SMH - I am an idiot

"PartyPooper2012" (PartyPooper2012) 07/10/2017 at 08:34 • Filed to: None

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Dug out my motorcycle this weekend. Got it running. Figured I’ll take it for a spin around the block.

Made a turn and stalled. Street was a little up hill. Restarted it and gave it a bit of a rev... little much. Let out clutch. Spun wheel for about half a block. When I let go of the throttle, left hand was pulling harder than right so I turned left and crashed it. Landed bike on my left ankle. Few scrapes on knees and elbow. Ankle hurts like a bitch. Swollen too.

When I recover, I need more practice. Maybe I’ll take ANOTHER Motorcycle safety course.

Any tips for driving a heavy ass cruiser that doesn’t turn very much?

Nauraushaun > PartyPooper2012 07/10/2017 at 08:44

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Cars don’t fall over ;) God motorbikes sound difficult. Or rather, they’re not, until you make the wrong sort of mistake and you’re down

Hammerdown > PartyPooper2012 07/10/2017 at 08:48

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What kind of bike? Practicing in a parking lot would be the best way to go.

My opinion from the limited info you gave:

If you stalled it, then over-revved it and dumped the clutch, you probably need to spend some more time working on clutch control and becoming comfortable with the friction zone on your bike. When you’re not comfortable, it’s easy to panic, get a little ham-fisted and go down. Gotta be smooth.

For hill starts on any bike, the easiest thing to do is to hold the rear brake with your right foot when starting. Then you can leave like a normal start and let go of the brake when the bike starts rolling. When you’re parking lot practicing try to come to a start and start with only your left foot on the ground.

bob and john > PartyPooper2012 07/10/2017 at 08:49

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DRAG THE REAR BRAKE

PartyPooper2012 > bob and john 07/10/2017 at 08:51

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yup. saw that on a youtube video just few minutes ago...

bob and john > PartyPooper2012 07/10/2017 at 08:53

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did your MSF course really not teach that?

PartyPooper2012 > Hammerdown 07/10/2017 at 08:53

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My wife gives a lot of shit for even having it. I keep telling her, I won’t get any better if I am not allowed to ride. I shall overcome wife first. then get more practice in with bike.

The bike is 1995 Honda Shadow 1100. About 600 lbs of fury

PartyPooper2012 > bob and john 07/10/2017 at 08:54

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MSF course I took used little 250cc bikes. This thing is 1100cc. 600lbs. It turns a lot different than what I learned. It is also scary as all hell to lean a bike that weights 600 lbs into a turn. It’s just me. I know. I am scared of it and I should not be.

bob and john > PartyPooper2012 07/10/2017 at 08:57

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the rear brake trick works BETTER for cruisers! yea, it helps the little guys some too, but it really comes into its own on the larger, longer wheel base bikes

remember to look. where. you. want. to. go. staring at the road 20ft ahead of you isnt that. look THROUGH the corner towards the exit.

PartyPooper2012 > Nauraushaun 07/10/2017 at 09:05

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Isn’t that with everything?

boredalways > PartyPooper2012 07/10/2017 at 09:05

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“I shall overcome wife first. then get more practice in with bike.”

Me thinks you’ve got that backwards.*

How can you overcome your wife if you haven’t proved that you can handle the bike? Maybe you should consider finding someone on CL that you could trade your 1100cc bike for a 500-650cc cruiser?**

*never married and no kids, so what the hell do I know

**I sucked at riding, too, lost confidence and couldn’t talk myself back into it partially because I had a sportbike instead of something more reasonable. Finally sold it a couple of months ago.

McMike > PartyPooper2012 07/10/2017 at 09:11

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I’m not trying to be a dick, but after reading that I think you need to take the class again before you really hurt yourself.

That fall sounds like it was a combination of inexperience and panic, and reminds me of those “first time on motorcycle” fail videos on YouTube.

Also, the “heavy ass cruiser that doesn’t turn” isn’t the issue. It’s likely this could have happened on any type of motorcycle.

Glad you didn’t break any bones.

Is the bike OK?

PartyPooper2012 > boredalways 07/10/2017 at 09:12

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Wife needs a little more convincing that I will not instantly combust if I look at a bike. Once she is ok with my riding a little here and there, I will get the hang of things.

shop-teacher > PartyPooper2012 07/10/2017 at 09:23

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Maybe buy a cheap scooter and practice riding that for a while? A giant ass cruiser isn’t a great thing to learn on.

Hammerdown > PartyPooper2012 07/10/2017 at 09:23

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If it’s something you want to do you need to commit to it and spend some time developing skills. Riding every once in awhile or a few times a year is more dangerous than riding more often. Motorcycles are muscle memory. Once you have those skills built up they’ll come back to you faster after not riding for awhile, but it takes time in the seat to build them up.

Also, I ride a Honda VTX 1800. 200 lbs heavier and double the HP. I ride it through city traffic, curvy roads, and anywhere else. With a good skillset and some practice you can ride anything anywhere. However, it’s you and the bike aren’t getting along it might be time for something different.

PartyPooper2012 > Hammerdown 07/10/2017 at 09:27

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like you said, i need practice. Wife however gives me grief about motorcycle... but that’s a different story.

PartyPooper2012 > shop-teacher 07/10/2017 at 09:27

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maybe. I can’t tell wife I am getting another two wheeled beast. She will kill me

PartyPooper2012 > McMike 07/10/2017 at 09:29

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Bike has highway bars so they took most of the damage. Saved my leg too.

You’re not being a dick. I absolutely agree with you. At the very least, it won’t hurt to take it again. It’s been a while since I took this class.

McMike > PartyPooper2012 07/10/2017 at 09:41

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Being scared of leaning a heavy motorcycle is in your head. The only time you’ll probably notice the extra weight of a motorcycle is:

When you have to pick it up

When you have to back out of a parking space

There are others, but in your case, let’s not worry about leaning it.

The VT1100 Shadow will lean as far as you want it to. You’ll scrape a peg/floorboard long before it will “fall over.”

I had one of those Shadows for 12 years.

Aside from spending hours riding around the neighborhood and parking lots, I would also suggest this:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1933958359/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > PartyPooper2012 07/10/2017 at 09:42

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You aren’t going to like this: Get a smaller and lighter bike. No really.

Cruisers are very heavy for what they are. I haven’t ridden a ton of bikes, but here’s what I can remember:

Triumph Legend TT

Triumph Adventurer 900

Yamaha Virago 1100

Triumph Sprint ST 955i (Current bike)

Honda Shadow 750

H-D FLHTCU (This one was the last Harley I rode. It also made me swear off riding another H-D, with the exception of perhaps a VRSC, because that’s the Harley unHarley)

H-D FLSTC

H-D FLHR (Too damn heavy for what it is)

Honda GL1800 Gold Wing 30th Anniversary Edition (I loved this bike, as my grandfather owned it, but wouldn’t ever spend that kind of money on it)

My favorite of the ones I’ve ridden? I still have very fond memories of the Legend TT (Carb’ed 900cc triple, still light and easy to move about), and I enjoy my Sprint ST.

I can’t stand the Harleys now. In fact the only one I could even stand is the VRSC. But I’m not about to spend $18K to buy one (I bought my Triumph for $3K).

McMike > PartyPooper2012 07/10/2017 at 09:47

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Cool. No one likes to hear “you suck,” but as I was typing that reply, I was worried that’s the message that would come out of it.

Motorcycles can be scary, and it sounds like you’re having a hard time with them. Practice, take your time, spend more time in empty parking lots starting/stopping.

... and I hope to god you didn’t tell Mrs PartyPooper that story you told us.

jimz > shop-teacher 07/10/2017 at 09:47

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hay guyz would this be a good starter bike

PartyPooper2012 > McMike 07/10/2017 at 09:57

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hahaha I came home. Look at her and simply said I don’t wanna hear it.

I really did not want to hear to repeat all the shit she was yammering on for years - you will die. It will kill you. all that nonsense. If you have enough practice, you can straddle an acme rocket and go to space.

As she was sitting there. Quiet. Helping me clean the wounds, I said I know you have a lot you want to say to me - but did you not fall when you were learning to walk? Did you not fall when you were learning to ride a bicycle? This is part of it. I know you can take all the lessons you want, but until you are out there on your own, you’re not really learning. Just getting the theory under your belt.

My opinion at least.

As for the hard time - no. I am not having hard time. I am super rusty and the only times I rode motorcycle was during safety course. Since there wife has partypooped my attempts at getting more practice.

PartyPooper2012 > KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs 07/10/2017 at 09:59

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Yeah. I bought this with every intention of dropping it and learning from it. I know its heavy and I know its hard to learn on, but damn it... throw me in deep end.

PartyPooper2012 > McMike 07/10/2017 at 10:01

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I don’t really enjoy reading about activity I can go out and do on my own. Ill take a class again. Ill get back on the bike and try again. Its a good bike and I will be damned before I let it intimidate me. Everyone falls sooner or later. I think thats what they told us at the class.

nerd_racing > PartyPooper2012 07/10/2017 at 10:02

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I have an 89 Suzuki Intruder 750 that I picked up last year. Finally got it registered and insured over the weekend. I’ve never ridden before and it was very pleasant to learn on. I put over 100 miles on it in a 24 hour period. I would recommend one, maybe even mine if you want a lighter cruiser that is very forgiving. (even has a hydro clutch). Appears to never have been down and I have maintenance history on it.

jariten1781 > PartyPooper2012 07/10/2017 at 10:02

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For me, low speed, tight turns are the most difficult thing to do on a motorcycle....longer the wheelbase the worse it is. Whenever I got a new bike I’d take it out and spend an entire afternoon driving this little square a neighborhood over from my house where I had four stop signs with 90 degree corners at different cambers. Go right, drive a hundred yard, stop, go right, drive 100 yards, stop, continue ad nauseam. Was boring as hell going in circles for hours, but I didn’t want to get stuck in a weird off camber slow speed corner out in traffic until handling the bike in that situation was second nature to me.

For your crash, though, you need way more practice. I’ve seen a ton of people have similar wrecks so you’re not the first to plow that field. You haven’t developed the muscle memory to be out and about and need to stick to parking lots until it’s ingrained. I did not find my MSF courses to be value added (don’t shoot me MSF zealots), but if you do take another one...do it on the bike you intend on riding. The little KLR250s and Honda Rebels are extremely forgiving and I’ve seen more than one person wipe out the first time they try to ride their own bike after passing the course with flying colors.

Future next gen S2000 owner > PartyPooper2012 07/10/2017 at 10:04

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Pick it up, get to an empty parking lot and get back on it.

Future next gen S2000 owner > PartyPooper2012 07/10/2017 at 10:04

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Pick it up, get to an empty parking lot and get back on it.

Future next gen S2000 owner > PartyPooper2012 07/10/2017 at 10:04

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Pick it up, get to an empty parking lot and get back on it.

KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs > PartyPooper2012 07/10/2017 at 10:08

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Just don’t let the Cult of Grom know.

It’s possible to learn on a heavier bike. Just not advisable when you have to pick it up again.

PartyPooper2012 > KusabiSensei - Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs 07/10/2017 at 10:27

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Picking it up isn’t hard. I’ll learn one day.

PartyPooper2012 > Future next gen S2000 owner 07/10/2017 at 10:28

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im gonna. as soon as my ankle is back to normal.

PartyPooper2012 > jariten1781 07/10/2017 at 10:31

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I’m one of those... flying color dudes.

PartyPooper2012 > nerd_racing 07/10/2017 at 10:32

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Thanks. I already have one. I rather beat mine to shit and maybe beat myself to shit with it, but I will learn this art. It’s not rocket science. Muscle memory is all

Hammerdown > shop-teacher 07/10/2017 at 11:38

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An 1100 Shadow isn’t that large or unwieldy. It can be a perfectly adequate first bike.

540 lbs and 50 hp.

shop-teacher > Hammerdown 07/10/2017 at 13:15

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I suppose, but he’s obviously having trouble handling it.

Nauraushaun > PartyPooper2012 07/10/2017 at 18:04

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Cars don’t go down ;)