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[Flo_Evans]

On road? No, but there was that time I hit a patch of antifreeze and dropped it making a left at an intersection.

Off road? I don't really keep track anymore... Most are zero speed tip overs when attempting to stop or getting bogged down.

Actually I had a pretty scary pucker moment last ride, I was looking at a barn or something and my front tire dipped off the shoulder. Started going into a tank slapper and I was like welp... At least I will die doing what I love. Lucky it wasn't a huge drop off and I managed to calm the bike down and get back on the road.

 

[Gritesh]

So let me ask you guys, have any of you ever fallen? How long were you riding for when it happened, etc?

Can I expect to go down?

Off road?

More than I can remember, and the aches and pains to prove it.

On road?

No. And yes you and I can at one point expect to go down, I've been riding 8 years on road and nothing yet so fingers crossed!

 

[richardhawk]

So let me ask you guys, have any of you ever fallen? How long were you riding for when it happened, etc?

Can I expect to go down?

Riding for 6 years now and I've never had an accident on road. I got clipped by a car but the lady just caught the back of my tire and i rode off since it wasn't a big deal. Since having the harley dirt bike i've eaten shit about 50 times. Still fun.

 

[OraleeWey]

That's good to know that nothing major has happened. Mostly off road falls, but that's to be expected. I hear this all the time "there are two types of riders, those who have gone down and those who will go down".

 

[Dougald]

I've not come off on the road yet, but I have had 3 of my bikes go down, embarrassingly. I dropped my Bonneville when I slipped on gravel in a French car park, and I dropped my ST1100 when I was parking and put my foot down in what turned out to be a patch of diesel

The other bike that went over was my Fazer, I wasn't even anywhere near it, it rolled off the side stand in my driveway while I was putting my helmet on!

 

[maxheadwound]

So let me ask you guys, have any of you ever fallen? How long were you riding for when it happened, etc?

Can I expect to go down?

I have dropped a few of my GS bikes and fallen on a gravel pass and went over the hadel bars. Bike was fine and helmet looked like a shark bit me. But damn man that GS is a beast to pick up if you only weigh 65kg. all good and part of the experience. My rule is to ride today so I can ride again tomorrow.

 

[Fallout-NL]

Yeah, I kinda felt like King Arthur after picking up the Ulysses.

 

[Dougald]

I can imagine, it took 2 of us to pick up the ST1100 with a lot of swearing... that was one heavy bike, 297kg dry, so it must have been pushing 330kg with oil and fuel in it. I could have picked up my Fazer with one hand though.

 

[maxheadwound]

The fall was a "now you going to fast over the top of the pass" then thinking how steep can it be.... on the other side I had two options go down the mountain or go into the mountain. I went for the into the mountain. lol. Also the friggen foot peg went into my shin just above the rim of the boot. Man that hurt.... also the GPS fell though the gap and manged to get almost chopped in half by the front wheel spokes. When I stop at my mate that was waiting at the bottom of the pass I grabbed one of his cigarettes and a coffee to calm down as we still had like 300km to go to get home. Fun times

 

[blackprophesy]

So let me ask you guys, have any of you ever fallen? How long were you riding for when it happened, etc?

Can I expect to go down?

Yes. My Grom/MSX doing about 5 mph about 1/4 mile from my house because I didn't realise how amazingly slick it's tires would be when it hit a tiny piece of ice. Was a good inexpensive lesson that riding with ANY chance of ice is not worth it.

Off-road. Only ridden off-road once and went down when my wheel caught on the size of a massive rut. Maybe 20mph. No biggie into soft dirt.

 

[thesoapster]

So let me ask you guys, have any of you ever fallen? How long were you riding for when it happened, etc?

Can I expect to go down?

Yes

(And hard to say if you can expect it...it does happen to many, but some riders go decades without having any incidents...hoping that's why my riding will be like from now on...)

First time I had been riding around 1.5 years. I was hit by a car. Thread I made for it long ago. Basically a red light runner hit me from the front/right, put me in the hospital for four days. I still have weird little shoulder issues on my right shoulder, and I'm not even out of my 20s yet.

Second and third times were lower speed and surface related. The second was a wet track crash. https://youtu.be/PiUwh9rDGog. Nothing happened to me outside of some bruising (mainly of the ego). Lesson is be careful on slick surfaces with turn transition speed and throttle application...traction is scarce, and I wasn't on rains or anything...just Dunlop Q2s. The third time was on a road that had eroded heavily over the winter with a decent amount of gravel and a ton of "dust" (it was road debris that had eroded). Was going the speed limit, leaned a little bit in the slight turn I was in and saw a huge gravel pile around the corner. Started to brake (not heavily) and just immediately lost the front. Again, bruised ego, etc.

