1st spill!!!!! Protection works

[SLaneGS500F]

Well it is inevitable your going to lay it down sometime. It totally sucks laying a bike down on the road. I have been riding for about 4 months now.

Infact I was not doing anything dumb and it was at low speed. It could have been a lot worse. Here is how it went down. I was riding with a partner. We had decided to ride around the neighborhood to check out all the damage from the ice storm in IL (riding on about a 50 degree, the roads were dry, and we were crusing in a residental area about 15~20mph.)

We were going up a slight incline around a left turn, and then all of a sudden my bike felt really heavy(the Rebel that I was riding). Something immediately didn't feel right. My partner was a head I was getting ready to pull over. After the left turn. I was riding about 15 mph(maybe less). I tried looking down and thought the front tire was flat,(probably not the best thing). The steering would go to the right and not the left(all of sudden happened). As the turn was approaching I started to make the turn and i lost balance, the bike wouldnt turn I went down.

I would like to say that going down sucked, probably the crappiest part about it was, that I was riding my fiance's Honda Rebel that she is about to sell. So I get the bike back up. I get out of the road and start it up but I still can't get the bike to turn left. I start looking closer and find that a bolt had actually got logged in the frame and the fork that prevented it from turning. Its unfortunate that this happened. I guess I should do a nut and bolt check on the bike maybe once a month or something to prevent a spill like this.

I am glad that it was a low speed accident, in a quiet residental neighborhood, I didn't have a car run me over, I was wearing a helment, and fully clothed (Icon barrier pants, Cortech gloves, helmet, and my old biker coat.) I think even a low speed spill with out any protection would have sucked. I think I may have slid a couple of feet with momentum. The accident happened about 2 weeks ago. I have been riding ever since. I don't know what else to say other than I got my first fall out of the way.

Be safe out there don't make my mistake check your equipment

[Subliminal]

Ouch, that really sucks bro.

I really should be more thorough while doing my pre-ride inspection. Thanks for reminding me, but sorry that happened to you. Damn bolts!

[Lewd Ferrigno]

Originally Posted by SLaneGS500F

I get out of the road and start it up but I still can't get the bike to turn left. I start looking closer and find that a bolt had actually got logged in the frame and the fork that prevented it from turning.

The pre-ride inspection is key, but you may not have caught this anyway.

Was the bike relatively new? Had it been serviced recently where anyone would have messed with that bolt?

[Gosling1]

I do all my prechecks myself after a dealership in Bessemer, AL did not check the front brake calipers. One came off and no front brakes when I was getting off the interstate in rush hour traffic. Now on the weekends I check every bolt I can get to. It may be overkill, but I'd rather be safe than sorry.

[coronadozx]

Originally Posted by Gosling1

I do all my prechecks myself after a dealership in Bessemer, AL did not check the front brake calipers. One came off and no front brakes when I was getting off the interstate in rush hour traffic. Now on the weekends I check every bolt I can get to. It may be overkill, but I'd rather be safe than sorry.

+1

what happened when you didn't have any front brakes????? do tell.

[Schwebel]

Thinking that "you will go down sometime", "got my first spill outta the way", is not a good attitude to ride with. Some people have logged 100's of thousands of miles on their bikes in their lifetimes and never had a spill. Attitude can unconsiously affect the way you ride. You may begin to think, since went down once the odds of me going down again are less,in the back of your head. That has zero to do with it. I have logged about 50k miles in my short lifetime and have never dropped a bike (knock on wood big time), and I don't plan on ever going down(even though I've had a shitload of close ones). I'm glad you are OK and wearing gear, and also you seem to be on the right track by starting off small. Read the book "How to Ride a Motorcycle" by Pat Hahn. It really changed my attitude towards riding. I still whip it out every once in while when I've had a stressful ride or a close call or two.

[E_Slice]

Originally Posted by Gosling1

I do all my prechecks myself after a dealership in Bessemer, AL did not check the front brake calipers. One came off and no front brakes when I was getting off the interstate in rush hour traffic. Now on the weekends I check every bolt I can get to. It may be overkill, but I'd rather be safe than sorry.

Jeez...I hope you melted some faces for that one!

[21 natas]

glad you are alright.

[SLaneGS500F]

thanks all I am taking it all in, I agree with what you all have to say. I do try to ride as defensive and as cautiously as possible with still enjoying it. Like I said I was quite mad at myself for even going down in the first place. As for the bolt coming out. My fiance had gotten the bike used. So who knows before that. I'll take it as a learning lesson. I should have known better to look over everything.

[isaac]

Good stuff. At least you were wearing gear and you're still riding. A lot of people get spooked after that. Of course they're the ones who don't understand why they went down. You did, so you're learning, and that's all that matters.

[MAD_CAT]

did u find out what was casuing the problem?