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Don't Drop the Bike

BCKRider

Kbiker
This is an article I wrote for the BMW ON about 2 1/2 years ago which was never published. Thought I would share it with you. Perhaps with your additions and differing opinions there might eventually be something worth editing for publication in the ON. At least, maybe we can help each other avoid really dumb errors we've made, witnessed, or heard about. I apologize for the length of this post. If you want to quote in a response, please do so selectively.

"LetÔÇÖs define dropping the bike as ÔÇ£a motorcycle accident at 0 ÔÇô 2 mph.ÔÇØ These accidents inevitably cause elevated blood pressure, fears about how to raise the fallen beast, at least some scratches to the bike if not the operator, and acute embarrassment. The otherwise excellent books and articles about riding safely mostly ignore the causes of these accidents and the preventive measures one should take to avoid them. My qualifications for writing this article are simple: in ten years and about 50K miles of riding IÔÇÖve made several of these mistakes and also admitted them in campfire conversations. Virtually every rider I talked to told me about a time or two that he also dropped a bike. Some of the ideas come from those conversations.

There is a myth that these are problems only beginners have. I wish! Sure, beginners make these errors more often, but I believe it is a life-long problem. Most of us donÔÇÖt repeat too many of our previous errors, but learning through print how to avoid any type of accident is definitely better than learning through experience.

Side Stands: While taking the MSF beginner course I once dismounted the bike without putting the side stand down at all. I thought I had put it down! Moral: always be sure the side stand is down and will take the weight of the bike before dismounting. On flat concrete you have no worries after you are sure the side stand is really fully extended. On every other surface, beware. Make sure the ground is not too high or too low or too soft before you commit yourself. Before you leave the bike, ask yourself if the side stand could sink into the asphalt - quite possible on a hot day - or if the weight of the bike could push the stand deeper into sand or gravel. Carry some sort of pad to place under the side stand whenever there is a question mark. Make it standard practice to always use the side stand before dismounting, even if you intend to pull the bike onto the centre stand. When your right foot encounters that forgotten duffle bag as you dismount, you will be glad that the side stand is taking the weight of the bike.

I guess it is obvious that parking a bike with the front wheel pointing downhill is inviting disaster. Occasionally it is unavoidable. Shift to first gear, use the rear brake to hold the bike in place as you shut off the engine, let out the clutch and release the brake to engage the engine. Then put down the side stand and dismount.

Center Stands: There is a knack to putting a bike on a center stand, but it is easily acquired if your bike doesnÔÇÖt have a lowered rear suspension and the ground is hard and flat. Remember those words, ÔÇ£hardÔÇØ and ÔÇ£flat.ÔÇØ If that bike tilts ever so slightly to the right because the ground under the two center stand contact points really wasnÔÇÖt flat or the right leg contacted softer ground, gravity will yank that bike out of your hands. While many of us prefer leaving our bikes on the centre stand, the side stand (with pad) is safer if warm asphalt, gravel, or strong winds are a threat. You do promise to never use the center stand if the ground slopes ever so slightly downhill, right?

Front Brake Mistakes: I guess almost everyone realizes by now that it is the front brake that provides most of the stopping power in most situations. The old fear of flipping the bike is almost groundless. The fear of locking the front wheel and falling down is not groundless! One problem with the front brake occurs on sand or gravel roads, or worse still, sand or gravel on hardtop. The instant that front wheel locks you will suddenly find your bike horizontal. IÔÇÖve twice dropped a bike making a very low speed turn when there was gravel on pavement. Both times I saw the gravel, did my serious slowing before reaching it, but I think failed to get completely off the front brake before the wheel touched the gravel. Riding on sand or gravel roads, favor the rear brake and use the front brake very judiciously if at all. On wet pavement (maybe all pavements) release the front brake lever when you are almost stopped and use the back brake for the final stop. Yes, IÔÇÖm afraid this is the voice of experience. The road was wet, my wife was the passenger, and all of a sudden there were two very unhappy (but unhurt) people and another scratch or two on the bike. And this was just a simple stop sign, not a panic situation at all.