The final time was riding with a friend. http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=175676550&postcount=9941. The lesson there is don't ride with people who behave like they're not being followed (and if you do, never forget the type of rider they are). I think I described my position as being "so close" but it was at least four car lengths. If he would have braked on a straight section of road I would have been fine, but the bizarre layout of that section meant I was scanning elsewhere. We had been riding over an hour, so I felt very much in "the pace" we had going. There's a warning sign before the road he wanted to turn, but I never got a turn signal from him. If you don't know the road is there, it's extremely easy to overshoot.

 

[Watevaman]

So let me ask you guys, have any of you ever fallen? How long were you riding for when it happened, etc?

Can I expect to go down?

Been down three times, all of them my fault. The first one happened on my friend's Virago 250 in a parking lot before I had my license. We were practicing riding and my niece ran out in front of me. I grabbed a handful of front brake and went down.

The second incident happened on my GS500. I had been riding for about 3 years at this point and had around 15k miles of riding under my belt. What I concluded happened with this one was that a I crossed the crown of the road, which was damp, and reduced my traction too much to sustain the angle that the bike was at. There's a video of this crash here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYI5tunSwp4

The third crash happened last May. I was coming to a stoplight and while braking with the front, hit a flat piece of black plastic that I didn't see. It locked the front wheel and down I went. There's a video of that here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7U31U5Wg_Y

None of these resulted in more than a scraped up knee and I'm grateful for that. However, as I said a few pages back, I think they broke something in my head because I ride way more carefully now almost to the point where stuff I used to find fun is now just stressful. This doesn't happen to everyone, and I'm not gonna stop riding, but a crash will at the very least affect the way you ride from then on.


I'm not so sure I'm an advocate of the "two types of riders" statement. I know plenty of people who ride so carefully that if they ever go down, it'll be because somebody hit them. It's much more likely you'll go down if you're the type to ride a bit more aggressive on the street but I wouldn't say it's a given that every rider crashes.

 

[OraleeWey]

Been down three times, all of them my fault. The first one happened on my friend's Virago 250 in a parking lot before I had my license. We were practicing riding and my niece ran out in front of me. I grabbed a handful of front brake and went down.

The second incident happened on my GS500. I had been riding for about 3 years at this point and had around 15k miles of riding under my belt. What I concluded happened with this one was that a I crossed the crown of the road, which was damp, and reduced my traction too much to sustain the angle that the bike was at. There's a video of this crash here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYI5tunSwp4

The third crash happened last May. I was coming to a stoplight and while braking with the front, hit a flat piece of black plastic that I didn't see. It locked the front wheel and down I went. There's a video of that here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7U31U5Wg_Y

None of these resulted in more than a scraped up knee and I'm grateful for that. However, as I said a few pages back, I think they broke something in my head because I ride way more carefully now almost to the point where stuff I used to find fun is now just stressful. This doesn't happen to everyone, and I'm not gonna stop riding, but a crash will at the very least affect the way you ride from then on.


I'm not so sure I'm an advocate of the "two types of riders" statement. I know plenty of people who ride so carefully that if they ever go down, it'll be because somebody hit them. It's much more likely you'll go down if you're the type to ride a bit more aggressive on the street but I wouldn't say it's a given that every rider crashes.

When you went down it sounded like you were in a lot of pain. That didn't stop you from turning off the motor first thing. Glad you're okay man.

Yes

(And hard to say if you can expect it...it does happen to many, but some riders go decades without having any incidents...hoping that's why my riding will be like from now on...)

First time I had been riding around 1.5 years. I was hit by a car. Thread I made for it long ago. Basically a red light runner hit me from the front/right, put me in the hospital for four days. I still have weird little shoulder issues on my right shoulder, and I'm not even out of my 20s yet.

Second and third times were lower speed and surface related. The second was a wet track crash. https://youtu.be/PiUwh9rDGog. Nothing happened to me outside of some bruising (mainly of the ego). Lesson is be careful on slick surfaces with turn transition speed and throttle application...traction is scarce, and I wasn't on rains or anything...just Dunlop Q2s. The third time was on a road that had eroded heavily over the winter with a decent amount of gravel and a ton of "dust" (it was road debris that had eroded). Was going the speed limit, leaned a little bit in the slight turn I was in and saw a huge gravel pile around the corner. Started to brake (not heavily) and just immediately lost the front. Again, bruised ego, etc.

