With all the crashing going on in the forum, I thought it would be a good idea to see how long owners have had their bikes before a mishap occurred.

Don't worry, it's not a public poll so no one will know how you voted or who you are, so please be truthful.

By dropping/crashing, I'm asking about any incident that caused any damage to you or your bike.

I know the results will be skewed by new owners answering that they've never dropped their bikes when they have only owned them for a month or so. Still, I think you will be surprised by the poll results.

To the new bike owners, this poll was designed for your benefit... please take the time to examine the results and take them to heart.

:)

I am not ashamed.

Got Tyke in May of 06 dropped her September of 06.

I don't know about you blokes but I'm spot on :D

I never dropped my ninja, I only had it for 2 months though...:D

semi dropped mine getting it off the trailer last time. i was exahusted from a weekend at the track and loosened up the tie downs while when i wasn't even on the trailer holding onto the bike... haha.

no damage though. it just fell over on the railing on the side of the trailer.

I've had my bike 6 weeks and have dropped the poor thing twice. Both times in the first week, both during stopping - once on a hill and once because I forgot to straighten up.

Had my bike about a year (6500 miles) and have had no drops and no crashes. Now if the poll question was "How many times have you come close to dropping/crashing your ninjette?" then I would have a different answer. :D

Dropped her on both side when i wasn't even on it and once at a stop where there was broken pavement before i lowered it. :(

Mine was highsided before I got it, but the damages was repaired before I bought and I never saw what it was. I was stopped on the side of the road and trying to back it out a small hole and just fell over, small scratches on the side that are hardly noticeable. I also ran off the road and stopped later with a twig sticking out of the front end, the rider I was with noticed it and wanted to know what happened.

little conversation there that I won't go into(can't remember it all), we both still laugh about it, although in private.

nb

I've had my bike 6 weeks and have dropped the poor thing twice. Both times in the first week, both during stopping - once on a hill and once because I forgot to straighten up.

welcome to ninjette, Kara. :)

I have been riding for about 3 weeks and have yet to fall :) yay!

OK, this really isn't a 250 story, but it is a funny crash story.

I have a friend who is pretty weird. He looks like Andrew Zimmern and acts like Alan on Two and a Half Men (he is a chiropractor also). He has a Kawi 650 KLR but has always wanted a Harley. He was just at the Harley dealer (where he goes to drool over the bikes after lunch at least once a week, for over a year or more) sitting on a Super Glide when he dropped the bike into another bike. He didn't put the kickstand down all tha way and did a semi-domino affect. Well he felt bad and told the salesman, who was in shock, that if they take the damaged fender off the bike he fell on and put it on the bike he was sitting on, he would buy the bike. So he finally got a Harley. Not the one he has always wanted but at least he got a Harley.

The story gets even funnier. Today I asked him if has riden the bike and if he liked it. He said he has put 10 miles on it and said it isn't easy to ride and he likes the Kawi better. I told him it will get better once he gets used to it. He told me he is giving it to his son.

My first bike as a 1980 DT-100 (actually my mothers but after she parked it under her car when "it lurched forward even though it was in neutral with the clutch in" I rode it through high school). I've no clue how many times I dumped that bike, riding it like a crazy teenager. I mastered things like breaking the tail light off on a curb while riding a wheelie across a curb down into a parking lot. I went off of it both low and high side at speeds from 0 to 40 mph - typically in jeans, a textile (non motorcycle, non armored) jacket and full face helmet, both on roads and in dirt.

My next bike was a 1982 XV750 that my wife and I bought when I was 21. The first year we were married that was our only vehicle, so it got a lot of miles from Central California up through the Sierras, Napa, the Bay Area, So Cal, the Central Coast and up as far as Ukiah. I dropped it once, at less than 5mph the back wheel slid out from under me (I stayed standing) while I was rolling it slowly across an ice patch. That bike was eventually sold, and in 1999 we bought a DR-200, which I've never dropped.

4 or 5 years ago, we got another XV750 (an 82) which is my primary vehicle now that my wife got her motorcycle endorsement and learned to ride the 200. I haven't dropped it either.

My Ninjette is still under reconstruction, so there's been no opportunities to drop it yet.

IMHO, I attribute riding without falls for the last 20 years to two things. One, riding like a maniac when I was young, and crashing a lot off road, and some on-road, getting the feel for what it's like to be on a bike that's both on the edge of losing control, and also losing control, to know that that feels like. When you know where the edge is, it's easier to keep a safer distance from it. And two, not having medical insurance for most of my adult life, and riding with all the more caution.

My first bike as a 1980 DT-100 (actually my mothers but after she parked it under her car when "it lurched forward even though it was in neutral with the clutch in" I rode it through high school). I've no clue how many times I dumped that bike, riding it like a crazy teenager. I mastered things like breaking the tail light off on a curb while riding a wheelie across a curb down into a parking lot. I went off of it both low and high side at speeds from 0 to 40 mph - typically in jeans, a textile (non motorcycle, non armored) jacket and full face helmet, both on roads and in dirt.

My next bike was a 1982 XV750 that my wife and I bought when I was 21. The first year we were married that was our only vehicle, so it got a lot of miles from Central California up through the Sierras, Napa, the Bay Area, So Cal, the Central Coast and up as far as Ukiah. I dropped it once, at less than 5mph the back wheel slid out from under me (I stayed standing) while I was rolling it slowly across an ice patch. That bike was eventually sold, and in 1999 we bought a DR-200, which I've never dropped.

4 or 5 years ago, we got another XV750 (an 82) which is my primary vehicle now that my wife got her motorcycle endorsement and learned to ride the 200. I haven't dropped it either.

My Ninjette is still under reconstruction, so there's been no opportunities to drop it yet.

IMHO, I attribute riding without falls for the last 20 years to two things. One, riding like a maniac when I was young, and crashing a lot off road, and some on-road, getting the feel for what it's like to be on a bike that's both on the edge of losing control, and also losing control, to know that that feels like. When you know where the edge is, it's easier to keep a safer distance from it. And two, not having medical insurance for most of my adult life, and riding with all the more caution.

Have you ever had a car? Not that you ever need one.

I haven't dropped the ninjette, but my wife did on her fourth lesson on it. Back when I had the SV650 I dropped it several times, but never at speed, no injuries and just some small scrapes and a ding to the tank. I did run a little Trail 90 into a chain link fence when I was 16. That hurt like hell. I have also wrecked on dirt bikes, and snowmobiles.

Have you ever had a car? Not that you ever need one.

Yep. My wife and I have one car, which I do drive when it's raining harder than I am comfortable riding in, or when carrying something or someone impractical to take on a motorcycle. I do count myself lucky to have only lived in areas that have year-round riding weather.

Had my 06' for 11 months and 2 weeks before we went down ...
2 more weeks and I could have said within 5 years ... !@#i#@!

Had mine less than 10 minutes. Had a couple close calls since.
Lightly circled the most noticable damage after dropping it in mulch when I jumped a curb. Also bent the front fairing bracket.

3650

Bill, have you been to the private track in Palm Bay yet? There is a development down there where they put the roads in but never built any houses. I forget who told me about it but it is a beautiful place to have some fun with your bike.

I've only dropped mine once, and it didn't actually hit all the way down. I was in a driveway turning around and tried to back up into the road. There was a slight pavement raise (like a mini curb, but very small). In trying to back up over that little incline and being unsuccessful a couple of times, the 3rd time was the charm that tipped the bike. lol! Not a scratch on it, however, the gear shifter wouldn't work, so I had to ride all the way home stuck in 2nd. THAT was weird. Hubby fixed it right up though. Lesson learned...go FORWARD over hard inclines, no matter how small they may appear. :)

At the point where the drive way and street met at a decline couldnt touch the ground drop it slow but broke the left turn light and had it only for 2 months been good since

Only had mine about three weeks... no drops yet. ;)

Bill, have you been to the private track in Palm Bay yet? There is a development down there where they put the roads in but never built any houses. I forget who told me about it but it is a beautiful place to have some fun with your bike.

Locally it's known as The Compound. I live less than 2 miles from it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_compound

Off the north edge of it is Bombardier's test lake and test track. We had flat black Can Am Spyders cruizing around the neighborhood about a year before they went public.

The main roads are in decent shape, but you have to watch it for potholes - lower speed pre-running the roads out there is pretty much necessary, or you can come around a blind corner into a car rim, refrigerator, tree (in some of the roads trees have grown up in the middle of the street) or whatever else got dumped or grew out there. It has a very Mad Max feel to it.

A few years ago, the police cracked down on the street racing, paintball games and off-road riding out there, so it's pretty quiet anymore. I have a friend who lived here in the 80s, and he said the drag races out there were huge, and when the police showed up, they used their speed guns to time the runs.

dropped mine last nite ): still pissed about it. slid across the parking lot slipped on a wet spot and lost control.

Thankfuly I have never dropped my bike.

my wife drop my bike the night i got it (she was getting her the next morning)

and to change the side fairing...

Mine blew over in high winds, but I was in the process of getting off... does that count?

Mine blew over in high winds, but I was in the process of getting off... does that count?

lol... it's not a contest, so you be the judge. you're the only one that honestly knows. :)

lol... it's not a contest, so you be the judge. you're the only one that honestly knows. :)

I would say "no", but I checked the "6 months" on the poll.

i dropped mine practicing the box figure 8 the day before my msf skills test. minor ding on the muffler, i caught her before she went all the way down and i had to muscle her up.