David Hough preaches that in an emergency your reaction will be your usual riding practice. I think this idea can be extended: in an unusual situation (for many of us, riding in the rain qualifies) you will probably apply your dry road habits, though you certainly wonÔÇÖt brake as hard unless you have and trust anti-lock brakes. If using only the back brake for the last bit of a stop in the wet is a good idea, I think doing the same thing on dry roads is also a good idea, even though easing up on the front brake certainly works just fine on dry roads. Build good all-weather habits.

Modifications: I had just installed a new windscreen and took the bike for a short test ride. When I pulled into a gravelled church parking lot and made a slow left hand turn, the bike again was suddenly on its side. The proximity of the church did nothing to improve my language. It took me awhile to figure out the cause of that accident. With the bar turned fully to the left, the windscreen touched the front brake lever. Rotating the clutch and brake levers a bit provided the necessary clearance. This is definitely something to check before you ride off with your new screen.

Flat feet: I think it is a very good idea to be able to put both feet flat on the ground while sitting on your bike. It can be tough for people with shorter legs on some bikes, but there are solutions. Tippy toes are ok on flat concrete. Every other stopping situation puts you at much greater risk of dropping the bike.

Check it out: A couple years ago I was examining a friendÔÇÖs quite new F650. Though this man has ridden many more years and miles than I, his right saddlebag bore lasting testimony to a drop. ÔÇ£We pulled into this gravel parking lot. I put my right foot down and it just kept sinking. CouldnÔÇÖt hold the damn bike up.ÔÇØ Maybe you should park the bike and check out suspect parking lots on foot before committing yourself. That, of course, is for wimps. But being a wimp can save you both money and pain. IÔÇÖm now old enough to take the kidding.

Ramps: If parking your bike involves riding up a ramp, make it a very wide ramp. Yet another time I dropped the bike, the ramp was pretty narrow because the rise into the open shed was only a couple inches. I managed to kill the engine and that extra two inches before my foot touched ground was more than enough to put the bike on its side. And also into my wifeÔÇÖs scooter. Our bikes are now housed in another building that requires a ramp. That ramp is 4.5 feet wide.

I have transported motorcycles a few times in the back of my pick-up and remember getting the bikes in a rather scary experience with narrow plank ramps. Suggested article for someone who knows what he/she is doing.

Pushing and pulling: A lot of bikes topple while being pushed or pulled. HasnÔÇÖt happened to me yet, but boy am I ever careful. These accidents frequently involve less than ideal footing such as gravel or wet grass, a slight grade (slight, because nobody expects to push or pull a road bike up anything greater) or else you bump into something. At home, figure out a safe routine for moving your bike in and out of where you store it. At a campsite you might want to park the bike and then figure out how you can park it under power so you can also ride out under power with no manhandling. Brainpower beats muscles in this department. If you err and there are people around, ask for help. I assure you they would rather help push and pull while you steer than help you pick up the machine. These efforts always involve both hands on the grips with a couple fingers over the front brake lever. IÔÇÖve heard that some more modern BMWÔÇÖs have almost no front braking with the engine off. If that is the case on your bike, be sure to find it out before you have it pointed downhill with the engine off.

Snags: I heard about a low speed catastrophe in Spokane at the 2004 rally. The guyÔÇÖs pant cuff caught on the footpeg as he tried to plant his left foot. The foot peg severely injured his leg as the bike toppled over. Could this happen to you? Do you ever ride with loose cuffs? Not if you always wear riding boots. Before I bought my own BMW, a friend let me ride his K75RT. A fine bike, and I almost dropped it, because there was fairing exactly where I was used to putting down my foot on my 1980 Honda CB750. Before you ride a different bike, be sure you can get your feet down.

Certainly not the last word: I remember Sandy Cohen, former editor of this magazine, mentioning in an editorial that she had dropped bikes quite a number of times. No details were mentioned. Good for her to not come on as the total expert, though I am sure she has more years and miles under her belt than the majority of our clubÔÇÖs members. I wish she and others would write a sequel to this article because I feel that what I have written is just the tip of an iceberg. It seems that having a serious accident has a certain cachet. Dropping your bike because you backed it into your car, etc. just seems (and is) stupid. But most of us have done a few of these really dumb things and only realized after the fact that the accident could have been avoided with a little thought. Anybody else willing to ÔÇ£fess upÔÇØ and save the rest of us some pain and bucks?

