Motorcycle mistakes you only make once... and ones you make all the time...

[Lightcycle]

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Motorcycle mistakes I've only made once:

Taking off my jacket and putting it on the seat of the bike, with part of it touching the hot exhaust.

Forgetting to put the kickstand down, or thinking it's down when it's actually partially retracted, then letting the motorcycle slowly begin its long and agonizing descent, all the while your left leg is fighting that futile battle against the unrelenting force of gravity, to prevent your expensive fairings from making heart-breaking contact with the merciless ground. (OMFG whyohwhy did I skip Leg Days last year?!?!)

Never ever ever made those mistakes ever again.
Like... ever.

Motorcycle mistake I make almost all the time:

Leaving the key in the seat release lock and then forgetting about it and walking away from it.
Come back hours or days later. Where DF are my keys?!?!
Every. Single. GD. Time.

Motorcycle mistake I make a lot of the times:

Putting on my gloves and realizing the key is still in my pocket. @!#$@

Motorcycle mistake I rarely make, but sometimes still do:

Start the motorcycle in neutral. Get on.
While waiting for it to warm up, I get distracted or I'm talking to someone while the bike is idling in neutral.
Clutch in. Put it in first.
Ka-CHUNK. Bike Dies.
Kickstand Still Down.
Embarrassment City Ensues.

What are yours?

 

[Evoex]

Leaving the key in the seat release lock and then forgetting about it and walking away from it.
Come back hours or days later. Where DF are my keys?!?!

Oh I did that once. Shortly after buying my S1000XR One night I drove halfway across Toronto. Parked, turned it off and walked away patting down my jacket, WTF where are they. After a few stressful moments I realized they were in my seat release and handn't fallen out..lawd

 

[MacDoc]

Motorcycle mistakes I've only made once:

Taking off my jacket and putting it on the seat of the bike, with part of it touching the hot exhaust.

Forgetting to put the kickstand down, or thinking it's down when it's actually partially retracted, then letting the motorcycle slowly begin its long and agonizing descent, all the while your left leg is fighting that futile battle against the unrelenting force of gravity, to prevent your expensive fairings from making heart-breaking contact with the merciless ground. (OMFG whyohwhy did I skip Leg Days last year?!?!)

Yep - cost me $100 to fix the zipper...exhaust on the CB300F was grill level hot.....ought to be a warning sign on it.

Luckily the KLR was used to rough sleeping and I managed to wriggle my foot out of my boot....glad I had tall boots on. Unclipped the top fastener and got my foot out.
The boot actually caught on the spring which flipped the kickstand.
I went down with the bike and boot under the left side.

I have to add to the once column in spades....turning in front of car cuz you are used to looking the other way. Will be a once and cost me a scooter and a broken leg.
Could easily have been an end to my riding or life.
Slight downhill stretch of Erin Mills Parkway as it goes under the QEW.
Just flat out did not look right.....too used to Australia. Very fortunate that the damage was limited to me enough that I could continue to ride after 90 days in recovery.

As an aging senior I have a routine that rarely varies. The gloves stay on the bike,
Keys beside the door.
I have to lock up the door with the keys, get on the bike, put keys in ignition and then the gloves last.
I have been known to leave my wallet at home a number of times....I keep a few small notes loose in my riding pants for emergency fuel.
Phone I don't screw up as my audio book is on when I put my helmet on.

On occasion the kickstand down/start thing but figured it goes with the sport and glad it is there.

 

[Malks]

As we age it is important to have a routine that takes care of a failing memory. I have places I keep everything, just so I don't need to tear the house apart looking for stuff.

Mistakes I've made once
I have also leaned a bike over thinking the stand was down and locked. So far it's only happened once, but it was directly in front of Cycle World West and the bike was my 1969 BSA A65. Damn near ruptured something trying to get it back up before too many saw what I had done.

Mistakes I make a lot
Gloves on and key in my pocket, quite often
Trying to start bike with it either in gear, or the kill switch on. Then panicking because I'm miles away from home.

 

[mimico_polak]

Driving away with the disc lock on….thing got so bent the key wouldn’t work on it.

Good thing those things are junk. A few twists with a screwdriver and it snapped right off.

I continue to get ready, sit, and the keys are still in my pocket….