Ive had mine for 2 months and just dropped it a week ago, twice within 5 min of each other. First I was out riding after cleaning my chain to get it warmed up, was practicing tightening up my U-turns, bike was a little cold and started to stall on my mid turn, I grabbed the clutch and the bike just went down, I caught it right as it touched the ground though.
Second, right after I got home I was lubing the chain, I was pushing it around and I wanted to check if I was in second or first gear, because I shut it off in gear, I was clicking it down and it was just flopping around and would not engage any gear, I reached down to mess with my shifter while holding it up with the handle bar with my other hand(big mistake) and the bike fell over on the right side, I tried to catch it again but this time I just fell right on top of it, picked it back up and it clicked right into gear(there I fixed it:p), no damage either time so I got lucky.
Also before my U-turn drop I had been doing pretty well, now I just cant seem to turn sharp enough like my body just wont let me, anybody else have this problem.

i dropped mine practicing the box figure 8 the day before my msf skills test. minor ding on the muffler, i caught her before she went all the way down and i had to muscle her up.

The thing that's the clincher is that the figure 8 inst exactly worth a lot on the msf test, actually if I remember my MSF test, the instructor told us not to sweat it, its actually the lowest point value on the test.

The thing that's the clincher is that the figure 8 inst exactly worth a lot on the msf test, actually if I remember my MSF test, the instructor told us not to sweat it, its actually the lowest point value on the test.

I believe you can lose up to 3 points on the figure 8 drill, which is very little compared to what you can lose on the other drills.

Back on topic, I've had my '09 250r since April and has just under 3000 miles currently. I haven't dropped or crashed it (yet).

/knocks on wood

got her 8/6/08, found the fence post 8/8/08... :(
Thankfully have been incident free for over 1300 miles and almost a year now

haha "found the fence post" was there any damage to the bike from that?

I marked within 5 years but I guess that's kinda a lie but really its not my fault! Second day I had my brandy new 08 I parked it in the garage,tucked it in and said goodnight. Went out the next morning,it was on its side with the kickstand off. Long story short, kickstand malfunction was covered under warrenty and all related damaged was fixed on there dime.


My real tip over happened 3 weeks after my one year anniversery with her :)
Posted via Mobile Device

I've had mind since March 09 and just dropped it a week ago. Was stopping at a rest area off the highway to adjust my jacket and I thought I put the kickstand down, I was in a slight incline and I started tipping her a bit to put her on the stand and she felt waaay heavier for waaay longer haha... I went down with her cause the weight pushed my leg. So embarrassing :D Then I had a tough time pushing her back up. I was a little paniced cause gas was starting to leak out. An older man came to help me and all he said was "wow, that's a lot heavier than I thought."
I have close to 2k miles on her and I'm grateful not to have had any big crashes. Several close calls with drivers that don't look.

Needs a "half dropped" option. Within the first couple months I forgot to put down the kickstand twice and very nearly dropped 'er if not for my surprising ability to hold the bike inches off the ground. First time was pure brain fart, second time I had sleepiness to blame (moving the bike after getting home at 2:00 AM).

I dropped mine by parking it in my driveway broadside to the prevailing wind. I came back a few hours later to find it flipped over and a crack in the side fairing.

i dropped mine when i slipped doin 20mph in a parking lot... and it didn't crack.. thats amazing how sometimes the fairings crack just from the wind knocking it over

^ I had almost $2K in damage to my bike which just blew over in high winds. Crazy.

I feel like such an asshat. 3000 miles without an incident, and then, went up to the ski resort I used to work at to party with some old friends. Drunk off my ass, liter of Smirnoff and some horrible beer called steel reserve in, some dude decides he doesn't like where my bike is sitting and asks me to move it. I gladly oblige the guy cause I'm usually a pretty agreeable person I think. Well, pushing the bike along the gravel driveway, I drunkenly lose my balance and fall, poor ninja right along with me. Broke the left mirror, turn signal, and scratched up my fairing a little bit. Nothing cracked though.

One week and a couple of ebay bids later, she's back to normal, except for the couple of scratches, but hey, chicks dig scars, right?

Man, was I disappointed in myself. It was such a feeling of being let down. All this decent riding I've been doing only to lose it pushing her along a driveway. :mad::confused:

welcome to ninjette, Franklin. :)

welcome to ninjette, Franklin. :)

Thanks bro! Loved your "ride to work" video by the way. Awesome.

Welcome, and i'm sorry to hear about the bike.. I know that feeling of disappointment, good thing you got it all figured out (except for the fairings) ..
were you able to put the turn signal back on or you have to get a new one?
your avatar pic looks strangely familiar btw... nice bike.

Welcome, and i'm sorry to hear about the bike.. I know that feeling of disappointment, good thing you got it all figured out (except for the fairings) ..
were you able to put the turn signal back on or you have to get a new one?
your avatar pic looks strangely familiar btw... nice bike.

Thanks! It does look pretty familiar, doesn't it?

I had to buy a turn signal and mirror. I got them off of ebay from a guy who was parting out an 08 250 in Ohio. The turn signal came with the wiring and harness, but I took it apart and hooked up my existing wires sticking out of the fairing, as they were still there and undamaged. Everything works fine now, and it saved me the trouble of taking off the left fairing/body panel in order to run the wires that came with the new one.

haha "found the fence post" was there any damage to the bike from that?

she would have been totaled if I had gone through insurance....
Here's the thread on it: http://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=12123

Franklin - it's great to have you here with us! You should go post up an intro thread!

Haven't dropped my ninja yet, though I've only ridden about two months. Dropped/crashed the MSF course bike twise though... :rolleyes:

:bump:

Never had an opportunity to crash my 250.

Closest I came was while riding through some thick deep slush during winter.

6 days had a deer jump in front of me at 50 no time to react. bike totaled

good bump kkim..........

I read these start to finish,,,,,There's much to think about. I've had mine about 16 months and rode 6k+ miles and so far I've been blessed. Never down. :rolleyes:

This is not to say I've had no "incidents"......About 5 months into ownership my son and wife (On the bike with me) were riding in the mountains. We had just pulled into a rest area to take a break. Just as we roll to a stop,,my left bootlace is caught with the shifter. :eek: Not tied their where it couldn't be untied, but more of a "You can't put your left foot down" by the time I realized I had no left foot to use..... I was already committed to leaning that direction:eek: But just as I put out my hand to brace for impact,, My son rolls to a stop on my left and I grab his tank with a gorilla grip. Keeping us from falling over. He was mad because I kinda smacked his tank pretty hard with my gloves. But no damage to him or me. Again someone was smiling on my fate.

Now I ride in my A* boots only.

Dropped mine 6 hours after taking her home. Rode all afternoon with no issues, dropped it pulling into my parking lot. Small crack in the left fairing... I'd like to believe it adds character. Makes her my bike and distinctive. Kinda like a hot guy with a scar ;)

never been down on the rd, been close, but was able to recover before i went down.
however I did take a nice spill at the track, needed a left front turn signal, the side tank cover was cracked in half and is no longer on the bike, the side faring has a bunch of scratches and a hole in it where the frame popped through, and the upper front faring also has a nice piece missing, i was able to buff out scratches to the front faring almost completely, i still need a new left handle bar as it is bent but still usable, same with my shifter peg (nothing a pipe and hammer couldn't fix)

Mike... tons of used stuff on Ebay. :)

I'm glad to see that 43% have not dropped their bikes I hate to hear when our members go down.

I'm glad to see that 43% have not dropped their bikes I hate to hear when our members go down.

...but, it also means 1 out of 2 have.

The main reason for this poll is to show new riders that they should be extra careful in the first 6 months of their riding career, where close to 50% of the crashes/mishaps have occured. Crashing can and does happen a lot more frequently than we like to see and is posted on the forums.

...but, it also means 1 out of 2 have.

The main reason for this poll is to show new riders that they should be extra careful in the first 6 months of their riding career, where close to 50% of the crashes/mishaps have occured. Crashing can and does happen a lot more frequently than we like to see and is posted on the forums.

Very true. Hopefuly new riders will see this and be careful when riding. Take your time and learn how the bike handles.

I've ridden off and on over the past 20 years. All together, I probably have around 4 years of experience over that 20 years. Started riding again about 2 years ago and probably have about 10,000 miles in that time.

So far *knock on wood* I've never laid any bike down. Keeping my fingers crossed.

Does it count if its my brother's bike? :o

I've "dropped" my own bike once when I was scooting backwards out of a driveway and my foot slipped on gravel. I lost my balance and slowly slowly SLOWLY lowered the bike to the ground. And then I made my room mate lift it back up for me because I hadn't figured out the "use-butt-to-push-bike-back-up" move yet :D

I dropped my brother's bike when a girl in front of me cut to the left turn lane to turn left and changed her mind without looking back to see if anybody else had accelerated into her space. It was a super slick rainy, cold day, I was forced to emergency brake and the bike slipped out from underneath me. Suffice it to say that she was a bitch, did not stop to see if I was okay, but the damage to the bike was minimal- just a super crushed/damaged left turn signal...and nothing else! Was really happy about that...

I dropped my bike about 2 1/2 weeks after I got him. I was out practicing in my neighborhood (fully loaded with gear) and it happened both times when I was turning around a cul de sac. The bike got dropped on both sides within 2 minutes apart! I was sick about it as my bike WAS in mint condition, I totally ruined my right turn signal, scratched up my fairings and put a crack in the front one, scratched up both mirrors, put a dent in the exhaust, scratched the brake and clutch levers and bent the gear shift. All of that because I was too impatient to wait for my MSF course, which is next weekend by the way! Planned installation: Shogun sliders and lowering links!!!

