50 ways to drop your Night Hawk

[Ol School]

I know everyone has done it ..I`ve dropped my twice in the past 6 months of owning it .
First drop was on my fresh gravel driveway apron ...front brake was locking up and I was in a hurry to get it into my shop so I could release it .
Second time ...I was warming up the bike and forgot my kickstand was up ...leaned her over on the stand to go after my forgotten helmet in the house .
I know it will probally happen again but I`ve read this list and am on the lookout ...http://www.bigbearbikers.com/bbrr/drop.html
This list should add ...never ..never drop your bike in front of other forum members !   

[geemann]

 

I have made one or two of those initial blunders but managed to keep the bike upright!

[Ol School]

I sold my last bike due to failing health and the bike was just too heavy for me ..I know I lack the strenght and balance I use to have ......but I no longer ride like I have strenght and balance anymore eaither ..
I dropped my Harley in the back yard after my last operation ...I would still be pinned under it if my brother in law hadn`t been here to get it off me.
So I sold the Harley and bought the NH ...I`ll still ride if I have to go with a trike ....

[hppants]

Here I go showing my age again... 

"50 Ways to Drop your Nighthawk"

1.  Hop on the Bus Gus

2.  Make a New Plan (for your) Stan(d)

3.  Drop off the Key Lee

 

I can't keep a straight face.

[Ol School]

  hppants  makes me feel better to read about the blunders of others .
remember everyone ....if you can`t laugh at yourself ...you shouldn`t laugh at others .
I think I was cool in the 60`s ...but it takes hard winter to make me cool anymore ...

[gammer]

I nearly dropped my old cx500 in the driveway because I had forgotten something and I let go of the bike to run in and grab whatever I had forgotten. But I turned around at the last second to catch my bike. All I can figure is that it must have been almost perfectly balanced, as it stayed upright for a moment or two.

I got all my drops and wipe outs when I was racing dirt bikes...that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

[Laminar]

I was pretty proud that I had 10,000 miles under my belt and not a single drop of any of my bikes.

Until I turned a corner in the Wal-Mart parking lot at 15mph, and gravel dust still on the sides of the tires cause the bike to literally fall out from under me.

[skramer360]

Armor All on the tires 

[RustyFairmount]

touch front brake on gravel.  whoops!  where'd the bike go???  it's that fast.

[Munkey]

I dropped mine when I pulled both wheels off to take them to have new tires mounted. I mistakenly thought it would stay on the centerstand.

[HawkFuzz]

I was slowing down to stop in front of the house.  I couldn't get my boot off the peg.  I was looking down at the peg and I lost my balance.  I did get my foot free but the bike was already listing at a 35 degree angle and I couldn't save it.

I had a cramp in my leg and the boot wasn't actually stuck, my leg just didn't want to move as fast as I wanted it to move.  I pulled my hamstring trying to keep the bike from crashing to the ground.  I did manage to set the bike down and only bend the clutch lever.

[Burgi]

I tried for the 2fer. Pushed the NH into the garage next to my scoot. Set it down on the kickstand and it was to far over by the time I realized that the stand wasn't locked and it started to fold.
NH came over smashed into the scooter but somehow I managed it to keep it from going completely over (which would have taken out the scooter, which would have hit the car.
So there I stood with the NH to far over for me to lift back up but I couldn't let it down without taking down the scoot. To add to the fun the NH decided to leak a steady stream of gas down my leg and soak my shoe.
Lucky one of daughters was home. So I am bellowing for help and getting the teen girl..."yeah mom, in a minute" response. She finally got out there and rescued me.
OK, so maybe sometimes when my kids roll their eyes about their mom it is legit. 

[roadrunner]

Grabbed the helmet and hopped on the CB750 for a quick trip to the local home improvement center.  While putting the kickstand down my left foot slipped on some grease in the parking lot.  The bike fell over and onto my left foot (wearing tennis shoes at the time).  Hurt like h*** but I said I'm here and proceeded to go shopping anyway.  In the store I realized it was worse than I thought so I limped back to the bike and was able to get it home (shifting was very painful).  Turned out to be a fracture complete with cast and crutches, etc.  Oh .. I ALWAYS wear motorcycle boots now!  