Anyway, I hope this article saves some scratches on both you and your pride and joy."
 
this is a really good article, not sure why it wouldn't be published other than it may have fallen through the cracks.

i call these kinds of drops "Laugh-in tip-overs" in honor of the guy in the yellow raincoat riding the tricycle.

tricycle.jpg


the only thing i have to add is if the bike is going to fall, let it fall. don't bust a gut trying to save it once it tips beyond the point of no return. jump out of the way.

ian
 
You wrote a really good article. Why not contact Roger Wiles and see if it might be suitable for MotoSafe?! :thumb
 
You have touched on a lot of good points, a number of instances to which I can identify. :laugh Good article. :ca
 
I'm hoping you'll resubmit this article. It has so much really important information. Do you have pictures? Maybe we could help with that.

If there aren't pictures, it didn't happen . . . .

P1020451.jpg


Voni
sMiling
 
Good stuff; thank you! I've suffered my share of such mishaps.

Have you ever encountered the tendency of riders that have just suffered a drop to try to immediately pick-up the bike in a near panic? I guess it is a natural response to limit the potential embarrassment and regain one's dignity. I witnessed a Wing rider (an older version of smaller size than the contemporary models) drop his bike during a slow speed parking lot maneuver. No damage was apparent to rider or machine, but he nearly hurt himself trying to right the bike before others could get to him. I've felt the same urge myself in similar circumstances. Might be helpful to add a cautionary note about taking one's time to think through how the bike is to be picked-up.

Oh, and it certainly helps if there is someone present to give you a loving cuddle following a drop like the lucky little rider pictured above.
 
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oh golly, i've been there. :ha

it isn't much fun, though, after watching your kid do a 50-foot endo in slow motion (due to riding over his head and rolling off the throttle just before jumping) to run over and ask him to wiggle his fingers and toes..... :help
 
Lots of good points, though I don't agree that getting both feet flat on the ground for stops is needed. I'm 5'-6", 30" inseam, standard seat height on my 94 RS, and I rarely come to a stop getting both feet to the ground, let alone both feet flat to the ground. Having a good scan of your stop area, and planning where your foot will touch down is more important than getting both feet to the ground. Now, perhaps I am a bit "slanted" being I'm an 18 year MSF instructor. Ha, I'm slanted when I come to stop now that I think of it.

I almost always stop with my left foot to the ground, right foot on the peg. This way my left boot (regular BMW boots) is flat to the ground. Same for when I am riding two up.

When I move my bike around when off the bike I always brace myself to the bike against my right hip, with the bike very slightly leaning into me. Never dropped a bike this way, including K1200LTs and R1200GSAs.
 
Have you ever encountered the tendency of riders that have just suffered a drop to try to immediately pick-up the bike in a near panic? I guess it is a natural response to limit the potential embarrassment and regain one's dignity.

This used to be me, once even shutting the garage door before the neighbours could see my predicament. However, the last couple of times, admittedly awhile ago now, I first looked around for help. Heck, I even corralled three 14 years once to help put the bike back on its contact patches. :laugh:laugh
 
What is actually pretty nice is, if this happens with a group of riders around, they instantly help out and also see if you are OK. Nobody criticizes , because most likely they've all been there, done that. It's only embarassing for a bit. The worst time is if there are no other riders around, only people in cages, and they'll give you the stink-eye.
 
