How not to park your

[sundancer 87]

scooter

[hddecker]

Ouch! Bet that left a mark.

[sundancer 87]

Originally Posted by hddecker

Ouch! Bet that left a mark.

It did on the ramp. I need to replace part of the front foot rest, clutch lever and the expensive hand grip. Just need to wipe off the dirt and grass and polish out some skid marks.

100 bucks without the hand grip which I think runs 80 bucks for the set.
First time I've ever been high-sided going so slow!

Better here than on the highway

[lcv800]

Damn. Feel your pain. Every time I back the bike down and feel the tire slip on the ramp, I get that puckered feeling. Once that 900 pounds starts to go, good luck! Glad it wasn't worse.
Rusty

[sundancer 87]

Originally Posted by lcv800

Damn. Feel your pain. Every time I back the bike down and feel the tire slip on the ramp, I get that puckered feeling. Once that 900 pounds starts to go, good luck! Glad it wasn't worse.
Rusty

Even with it in gear going down and the wheel sliding it's a pucker factor. I was going in this time and the ass end just came around on me.
Next week I will work on a short ramp to park her in the storage shed. Too much grass and too much engine for the hauler's ramp.

[hddecker]

Originally Posted by sundancer 87

It did on the ramp. I need to replace part of the front foot rest, clutch lever and the expensive hand grip. Just need to wipe off the dirt and grass and polish out some skid marks.

100 bucks without the hand grip which I think runs 80 bucks for the set.
First time I've ever been high-sided going so slow!

Better here than on the highway

Been there more than once. The one that really love, I wasn't even on the bike. I went to the mall, find a motorcycle parking spot. Put stand down, take off helmet, hang on handle bar, get off bike, start to walk away. I just see out of the corner of my eye that the bike is moving, as I turn around I see the bike doing a slow roll off the stand. It seems I didn't check that the stand had engaged.

I got a jolt of adrenalin like I had never had before, grabbed the engine and saddle bag guards just as they hit the asphalt. I nearly flipped it over onto the right side, caught it, locked the kickstand in place and nonchalantly look around to see if anybody was looking.

Nobody saw it, so it didn't happen!

Only damage to the bike was a few scratches on the guards.

If it were to happen today, I would just wait for the tow truck to come and hook up the side car to pull it back over.

[sundancer 87]

Originally Posted by hddecker

Been there more than once. The one that really love, I wasn't even on the bike. I went to the mall, find a motorcycle parking spot. Put stand down, take off helmet, hang on handle bar, get off bike, start to walk away. I just see out of the corner of my eye that the bike is moving, as I turn around I see the bike doing a slow roll off the stand. It seems I didn't check that the stand had engaged.

I got a jolt of adrenalin like I had never had before, grabbed the engine and saddle bag guards just as they hit the asphalt. I nearly flipped it over onto the right side, caught it, locked the kickstand in place and nonchalantly look around to see if anybody was looking.

Nobody saw it, so it didn't happen!

Only damage to the bike was a few scratches on the guards.

If it were to happen today, I would just wait for the tow truck to come and hook up the side car to pull it back over.

No one saw me but I did have to go down the street and get one of the rednecks to help get it up and off the ramp

[wahoonc]

That ain't purdy...

Motorcycles and trailer ramps don't seem to mix well.

My claim to motorcycle fame was riding back from somewhere in Kentucky on a big Suzuki GS1000 and the roads were getting dicey from a winter storm, I knew if I kept on riding I probably could get out in front of it, but it was going to be close. Pulled into a gas station and was barely rolling up to the pump when I hit an ice patch with the front wheel and laid it over. Had to get someone to help me get it back up. IRIC it weighed in a bit over 500#. I weighed about 132# soaking wet in my leathers back then. My regular rider at the time was a souped up RD-400. Worst part was explaining to my buddy why his new to him GS had a scratch on the gas tank. I was doing him a favor, had picked it up and was riding it back to NC.

Miss riding, but with the idiots loose on the roads today I don't think I would want to risk it. My reflexes are slowing, and the clowns on the roads today flat out don't know how to drive. I drive some 50,000+ miles a year for work and see so much stupidity out there on the roads it is amazing to me that the motor vehicle death rates are as low as they are.

Aaron

[sundancer 87]

I chalk it up to another experience. When I was much younger and braver I managed to get between the rails on the railroad. There's no way you can time railroad ties like you can sand ripples. Too many barley pops and riding a CB750 Honda with 8 over forks. 50 years of riding gives one many experiences and tales to tell

[hddecker]

Originally Posted by sundancer 87

I chalk it up to another experience. When I was much younger and braver I managed to get between the rails on the railroad. There's no way you can time railroad ties like you can sand ripples. Too many barley pops and riding a CB750 Honda with 8 over forks. 50 years of riding gives one many experiences and tales to tell

I met an old German motorcyclist, we sat and chatted for awhile. His theory n motorcycling was if you survive the first 10,000 miles you will survive.

Wasn't so sure that would have made me feel confident if I was new to motorcycling. I got to thinking about that when I got home that night. He pretty much nailed it, when I started thinking about my riding group most of the ones that weren't around any more didn't make the first 10K. Some of them had a good scare and quit, some of them didn't and are no longer here.

I came close a few times, before I hit 10K, the worst was the woman that chopped the lane so she could be first in line at the stop light. Her excuse "I didn't want to be late for my hair dresser." Grrrr

[ATCguy]

The problem I've found with most riders is that they have no problem spending hundreds & even thousands of dollars of chrome & supposed performance upgrades on their bikes... but won't invest a couple-hundred dollars on a 2 or 3 day rider course to inprove their skills.

The phrase I most love is... "I don't need any stinking riding course, I've got 20 years experience riding motorcycles"... and then after riding behind them for five minutes, you quickly discover what they really have is 1 year of experience, just repeated 20 times. :/

[wahoonc]

Between the time I started riding around 1974 and the time I stopped in the early 90's I had well over 250,000 miles of riding. The first 10k were easy, it was the last 10k that convinced me to stop riding. One of the last incidents, I was sitting at a traffic light in a turn lane with 4-5 other motorcycles, old biddy in a full sized Cadillac plowed into us, ran completely over the two guys in the back, and knocked the rest of us down. Told the cop she didn't see us. All she got was a ticket for failure to stop in time to avoid an accident. She had minimum insurance coverage which didn't even come close to covering the cost of the mayhem she caused. I rode a bit after that, but not for long. I also had two young children at home at the time too which played into my decision to stop riding.

Aaron

[azdryheat]

Dumped mine on the ramp last summer. $600 for a new front fender. Storm was coming and wanted to get bike inside trailer, Ground already soaking wet. Late in the evening. Undetermined number of drinks down the gullet. Disaster waiting to happen. That bike was heavy and at an awkward angle. Needed wife's help getting it upright.

[lcv800]

Originally Posted by ATCguy

The problem I've found with most riders is that they have no problem spending hundreds & even thousands of dollars of chrome & supposed performance upgrades on their bikes... but won't invest a couple-hundred dollars on a 2 or 3 day rider course to inprove their skills.

The phrase I most love is... "I don't need any stinking riding course, I've got 20 years experience riding motorcycles"... and then after riding behind them for five minutes, you quickly discover what they really have is 1 year of experience, just repeated 20 times. :/

Never heard that expression before ATCguy, but right on! I've got 140,000 miles on my current bike, and who knows how much on my others, but I learn things all the time. Even after all that, I still took the safety course a couple years ago. Of course, I picked up some nuggets. Of all the states I've ridden in (every one), the most dangerous is Florida. Rode there all winter this year. Not even bringing my bike back there this year.

[hddecker]

I started riding in 1964, when I was living in Middle of Nowhere NWT. There wasn't a riding instructor within 500 miles, so I used the Crash and Learn system.

Thirty some years later and I had the oppourtunity to take an advanced rider course with the RCMP. There was a couple of WA state motor-officers there as well. They supplied the coffee, we had to bring the donuts.

Things started out slow, but the pace picked up fast and by the time we stopped for lunch we were getting into high speed drills. After lunch another hour or so of drills and then they took us to the skills course. Now that was fun, I was doing great until I hit the Texas Star.

The thing that amazes me is not surviving the Crash and Learn school of motorcycling, it's surviving the daily commute 50 miles to/from work in downtown Vancouver.

Rusty, I can't imagine Florida being any worse than the lower mainland of BC. Even when the cagers are looking you in the eye, they will still pull out in front of you, chop lanes and generally ignore the fact that motorcyclist exist.

[sundancer 87]

Rusty, I can't imagine Florida being any worse than the lower mainland of BC. Even when the cagers are looking you in the eye, they will still pull out in front of you, chop lanes and generally ignore the fact that motorcyclist exist.


The deal is, the retirees in Florida use the lane bumpers to stay within the lanes. Paint don't make no noise.................
I think every city in which one may ride is the worst of all. Depends on the time of day, day of the week and how many of those four lanes going into the city is occupied by five cagers.

[hddecker]

Originally Posted by sundancer 87

Rusty, I can't imagine Florida being any worse than the lower mainland of BC. Even when the cagers are looking you in the eye, they will still pull out in front of you, chop lanes and generally ignore the fact that motorcyclist exist.


The deal is, the retirees in Florida use the lane bumpers to stay within the lanes. Paint don't make no noise.................
I think every city in which one may ride is the worst of all. Depends on the time of day, day of the week and how many of those four lanes going into the city is occupied by five cagers.

Ah, yes driving by braile, lots of those in the lower mainland too.

But the biggest problem is new Canadians. There was a couple of driving examiners that were paid twice, once from the DMV and once from the the person buying their DL.

Once they are let loose on the roads, it's bumper cars and absolutely no understanding of the rules of the road. Some of them are quite comical, when they make the six oclock news and haven't caused a bodily injuries. Like the one that couldn't understand how the lamp standard managed to get under their car.

It's great fodder for youtube.

[wildwest450]

Originally Posted by sundancer 87

I think every city in which one may ride is the worst of all. Depends on the time of day, day of the week and how many of those four lanes going into the city is occupied by five cagers.

Cities? Try rural Tennessee where people take blind corners in the center of a narrow road. And that's before they pick up their phone to text. There's nothing like being sandwiched between a car and a rock wall.

[sundancer 87]

Originally Posted by dawniewest

Cities? Try rural Tennessee where people take blind corners in the center of a narrow road. And that's before they pick up their phone to text. There's nothing like being sandwiched between a car and a rock wall.

I've ridden here too. These Okie drivers will tighten you up too. Austin, Texas has been the meanest to me right after St. Louis.

[wahoonc]

Originally Posted by dawniewest

Cities? Try rural Tennessee where people take blind corners in the center of a narrow road. And that's before they pick up their phone to text. There's nothing like being sandwiched between a car and a rock wall.

Well whadda expect the pay taxes on BOTH sides of the road don't they?

Motorcycle safety courses didn't exist in this neck of the woods until about the time I stopped riding. I did take one the last full year I rode. Still not convinced that the instructor knew very much. Currently my company makes everyone take a Defensive Driving course every 2-3 years. I have the joy of teaching it. I really wish they would make every driver on the road take a refresher course and skills test every 3-4 years and not be afraid to cut people off that can no longer manage a car safely. I am fortunate in that my parents stopped driving last year, my dad actually stopped the year prior because his vision was deteriorating and he knew it was time to stop. Mom probably should have stopped around that time too. She still has good vision but is a bit slow on the reactions. They were in a wreck last May and that was the last time they drove.

Aaron