[bajakirch]

I dropped mine when I pulled both wheels off to take them to have new tires mounted. I mistakenly thought it would stay on the centerstand.

Thanks for the warning. I'm probably buying a new set of tires in a couple of weeks.

I haven't laid my down...yet [knocking on wood]. But I came close not too long after I got it. One of those 'I thought I put down the kickstand but didn't' situations while I was astride it. The 550's not a heavy bike, but I dang near blew a n*t keeping it from hitting the ground and getting it back upright.

[geaux]

practice your lo speed turning on a flat lot and then apply said skills in a sharp turn going back slightly uphill. Stall. Fail. I mean fall. I am getting good at picking the bike up though 

[LOKi]

Don't hurt yourself trying to hold up a falling bike. I wrenched my back trying to keep my old rebel 250 from falling over once. I can just about bench press that bike but when your standing over it you don't have the correct leverage to keep it from falling. Trying usually just pulls something or worse. So instead of a scratch on the bike you get a blown disk in your back. It's better to just let it fall and fix the damage than screwing up your back for life.

[gammer]

So instead of a scratch on the bike you get a blown disk in your back. It's better to just let it fall and fix the damage than screwing up your back for life.

Natural instinct is to grab the bike and start lifting (the wrong way). Letting the bike go is sometimes easier said then done.

[Ol School]

When I dropped mine on the driveway apron gravel ....my just putting new mirrors on it that morning flashed in my brain ..
I tried to catch the fall with my left foot and ended up  with a bad pulled left groin muscle ...I had to use a walker around here for a few weeks ...and it hurt for 3 months ....not a scratch on the bike or new mirrors though ..
If it ever happens again ...I will let her fall and just get myself out of the way ....3 months of pain over a set of 27.00 mirrors was a high price to pay.
 

[fishball]

I was having a tough time starting the Nighthawk while leaving work.  I was getting frustrated and not paying attention.  The bike finally turned over and because I wasn't paying attention when I released the clutch lever the bike took off because it was in first gear.  Only went about a foot and fell over in front of me.  I was so ticked off with myself.

[justcynn]

I was riding my Father in Laws Goldwing which I really wasn't used to, went to town to buy a 24 pack of beverage to take back to his house and while in the parking lot the weight of the beverage in the Saddle bag threw the balance way off, down went the bike, luckily some other were around to help me get her back upright and even luckier there was no visible damage to the bike!

[Brittles]

the weight of the beverage in the Saddle bag threw the balance way off, down went the bike,

Yea, blame it on the beer.

[justcynn]

you are right, it was not the beers fault - it is never the beers fault!  However - I learned a valuable lesson in that experience about how what seem like little things can really change the feel of a bike and I felt even luckier that I had long since made the decision not to drink the beer before getting on a bike!  All is well that ends well though - no damage to myself or the bike and I got to enjoy that beer once I got it back to his place!

[bullcity]

and of course you told your Father in Law all about dropping his bike?

My ignition coils were going out on the highway and I coasted down an exit ramp. Of course, I didn't stop where it was actually level... I stopped on the grade. And of course instead of the center stand I thought the kick stand was much more conducive for wrenching.

Everything was fine checking spare on the clutch side, but as soon as I started taking out a plug on the throttle side it tipped the balance enough to drop the bike.

[JB1290]

I haven't dropped my NH (yet) but, a few weeks ago, I spent some time cleaning and detailing my Bandit when a few buddies stopped over for some adult beverages. We were all admiring my work when I went to take it off the center stand and lost my balance. It was like slow motion when it started falling over. I have a blown disc in my back that I didn't want to make worse so, I let it go. I managed to bend the brake lever and put a small scratch on the side cover of the engine. My pride was hurt more than anything.

It wasn't the beers fault though. 

[Ol School]

I wish I had something to blame on my 2 drops besides myself ..