MSF instructors pointedly tell you to look where you want to turn. When I first rode my CLC it was a struggle for me to complete tight turns as the bike is top heavy at slow speeds (2>5mph). Practicing turns on a narrow curbed 2 lane road I looked at the curb instead of where I wanted to turn and promtly ran into the curb and fell over the curb. Minimal damage to the bike and me but a lesson learned. Ride Safe :usa :usa
 
Stupid mistake

Originally Posted by AKBeemer
Have you ever encountered the tendency of riders that have just suffered a drop to try to immediately pick-up the bike in a near panic? I guess it is a natural response to limit the potential embarrassment and regain one's dignity.
YEP!!!!! Just dropped my beautiful RT the day before Christmas at the gas pump. Haven't dropped a street bike in 20 years. Felt really stupid, immediately jerked the bike up, in total embarassment, in stead of stopping, taking a breath and lifting it the correct way. I'm still hurting due to my haste, probably should see the doc... but typical biker guy:banghead ...I won't.
 
a few years back, i don't know what i was thinking but some how i pop the clutch making a left hand turn at a very busy intersection, killed the engine and laid the bike over.

I felt as if every single person on earth was looking right at me, i just wanted to get back on the bike and get the hell out of there!


On another note... i was taking a free motorcycle class put on by one of the local police departments. The class was going through some slow maneuvers, weaving through cones when the guy in front of me on a Gold-wing started to lay his bike over and tried to stop it with his leg. Bike won, leg lost he was carted off to the hospital.
 
Unless you are riding a small dirt bike, once it starts to go over, step away and let the bike go! Attempting to stop the bike fall with your body results in either broken bones or a wrenched back. For that matter, if its a small dirt bike, let it go too! They're made to take the dumps!

If you do have to pick up your bike, do it right. If the bike is on the rh side, first fold out the side stand. Then, facing back to the bike, knees bent but back straight, grab the rh grip with your left hand, find a good grab spot for your right hand, and walk backwards into the bike lifting ONLY with your legs until the bike tilts over to the side stand.

If the bike is on the left side the technique is the same, but you can't fold the sidestand out. So, apply the same technique but STOP the lift when the bike is near vertical and while holding it up, fold out the sidestand with the back of your left or right heel. Then rest the bike on the sidestand.

For either side, make sure the bike is turned off and IN GEAR before you make the lift, so it won't roll away as you lift it. I can easily lift any R series bikes, most any K series, but have not attempted a K1200LT.
 
Comments from the OP

1. Thank you for the positive response and suggestion to re-submit the article to the ON. I believe, with more help from all of you, we can come up with the material for a really worthwhile article (or two?) that will save readers a lot of grief.

2. I believe Voni was right. I don't have pictures, which may well have been one of the reasons the article was rejected, and maybe some of you can help. Which reminds me of a story from a friend whose bike suffered in the mishap. "Long line of bikes all backed into a curb and as close together as possible. One guy somehow knocks his bike over to the right and - dominoes." A picture of THAT would be something! Other than that, I'm a bit mystified how pictures would make this information clearer. Perhaps you shutter bugs have some good ideas.

3. I'd like to thank VISIAN, AKBeemer, and ANDYVH for their advice to just let it fall, take some time, get help if possible, and the correct way to lift a bike. All that info definitely belongs in the article. (I too have often done most of it wrong in my haste to, well, maybe pretend it didn't happen.)

4. ANDYVH, as a very experienced rider, I'm sure a tall saddle with your shorter legs is no problem at all. As an experienced rider coach, would you say the same about your students? It took me a few years before I could be sure the bike would tilt left, not right, when I came to a stop. So I think my comment about "flat feet" is appropriate, though "this does not neccessarily apply to experienced riders" perhaps should be added. Welcome your comments.

4. Finally, klutz that I am, I don't think I've fully explored or heard about all the truly stupid things one can do to drop a bike. Certainly there was the mention of an unfortunate incident in a garage which required immediately closing the door. And somehow a bike went down at a gas pump. But the details are important if others are to learn from our errors. And that is the WHOLE POINT of these posts and a possible article in the ON.

Please see my next post for thoughts on getting those details.
 
Getting the details

It finally occurred to me why there were not more responses to the question "what stupid thing did you do to drop the bike?" It's one thing to admit that you have had to pick up your bike after doing something truly dumb. It's something else to describe in detail that dumb thing for all the world to read. But that detail is EXACTLY what people need to read to avoid doing the same thing themself.

My suggestion is that someone(s) who is widely known and trusted (and I know I am not - I've probably never met any of the posters personally, and my number of posts is a small percentage of many) VOLUNTEER TO FORWARD ANY PM'S MARKED "DON'T DROP THE BIKE" TO THIS FORUM.