 

[Sunday Rider]

Mistakes made once (hopefully)Gliding into a left turn, waited for a car coming through, went to turn, I was in 2nd gear, stalled the bike and slow motion fell over while trying to save it, but it very gently yielded to gravity. Guys from 2 cars jumped out to help. Embarrassing but no damage. Of course I gunned afterwards to show the spectators I know how to ride
Mistakes made often
Forgetting to take glasses off before putting helmet on. Leaving glasses on gas tank and wind blows them off as I out helmet on. Ear plugs still in pocket and having to pull over to put them on. Leaving key in ignition while taking a washroom break or fast food.

 

[Hardwrkr13]

Helmet on, gloves on, start bike, why’s it so loud? Bah earplugs still in my pocket.

 

[AllistonGT]

Helmet on, gloves on, start bike, why’s it so loud? Bah earplugs still in my pocket.

Glad I'm not the only one.

 

[willyt]

Kinda stupid I know, but I own a few bikes including 2 HDs. They are both fobbed, at least twice now I have left home only to not be able to start the bike once stopped. I grabbed the wrong fob! Embarrassing having to call my wife or daughter to grab the proper fob from the kitchen drawer and delivery it to me. GRRRR

 

[Lightcycle]

Kinda stupid I know, but I own a few bikes including 2 HDs. They are both fobbed, at least twice now I have left home only to not be able to start the bike once stopped. I grabbed the wrong fob! Embarrassing having to call my wife or daughter to grab the proper fob from the kitchen drawer and delivery it to me. GRRRR

You can get cheap customized covers for the fobs in different colours to tell them apart. These are ones for the BMW motorcycle fobs.

We had identical fobs for my R1250GS and my wife's R1250RS.

Did I buy those coloured-coded covers for the fobs?

Nope.

Did I mistake the fobs and sometimes bring the wrong one out to the garage?

Yup.

 

[PrivatePilot]

Mistakes I make all the time:

- The biggest honestly, and self admittedly my own fault? Not being ATGATT. It's a risk I accept to enjoy riding more. I pay dearly for extra insurance coverage in exchange to at least be assured that if something ever happens, I'll have tip-top coverage all around for any eventuality. I've got better than I used to be, but still far from perfect. Additionally, I just can't do full gear in hot weather - I overheat really, really easily and am at genuine risk of medical problems as a result, so there's that too.

Mistakes I rarely make but sometimes still do:

- Forgetting to latch saddlebags fully closed only to notice that the lids have flown open a half hour later, leaving me wondering if anything flew out, and if so, how much departed me. Like, my rain gear....or important paperwork.

Mistakes I only made once:

- Stopping on a very slanted surface with a very heavily laden bike while on a motocamping trip. By the time I realized the very bad choice, there was no holding it up no matter what, so over it went. In a stupid remote area, of course, with nobody to help. I ended up having to unload a *ton* of gear off the bike to reduce weight and even then it was literally everything I had in me (even using the reverse push method) to get it upright again. Then spend 20 minutes repacking and strapping everything back on.

 

[PrivatePilot]

Kinda stupid I know, but I own a few bikes including 2 HDs. They are both fobbed, at least twice now I have left home only to not be able to start the bike once stopped. I grabbed the wrong fob! Embarrassing having to call my wife or daughter to grab the proper fob from the kitchen drawer and delivery it to me. G

How far away do the fobs work to begin with? ie, how did you get it started at home to begin with?

My current bike is fob based (no key at all), but the bike only recognizes the fob and unlocks things when you're in the seat - more than about 24" outside that seating area and the fob disconnects and the bike locks up again. There's no starting it with the key hanging up elsewhere in the garage for example.

 

[willyt]

How far away do the fobs work to begin with? ie, how did you get it started at home to begin with?

My current bike is fob based (no key at all), but the bike only recognizes the fob and unlocks things when you're in the seat - more than about 24" outside that seating area and the fob disconnects and the bike locks up again. There's no starting it with the key hanging up elsewhere in the garage for example.

If the fob is in my house, my fob will start the bike in the garage. HD fob is only needed to start the bike, once started I'm golden, just don't shut it off!

 

[Lightcycle]

If the fob is in my house, my fob will start the bike in the garage. HD fob is only needed to start the bike, once started I'm golden, just don't shut it off!

Wow, that's some serious range.