I've never dropped or crashed, but if I ever do, I'm almost positive it'll be due to a murderous cager.

:eek:
Yeap droped twice -

3 weeks
front break on dirt shoulder of road = 1st drop right side skufed mirror and pipe

2nd time left side month later pebble sized asfault and front break. cracked left signal and fairing where the whole is.

no MSF for me yet mebby in 2 weeks -

had my bike since Sept 8th 09.

lesson learned use back break-

I dropped mine about 7 months after I bought it. I was stopped on a steep incline and couldn't reach the ground. I didn't have my frame sliders yet. Luckily there wasn't much damage...I would really have to look to find it now...I think there is just a couple small scratches and a very tiny dent in the exhaust.

Can I change my vote? lol! Sadly, I am now in the group who has dropped within the first year. Dang!

I dropped mine doing about 5mph, turning into my driveway and through my own stupidity, within a week or so of getting it. That is precisely why I went with a used bike; I figured it would happen eventually. But oooh, talk about MAD!

:bump2:

seems appropriate.
:D

LOL :D

I'm still crash and drop free! *crosses fingers*

took me three months. seems the "less than six months" is popular. My guess is people don't drop as much in the first month as they are still being really careful but once they get a bit overconfident (me) they drop it before they've built up all the skills they really need.

Well i had gotten my blue lightning on a wed and the next day i went out riding and when i returned home i went to get off and forgot to pu the stand down and it fell over no damage except a stight scuff on the mirrir and my pride lol!

I got my motorcycle license in the 1980s and owned 2 Yamahas for thousands of miles without a single incident. Not even a "mild" panic stop.
Bought a 2008 Ninja and totalled it within 6 months. I think it was posessed of evil spirits. This is my second season on the 2008 Ninja I bought to replace it. It has a much nicer personality and hasn't tried to throw me off yet.
Took almost all of last season just to get over the "jitters" from the crash, but I'm really itching to rack up some miles this season.

i dropped mine practicing in parking lot a week after i got it. hit a patch of gravel, panicked, locked up the front = lowside. minimal rash on the fairings - pissed me off - so stupid.

6th day! :(

But it wasn't my fault. :P

6th day! :(

But it wasn't my fault. :P

Nearly any crash is avoidable. ;)

Nearly any crash is avoidable. ;)

So some aren't our fault?

So some aren't our fault?

Right. I would consider a bike being knocked over by weather or an idiot in a parking lot a drop/crash.

There are so many idiots on cell phones drifting over the double yellow lately. I think my biggest fear these days is being in a head-on with a texting teenager. Not a heck of a lot you can do about something like that. If they jerk the wheel into you at the last second, how are you going to avoid that?

There are so many idiots on cell phones drifting over the double yellow lately. I think my biggest fear these days is being in a head-on with a texting teenager. Not a heck of a lot you can do about something like that. If they jerk the wheel into you at the last second, how are you going to avoid that?

I'm not saying I could, chances are I wouldn't be able to react fast enough -- a fault of my own. What we mean to say is there is almost never a motorcycle "crash" where the motorcyclist didn't share some of the blame; not to say the motorcyclist deserves all the blame.

In the end, it doesn't matter who is "more" at fault.

First WEEK I had mine.....:mad: Still urks my Tater. No crash, just had it on the sidestand and wasn't paying attention to the fact it was pointing SLIGHTLY downhill. Sidestand folded and BOOM. Nice scrape on the fairing, broken front left signal, bent center stand. I was SO furious.

Have not crashed/dropped mine YET. Took MSF class 11/08 (never sat on a motorcycle before that), Got my 09 and my license same month. Got 8,200 under my belt so far. Had 4 close calls all within the first 8 months:
1. souped up old Honda pulled out in front of me, first and only time I locked the front brakes
2. turn bike around in parking lot at less than 1 MPH and grab the front break on full locked turn. I almost was not strong enough to stop it from falling
3. I was on a city road, past a old guy on the left while I was in the left turn lane, as I was slowing to make a left, he pulls up with his drivers door next to me and then merged into my lane. Luckily nobody was coming the other way.
4. exit ramp with to ramps come down to two lanes with a V just before they merged followed another car (target fixation) off into the V doing about 10MPH which was very bumpy and grab my break. Weaved a lot but kept it up.

Remember there are two kinds of riders, ones that have dropped/crashed, and ones that have not dropped/crash YET.

Have not crashed/dropped mine YET. Took MSF class 11/08 (never sat on a motorcycle before that), Got my 09 and my license same month. Got 8,200 under my belt so far. Had 4 close calls all within the first 8 months:
1. souped up old Honda pulled out in front of me, first and only time I locked the front brakes
2. turn bike around in parking lot at less than 1 MPH and grab the front break on full locked turn. I almost was not strong enough to stop it from falling
3. I was on a city road, past a old guy on the left while I was in the left turn lane, as I was slowing to make a left, he pulls up with his drivers door next to me and then merged into my lane. Luckily nobody was coming the other way.
4. exit ramp with to ramps come down to two lanes with a V just before they merged followed another car (target fixation) off into the V doing about 10MPH which was very bumpy and grab my break. Weaved a lot but kept it up.

Remember there are two kinds of riders, ones that have dropped/crashed, and ones that have not dropped/crash YET.

You keep driving like that you will drop it eventually, but I don't think everybody rides like that so the yet doesn't apply to them, just you :rolleyes:

2. did they teach you that in the MSF, when turning slowly grab a bunch of front brake? Or did they teach you not to do that?
3. shows poor planning, apart from being illegal where I'm from, common sense should tell you if your exiting a road left or right you don't expect to be overtaken on the side your exiting too. As a motorcyclist you should know not to overtake people or sit in their blind spot in such situations
4. yet more poor planning, not looking far enough ahead to read the road. I mean its pretty hard to drive of the road if your looking more than a few feet in front of your front wheel. If you can't see for some reason you should be backing of from whatever is obstructing your view (2 second rule?)

1. after seeing 3 and 4, this could have been the same, not anticipating a junction, therefore not anticipating traffic exiting the junction. But lets forget this one and worry about 2,3,4 before you have another close call.

You ride a bike long enough you will cash it. Just like driving a car long enough but 50% more chance. Just a matter of finding that little slippery patch that you were too confident you wouldn't crash to notice. It only took me 20,000 miles to get confidence that was stripped right back from me in 3 seconds flat.

That said I never crashed either of my 600's in the twisties like I did the ninjette. I know I got low on those bikes too. In fact I rode them much more wrecklessly and they were much more forgiving.
This isn't the only forum full of people dropping their bikes. The old gsxr forums used to have members dropping and dissapearing on a daily basis.
Posted via Mobile Device

I almost was not strong enough to stop it from falling

This type of thing is why I believe every motorcyclist should stay in shape. I've had a couple close calls where the only thing stopping me from dropping was the strength of my legs.

I can't help but find it funny that one of Ninjette's "most aged" members is probably among the top 5% of the most in-shape people on the forum. :rolleyes:

Once most bikes gets past a certain point, it is going down and there ain't nothing stopping it (but the ground).
And you're more likely to just hurt yourself once it gets there, no matter how 'strong' your legs are.

Keeping in shape is very beneficial for riding, however it just isn't going to help very much in that situation....

That doesn't make it impossible or even improbable to stop the bike before it hits that "point of no return."

You would be 100% correct, however I'd say that would come down more to 'rider skill'.
Although with enough skill/practice you shouldn't be having to do that in the first place anyways.

Guess that's completely true.

You ride a bike long enough you will cash it..
Posted via Mobile Device

I guess if you haven't crashed yet, you better stop riding, while you're ahead.

I bumped mine into a table inside my garage / shop. The hard sharp corner punched a little triangle shaped hole in the upper fairing.

I had it for about 1 month at that point.

I don't know if that counts as a drop or crash or not. That is the only ding so far.

I guess if you haven't crashed yet, you better stop riding, while you're ahead.

You haven't lived until you've taken chances. =)
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Well, it took me around two months to drop my current bike. For some reason that I don't remember, I was rushing to dismount and pick something up- I think I forgot something for work or something- anyways, I put down the kickstand but I guess I didn't fully lock it into place, so when I started leaning it over and started to get off without even making sure it was stable, the stand slid right back up and the bike went right down. I held it at knee level for a few seconds before my arms gave and set it down. My indicators (stock at the time) pushed in the fairing and left a pretty annoying crack. I now always give my kickstand another kick before I let it down :headshake:

I've since lowsided in a mountain (about 1 month after that) and dropped it at a near standstill backing it out of my driveway (about 2 months after that). I'd say my bike has not had an easy life since it met me ^^;

At the very least, I've always dropped it on the same side. I'm slowly checking off my list of n00b mistakes that I haven't made yet. But, uh, I give it lots of love for seeing me through my stupid, clumsiness. I've ridden more than three times the distance as the previous owner in the same amount of ownership time, so my bike finally gets to know what the road looks like from all angles (including being totally parallel with it)! And I get to learn how to repair stuff! And chicks dig scars, right? Wait, that one doesn't really help me.... Err, I'm a fan of the bright side :redface:

Once most bikes gets past a certain point, it is going down and there ain't nothing stopping it (but the ground).
And you're more likely to just hurt yourself once it gets there, no matter how 'strong' your legs are.