So, we need the volunteers offering this service. We probably need one to tell us how to send a PM (personal message) and the assurance that the PM will be sent on to this thread as a quote with NO identification attached.

I hope my intent is clear - lots more information about this topic without personal embarrassment to anyone. Your better ideas are most welcome.
 
BC, I'm probably as close to an "expert" on low-speed drops as anyone as I've dropped a K75C, K12RS, R100GSPD, F650GS, and R100R. You want details? Okay, here goes.

First off, at 5'7"/30"inseam/140lbs, I'm a little guy, but wiry and pretty fit. My size accounts for most of my drops since any loss of bike balance is amplified by the lack of counter-balancing bodyweight and leg length leverage.

The K75C was a fairly tall, top-heavy bike; especially since 90% of the time, I had my 110lb wife riding pillion and full bags. The most memorable drop came when we pulled off a paved road onto a gravel driveway. We were riding outside of our area and didn't know that, where we were, it had rained the day before. Almost as soon as the front tire came off the pavement, the dry-looking rocks gave way to an inch of soft mud. The front tire slid out; we went down. It happened so fast, my leg was trapped under the bike, and the exhaust burned a hole in my riding suit. Ouch! From that drop, I learned to look for tale-tale signs of soil conditions before leaving the pavement.

The K12RS was dropped several times. Most were in the usual places like unpaved parking lots, wet grass, etc. and I think a lot of those were caused by my fear of dropping the bike; I was hesitant to apply throttle for fear of spinning out the rear tire. So instead of over-reacting, I under-reacted. One of the other drops took place when I had parked on a slight incline and the bike was not leaning as far as usual. My right pants cuff caught the footpeg as I climbed on. The most enlightening drop of the K12 came down in Texas. It was really windy with gust to 50mph. As I was pulling out of a rest area across a paved parking lot with a little gravel on it, a gust of wind hit me from the right side. When I leaned into it, the rear slid out. I learned that leaning is leaning and should be avoided when on reduced traction surfaces.

The R100GSPD, which I rode off pavement quite a bit, provided numerous learning experiences. Most were associated with reduced traction of either the tires or my foot (there was no way for me to get two feet flat on the ground) A little mud or cow manure on the bottom of my boot, get a little off balance, and down we would go. Some had to do with putting the sidestand down when there wasn't enough clearance for the stand to extend without leaning the bike to the right. Once, again down in Texas, I thought my right foot was stepping down onto solid ground, but the grass was covering a slight depression; it doesn't take much extra lean to get overpowered by the weight of the bike. I learned that R-bikes are easier to right than K-bikes.

The F650 was only dropped once, and I wasn't even on it. I had it on the centerstand giving it a bath. The attention to detail I was putting into the washing clouded my perception of how much water was soaking into the ground. A little extra pressure on the right side resulted in the bike laying over. I learned to put a piece of plywood under the center stand before soaking the ground.

Now I have the R100R. It was dropped on the ride home. I had stopped on a backroad in AR being careful to park on a fairly flat surface with plenty of clearance to extend the sidestand and making sure there was no mud or manure to step in. There were small (1")rocks, but all in all, a pretty secure parking place. The pant legs on the riding suit were velcroed tight against my boot, and I could get both feet flat on the ground. After my break, I climbed on, started the bike, lifted the bike to raise the sidestand, and then went to plug in the heated gear. Being it was a new-to-me bike, I was leaning over to find the accessory outlet when my right foot slipped. I applied all the lessons I have learned: let the bike down as easy as I can without hurting myself, immediately hit the kill switch since the engine will be starved for oil, turn off the key switch, turn off the petcocks since fuel is draining out of the carbs, examine the situation, formulate a plan of attack, right the bike using the back-to-bike method, inspect the bike, and take a few minutes to regroup before riding off.

Anytime we operate a two-wheeled vehicle, there is the chance it will end up on it's side. I have learned to apply a philosophy an old sailor taught me many years ago: "Its not that you FU, because everybody does eventually, its how you handle your FU's that counts!"