Like PP, my fob needs to be in a specific range and area (behind the dash, not in front of the headlights) to start the bike at all.

Seems like the extended HD fob range is very prone to remote hijacking - all someone needs to do is break into your garage and start the bike when the key is inside the house.

Then ride away and not stop the bike until the bike is safely inside a container truck bound for a shipping dock to Saudi Arabia...

 

[Lightcycle]

Mistakes I only made once:

- Stopping on a very slanted surface with a very heavily laden bike while on a motocamping trip. By the time I realized the very bad choice, there was no holding it up no matter what, so over it went. In a stupid remote area, of course, with nobody to help. I ended up having to unload a *ton* of gear off the bike to reduce weight and even then it was literally everything I had in me (even using the reverse push method) to get it upright again. Then spend 20 minutes repacking and strapping everything back on.

I feel like these lessons can't be told or taught to new riders.

You need to actually experience, firsthand, the gut-wrenching emotional and financial pain of dropping your beloved ride because of your own newbness, so that the ensuing PTSD becomes the greatest teacher ever.

 

[adri]

Mistake I make all the time:

"Just one more bike."

He lied to himself, and to everyone else around him, but in that moment he meant every word.

 

[willyt]

Wow, that's some serious range.

Like PP, my fob needs to be in a specific range and area (behind the dash, not in front of the headlights) to start the bike at all.

Seems like the extended HD fob range is very prone to remote hijacking - all someone needs to do is break into your garage and start the bike when the key is inside the house...

Yea, I always thought it was a lame system, not sure if the new units are the same. One bike is 05 the other is 09. I should probably store my keys and fobs in a metal container, but then I'd get angry because my bikes wouldn't start! LOL
FYI, fob works up to about 25-30ft? When bikes are in garage, key drawer is on other side of wall, 15-20ft depending on where bike is parked

 

[PrivatePilot]

If the fob is in my house, my fob will start the bike in the garage.

Ouch. This seems to be such a huge security risk. Park your bike out front of a restaurant, walk in and sit down to eat with your fob in your pocket, and someone could hop on your bike, start it, and ride off.

I'm glad mine only works in a very limited area.

I feel like these lessons can't be told or taught to new riders.

You need to actually experience, firsthand, the gut-wrenching emotional and financial pain of dropping your beloved ride because of your own newbness, so that the ensuing PTSD becomes the greatest teacher ever.

The nice part about big cruisers is that they have crash bars that tend to stop much damage from happening. In my case, they did exactly that - the bike flopped over onto the crash bar and stopped there. It threatened to turtle given the angle of the ground, but it never did. In the end, no damage at all, just a sore back and sore knees for a few days from struggling to get a 900# bike back upright again on an already slanted surface working even more against the task at hand.

I haven't yet put my new ride over onto the crash bars to see what it does - I should lay it over in the grass some day and see where it settles. There are crash bars, but there's also a lot of tupperware surrounding them in many places, so although I don't think it will turtle, I also don't think it would get off entirely scott free from at least some scratches.

 

[Hardwrkr13]

Motorcycle mistakes I only make once: Wrenching on my bike when I'm tired.
- Wife had girls over so I went to the garage to work on the something on the kickstand side of my bike while low on sleep. Had a board under the kickstand to give me a bit more room on that side and had the front tire turned the opposite way making it really close to the tipping point. I turned a wrench or pushed something and the bike flopped over on the other side. First and only time dropping a bike. It was also a very pretty bagger so it wasn't a cheap fix.

 

[Lightcycle]

Motorcycle mistakes I only make once: Wrenching on my bike when I'm tired.
- Wife had girls over so I went to the garage to work on the something on the kickstand side of my bike while low on sleep. Had a board under the kickstand to give me a bit more room on that side and had the front tire turned the opposite way making it really close to the tipping point. I turned a wrench or pushed something and the bike flopped over on the other side. First and only time dropping a bike. It was also a very pretty bagger so it wasn't a cheap fix.

Also to add: when working on the bike with the centerstand, ratchet-strap or ziptie the centerstand in the deployed position to prevent it from rolling off if you're wrenching hard on it.

If you're extra-paranoid, ziptie the front brake as well.

DAMHIK

Again, one of those "once and only once" moments... Did manage to save it, but not without a severe case of tachycardia.

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