Officially the worst motorcyclist

[teazer]

Given enough time, all of us can make those mistakes.

I had an immaculate VFR750 and went out to dinner with a couple of my ex work mates. parked the bike outside the front door and put on my brand new disk lock just to keep it safe. It's one of those nice small ones, not the huge U tube type..

After dinner I'm showing off, so I give it a large handful of revs and let the clutch out rather sharply. Bike basically jumps in the air and throws itself, and me, on the ground. All sorts of fairing and paint damage and thank goodness for dark tinted visors to hide the red face.

It's when we're showing off and not thinking that we do the stupidest things. How does that old saying go?

Engage brain before operating motorcycle.

 

[Captmilk76]

I just bought my wife a bike (her first and she just passed the safety course) when I got it home I told her to get on and start it up. She continued to start it until the battery died. I was putting the ramps and straps back in the truck at the time. I came over to check the petcocks and that it had gas in the tank, only to find the kill switch on the off position.

Sent from my DROID RAZR

 

[RoadRash]

Very easy to just suffer from a total brain fart. I was doing some tuning one day, had it in neutral with the kick down, then decided to just kill it while standing next to it by dropping into first gear (with my right foot), which is how I always leave it, regardless of if I'm in the garage or out somewhere. Problem was, I failed to pull the clutch in, so it lunges forward, foot peg gouging the back of my leg. Fortunately, the kick switch kept it from running and doing any MORE damage, to myself or ITSELF!

DOH!

It pays to keep your mind on the job at hand.

 

[YogiBear]

Please tell me I'm not the only one to do something this stupid.

Don't beat yourself up too bad. I've made that mistake myself. It's the one thing you never think of to check.

 

[Clinedesign]

I did that kickstand not down thing, but only once. A week after I bought my new Triumph I gassed up the bike at a local station, sat on the bike and started it up. I then put it in gear and the bike died. I did that several times before I realized I'd left the kickstand down. Bike won't let you put it in gear with the stand down but will let you get off with the stand up. Stupid engineers!

 

[Brendami]

FINE-C

F-fuel
I-ignition
N-neutral
E-engine cut off
C-clutch-choke

I did the same thing, then I thought "so thats why they teach us that^ in motorcycle safety course!" it helped me since then

 

[Redbird]

Wow, I'm sure glad I've never done any of the silly things you guys have mentioned... nope, not me. Noooo way.

(that's my story and I'm stickin to it )

 

[rays650cafe]

So far, the worst thing was a few days after filling up the 650. I was riding down the road and I glanced down at my trip meter and noticed I was at 140 mi and hadn't needed to switch over to reserve yet! Wow what awesome milage! Sputter, sputter, dead silence.......roll......to.......stop........fuck!!!!

 

[RotaryDanglish]

So far, the worst thing was a few days after filling up the 650. I was riding down the road and I glanced down at my trip meter and noticed I was at 140 mi and hadn't needed to switch over to reserve yet! Wow what awesome milage! Sputter, sputter, dead silence.......roll......to.......stop........fuck!!!!

Aww that's just typical!

 

[MILKY]

1)... buy 1953 excelsior
2)... test bike at sellers.. works good
3) pay for bike to be delivered
4) bike arrives at my home
5) cannot start bike
6) get mad.. take petrol feed apart, check petcock, check jets, check spark, check carb.. waste 2 hours
7) realize fuel was drained from bike for transport safety
8) slap head
9) wife tries not to laugh

 

[Wahoo650]

Hell, I forgot my entire motorcycle once... Went in to Kroger's for a loaf of bread on the way home from work and came out with 6 bags of groceries! Stood there looking for my truck when I finally noticed my bike!

 

[JustinLonghorn]

My brother and I used to play the flip kill switch game all of the time. Sitting at a stop sign/red light/whatever, point to something in the opposite direction, and then reach over and flip the kill switch.

Not as much fun on a kick only bike.

 

[Rusnak_322]

My wife used to race a Honda RS125GP.
I don't know how many times I used to run up and down the paddock (almost always in full leathers) trying to get that stupid bike to start only to notice that the kill switch was still on off. Never learned.

I also miss the days of riding with my friend and his ZX-6. It had a big gas on/off on the side of the tank. I got him so many times... Never got old.

 

[reds]

My brother and I used to play the flip kill switch game all of the time. Sitting at a stop sign/red light/whatever, point to something in the opposite direction, and then reach over and flip the kill switch.

Not as much fun on a kick only bike.

Ha, I used to play that game myself. On the old bikes with key switch only, I remember riding downtown Toronto with a bunch of buddies and we were playing that. We pull up to to a red light and I and reach over and turn the key on my buddies bike who is up from NYC and he slaps my hand away......... with half his key!!

Another favourite at parties, get togethers and rallies is the ol' pull the spark plug cap trick. I remember one rally a buddy and I were the last ones up still drinking so we pulled everyones spark plug caps except for two guys' bikes so eveyone would think they did it. Sunday morning was awesome watching 50 people try to kickstart their bikes and then proceed to try and push start them in dewy wet grass. Good times!

 

[fitbmxseries1]

I need an idiot light that shows i shut my fuel off, Ive done this way to many times, it runs for 30 seconds then dies... i swear alot at how crappy my bike is then.. i remember how stupid i can be.

 

[rrjlind]

I then put it in gear and the bike died. I did that several times before I realized I'd left the kickstand down. Bike won't let you put it in gear with the stand down but will let you get off with the stand up. Stupid engineers!

when i first got my first bike running i did this, drove me crazy.

thanks to everyone for sharing, truely funny stories

 

[Speedfiend]

My Triton is mag fired and has no keyed ignition switch, my BSA is more typical. I have spent alot of time kicking the beezer without the switch turned on. I just forget, usually when theres people watching.

On a side note, I'd NEVER leave my bike. I have pushed bikes for miles. Just keep telling yourself-"its a free bike, all I gotta do is push it." Cause that's what some guy who comes along with a truck might be thinking.

 

[7aliveatlast7]

one time last year before a ride with my buddy, i rolled my bike out of the garage and noticed a zip tie around the frame that i had used to hold something out of the way the last time i'd worked on it. it didn't need to be there any more, so i grabbed a pair of tin snips to cut it off. we then threw on our gear and got ready to hit the open road...only problem was my bike wouldn't start. i checked the petcock position, killswitch, and everything else before i noticed a wire was cut and was preventing my bike from even turning over.
naturally, i started freaking out, thinking someone had broken into my parents' garage and sabotaged my bike. i started to think of people i had wronged or had possibly ticked off over the previous weeks, but nothing seemed to add up. i spent about 15 minutes staring at it and convincing myself that someone had a grudge against me and knew my bike was the best way to hit close to my heart.
finally, i realized that i had accidentally snipped it myself when cutting off the zip tie, haha. there were mixed feelings of satisfaction and idiocy once i got to the bottom of that one, haha.

 

[DreadRock]

Was running woods race and at the riders meeting i killed the bike . After the meeting started up the bike and headed for the start line. It was a big grass up hill start so did a pre run up it got to the top and the bike bogged. Heading back dowm the hill was freaking out think i foul a plug ( KTM 250 XC) and started going over what needed done and how much time befor the start. As i was heading to my truck it hit " You turned off the gas at the riders meeting dumb ass " Sure enough looked down and turned petcock on and and fired back up LOL
Also have done the kill switch off with the i dont know what the hell the problem is look