Detailed enough?
Tom
 
My drops

In the past two years since re-entering motorcycling, I have dropped the bike twice. The first time was when I was coming down a partially rutted cemetery road and a guy on a riding lawn mower started to turn out in front of me. I avoided him and continued down the road thinking that he was now fully aware of my presence. He actually pulled ahead of me after that. I was going probably a couple miles per hour and he was going faster than me. As I got to the blacktop he turned into my path again and this time I went down when I braked. His actions were clearly the proximate cause of my drop. I had friends who calmed me down and helped me right my bike.

The second time was just recently when I backed my 1150GS out of the garage with a full tank of gas. The garage slab is a foot higher than the driveway so I placed three 2 by 10s together for a ramp. As I was backing down the ramp I slowed myself down with the front brake and placed my feet down on the ramp only to have my left slip off the wet plank and onto the ground 8 inches below. The bike angle passed the angle of no return and we went down with me being able to cushion the drop with shear strength.

As noted by others, I was so ripped at myself that I immediately tried to pick up the bike. The first attempt failed primarily because I just grabbed the bike while facing it and attempted to make upright a GS with a full tank of gas. Next I attempted to upright it the right way while having my back to the bike with one hand on the handle bar and one on the bar at the rear of the bike.

I successfully got the bike upright with no real damage to the bike. I on the other hand, did some bodily damage to myself. Apparently, I strained a lot of muscles in the lifting process. Actually, I believe it was the second attempt to right the bike (the right way) when I was hurt. It is my belief and my RN wifeÔÇÖs belief that I actually fractured a rib on my back side from the straining.

The lessons I learned from these two mishaps were to do more thinking beforehand when I attempt something where there is a clear chance of a mishap. Also, I came to the conclusion that I need to be in better physical shape and have now joined a gym where I concentrate on leg presses and lower back exercises. : )
 
My Drops

I have a K100RS. I'm 5'9" and 120 lbs. I usually have some luggage.

I've dropped the bike about half a dozen times. Mostly because I've been startled at low speeds and hit the brakes. The weight goes forward when the front wheel isn't straight, she tips and I can't get a foot down fast enough.

I've been edge trapped once, low speed and the front wheel got against a seam in the pavement. If I'd been moving faster I'd have been fine.

On a dirt road I was riding two-up, and had a bad line on the turn; I'd been trying to miss a large rock, cut around it to the left and was headed off the road, I put the wheel to the right and felt I was going too fast... tapped the front brake (habit, as David Hough says, took over), down we went.

What I learned from that was to not use the front brake on that sort of traction. What I've done since is to remind myself to not use the front brake as a first resort when on dirt roads.

Worst fall was a right turn. A woman decided to enter her left as I was entering my right.... it's a one lane road at that point. I stopped the bike, and she stopped the car. I had the right of way, and resumed; so did she. I should have opened the throttle and taken off, but I was worried I'd drift out of my lane.

I tapped the brake, thinking I could let her through, but I was 1: too slow and 2: leaned over some. Down I went.

To add insult to injury, as I was trying to right the bike (though not in a mad panic I was certainly feeling a bit rushed since I was in the road of a T-intersection) she came back to yell at me, "You were fine, if you'd just kept going you wouldn't have fallen down". Then she left.

Oi.
 
Again from the OP

My thanks to Tom, Merlin III and Terry Karney. It takes real courage to post these kind of details - and they were exactly what I was asking for. If the revised article is ever published in the ON, many of your insights will be included - without attribution. I'd also like to extend a warm welcome to the last two posters; relative newcomers to the forum.

It seems none of the better known posters on this topic have volunteered to receive and forward PM's, so if any of you wish to contribute information on this topic for a future ON article without "going public," you can send me a PM with my assurance of annonimity.

The more I think about my own mistakes and those I've heard about or read about in this thread, the more I think most (but not all) "drops" are preventable. Absorbing and applying information may be the greatest safety "secret" of all. And we all have more to learn.

Please do add to this pool of knowledge - either in a reply or a PM - with the sure knowledge that you will save some riders some grief.
 
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