Keeping in shape is very beneficial for riding, however it just isn't going to help very much in that situation....

I can hold my bike an inch from the ground then bring it back up, but if it were maybe 50lbs heavier I don't think I could do it. I would consider myself pretty weak for a dude, so I don't think most guys, and stronger women should have a problem holding up the ninjette.

I can hold my bike an inch from the ground then bring it back up, but if it were maybe 50lbs heavier I don't think I could do it. I would consider myself pretty weak for a dude, so I don't think most guys, and stronger women should have a problem holding up the ninjette.

Yes, but if you add momentum to it from whatever situation we were discussing earlier, that bike's going down unless you can stop it before it's too late.

Yes, but if you add momentum to it from whatever situation we were discussing earlier, that bike's going down unless you can stop it before it's too late.

I agree with you there, or if you are standing beside it, and it goes over in the opposite direction.(guilty of this one twice.)

I did have a close call once where I was doing a u turn and I stalled it mid turn, and the bike fell over. I caught it right before it hit the ground, I held it there with the turn signal touching pavement, then pulled it back up and rode away. I've since done that intentionally a few times just showing people how light this bike is.

Sounds like one of my close calls. You be careful! :thumbup:

No droppy here.....my luck will run out soon as the law of averages are against me....

I remember when the first Kawasaki 1300cc touring bike came out there were special instructions in the manual about how to pick it up if you ever dropped it. It involved some Yoga-like contorted stance and a LOT of effort. :p
If my lawn is wet just pushing my Ninja into the shed gives me the willies.

You haven't lived until you've taken chances. =)
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This is by someone who has already crashed. What if we don't want to crash?

What if we don't want to crash?

Learn to ride? :p

Learn to ride? :p


Kelly, I'll give it a shot and get back with you should I succeed.

Almost dropped my bike after an oil change as I had a block of wood under the kickstand to put it close to vertical so I could get an accurate oil level reading, when walking around the bike I bumped it, just caught it as it started to lean to the right.

Almost dropped my bike after an oil change as I had a block of wood under the kickstand to put it close to vertical so I could get an accurate oil level reading, when walking around the bike I bumped it, just caught it as it started to lean to the right.

Greg, Harbor Freight, cheap stand, safe, get the hint?

Hint taken.

left-hand-larry got me last week... :P totalled my poor Squidkiller (RIP) after 20-ish months and 23k miles, but I made it out relatively unharmed, just stiff/sore. :)

Travis

today was my first-
ive had my bike for right at a month, went for my first long ride today with my friend and booked 135 miles in the mountains, everything goes great, come back home and drop it pullin into the driveway lol.....ive got gravel and sand and i pulled in a little fast....i broke the tip off of my clutch lever, twisted my shifter around, flooded the engine and scuffed my knee a little bit.....

**** happens---you are forgiven!

Had a 1995 ex250 that I had in 2000 laid it down in some sand ond a hidden turn 8 months after I got it and I swear it made me a better rider I have not dropper or laid down the new red/black tribe so knock on wood I hope to be able to say that 10 years from now!

dropped my baby last saturday, freeway-to-freeway clover ramp, too wide and into the junk, then tagged the tapered end of the k-rail they installed to keep people from the ramp from flying into traffic...and was very glad there was no traffic. minor injuries to me...havent heard back about the bike yet.

I low sided on one tough corner in Deal's Gap on "The Dragon" several trips ago. My suspension bottomed out, so I did too. :-) No harm done. Picked her back up and kept going, but it took me another couple of visits to the mountains to get back to the comfort level I had attained predrop. I dropped the 650 once in a parking lot trying to do a stiff U-turn. That's when I learned the hard lesson, "Hey goofball, the bike turns by LEANING, even at 6mph!" Sigh. The lessons we have to learn...the hard way. :rolleyes:

Just dropped mine about 10 min ago. Lesson learned, ALWAYS make sure the kick stand is down when taking the bike off the rear stand.:(

No damage that I can see on my bike though, however its dark outside. Small scrape/or burn to my leg, not sure which but I felt it when the bike went down.

Oh well, stuff happens.:)

Just dropped mine about 10 min ago. Lesson learned, ALWAYS make sure the kick stand is down when taking the bike off the rear stand.:(



lol... I've done that, too. I was fortunate to catch the bike before it fell over, though. :)

dropped mine today ...

it was raining for 30 seconds, and i tried to stop at a red light ....

front tire lost traction because of oil on the ground...

:rolleyes:

lol... I've done that, too. I was fortunate to catch the bike before it fell over, though. :)

It seemed to drop in slow motion, but I did not seem to realize what had happened until the bike was just about to hit the ground.

I was thinking, hmm I don't remember the bike leaning THAT far over on the kickstand.(still falling), well something seems off, it should have already stopped. OH CRAP I LEFT THE KICKSTAND UP!!1, suddenly everything speeds back up and it hits the ground.

It seemed to drop in slow motion, but I did not seem to realize what had happened until the bike was just about to hit the ground.

I was thinking, hmm I don't remember the bike leaning THAT far over on the kickstand.(still falling), well something seems off, it should have already stopped. OH CRAP I LEFT THE KICKSTAND UP!!1, suddenly everything speeds back up and it hits the ground.

That's why i love my Pitbull foward handle stand

Had my bike for 2500 miles and had not dropped it

Just dropped mine about 4 hours ago. Went too slow for a sharp turn at 20km/h. Dropped it right on the ground. It suffered scratch marks on the right mirror, exhaust muffler, rear brake set and half broken turn signal :(.

That's why i love my Pitbull foward handle stand

I should splurge on some pitbulls because they are made a few miles from where I live. Right now im using a cheapie Harbor freight stand, that I often have to put bricks on top of the handle to keep it from coming down while im working on the bike.

Took my first spill today... :( I'm in the within 6 months range...but by the slimmest of margins...1 month and 1 day lol. Also hit 1000 miles earlier in the day...going down in mile 1019. Decided to try out a route someone posted here that takes you up around Bear Mountain, through some twisties and then on a dirt road through a park.
I'd say I got about halfway through the dirt road without incident when I came down a steep hill with a sharp curve to the right curve and hit a deep pile of gravel and rocks. Front tire started to slide and down I went on the left side of the bike. Thank god for my gear - particualrly my pants with knee pads and my gloves. :thumbup:
Mirror slightly scratched but moved at the pivot point causing no real damage, left signal popped off (great design!), which I was able to re-attatch with no apparant damage, and am just left with a slight crack in the fairing and a bunch of scratches - although many buffed out so it's not too terrible. Guess I'll stick to the pavement. ;)

This was about a mile later where the dirt road was much more stable so I could stop to assess the damage.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4118/4746245087_884a618e0b_b.jpg

Not too bad after a little work...
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4135/4746266239_a856ae0817_b.jpg

Looks goood! How'd you buff those out? Glad ur okay as well.

10+ year old polishing compund I used to use on my cars, and a little Mother's Spray on Wax. The scratches still show a little more than they do in that pic, but compared to what they looked like when I first got up it's pretty decent. :) I also think I could probably buff them a little more when I have more time...I decided to ride to work so I had to get moving since I like to take the back roads from Ossining, NY to Stamford, CT to avoid I-287 and I-95.

I 1st drop my ninja on the fwy when had to brake really hard due to traffic and i lock my wheels. i skid fine but my steering colum wast straight so i tip over on the left and broke my signal light but my fender wasnt scratch up too bad. yesterday however i make a turn, hit water and i throttled it and slip and fell pretty hard on the right and my right side is all scratched up. and i have a hole on the right along with scratched exhaust and rear brakes.
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Pics in my siggy :(

:bump:

:bump:



LOL! Did you bump this just for me, Kelly? :hitself: :rain:

LOL! Did you bump this just for me, Kelly? :hitself: :rain:

no, not really... you have enough on your plate as is. sorry to hear you've added another. :o

I've had my bike for about 3 months now with 2000 miles and luckily, knock on wood, haven't dropped it or crashed yet. I've come close to dropping it once running over a big rock in my drive way! Stupid rock!

Mike, look at the poll results. Seems like if you make it past the first year, your chances of dropping it are reduced significantly, so until then, keep a close eye on that rock... they're speedy little devils. ;)

no, not really... you have enough on your plate as is. sorry to hear you've added another. :o


Lol! Well, hopefully the old adage of things coming in threes will hold up. I've had my 3! My Lil' Ninj was the 3rd.

I'm afraid to even reply on this post for fear that I'd jinx myself...:scared:

Sadly mine was drooped this week. Nice crack on the right fairing :( /cry

/bumped and /moved to riding skills area

Lowsided on 12-20-2010 at around 30-35mph in a sharp winding onramp. I wasn't injured, but there was about $270 out of my pocket to the bike. This does not include the exhaust since I already had an aftermarket one coming in the mail, or the rash since I was already planning to repaint the bike anyways. Had about 5700 miles on it after about 6.5 months of riding.

Other damage included a broken right mirror, bent handlebar, broken windscreen, cracked right rear fairing, broken off choke lever (I know... wtf?) and broken right footpeg. The rear brake lever is a little ground down on the tip, but whatevs. The front brake lever was bent a little bit, but some more bending fixed that.

I had a 0 mph drop on my third ride around my neighborhood when I had a total of about 2 miles of motorcycling under my belt. It broke the right turn signal, bent the brake lever, and put a tiny scratch on the muffler. I replaced the broken parts and have had no trouble since then (~6 months/800 miles). I am a big scaredy-cat so I ride really conservatively. I get passed by Hyundais and old pickup trucks, but I don't care. Under my helmet is a big smile.

My first 2009 I had it for 5 days and I just hit 960ish km and I had my accident. Rider error? Nope. Faulty motorcycle? Nope.

I was dark and it had just finished raining. 4 lane road with a centermedian. No cars ahead of me...no cars behind. I'm scanning...out of nowhere 15 to 20 feet <-FEET in front of me I see coming from right to left (Japan drives on the left side of the road) a bumper.....a side door....it's a van!!! BAM! Flying...I'm flying...I hit the road...I'm unconscious...I'm awake...I'm sliding...I'm unconscious again...BAM I hit the centermedian with my head and I'm awake.

Long story short...nothing I could have done to prevent this but I did everything right to help lessen the damage...before even getting on the motorcycle..during the accident and after the accident.

Helmets don't have to be expensive to save your life, they just need to be DOT approved and a personal preferrence of mine that they also be SNELL approved. And if you're interested...yes, I walk like Dr. House now with a nice limp, lots of physical therapy, nasty scars, broken bones and arthritis because of a driver THAT DID AN ILLEGAL U-TURN AT NIGHT WITH NO FREAKIN HEADLIGHTS ON!!!!!!!

Glad you walked away for the most part - it's a shame how others drive.

Glad to here your alive, how fast were you going? just curious.

Glad to here your alive, how fast were you going? just curious.

Before I saw the van I was doing 50kph in a 60kph zone and I used engine braking (ninja 250's engine braking is really strong) so probably about 42kph. I ended up hitting the the rear left corner of the van with the front of my bike (slightly left side of the front) at about a 1:30 o'clock angle and smashed my whole left left between the van and my bike. Then it spit me out and I was flying like superman with no cape.

Before I saw the van I was doing 50kph in a 60kph zone and I used engine braking (ninja 250's engine braking is really strong) so probably about 42kph. I ended up hitting the the rear left corner of the van with the front of my bike (slightly left side of the front) at about a 1:30 o'clock angle and smashed my whole left left between the van and my bike. Then it spit me out and I was flying like superman with no cape.

Ouch, sounds even worse now. Good luck with the recovery.

I'm afraid to even reply on this post for fear that I'd jinx myself...:scared:

lol you just did

i was letting my gf practice the clutch and brakes a week ago. she went from neutral to first without holding the clutch in and it lurched out of her hands. her legs werent long enough, she was tip toeing and her foot wasnt planted so it fell over to the right. this was at 0mph, the front turn signal got punched in but no signs of scratches at all.

as bad as it sounds its relieving to know other people have dropped their bikes in the first week

Droped mine in January. Went with a friend to the hospital to visit his sis at night. I hadnt payed attention to the floor where i stoped in the parking lot and when i shifted my weight to the right (i cant put both feet flat down on the bike) to check behind me i found out that i was next to a hole. :/ Tiped over slow motion and ended up pushing my turn signal into the fender :'(

After my initial drop at 0mph when I had less than 5 miles of riding under my belt, I have logged about 1000 miles without any incidents. I'm still a n00b but feel pretty comfortable on the bike now.

Unfortunately within the first few weeks of owning my bike it dropped itself, more than likely due to my error. I was retrofitting mirrors with the bike in the garage, due to the weather at the time I was doing the work inside and going in and out for test fitments.

I mounted a mirror, got on the bike to test it, and when getting off I must have not properly put the weight on the kick stand. I came back out about 10 minutes later to see the bike tipped on it's side. Luckily my heavy duty plastic Craftsman toolbox took the brunt of the damage and prevented it from hitting concrete at the cost of a crack in my fairing.

The lucky part of this story is the bike, tipped over in the garage, happened to miss the customized '99 Harley Electriglide that was parked right next to it. My rear tire missed it by merely inches.

My dad dropped it in the garage last summer when trying to get the wheel barrow out and bent my brake lever; 2 months after I bought it. :mad:

new rule, Chris is the only one who touches the bike.

So... I have dropped my bike three times. I got it in late January and it is Late April now, so I have had it about 3 months. Have put 5000 miles on it (10 minute commute to work, but whenever I have a chance I go out exploring wherever I can).

#1- day 8 with the bike, riding ~15mph in residential. Still learning the controls at the time and pressed a bit too hard on the rear brake. Tire locked and skidded just a bit, okay. I used to take bicycles with my little brothers and go as fast as possible and skid just to see how long I could. So, I speed up just a little bit more ~25 and try again. Rear slides way too far out to the left, I stop braking and it snaps back and throws me off. :(. I stand up totally fine besides a scuff on my glove, but now the brand new (well, third owner but still) bike is crashed. I bent the handlebar, broke the bracket that holds the rear brake and peg, and punched/scratched/cracked the main fairing. Ordered handlebar and bracket online.

#2- about a month into riding, was on lunch break at work so was going to get food a mile down the street. leave the parking lot and go to the main street and slow down for the first stop sign. I am going a bit quickly I admit, anyway I downshifted into first at the stop and let go of the clutch too fast. See where this is going? Anyway, I ended up sitting on top of the bike, dropped on the CLEAN side, right at the stop. Pick it up again, this time just a small crack and a bent shift lever (I bent it back and all is good).

#3- after 3 months, had been off the bike for 5 days and had just gotten back from a long trip. Get in the door, get on the bike and go out for a quick ride around for a bit. Turn left, go down the main street about a quarter mile, and prep for the first right turn of the day. Take the corner at normal/high speed (yes my fault), and as I start to lean over the tires slid right out from under me. I dont know which went first but it just dropped down. Familiar crash and scraping noise, lots of sparks, lots of cursing (I had just finished patching up the fairing from the first crash). I got a tad bit of rash on my ass from the impact (it was under several layers, but still). Jacket really saved me here, it held up fine. Bike however slid up and onto the center divider, breaking the buddy peg/exhaust holder, rear brake lamp, scratched clutch cover, broke brand new brake lever, pretty bashed up fairing, and messed up adjuster on the end of the swingarm. I shouldn't of taken a turn like that with cold tires. Wasn't immediately thinking of that though at the moment.

This is really becoming discouraging. Since #3, I have been a different rider (much slower, which is a good thing). I would really only push the bike out in the canyons. Never aggressive with any cars around before however. I now have a quite large repair list, and it sucks because I had nearly just finished fixing everything. I guess I am writing this to vent and get it out. Any tips or advice? I still have the tires that came with the bike, and the rear would have to be replaced soon I would say, but could that be affecting this stuff? Or do I just suck at this? I took the MSF course, but the most I feel I got out of that was learning basic riding, low speed maneuvering and swerving really.

I am hoping I will get back the joy of riding, but most all of that was lost after #3. Don't know why it was different, perhaps it was my injury (even if not major), but the fact that my bike is now really messed up and I am a long way off from fixing it. And what if this happens again? I am in no way considering giving up riding however. Anyway thats my story... :boink:

sadly i get to post here because i just dropped my bike. Forgot to put my kickstand down when i got home. I put the bike in neutral and got off and down she went. Barely scuffed it, as i caught it once i noticed how retarded i was. Looks like a couple rocks hit the decals on the bike, still mad i was so dumb though.

Went down sunday, rode exactly 30 days. Tire shine will kill you. Er was not fun.

Went down sunday, rode exactly 30 days. Tire shine will kill you. Er was not fun.

any type of rubber protectorant on motorcycle tires is a big... :nono:

I never dropped my 250R, but i did Drop (stand still while 2UP) on my Ninja 650R. 3-4 weeks after i bought the 650R. :mad:

I haven't dropped my ninjette ever. But for some reason I've been waiting to answer this poll...It's been about 2 months since I got it, so maybe I'll answer it soon lol.

Dropped it the 2nd day I had it. I rode 45 miles home through highway and city traffic with no problems. After I got home I decided to go back out and get some gas about 3 miles up the road. As I was pulling out of the gas station I stopped on a downward incline and my momentum carried the bike in a direction I couldn't brace with my foot. It fell over and broke the front right blinker. :o

Strangely enough I feel so much better now after dropping it, :p

I droped mine a few months ago. I wasn't even on it. lol I was putting it on the rear stand to lube the chain and it got away from me falling on my father in laws bike..Opps. That was with in the 1st year of me riding.

well i saw this thread so i figure i should update my response. the 2 bikes have been dropped a total of 3 times. 1st time on the ninja i was a big noob and target fixed on a large rock in the middle of the road, hit it and drifted off. no damage to me, lucky it didn't go down but it needed a new front wheel, body work, exhaust, and a few other bits. second drop wasn't nearly as much damage to the bike but more to me. was making a left in a double turn, woman in front on the left got cut off so she decided to swerve into me. tried to brake but locked both wheels. even if i didn't lock there was no avoiding it with a big wall to the right. she hit the front wheel and head and it dropped to the right and spun away... was doing about 20-25mph. full gear, leather up top but still got rashed underneath all along my right side. new front fender, signals, right bar and lever, and a repaired right rear peg. she ran and i didn't get her plate. third drop was while i was working on the fizzer... set it down on the kickstand which i didn't know was broken at the time, started to get off and the kickstand went forward and it dropped on my right leg... almost kept it up but it was just too top heavy... almost no damage outside of a scraped up (BRAND NEW, just replaced, DAMNIT!) stator cover. left me with nice bruises along my leg and a few small scrapes. i'm sure there will be more, best you can do is prepare for it and take every precaution you can.

I almost crashed into two idiotic bicyclists yesterday morning. I was riding to work I began turning onto the road that leads straight to work (25mph) from a 45mph road. As I approach the midpoint of the turn (blind turn), I find two bicyclists sitting in the middle of my lane at an angle that manages to cover the entire lane. Luckily, that day I took the turn much slower than normal and managed to swerve around them, entering the opposing lane of traffic (no oncoming cars) and returning to mine soon after. I couldn't imagine a logical reason why the two cyclists were stopped, covering the entire lane, on a blind corner. The reason I generally have to take the turn faster is because people on the 45mph tend to tailgate the hell out of me whether in a car or on my bike :rolleyes:.

The jump from 1 month to 6 months is too big of a gap, can we add 'first 3 months'? :D

I'm just under 2 months. (http://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?p=300929)

I crashed my first or second week. I think it was my 5th day riding, but my first day on the freeway. I had commuted to work and back home on the freeway with no problems. I was feeling good and went to the bank. On the way back home, I had to make a left turn and went in too hot. I hit the turn signal island which caused somewhat of a high side. My front wheel clipped the island and even though I was leaned left, it flipped me on the right side. I think part of it was because I became fixated on the island and not thinking that I should lean more. Complete rider error on my part. Since then, I've been much better about gauging entry speed, but not perfect.

Within the first month of getting the bike last year, I was in my driveway practicing going uphill from a stop. My clutch control was weak so during one lurch I grabbed front brake without being centered. The bike stopped and then it fell gently to the right side with me trying desperately not to lay down the bike.

The side blinker bent to the side and go scratched as well as a small scratch on the side to the tribal sticker and to the stock pipe. You really couldn't tell if it was dropped but I knew it was, in my heart. It was really embarrassing.

Dropped mine the 2nd day I had it while unloading it from the trailer. :dumbass:

cracked the right fairing pretty bad and snapped the clear plastic off the right blinker. I used some generic cement and a new screw to put the blinker back together. I followed the fairing repair DIY and got pretty good results. It's a good 15 foot repair. I'll replace the fairing later when I'm positive I won't drop it again.

I almost dropped it 2 weeks ago at an intersection when I stood up to...ahem...adjust myself.

I almost dropped it 2 weeks ago at an intersection when I stood up to...ahem...adjust myself.

bet that didn't take long. :lol:

Drop related, but not a Ninja. On my way home from work the other day, I'm stopped at a red light facing east. I see a guy (westbound, opposite side of the intersection) unsteadily lane split to the front on a cruiser. As he comes to a stop it struck me that his feet weren't down. Guess what happens next? Yep. Bike stops rolling, then just goes over to his right, down, boom. Lucky for hinm his hard bags and engine guards kept it from crushing his leg/ankle. Saddest part - I've seen this happen 4 times in the last 2 years. How do you forget to put your legs down?

It is great to see that the majority of the people that answered the poll have not dropped their bike. Way to go guys and gals!

It is great to see that the majority of the people that answered the poll have not dropped their bike. Way to go guys and gals!

lol... how do you figure that? a majority would be anything over 50%. :D

lol... how do you figure that? a majority would be anything over 50%. :D

Well...the highest percentage then...lol
Ya got to give them props for staying safe.

I've never dropped a bike, I've ridden a combined almost 3k miles (2.5k or so on my ninjette). There was one close drop that I managed to catch an inch before it would have hit the ground. Luckily I haven't dropped one...knock on wood.

Did you add yourself to the poll?

Did you add yourself to the poll?

Nope, I'll have only had my bike for 2 months on the 7th of this month. I figured I should at least wait a while before voting.

lol... hasn't he been riding like only 2 months?

technically, he could join the "never dropped" group, but if I were him, I wouldn't. :D

lol... hasn't he been riding like only 2 months?

technically, he could join the "never dropped" group, but if I were him, I wouldn't. :D

Its for that reason that some of the results in the never dropped are biased. There is no way to tell if its been years or days that a person has been riding before they voted, unless they state it.

lol... hasn't he been riding like only 2 months?

technically, he could join the "never dropped" group, but if I were him, I wouldn't. :D

KKim, sounds like you don't have much confidence in his riding abilities.

Yeh this poll would be more accurate if you could change your vote. It should probably also be based on mileage and not time of ownership.

KKim, sounds like you don't have much confidence in his riding abilities.

Rick... the poll speaks for itself. Over 50% of the people that have responded have dropped/crashed it before they have made it with 6 months of ownership. That's one out of every 2 owners.

when someone makes it past at least 6 months, maybe then they should report their results.

Rick... the poll speaks for itself. Over 50% of the people that have responded have dropped/crashed it before they have made it with 6 months of ownership. That's one out of every 2 owners.

when someone makes it past at least 6 months, maybe then they should report their results.

KKim, it sounds like you need to change the options in your poll to 6 months or less and get rid of the first two options so that the poll can truely speak for itself and show that the majority of respondents have dropped their bikes. Why should someone wait to vote on the chance that they might
drop their bike within the next few months? I think I will stop going to work because I might win the Lotery within the next few months. :D

All I am saying is to give people props for not dropping their bikes and don't assume that they eventualy will. :rolleyes:

OK rant over.

Rick,

you're free to do whatever you want. :)

Only had it 3 days, came close once.
Hopefully will never become a statistic in this poll. D:

Rick,

you're free to do whatever you want. :)

kKim, just messin' with ya.

I had my bike only 1 week and dropped it going 40 around a S cruve. I was trying to keep up with the big boys. You can see the damage on my profile. Luckily it was only cosmetic, but I was not too hot. I rode it home the hour it took and went to the ER the next day. I sprained my ankle so bad I couldn't walk for 2 months. As soon as I could, I jumped back on and started riding again. I just revisited that corner and did just fine, I slowed way down! I am a bit nervous with the corners, but my lean line on my back tire is getting wider:D!

Dropped mine in 2nd week in the parking lot trying to rock it back and forth into first. Why did I do that, I will never know. Sprained my left leg trying to hold it up. Pushed the left turn signal into the shiny new fairing, and put some scratches on it. My friends can't see the scratches but I sure can.

It felt kind of bad.

I just became part of the first week statistic. Barely. :rolleyes:
I was riding with my brother, got too far ahead of him due to traffic he was stuck behind.
I pulled over at a small intersection to wait and forgot to drop to first since i was concentrating on looking for him.
He caught up and I waved him by, went to follow the right turn, engaged clutch and *cough* it stalled.
I already had my weight positioned for the turn and she started to fall so I braced and set her down as gently as possible.
Had to get off and set her upright, key off, key off, downshift to first, start, and off I rolled.

Checked it out and the only damage is to my ego. :o
the folding pegs really helped out i think, and assisted in setting the bike down gently at the last moment.

*sigh, at least it was the best experience possible for how it happened :)

I agree poll should be based on mileage (saddle time). I am right around 250 now.

Only had it 3 days, came close once.
Hopefully will never become a statistic in this poll. D:

LOL Didnt last long eh. Glad everything alright : )

I just had an extremely close call, vdot apparently felt the need to grind down the road without any warnings at all, on a sharp corner. I was going about 35mph and the rear tire slide out a few feet while I slammed my left foot down on the road to save me from lowsiding. Thank god I'm not a statistic yet :p.

Looks like even if i didnt drop it forgetting to put the kickstand down, id be answering again today. Some "wonderful" city worker driving his crown vic pulled out in front of me, and stopped dead in the road. I saved the bike and myself, laid it down about a foot from his door after locking up but i laid it down when the bike was stopped basically and i was able to hop off it. Little bent shifter but not nearly as bad as some ive seen, no real damage to the fairings that i can see. He said he didnt see me as usual, i was speeding or anything, i wish he would have just committed to the turn instead of stopping, with oncoming traffic and what not i dont think i had many options. Sorry for the rant, be safe out there

Crashed it today going back to work from lunch. Lady crossed my lane trying to get to the right turn lane. Impact was at about 10mpg. 1 .5 in smudge on a fairing from her car, but the side that dropped got absolutely no fairing damage. Just scratches on exhaust heat shield, brake lever, side mirror, brake pedal, and bar end. Both front signals a broke but still functional. I can still ride. I was unhurt. She was ticketed for illegal lane change. Need to get estimates for repair so I know how much to tell her insurance to write the check for. It will most likely go to flush mounts, touch up paint, and to pay of the slip-on and solo cowl I just ordered. I figure for my first crash that it couldn't have gone any better. The officer was a bike rider he was pretty amazed there was no fairing damage and the stock signals didn't damage the fairings inside. Guess I was able to lay it down easily.

I had my bike only 1 week and dropped it going 40 around a S cruve. I was trying to keep up with the big boys. You can see the damage on my profile. Luckily it was only cosmetic, but I was not too hot. I rode it home the hour it took and went to the ER the next day. I sprained my ankle so bad I couldn't walk for 2 months. As soon as I could, I jumped back on and started riding again. I just revisited that corner and did just fine, I slowed way down! I am a bit nervous with the corners, but my lean line on my back tire is getting wider:D!

What you just described is called a "crash" not a "drop"

What you just described is called a "crash" not a "drop"

Tomato - tomoto. Either way, it sucked!

lol^

At least it seems most of the drops arent incurring much damage other than to our egos/shifter peg/brake peg

tomato - tomoto. Either way, it sucked!

troof!

Still been riding mine everyday. I go into the shop tomorrow to get the estimate. I already ordered flushmounts, slip on, integrated tail, new levers, cowl, and rearset adjuster plates. Everyone I show can't believe that I only got a couple fairing, lever, bar end, brake pedal, exhaust heat shield scratches, and front signal slightly broke. Everything still works and from 5 ft away you can't tell. Even though I had already ordered replacement parts though, it is still her responsibility to cover what the repair costs would have been. The insurance company didn't even have a way to get an estimate. They just told me to get one from the dealer.

Interesting to note that 57% of respondents crashed within the first year.

Interesting to note that 57% of respondents crashed within the first year.

yes, eye opening, isn't it? ...which is why I'm such an ATGATT advocate, especially for those just learning to ride.

Added my (late) vote for within 1 month

My first bike (04 ninjette) was just at the 1 month mark when I felt I was a better rider than I am. Drop wasn't that bad, but did enough damage I knew I couldn't easily fix.
So I sold it to dealer and got a brand new 11 ninjette instead.

That bike is 3 weeks old today, has 550 miles and never been dropped (hoping to keep it that way).

However I remind myself every single corner, no matter sharpness of turn or my current speed..."you are not a motoGP rider" and I end up taking corners probably too slow... but I'm on 2 wheels and the bike is still working & pretty, so I'm good w that :p

how do i change my vote? lol

Oh noeeeeees lol
What have you done Kevin!?

Went down last wednesday and exactly a month before that I was side swiped but didnt go down so i didnt really count it as a crash lol

I just dropped my bike for the second time a few minutes ago.

This time it got a scratch ='[

The first time I was going to a professors house up a sandy hill and I lost control, it fell, I caught the bike before much made contact. The tip of the right handlebar dug into the sand about half an inch, that was it for that.

Today I went to the grocery store and bought ice cream and some juice. Came home... pulled up to the walk way. The bike is off and everything is good so I then put the groceries on the dirt next to the side walk where I park it then put the bike down.

It seems a little heavy but I keep going, ya know I figure the kickstand hasn't made contact. Then I've gone too far, I let it go too much and it fell, the left mirror dug into the dirt (soft) got a tiny cluster of scratches to the sticker on the fairing (2011 SE Green) and scuffed the ball of the shift lever because the bike rotated about that because I didn't have the front brake down.

Other than that the bike is perfectly fine I'm not seriously butt hurt but I'm still butt hurt. How can I not be for such a stupid mistake haha. =]

Well just sharing my story from a few minutes ago haha.

I already voted in the poll as never a while ago but today makes it 108 days since I've dropped the bike for real.

http://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?p=336062#post336062

Yup, these time-based polls are always flawed due to not being able to change votes easily; only way to keep them completely valid is for people not to enter anything until they've timed out at the 5 year mark. But where's the fun in that? :)

Glad you and your bike are pretty much OK. :thumbup:

Yup, these time-based polls are always flawed due to not being able to change votes easily; only way to keep them completely valid is for people not to enter anything until they've timed out at the 5 year mark. But where's the fun in that? :)

Glad you and your bike are pretty much OK. :thumbup:

Thanks. I just realized the break pedal was bent too at the tip only on top of the scratches. Just finished fixing it with a slow bend back. Not too fast because I don't want to make it brittle.

Any info on how to buff out the scratches make them less ugly?

Any info on how to buff out the scratches make them less ugly?

Step back from the bike about 25 feet and make your eyes go all fuzzy. :D

Step back from the bike about 25 feet and make your eyes go all fuzzy. :D

Hahah :clapping:

Step back from the bike about 25 feet and make your eyes go all fuzzy. :D

lol thanks

and actually I think I'll leave them there... I deserve them to look at and remind me to not mess up when I'm in actual traffic.

Well... I didn't cry! I suppose that's a plus! Poor bike though =[

Just remember, if you haven't fallen you will.

Just remember, if you haven't fallen you will.

That is a good comment. I am fully expecting to drop the bike once I get riding again. Been too long since having been in the saddle.

I believe dropping the bike is unfortunate but a necessary step in the learning curve.
Analyze the circumstances when the bike dropped and learn for it.

I am amazed at how many people drop their bikes at a stand still or low speeds. I hate seeing new posts in the crash thread. Get a grip (pun intended :D) fellas, please be careful out there!

Haven't dropped her yet, but I've had her less than a week. She did get scratched though - the second day I had her home, a fence in the parking lot dinged her. I almost cried!

Twice. Once was after two years and the other was in Dec. 2010.

The first was in a parking lot I was pulling into a spot to park I looked over my shoulder to look back to see where the other two riders were and bike slipped on oil. I tried to hold the bike up but could not keep it so I let in lay down. No Damage.

The second was a bleeping bleep in a parking lot coming out of a bar/club. No big deal except I was coming around the corner and the bleeping car was on my side of the road and had no choice in a tight lean but to step off and let bike slide out. Have car hit me or lay bike out. I laid bike out. Scuffed mirror and exhaust. Frame slider and swing arm sliders worked well.

2 months :(

Jul 12 to Sep 11

Dropped my bike on it's left side in my smooth floored garage because of a catastrophic kickstand (user) failure in my first week of ownership. My frame sliders were still on order.

I had no incidents until about a month ago when I started teaching my friend how to ride. He tipped it over once on each side. Frame sliders prevented any damage.

Took me 18 months; Unfamiliar grounds; hauled bike with me to California for Vacation and while coming down from Sequoia National Forest I Target fixated and whamo!! Lowsided. Then just a one week ago some guy ran a stop sign, second lowside;) all good just some road rash on the Fairing!

I've had my ninja for just over a year and I've put 2,500 miles on it she finally met the pavement today. I had trouble starting her this morning, which was very unusual, and had to toggle the choke to get her going. Same thing happened when I was leaving class this afternoon, so I let her warm up for an extra minute or two. I backed out of my parking space and just as I started to get going, she just mysteriously shut off. I couldn't hold her up because I was at a weird angle, mid turn, and she went down. To make matters worse, I couldn't pick her up by myself and some kid came and asked if I needed help and he had to pick it up for me :o Then I couldn't get it started again and a different boy came over and tried rolling on the throttle while turning it on and that finally worked. The left fairing as all scuffed up. Bad, bad day.

Never dropped MY ninjette :D She had been dropped once at standstill from the girl I bought it from, but not to much damage.

I dropped my brothers one time, but fixed it all up. New rearsets for that baby :D

Within the first 5 min after delivering my baby home...

Ashamed.....:mad:

Practicing in a parking lot, dropped it twice, just completed the MSF Course and passed it today;)

Got hit by a car within 2 weeks of buying my bike brand new.
More recently, I dropped my bike in a parking lot when I forgot I didn't put my kickstand down & decided to hop off. :rolleyes: Still can't believe I did that.

i dropped mines while going from nyc to gilgo state park. passed the MSF basic about two years back and finally bought a 2010 250r about two months ago. this was my first time going on a long ride and on the highway. the wind was blowing really hard and i was struggling to keep up with my cousin and his friend on ocean parkway near the park. going at about 80 mph i finally caught up and signaled that i needed to take a break. we all pulled over and my legs were kind of shaky. once i put my leg on the floor, i just did not have the power to keep my 250r up. it doesn't help that i can not flat foot it either :(. it downed and i could not pick it up. my cousin and his friend got it up for me and there was minimal damage. the gear level bent inwards a bit, some scratches on the left side and aft fairings, a lot of scratches at the bar ends, and some on the clutch lever. my sliders was still stuck in transport and i thought i could get away with it, sigh:mad:.

please excuse my bad grammar.

i dropped mines

Hope they didn't blow up.

On a serious note: i dropped my Demo ninja within 5 mins with pillion on. Hahaha
After taking demo was my turn to get bike up the ramp. I didn't take turn accordingly for ramp because i never expected them to ask me to take bike inside. Floor was oily and slippery with polished stone finish. Pillion asked me to give speed and i told him bike is gonna slip. He kept insisting and i took my risks. And yeah.. Front tire slipped exactly the way i thought. No damage to bike but injured my knee badly because bike's weight and our weight were all on my knee XD

at a stand still. No big deal. the first owner messed it up but she'll have new paint soon :D

Hope they didn't blow up.

On a serious note: i dropped my Demo ninja within 5 mins with pillion on. Hahaha
After taking demo was my turn to get bike up the ramp. I didn't take turn accordingly for ramp because i never expected them to ask me to take bike inside. Floor was oily and slippery with polished stone finish. Pillion asked me to give speed and i told him bike is gonna slip. He kept insisting and i took my risks. And yeah.. Front tire slipped exactly the way i thought. No damage to bike but injured my knee badly because bike's weight and our weight were all on my knee XD

I've learnt to trust my instincts over other peoples. I had someone helping me move my motorcycle through this building. They kept encouraging me to do things which I know would have resulted in me dropping or damaging the bike. I think some people are better able to simulate things in their mind than others. Clearly you and I are awesome :p

Trust your instincts!

I've learnt to trust my instincts over other peoples. I had someone helping me move my motorcycle through this building. They kept encouraging me to do things which I know would have resulted in me dropping or damaging the bike. I think some people are better able to simulate things in their mind than others. Clearly you and I are awesome :p

Trust your instincts!

Haha!