The final time was riding with a friend. http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=175676550&postcount=9941. The lesson there is don't ride with people who behave like they're not being followed (and if you do, never forget the type of rider they are). I think I described my position as being "so close" but it was at least four car lengths. If he would have braked on a straight section of road I would have been fine, but the bizarre layout of that section meant I was scanning elsewhere. We had been riding over an hour, so I felt very much in "the pace" we had going. There's a warning sign before the road he wanted to turn, but I never got a turn signal from him. If you don't know the road is there, it's extremely easy to overshoot.

It doesn't sound like it was your fault man. Looks like your friend wasn't considerate of you. Glad you're okay as well.

 

[stephendedalus]

oh no not getting away with not posting photos haha.

My Suzuki TU250x and KTM 690 Duke

 

[Damaged]

Yeah had a few accidents over the years, mostly my own fault but a few due to conditions and other road users.

I ride all year round as it's my only for of transport so ice usually plays it's part. The self inflicted ones were when I had my KTM supermoto, that thing would grip the road then just let go with very little warning haha, had a highside on that at about 60 which threw me in a hedge, lowsided it going into a roundabout (my own fault, didn't see the damp Road and was backing it in) at around 50, both of those times I was lucky and rode away with the bike in one piece and minor injuries.

The worst I had was actually my slowest one, was going round a roundabout in the rain at around 5mph in an industrial Park on my way home from work when someone cut across the wrong side of it. Decided that hitting the road was preferable to hitting a car so lay the bike down and ended up smashing my left knee, was in hospital for a month, had a cast on my leg (toe to hip) for three months then spent another 6 months learning to walk again.

The best thing I ever did was to get back on a bike as soon as the cast was off because I don't know if I would have had the courage to do it if I left it any longer, it wasn't the safest with one bad leg and my crutches in a rucksack but I don't regret it in the slightest.

 

[maxheadwound]

My Suzuki TU250x and KTM 690 Duke

That duke is a good looking machine. thanks for posting the photos up

 

[David Incorporated Esq.]

Has anyone heard anything on release dates for Moto Guzzi's V9? I already have a sportster 883 so it's a very similar bike but something about the V9 Bobber is really attractive to me.

Plus it's damn sexy and sounds way better than the HD.

 

[Dougald]

It's already out here in the UK I think - at least, there are Demo bikes around

I was looking at it the other day out of curiosity, I think dealers were saying May delivery on new orders

 

[maxheadwound]

Its a nice looking machine.

 

[David Incorporated Esq.]

Its a nice looking machine.

Yeah, it looks cooler than my 883 and has a much better exhaust note. Apparently that's enough for me to waste a few grand trading mine in.

 

[richardhawk]

Might as well go for the new triumph if you want that styling and a bigger engine I think.

 

[Dougald]

I got a look at it last year at the bike show, it's a lovely looking bike in person too.

Doesn't seem to have a whole lot of power though, probably comparable to the street twin, which makes sense as its similarly priced.

 

[Fallout-NL]

Better exhaust note than a Sportster? Dunno about that. At least not from what I'm hearing in the videos.

 

[David Incorporated Esq.]

I got a look at it last year at the bike show, it's a lovely looking bike in person too.

Doesn't seem to have a whole lot of power though, probably comparable to the street twin, which makes sense as its similarly priced.

Yeah but I've just never cared for the look of the Triumphs. It's why I originally got the Iron 883 over the Bonneville.

Better exhaust note than a Sportster? Dunno about that. At least not from what I'm hearing in the videos.

I prefer it; the 883 isn't a big twin but it still has that kind of unappealing (to me) HD lope. I'd need to hear the guzzi in person though.

Also it means I wouldn't have a Harley anymore so old guys would stop talking to me about their totally bitching straight piped road glides.

 

[Dougald]

Yeah but I've just never cared for the look of the Triumphs. It's why I originally got the Iron 883 over the Bonneville.

Fair enough. FWIW I would probably have the Guzzi over a Street Twin anyway

I'd have a T120 over both, but it's not in the same price point

 

[David Incorporated Esq.]

Fair enough. FWIW I would probably have the Guzzi over a Street Twin anyway

I'd have a T120 over both, but it's not in the same price point

Actually it looks like the Guzzi is going to be about 10500-11000, so pretty close to the T120. But two grand here or there for a toy that looks cooler to me is totally acceptable.

 

[Dougald]

What sane person seriously offers someone less money for their bike than the current bid on eBay?

Actually it looks like the Guzzi is going to be about 10500-11000, so pretty close to the T120. But two grand here or there for a toy that looks cooler to me is totally acceptable.

I forgot, Triumph like to price things higher on their home turf!

 

[GONZO]

Holy Hell do I love this freaking exhaust. It's insane!!

https://youtu.be/z02V6L2I7js

 

[thesoapster]

Nice...hoping for a flyby!

 

[opticalmace]

Test rode an FZ-09 today. Really really fun! I was surprised by how much I liked the riding position. It's very upright, and it was weird at first not seeing the bike in my lower peripheral vision.

Lots of power, but it seemed very manageable. In 6th gear it made a weird whine, so I avoided it, not sure what was up with that.

My SV650 seating position felt really weird (and not as nice) after riding the FZ-09.

 

[Dougald]

Have you ridden the Street Triple? Just wondering how it compares, I've been meaning to test the tracer variant of the Yamaha for a while

 

[maxheadwound]

Very nice sounding pipe, how is that on long journeys?

 

[Fallout-NL]

Holy Hell do I love this freaking exhaust. It's insane!!

https://youtu.be/z02V6L2I7js

They're going to be hearing that two states over

 

[Flo_Evans]

Man that can lol.

I kind of want to stick a pipe on my scoot but it seems like a total waste of money. From all the reviews I have read all it does is add noise with no power gains. Seems like its real tough to get anything more out of these 125 4 strokes without a big bore kit.

 

[GONZO]

Well I just installed it and I know that I will definitely be using earplugs with it. It's funny because they actually ship you earplugs with the exhaust. I should have fly by videos up this weekend.

 

[Watevaman]

Sounds super mean down low. Can't wait to hear it in a flyby.


I think I'm gonna throw the ZRX up for sale this weekend. Hopefully I get some bites so I can snag a TW if it pops up.

 

[opticalmace]

Have you ridden the Street Triple? Just wondering how it compares, I've been meaning to test the tracer variant of the Yamaha for a while

Unfortunately not, though I'd like to take a STR out for a ride. Tomorrow I'm going to ride a GSX-S750, SV650 (apparently there's a new one), and maybe a V-strom 650.

 

[Dougald]

I think I am done with Triumph for the foreseeable future. Just tried to go for a ride before it's new owner comes to take it away and it won't idle for more than a minute without stalling, so that's more money getting it all fixed up

Oh BMW, you'll never let me down

Spoiler

please don't let me down

. I am coming around more to the idea of getting something Japanese as a replacement

 

[opticalmace]

I think I am done with Triumph for the foreseeable future. Just tried to go for a ride before it's new owner comes to take it away and it won't idle for more than a minute without stalling, so that's more money getting it all fixed up

Oh BMW, you'll never let me down

Spoiler

please don't let me down

. I am coming around more to the idea of getting something Japanese as a replacement

Ugh, that sucks. What a PITA.

 

[Watevaman]

I think I am done with Triumph for the foreseeable future. Just tried to go for a ride before it's new owner comes to take it away and it won't idle for more than a minute without stalling, so that's more money getting it all fixed up

Oh BMW, you'll never let me down

Spoiler

please don't let me down

. I am coming around more to the idea of getting something Japanese as a replacement

If it's already sold and you've been paid, it's the new owner's problem. I mean, I'd let them know about it and probably give them the option of giving their money back, but I wouldn't touch it until they're there. I know that's an unpopular and incredibly dickish thing to do, so you should feel better if you're gonna fix it up for them.

 

[Dougald]

If it's already sold and you've been paid, it's the new owner's problem. I mean, I'd let them know about it and probably give them the option of giving their money back, but I wouldn't touch it until they're there. I know that's an unpopular and incredibly dickish thing to do, so you should feel better if you're gonna fix it up for them.

Nah, he was going to come down tomorrow and pay, so nothing agreed yet. He'd definitely notice when he started the bike to check it was as described (unless he's an idiot)

Hopefully it'll be a cheap (for Triumph) fix and I can still afford something else, otherwise I might just sell and ride the BMW for the summer and get something over the winter when it's cheaper.

 

[Watevaman]

Well in that case I hope it's a cheap fix and that you can get it all sorted out for him. It's a weird catch-22 when it comes to selling bikes with problems. On one hand, you want to tell the new owner about issues that might come up but if you do that, they likely won't buy it. I know I wouldn't have bought my GS500 if I had known what it was gonna cause me.

 

[richardhawk]

Anyone here have any experience with a hypermotard? A friend may or may not be offering it to me for incredibly cheap. Mostly wondering about the cost of servicing a duc.

 

[Dougald]

The desmo service is the only really expensive one on a Duc, these are fairly infrequent on the later models but it would be worth finding out when that's due. IIRC the one for the multistrada is around £700


My main concern as someone who does his own maintenance is that their value drops off a cliff if you don't keep a full service history

 

[Schadenfreude]

So MotorcycleGAF, I come to you in need of advice. Been thinking about getting a motorcycle for a while but i'd have no idea where to start. What's the best way to learn how to ride one? Is buying a used motorcycle a bad idea? If not, what's the best way to ensure i'm not getting a lemon? Should I bring some sort of motorcycle mechanic? Thanks for any help you can give me.

 

[OraleeWey]

So MotorcycleGAF, I come to you in need of advice. Been thinking about getting a motorcycle for a while but i'd have no idea where to start. What's the best way to learn how to ride one? Is buying a used motorcycle a bad idea? If not, what's the best way to ensure i'm not getting a lemon? Should I bring some sort of motorcycle mechanic? Thanks for any help you can give me.

Hey, awesome! The best way to learn how to ride a motorcycle is by taking the MSF(Motorcycle Safety Foundation) BRC(Basic Riders Course). The price will range from $150-$300+. So look around for the best price available. Totally worth it though as this 3 day class, if you successfully pass, will straight up give you an M class on your license meaning you can operate a motorcycle. After you become licensed, then it's up to you to choose which motorcycle you want. It depends on what you'll be using it for, which someone else can give you advice on that.

Buying used is totally fine from my experience. I won the lottery and purchased a used bike with 11,xxx miles in very good condition.

This was me back in February 2016. My first post, ever since, I quickly learned how to properly ride the motorcycle with practice, but especially thanks to the MSF BRC. If you skim through the next pages you can basically see my "progress". It's one of the best decisions I've ever made. I ended up choosing a 2006 KLR650 and not what I originally posted on my first post.

 

[Dougald]

So MotorcycleGAF, I come to you in need of advice. Been thinking about getting a motorcycle for a while but i'd have no idea where to start. What's the best way to learn how to ride one? Is buying a used motorcycle a bad idea? If not, what's the best way to ensure i'm not getting a lemon? Should I bring some sort of motorcycle mechanic? Thanks for any help you can give me.

Training, training, training!

Buying used is fine, if you don't know someone who knows what they're looking at, maybe go with a dealer bike with a warranty for your first. If you're so inclined, it's easy to learn maintenance and by the time you replace that you'll be able to buy privately with relative comfort. What are you thinking of buying?

 

[Fallout-NL]

The desmo service is the only really expensive one on a Duc, these are fairly infrequent on the later models but it would be worth finding out when that's due. IIRC the one for the multistrada is around £700


My main concern as someone who does his own maintenance is that their value drops off a cliff if you don't keep a full service history

I imagine that when you keep the bills for the parts, note the mileage on those bills so that you know say when new belts were placed and the bike runs well, it should be fine.


/edit: is the Triumph sold btw? Or do you need to get the stalling fixed first?

 

[maxheadwound]

I think I am done with Triumph for the foreseeable future. Just tried to go for a ride before it's new owner comes to take it away and it won't idle for more than a minute without stalling, so that's more money getting it all fixed up

Oh BMW, you'll never let me down

Spoiler

please don't let me down

. I am coming around more to the idea of getting something Japanese as a replacement

Is this not just moisture for a wash or standing. Might be worth giving it a 30 min motorway drive to see if it clears it up. HOPe you get it sorted mate

 

[Dougald]

My local dealer said they could pick it up next week and take a look. I spoke to the manager and actually they are looking for more Street Triples to sell so they're going to work out what's wrong and give me both a repair quote and a quote to just buy it outright, so I may just do that

I'm now riding the BMW and noticed it's making a slight chirping noise from the front of the bike at >3000 RPM, I think the alternator belt just needs a re-tension. It's probably been like that since I bought it, but now that the engine is quieter after a valve adjustment I'm noticing it!