Lay Down Sally (and other embarassing stories)

[AApple]

Yeah...that's right...I laid my '81 down this evening. :head bang: Well...not all the way down, but far enough for the neighborhood punks down the street to get a good laff. I was pullin into the garage after the ride home, and got hung up on a small depression in the yard at the same time I let off the throttle. The bike stopped...I didn't. Soooo...there I was, halfway between the ground and the front bumper of one of my Cadillacs, with the fairing taking the brunt of the fall. The bike is still running, I'm trying to find neutral so I can let go of the clutch(which, btw, has my hand trapped between it and the hood of the car) and try to upright it, while holding the front brake lever to keep the dang thing from rollin backwards over me. I couldn't reach the kill switch at the time. I finally gave up and dumped it, and killed the engine. This is after a 26 mile run down the highway, so the exhaust is just a wee bit warm, and of course, the battery decides it needs to dump some acid out on the exhaust, so now I'm trying to upright it, and breath , which is next to impossible due to the toxic fumes from the acid on the exhaust going directly up my shnoz.
I manage to turn around and get my back into it, and as soon as I lift, it wants to roll back(the driveway has an incline, don't cha know?), so now I'm trying to lift, breath, and put the shifter into a gear so it won't roll downhill, all the while moving downhill. That's about the time Mama comes out and wants to help. She grabs hold of the fairing and starts pushing...downhill... oh2: :Awe: :head bang:
I had to tell her to NOT push, as it was making thing whole thing worse.
The front tire finally managed to get caught in the depression that started this mess, and it stopped rolling backwards on me. I managed to get it upright, but then the fumes from the acid were just about to make me pass out from asphyxia. I'm hollering at Mama to get be the chunk of wood in the garage to put under the kickstand so I could turn loose and get away, and try to catch some fresh air. Of course, Mama don't know what chunk o wood I'm hollering about, so I have to wait until she stumbles over it. FINALLY! I get away, run and get the water hose to rinse the acid off the side of the bike, and the exhaust before it does any more damage. Sadly, it was too late...the chrome on the exhaust is toast now in the area directly under the battery.... :crying: :crying:
Once it cooled down(after I et supper), I tried to polish it up some, and it basically got all the nasty black crap off, but the chrome is definitely stained now. Funny thing....while I was looking to see how much electrolyte had drained from the battery, I saw this neat little rubber hose going up the front of the battery area. Yeppers...it's the hose that's supposed to go on the friggin battery vent. Guess I musta fergot to hook it back up last time I had the battery out...oh2: :doh:

Oh well....
So....how was YOUR day? Please feel free to add your not so manly stories to this thread. It'll make me feel better...:read:

 

[dan filipi]

Bummer Joel!

The important thing is your OK.
Sucks about the exhaust though.
Hey wasn't there a post not too long ago that you needed a new battery and everyone said to get a AGM? Mmmm? :rtfm:

 

[AApple]

:cheeky: :cheeky: :cheeky:

 

[joedrum]

i dont know about making you feel better but im laughing right now ......that reminds me of the time i had to stop and and releave myself on the side of the hyway down in florida .....put my bike on the side stand and quickly started pissing and my bike hit me from behind and knock me in the ditch i was using ....when i turned around my bike was completly upside down .....the highest point was the bottom of the tires ....to this day i dont know how i got that bike up ....somehow i condured up some super human strength out of total embaressment before anybody could see what i had done ......my band mates were right behind me a few minutes and got there before i could get it running and ride off .....i was totaly wet and from being knock in the ditch and finaly fess up to what happen days later

thats the best feel good story i have for you :mrgreen:

 

[scdmarx]

Sounds like the punks down the street enjoyed a good show! :smilie_happy:

I ride home today, pull up in front of the tent, dissmount to unzip and open the flap, and the kickstand decides to sink in the dirt about 3 inches. I was in the process of removing my gloves and helmet, so I caught the movement from the corner of my eye. My son was waiting for me and saw the whole thing. He didn't know dad could jump his tired fatass so high and so fast. I think my heart actually skipped a beat. It did't go down, but it ended up teetering on the stand. But it sounds like you had lot more fun! arty:

BTW, I've been an iATN member since '97. Went to the gathering in Plano in '99. Small world, this internet thingy. :salute:

 

[paddy.shadow]

Okay, so this is years ago. I was employed at Sunset Honda in San Luis Obispo CA. I was riding a '79 cb 750 10th anniversary, In the morning all the mechanics and service writers would gather under a roof that housed the service writers booth, and to one side was motorcycle parking for employees. This particular morning there was about 12 people milling about when I arrived a few minutes late and in a hurry. I pulled up quik, cut the bars, came to a sweet and abrupt halt, annnnd could not dislodge my boot from the peg on the downhill side and ever so slowly tipped over still sitting upon the seat, to a wild ovation from my fellow employees. Hard to live that one down. :doh:

 

[furyfan2]

Seeing your wing on its side is a terrible sight. I had just finished " talking " to my soon to be X wife at her new apartment. I must have turned too sharp in the parking lot, Down went my wing with me aboard. I crawled out from under her. In an instant , I had the bike upright. It is the only time I can remember ever having super human strength !!!! :clapping:

 

[detdrbuzzard]

Bummer Joel!

