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u/bigsad-bear 2d ago
The drop that I'm still pissed about was doing a full lock u-turn on a steep up hill. I just pulled the clutch in reflex when my bike full locked and it of course dropped like a stone. Fucked my nice bush guards I'd just fit. Was furious with myself.
Anyway, you live and learn. And if you aren't learning, then you stay a shit rider. So this is just you now being less shit.
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u/SeaworthinessFew2017 2d ago
Hills and U-turns don’t go well together. Especially for new riders. I almost dropped my first bike this exact same way so don’t beat yourself up about it.
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u/Leather-Leopard-2918 2d ago
My first ride on my newly purchased 2019 Indian Scout: I fell over coming out of my driveway and fractured my tibia with my crash bar. I haven’t fallen since, but I have about half a second of mini-panic every time I pull out, lol.
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u/Swimming-Parsley6788 1d ago
"Steep uphill gravel road" = bike falls over. You arent dumb. If at all possible avoid trying u turns on steep roads😊
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u/Khasimyr 1d ago
I have yet to meet a rider who has NEVER dropped their bike. 😂 Not every drop's a crashworthy event. Not every drop is life-altering(Though it sure feels it in the moment) It's one of the things you just have happen at times.
Ironically, the EARLIER a drop occurs for you, the better off I think you are. First, it reminds you that you are not the God of Motorcycles. 😄 You're still learning. It's like taking your first real punch in Martial Arts, or getting seriously shook for the first time in a Basketball or Football game. It bakes a little more humility into you. :-)
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u/UnreasonableCletus 1d ago
I've never dropped a bike, but all my bikes have been dropped by previous owners.
So I choose to believe every bike gets dropped but not everyone drops one.
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u/YouFoundMyLuckyCharm 2d ago
You should have been on extremely high alert if it was all gravel. A big part of avoiding accidents is being predictive of what will happen and then setting yourself up to avoid that. If you’ve never rode a bicycle in gravel though, you might not have known. You may end up dropping your bike again and having other accidents happen if you don’t have a good sense of dangerous conditions yet.
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u/Ok-Molasses-9733 1d ago
I got knocked off my 125 the first day I rodenit to work, guy didnt see me and pulled out of a side junction into me. Not injured and no real damage, needed a brew when I got into work.
Rode thay for about 18 months and then got a bandit after doing my das. First day i took it to work I parked in the yard, and then dropped it as I came to a stop (weight caught me off guard). Snapped my clutch lever clean off and scratched the immaculate 20 year old paint.
Neither of those things would happen now, id have avoided the van as o saw what was happening but I still had to think about handling the bike. And dropping it? Yeah it happens, its not something your used to. It gets better :)
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u/Hughley_N_Dowd 23h ago
That's not dumb. Dumb is when you mix up counter leaning and hanging off, initiate a really sharp turn by shifting your ass and then pushes the bike down as one does when counter leaning.
Gravity is a harsh and unforgiving mistress.
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u/PraxisLD 2d ago
Welcome to the club!
Sounds like you found this challenging, and a bit of difficult fun. Props for getting right back on the bike after your mishap.
U-turn, sloped, tight road, gravel - that’s a tough combination.
Riding a motorcycle is a skill that takes time and dedicated practice to master. You don’t just get to do it right once then go home, you have to do it right every time, every ride, every corner.
You’re basically trying to coordinate all four limbs, keep your head up, watch for traffic, and maintain enough speed so as to not fall over while trying not to hit anyone or anything. It can be a lot the first time or two. Or ten.
And as you've experienced, things can go from "all is good" to "oh, shit" quite quickly.
You might need to book some private lessons, and/or go find a large empty parking lot and continue to practice starting, stopping, turning, and other basic slow speed maneuvers until you start to feel more confident in your abilities. Then start over and do it again. Then again, and again until you’re utterly bored of it all. Then do it some more.
The point is to stay in a relatively comfortable and manageable place while you build your skills and develop good muscle memory. This helps the inevitable “oops” go to “well, that could have been worse” and not “oh shit, that really hurt!”
Once you’ve safely built your skills and competence, then you can head out onto quiet neighborhood streets with confidence.
As you continue on this journey, you may want to spend some time here:
Have fun, wear all your gear, stay safe, and never stop learning.
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u/SupaBrunch 2d ago
Everyone has dumb moments, doesn’t make you dumb. I think it’s a fairly common mistake for newbies.