But i feel so proud to myself i dropped a ninja that i did not own XD
Nothing compared to guy that dropped Mines though XD. Trololol

I laid my nice lil 01 ninja 250 over almost 3 months ago now 5 months from purchase. Though at 40mph and missing the person that pulled out in front of me I'd say I didn't do half bad since all exits blocked.
People say I'm lucky to be alive, walk, and even think about starting sports next month, but really my guardian angel and I are just really tight. ;)
So really laying over the bike wasn't so bad considering, now to find new parts... :confused:

Today, the first day of the new year 2012. (bought it around the 20th of Nov 2011)

Went out riding feeling awesome, stopped at a gas station and laid her down by the pump. She was already messed up by the previous owner, but still she is my baby..!

The left turn signal cover broke off & a couple of scratches.

I died a little inside. :sad:

Today, the first day of the new year 2012. (bought it around the 20th of Nov 2011)

Went out riding feeling awesome, stopped at a gas station and laid her down by the pump. She was already messed up by the previous owner, but still she is my baby..!

The left turn signal cover broke off & a couple of scratches.

I died a little inside. :sad:

how'd that happen?

I think i parked to close to the pump, after filling her up. I walked her forward and bit and the stand got moved back by the curb around the pump. Checked to see if the stand was down (and it looked fine from my view, lol) started to put her on the stand, and she just kept on going.! LOL

man i am still pissed off bro.!

I think i parked to close to the pump, after filling her up. I walked her forward and bit and the stand got moved back by the curb around the pump. Checked to see if the stand was down (and it looked fine from my view, lol) started to put her on the stand, and she just kept on going.! LOL

man i am still pissed off bro.!

Because I've heard so many stories of people dropping their bike on account of not realising the stand is up, I always hold all the weight of the bike on my leg until the point where the weight has been safely transferred on to the stand. I also make sure that the second I get step over the bike, the first thing I do is kick the stand up (to avoid setting off with the stand down).

We all make mistakes though. Sad to hear about yours! Poor bike! I bet your heart skipped a beat when you suddenly realised the bike had gone beyond where it should have stopped and that you were unable to stop it.

what you gotta get good at doing is put it in neutral, kill the engine, turn off the ignition, and flip down the sidestand (all while coasting through the parking lot into your spot btw :D ) so you can look super badass when you just pull out the keys and hop off right as it comes to a stop. just swing the right leg over and walk away. let that pesky sidestand catch the bike itself; who needs to make sure that it stays standing?? Looks more BA when you don't care :thumbup: :eek:

:rotflmao:

although I have actually done this a few times in a parking lot before and it did make me feel pretty good about myself that I didn't drop it. I literally hopped off like you can do on a bicycle by standing on the left pedal and swinging your right leg over the bike as you come to a stop :thumbup:

although I have actually done this a few times in a parking lot before and it did make me feel pretty good about myself that I didn't drop it. I literally hopped off like you can do on a bicycle by standing on the left pedal and swinging your right leg over the bike as you come to a stop :thumbup:

Skills!

Because I've heard so many stories of people dropping their bike on account of not realising the stand is up, I always hold all the weight of the bike on my leg until the point where the weight has been safely transferred on to the stand. I also make sure that the second I get step over the bike, the first thing I do is kick the stand up (to avoid setting off with the stand down).

We all make mistakes though. Sad to hear about yours! Poor bike! I bet your heart skipped a beat when you suddenly realised the bike had gone beyond where it should have stopped and that you were unable to stop it.


You are spot on with me skipping a heartbeat. For the first 3 seconds, I couldn't believe that it just happened. The first thought that came to my head was, I wish i could go back in time and save the bike from falling or some miracle happens and this is a dream or something like that. lol.

Bro it ruined my day, I am still recovering from the incident. Thinking about it just kills me man.!

Oh yeah, and the next day went out riding with a buddy, and his battery died in the middle of the road. He shut off his bike to say something to me, and the bike did not turn on again. We had to jump/roll start it or whatever you call it. Then we were heading home, and my license plate started hanging, one of the bolts just fell off... I guess ill switch to zip-ties. 2012 is turning out to be the worst....! :(

You are spot on with me skipping a heartbeat. For the first 3 seconds, I couldn't believe that it just happened. The first thought that came to my head was, I wish i could go back in time and save the bike from falling or some miracle happens and this is a dream or something like that. lol.

Bro it ruined my day, I am still recovering from the incident. Thinking about it just kills me man.!


The time I had an accident I remember that feeling so well. I was in the process of going into a ditch and I remember thinking something along the lines of "OMG: I'm crashing... a motorcycle... crashing motorcycles is bad... this is bad... OMFG, my beautiful Ninjette is going to be destroyed"! Turns out my panicked mind was being overly dramatic, because I came out of it unharmed and with only very minor damage on the bike.


Oh yeah, and the next day went out riding with a buddy, and his battery died in the middle of the road. He shut off his bike to say something to me, and the bike did not turn on again. We had to jump/roll start it or whatever you call it. Then we were heading home, and my license plate started hanging, one of the bolts just fell off... I guess ill switch to zip-ties. 2012 is turning out to be the worst....! :(

Try and turn the bike failures/maintenance into a joyful thing. I've had problems with my bike twice now (once my fault when I had a small accident (http://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=86903) and once because of a manufacturing defect (http://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=91652)). Both times I enjoyed learning more about the bike, seeing how it was fixed and savoring my riding even more having experienced time away from the bike while it was broken.

So long as it's warm outside, I enjoy the maintenance too. It feels like what time I put into the bike I get back 2 fold in the enjoyment of riding a clean well-maintained and subsequently reliable bike.

akima You are so right....you know at the end of that day. I called my friend up and talked to him about it positively. I told him that it was a good experience and stuff like this was going to happen sooner or later. So all in all we gain experience from it. haha.

you and me, we ain't so different lol. Great minds think a like. ;) lol

Thanks for the positive replies man, it makes me feel a lot better bro.

Thanks for the positive replies man, it makes me feel a lot better bro.

np ;)

* Akima adds "bro" to her list of titles earned * :p

np ;)

* Akima adds "bro" to her list of titles earned * :p

lol oh **** ma bad yo. You still my bro.! :D

You still my bro.! :D

Damn right I am! ;)

Damn right I am! ;)

Yessssss.! :dancecool:

After not riding for almost 9 years, I had to learn everything all over again. I was able to ride my ninja around the block, go on main streets and freeway. I was doing fine...until my Bf and I went to empty parking lot so that I can learn how to make a u-turn. I did the most common mistakes, and I dropped my bike, got my foot pinned under the left peg. Bruised knee and minor scrape on the knee. Now I'm recovering from a high sprain ankle. It's been 1.5 wks and finally I'm able to walk with a little limp, but still can't ride.

Sux that today's weather is great from riding...A few more weeks, and I'm back on the ninja.

first accident 2 weeks after i got it really first sharp turn i took didn't fully know about counter steering lol and panicked put the front break on and laid it down a few scraps nothing big 2 days later did almost the same thing felt really ashamed should of learned my lesson. about 3 months later a few days ago took my first highway ride all good got down the street to where i was going and saw gravel on the road and a slight turn...friend kept telling me the gravel will wipe u out so before i hit the turn i hit the breaks panicked again more ashamed lol and ...and stopped in grass bike fell on my foot other then that i was fine not a scratch but my foot still hurts :p.

I got my '99 Ninja 250 back over the winter. I figure I had it 3 months before I laid it down. I bought it with some previous damage, but I spent months repairing the dented tank, replacing broken parts and applying several coats of "sublime green" lacquer to her. She looked so pretty!
That was Friday... Tuesday evening I was doing approx 15mph through a 90 deg. curve and there was loose gravel washed across the road. She slid through the gravel into a (rather soft) embankment. I got very lucky in that I suffered a bit of "road rash" on my knees and elbows (I was wearing a padded jacket and jeans). The brand new paint suffered a quarter-sized scuff on the tank, the shifter bent and I busted off a bar-end mirror. It could have been a lot worse......

my brand new, not even month old baby just kissed/made out/got it full on with a guard rail this evening. making a turn like any other, even slower at 20mph and it just went down. happened so fast i dont know exactly what went on, though im leaning towards road debris..

bike seems mechanically sound and no vital damages, but the plastics are mauled. im ok too, very achy because I too hit the guard rail, and where my leg kissed it, ive got a cut and wicked bruise. slammed into the rail quite hard but lucky to have been able to get up and walk it off! :o

2 months today without a drop/crash. Knock on wood.

2 months today without a drop/crash. Knock on wood.

No, stay away from the wood! It's slippy ;)

Hope you never crash. One of motorcycle instructors had only had 1 accident in like 45 years of riding.

wow only 1. i hope i'm good for the next 45 years then!!

I personally have never dropped my bike....Megan's idiot sister put her 2 year old on the bike and she dropped it while she was holding him and it was on the kickstand. Neither she nor the baby were hurt, but other than that I have never dropped it personally.

Alex I think a reset of the poll is in order so that those 227 liar's (myself included) can be more accurate about their crash statistics :D

I'm not sure if you can reset kkim's poll or merge this poll into it or w/e, do whatever you think is best but I think it's time for a more accurate measure of our crashers :D

So you crashed your bike, no big deal, it happens to the best of us, but mostly the worst of us.

Oh yea Version 1.0 (http://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=25913)

I didn't crash. I drove it on it's side

No, you crashed

I like this poll more than the other one; the options are more specific. I will vote once I've been riding for a longer period of time.

Ah, so you are intent on crashing :)

Oop, I guess this should be in the crash forum and not general, whoops :D

Hah :p I hope not... but if I do hopefully I escape virtually unharmed.

Broken bones are pretty cool though