The important thing is your OK.
Sucks about the exhaust though.
Hey wasn't there a post not too long ago that you needed a new battery and everyone said to get a AGM? Mmmm? :rtfm:

odyssey pc680 or pc680mj

 

[mcgovern61]

Joel, don't feel bad, two weeks ago my wife and I went for 100 mile ride and had a wonderful time. We did not know it, but that weekend was also the "Roar at The Shore" for Wildwood, NJ. Thousands of Harleys everywhere you went!

After our beach visit, the bike sat and cooled down and when I started it I needed to keep the choke on because it was too cold. Impatient to get going, we saddled up and started heading out. I was backed in on an angle to a curb on a street with a very high crown. I pulled out leaning left on the crown (with the choke still out) and the engine stumbled as I let out the clutch. We ever so gently start our descent down to the left and on our sides just as 10 Harleys come around the corner! :shock: :whistling:

They stopped to help (as they always do!) and we got the bike back up right away. I thank God for my Hondaline bags because between them and the engine guard, the bike never really touches the ground and our legs do not get caught.

We head back home and the porchlights are not on at home. I stop at the bottom of the driveway to let my wife off and I try to put the side stand down. I am doing this by feel because I cannot see the ground. I thought the side stand was down, bt it apparently snapped back up just as I start to put the weight over to the left. With our over 400 lbs on the seat, I cannot hold the bike past 4 degrees and over we go again! (Twice in the same day!) Don't ya know, the neighborhood kids happen to be right across the street and they start belly laughing at us old farts! Again, the bike is easy to get up since it doesn't really go completely 90 degrees, but I am still reeling from embarrassment! :hihihi:

 

[sledge]

ok............this happened in the summer of 1973 , I had a New GT750 Suzuki , ( Water Buffalo ) that I put 16" over fork tubes , King & Queen Seat , over and under headlights , Forward Controls....... I had the Captain America Red/White/&Blue Helmet , Sunglass'...... and this was 11 at night . :smilie_happy: ....... but anyway I pulled into this little drive up Hamburger place , ....... Now any of you folks who have never rode an Old School Chopper , with long tubes and the frame is not Raked any...... they get REALLY HEAVY ! and I mean REALLY HEAVY....... :smilie_happy: ...... well..as I stopped at this place in the Dark I put my left foot right in some Ice Cream somebody had dropped on the pavement , well.......with me sitting low , and by the way I'm 6' 5 & 1/2 " tall...... so.......my foot was sliding more and more , and I was slowly falling over , sitting still with at least 8 or 10 cars full of people watching with a mouthful of burgers........ :smilie_happy: anyway ,I strained every once of power I had at 23 years old ........ and I still fell over far enough that I could just scoot off the seat onto the pavement. I got up, soooooo glad I had the sun glass' on, then came the can I sit the dam thing back up , well.........I did it , and by the way I have had 4 Back Surgeries since......... :smilie_happy: ...... and if anybody tells this outside this group , I'll have to shoot you. :smilie_happy:

 

[dan filipi]

I must confess, I've layed mine down 4 times. Each time moving either real slow or stopped.

Outside my garage.
The garage is off an alley, alleys in L.A are not maintained worth a damn.
Well there's loose gravel, lost my foot hold and layed it down on the left engine guard.
To this day I still can't get it bent back so a plug socket will go in on number 2 like it does the rest.

My son and I were out riding in the desert and decided to pull over for some water.
As we pulled off the asphalt we dug into the loose sand, dumb, dumb. Heed those "soft shoulder" signs.

Son and I on a Poker run.
At one of the check in's my son wanted to start it up.
I had told him to always make sure the green neutral light is on which he did but I forgot that the neutral switch was glowing green even in gear!
He hits the starter and down she goes :head bang:

Last time, (hopefully the LAST) and scdmarx is witness to this one.
We were at Pismo beach. Well Pismo beach has sand dunes, a popular dune buggy spot.
A lot of the sand ends up on the road off the beach where we were and like a idiot (again) we sorta plowed it while making a U turn then the front wheel slid out and down we went.

My lessons lernt,
Stay away from sand and gravel!

 

[Omega Man]

The night I got old girlfriend I layed her on her side because I had fogotten to extend the kickstand, not only that but on the way home from my friends house(had just bought the bike) The engine gave out...I was frantic because I couldn't get it started and the battery was dieing...yep, I forgot to turn the gas on but it still wouldn't start and the battery was getting worse, forgot the kill switch, but it still wouldn't start, key in wrong position, I wonder how I ever got her home that night. :head bang:

~O~

 

[sledge]

:smilie_happy: you guys are makin' me feel a lot better about myself........ at least I'm not the only one.... one little question Dan... you said your Neutral light was burning even IN Gear.... mine does the same thing , it is a little Brighter when it's Really in Neutral , but .... it's ON all the time..... got any idea Why ????

