50 ways to drop your Night Hawk

[DJ0820]

i wish i had saddlebags that would hold a 24-pack

[leptim]

All I will admit to is I am very glad my concours has tip over bars on it. And I know they work very well. I was rocking forward off the center stand and got distracted and by time I realized she was going over it was too late to stop it.

[Lithium]

First day I had my nighthawk I dropped it.  I had ridden only really small dirtbikes before that so this was my first real bike.  Went to stop at a stop sign and leaned over to far and couldn't control the weight.  Tried to  bring it back up but ended up still dropping it and I sprained my wrist.  Talk about a rough first day  .  I've come a long ways since then and I actually am kinda glad I did it.  Taught me to respect the bike, my ability, and only did minimal damage.

[LOKi]

Get a tow from a 4 wheeler on rutted dirt roads. 7 times. Rode it to the ground each time. Gear works. Bike was out of commission for over a month. 

[gammer]

My local Honda dealer employees are ingrained with this practice when driving/pushing/sitting on customers bikes:

-They never put the kick stand down when sitting on the bike.
-They put the front brake on, get off the bike while holding the brake. Then they push the kick stand all the way forward with their foot and hold it there for a second. Then they turn the bars to the left while lowering the bike down on the kick stand and they do not let go until the bike is fully supported by the kick stand.

They look like they are trying to be very careful while doing this too. I admire that they all practice this...diligently. I imagine it only takes dropping a customers bike once, before you implement this type of practice.

[LOKi]

good luck trying that with mine. With the fuel cell on there is no way your getting off the bike without putting a stand down. Well there is a way but it's way more risky than just putting down the side stand. Too mount the bike I have to stab my leg through then hop closer. Same to get off. Most of the time it looks like I'm falling off the bike when I dismount. I do it cool though. 

[Soupskin]

i wish i had saddlebags that would hold a 24-pack

I can get about 5 in mine....  

But, I sold a car to pay for it...   

[SirSeanSean]

I dropped mine 4 days after I got it. The rear drum was sticking as I was trying to walk it into its respectful parking spot. It locked up so I put my right foot down..... right on a nice fresh mud spot........ drop. This happened twice. Second time was only two weeks after the first. Both times it only broke then bent the hand brake.

[ariwhiteboy]

i wish i had saddlebags that would hold a 24-pack

I can get about 5 in mine....   

But, I sold a car to pay for it...   

More like 5 and a big @$$ chunk of pork! 

[hap]

 My darling wife rides a 250 NH that has a gravity problem. Twice she was just sitting and it fell over to the left. She doesn't know why. First time had to replace shifter rod, second time all was well. I told her just to get out the way if / when this should happen. We can repair the bike easier than personal injury. I have had my share of "attempting" to catch the bike years ago. Those days are long gone.

[Soupskin]

My darling wife rides a 250 NH that has a gravity problem. Twice she was just sitting and it fell over to the left. She doesn't know why. First time had to replace shifter rod, second time all was well. I told her just to get out the way if / when this should happen. We can repair the bike easier than personal injury. I have had my share of "attempting" to catch the bike years ago. Those days are long gone.

Yeah my last down in my driveway I was left standing thanks to that lesson.  Since I was not injured, I was able to pick it back up again.

[flynavyj]

haven't dropped the NH yet, have always had a fear of watching it roll off the kickstand though, but it still doesn't lean over as far as my suzuki or old CM400 did. I dropped the CM twice, both times were identicanal, once while stopped on a gravel driveway attempting a 3 point turn around (prior to getting my license) and the second was turning onto a gravel road for a turn around after having my license...On the second one, i wasn't going very fast, but the bike just slid right away from me, with the rear wheel still spinning once it was on the ground. I almost dropped my suzuki soon after getting it, i didn't think i was going to make a u-turn before i hit the curb, i tapped the front brake (which was more effective than i thought it was going to be) and the bike leaned over on it's side...I muscle manned it back uprigth, giving my anckle a minor sprain in the process...

[XFat TonyX]

Mine rolled off the 4x6 it was sitting on while building (no rear tire) it stayed upright and I laughed as my friends panicked

[cptgrits]

Well, it will stall and fall over when you try making a left turn from a standing start in 3rd gear. DAHIK.  Took a week for the local hondayamasuki shop to get a new clutch lever....... grrrr.

[R7000]

I was backing down my slightly inclined driveway and turned the wrong way in relation to the slope and dumped it.  Worse, I had to get help picking it up.  Oh, and it also blew over while on the center stand in a parking lot.  I came out, it was upright with a note.  Another bike owner had picked it up for me.  Glad I didn't see it.

Tom

[bajakirch]

Oh, and it also blew over while on the center stand in a parking lot.  I came out, it was upright with a note.  Another bike owner had picked it up for me.  Glad I didn't see it.

Tom

Was this during Katrina? I can't imagine a wind strong enough up here to blow over my bike when it's on the center stand.

[Ol School]

Yep next time I will jump clear of the bike ..and yell TIMBER !   
limping around with a cane for three months just isn`t worth trying to save it ..

[tcoop]

I have not dropped the Nighthawk (but my son has) i did drop the Venture two days after I got it. I have a sum what step driveway and the Venture was on the center stand. I wanted to push it into the garage, it's too heavy to push up hill while statling the bike. So I tool it off the center stand...standing next to it, when 700+ pounds starts falling away from you it can't be stopped. Thanks goodness for crash bars no damage to the bike.

[fortyhourdays]

I dropped mine trying to turn down a gravel driveway.  I was only going a couple miles an hour, but the gravel was the coarse loose stuff, not packed at all.  My front tire hit the gravel which sunk in a couple inches and down I went.  I was glad for my leather gloves that day. 

[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.

Funny how much difference a few months can mean. Since originally posting this response, I've had my bike on the ground twice. See what happens when you poke the gods? 

Dang near had it happen again this morning. I rode the bike to work and had way more on my mind than I should have. I got to work, started leaning the bike over onto the kickstand and -- oops, no kickstand. Good thing I've been hitting the weights again, as I was able to muscle it back upright. But it was touch-and-go there for a few seconds.

I'll tell you what helped was grabbing the front brake. Fighting gravity AND forward momentum probably would have done me in.

[LOKi]

You know bajakirch. If you kill the bike WITH the side stand you will never forget. Bike turns off if you lower the kickstand right? Could be wrong though, what year is your bike?

If you put that info in your signature we wouldn't have to ask...

[Laminar]

You know bajakirch. If you kill the bike WITH the side stand you will never forget. Bike turns off if you lower the kickstand right? Could be wrong though, what year is your bike?

If you put that info in your signature we wouldn't have to ask...

'83 550. We don't have no stinking side stand kill switch.

[tcoop]

Backing down the driveway (it has about a 4% slope) out of the garage,hit a patch of ice with my foot and over it goes. OK so it was not the Nighthawk (it would have been easy to hold up) it was my 1100. No damage to the bike just embarrassing.

[Ol School]

Next bike I buy I think I`ll just kick it over before I ride it home ...

[Hangster]

Next bike I buy I think I`ll just kick it over before I ride it home ...

You should kick over before you buy it , you might get a better deal