left a gas station, and discovered that I couldn't turn left. Broke my Tracy fairing, broke off the tang on the shift lever, bent both wheels, and cracked a rib. We did make it to Yosemite that day. I didn't know about the rib until trying to stuff my sleeping bag into the stuff bag.

I've done it since then, too, but not with as expensive of result.