 

[mcgovern61]

When I first got the bike on the road, my daughter and I went to put in our first gas at the station down the street. At the time, I had floorboards front and back. We stopped next to the pump and she immediately started climbing off the bike towards the right (towards the pump) by standing straight up on the passenger board and jumping to the right. I didn't have the side stand down yet and didn't expect she was getting off! She could not hear me through her full face helmut to stop and over we went! Caught between the bike and the pump! :Awe: :smilie_happy: :smilie_happy: :smilie_happy:

The attendants came over and freed us (Yes, NJ still has gas attendants that pump your gas! Average about $2.39 per gallon for regular right now.)

The first time my wife and I went out on the bike, she had sandals on. We stopped at a neighbors house to feed their dogs and when I stopped I held the bike up while she climbed off. Her sandal got caught in the rear antenna when she lifted her leg up to get off. She is only 4'11" and could not put her right foot down while her left foot was caught! OVER WE WENT! It was not a pretty sight!

After that, I always shut off the bike, put it on the side stand and let her slide off after I get off!

 

[scdmarx]

I had to teach my kids to waite till I say to get off. They all tried that "jumping off one side as soon as the bike comes to a stop" thing. Each one of my kids has shoved this bike to the ground with me on it. But it only took them once apiece to figure it out. :razz:

 

[AApple]

MY first ride on a 'Wing was years ago. It belonged to my best friend's dad, and they were out of town. I had a key to the house, and free reign(what were they thinkin?). I decided one night to take the 'Wing for a spin. Don't remember what year model it was, but it was fully dressed. This had to have been around '77-'78. Anyway, I'm cruizin thru town, and see my brother and some friends parked at a spot in town(loitering). I pull in and stop....right next to a huge pothole in the ground. Soon as I stopped, I put my feet down. My left foot is on solid ground...the right foot is touching nothing but air. Flipped that thing right over on it's side! After everyone stopped :smilie_happy: , we all got together to pick it up. Oh...the good old days!

 

[lew1701]

:smilie_happy: you guys are makin' me feel a lot better about myself........ at least I'm not the only one.... one little question Dan... you said your Neutral light was burning even IN Gear.... mine does the same thing , it is a little Brighter when it's Really in Neutral , but .... it's ON all the time..... got any idea Why ????

Check this out, it fixed the neutral light problem on my 1000. https://www.gl1000.info/NeutralLight.shtml. The wiring and connectors are probably different on your bike but the concept should be the same.

 

[dan filipi]

:smilie_happy: you guys are makin' me feel a lot better about myself........ at least I'm not the only one.... one little question Dan... you said your Neutral light was burning even IN Gear.... mine does the same thing , it is a little Brighter when it's Really in Neutral , but .... it's ON all the time..... got any idea Why ????

Check this out, it fixed the neutral light problem on my 1000. https://www.gl1000.info/NeutralLight.shtml. The wiring and connectors are probably different on your bike but the concept should be the same.

That's the same trick I used on mine.

 

[toytender01]

:hi: I can't remenber how many times i have been down on my bikes. :blush: .. Most of them on dirt bikes :clapping: ...Howevwer just recently i was out for a 300 miler around the neighborhood :smilie_happy: :smilie_happy: (northern CA.. Gold Country) i was comming back around from Sacramento Marysville, Willows, through Elk Creek and Stoneyford ,as i was leaving Stoneyford, a road i have driven 100's of times i got a little distracted with the seanery and started drifting to the right as the road made a sligft bend to the left. :swoon: ....before i realized it i was on the sholder in the sand, :head bang: :head bang: , where i started to slide to the right sholder of the road....Now that is not usurlly a problem.. i just turned into the slide and was well on my way to recovery :yahoo: ..... xecept for that dambd mail box that jumped in front of me out of nowhere :smilie_happy: .....in order to miss it i had to turn to the right which was the sholder ( a dropoff..about 3 feet down). :fiddle:
Like i said it was not pannic time. yet :sensored: .....untill the true gravity of the situation sank in :beg: :beg: (I WAS ON THE WING, NOT THE TT600) :doh: :doh: BUT I tried to ride it out and almost made it except for that pile of dirt. :sensored: ....I stayed with the bike all the way down without ending up under it :clapping.... Only put some minor scuff marks on the edge of the faring arty: ....I quickly jumped up to see if any one had witnessed my follie :blush: :blush: .....even though i was right in front of someones house....No one saw it happen. :swoon: :swoon: ..I quickly dusted myself off started the bike and rode off....Now every time i put my riding jacket on the little spots of dirt on the right sleave keep reminding me :whistling: :whistling: :whistling: Bob

 

[slabghost]

Never actually laid a bike down yet. But I did come close with my dresser. I'd spent a month fixing the wiring and got it started even with the battery pretty low. This was while it was still very warm out and I was wearing flip flops. Now I was stoked to go for a ride. So I decide I'll ride it up the drive to the house door and get my gear. Did I mention the flip flops? I have a bout 20ft of incline before the driveway levels out and the car is in the way. I get up close to the car and grab the front brake and nothing but lever! :sensored: :sensored: I did manage to negotiate like a 20 point turn around. I think that if it weren't for the pucker factor I wouldn't have been able to keep her vertical. I no longer attempt to move any bike with flip flops or without verifying I have brakes. :blush: