It's often said that dropping your bike is not a matter of "if" but "when". My "when" came yesterday, a gorgeous spring like day with clear skies and 70 degree weather. Rode the NC to a dental appointment and upon leaving failed to notice a steep drop off from the sidewalk I was crossing to the road surface. Crossing at an angle, the front wheel kicked to one side and I was thrown clear of the bike and onto the street. Fortunately a fellow in a P/U stopped when he observed my fall and tried to lift my bike for me. As the two of us struggled to lift the bike another man was there to help and the bike was soon righted and on the side stand. After expressing my gratitude to them both I checked myself over and was surprised that I only had a sore shin and a profound feeling of stupidity that I had failed to notice this obvious hazard. Only damage to the NC was a broken front brake lever, amazingly no damage to the plastic panels or engine cases. I credit my safety gear for avoiding any further injury from the fall.
Thinking back, the last time I dropped a bike was 1975 when I low sided my BMW while playing boy racer on an expressway cloverleaf. I've been lucky for a long time. Be careful out there.
(02-16-2023, 02:14 AM)redbirds_imp Wrote: [ -> ]It's often said that dropping your bike is not a matter of "if" but "when". My "when" came yesterday, a gorgeous spring like day with clear skies and 70 degree weather. Rode the NC to a dental appointment and upon leaving failed to notice a steep drop off from the sidewalk I was crossing to the road surface. Crossing at an angle, the front wheel kicked to one side and I was thrown clear of the bike and onto the street. Fortunately a fellow in a P/U stopped when he observed my fall and tried to lift my bike for me. As the two of us struggled to lift the bike another man was there to help and the bike was soon righted and on the side stand. After expressing my gratitude to them both I checked myself over and was surprised that I only had a sore shin and a profound feeling of stupidity that I had failed to notice this obvious hazard. Only damage to the NC was a broken front brake lever, amazingly no damage to the plastic panels or engine cases. I credit my safety gear for avoiding any further injury from the fall.
Thinking back, the last time I dropped a bike was 1975 when I low sided my BMW while playing boy racer on an expressway cloverleaf. I've been lucky for a long time. Be careful out there.
Sorry to hear of the awkward dismount, but at least you avoided a broken wrist, elbow, etc. that could have happened. 48 years w/out an incident is a very good record.
Sorry to hear about that, Redbirds, but glad you are undamaged, the bike is relatively undamaged, and ther only thing that was hurt was your pride
Been there, done that. Came around a tight bend on a two-lane twisty in Malibu years ago, and came upon a bizarre scene, a rather attractive lady running down the road chasing her dog. Trying to do the chivalrous thing, I immediately stopped to try to catch the dog for her. Payed no attention to the fact that my bike was on pavement, but I put my side stand down in the soft dirt, and the bike tipped over seconds after I got off.
Didn't catch the dog, but found out that BMW turn signal replacements are expensive.
Yes, I think we have all been there, or will be there one day. Glad that you are OK.
13 years ago I dropped my good old Moto Guzzi Griso on the very first day I brought it home. I rode very slowly up on our (slippery wet grassy) driveway and, not fully grasping the difference between my old dual sport DRZ400 and a heavy torquey road bike with road tires, I made the turn too tight, and down I went. I was fine, and the bike only had a small scratch on its plastic cylinder protection bar, but lesson learned (I hope...
).
Ah crap redbirds. So glad to read you and the NC came out well and no one else was affected. Nice to have the community help too.
Thankfully the NC is not an overweight machine.
We've all dropped one at one time or other. I was able to pick up my Honda CL450 myself three times. I dropped my Beemer RT twice, at a dead stop, and had to get help to right it both times. That was part of my decision to sell it.
That sucks. Glad you fared well!
Great you got off so lightly redbirds especially as you were on the move. I took out my clutch lever dropping the bike at standstill at a petrol station thinking my side stand was down. My replacement was a folding lever and it came in handy again a few months later as I lost my footing on gravel, again at standstill, stopping for a photo. Worth looking into a folding levers if they exist for the NC.
Glad you weren't hurt birds. in 2018 I dropped my FJR in a gravel parking lot turning around while on a trip to W Va and broke my left elbow. It was a painful 300 mile ride home to the ER.
Glad you're in one piece mister birds ! Send those friendly helpers a cake please !
Who can say, "it will not happen to me". But I also have a feeling that it will not happen to me ON the CB1100. Being a heaver bike, this has the effect on the rider (me), that I am very, very careful whenever the speed is lower than 10mph (which applies here).