nthdegreeburns
Junior Member
It's been barely 24 hours since I posted my "new rider" post to the thread, and I have already laid down the bike. :shakehead: Could use some feedback / input on what I might've done wrong.
SCENARIO
Here's what I'm facing each time I take the bike out...
WHAT I TRIED YESTERDAY
WHAT HAPPENED TODAY
DAMAGE DONE
See the attached images. The damage photos are the wrong orientation -- up is forward on the bike.
SEEKING FEEDBACK
So -- I'm trying to make sure I can get OUT of the garage without having this happen more than once. I am comfortable riding UP the driveway into the garage, and I'm wondering if I should just make the room / effort to ride the bike down the driveway instead of backing out. That said, questions...
Thanks in advance for any feedback offered. I DID get out and ride AFTER the incident. My first REAL motorcycle ride lasted about 40 minutes, and other than getting into way too much traffic / fast roads, I enjoyed it.
Regards,
nthdegreeburns
SCENARIO
Here's what I'm facing each time I take the bike out...
- My garage is small and somewhat cluttered -- pointing the bike OUT of the garage is a pain
- My driveway is steep -- vehicles start rolling immediately coming out of garage
- My driveway ends in hill -- downhill is to left when facing OUT of the garage
- The hill leads directly into a T-intersection -- I'm at the end of the cul-de-sac, so there's the length of my yard before a main road
WHAT I TRIED YESTERDAY
- Lined the bike up facing backwards
- Walked the bike down the driveway using the front brake
- Walked the bike backward downhill at the street so I could go uphill to the cul-de-sac and turn around
- Seemed to work, but with my 200lb and the bike's weight, the front tire slipped under front braking
WHAT HAPPENED TODAY
- Lined the bike up facing backwards
- Walked the bike down the driveway again
- Think I tried to lean the bike downhill before countersteering
- Bike overwhelmed me on downhill side
- Laid bike down onto the frame slider very gently
DAMAGE DONE
See the attached images. The damage photos are the wrong orientation -- up is forward on the bike.
- First image is of the bike this morning before ride and being laid down
- Scratched the right seat handle
- Scratched the frame slider (saved the fairing, I think)
- Scratched the right mirror
- Other scratches on the right rear turn signal, brake lever, and handlebar end (no photos)
SEEKING FEEDBACK
So -- I'm trying to make sure I can get OUT of the garage without having this happen more than once. I am comfortable riding UP the driveway into the garage, and I'm wondering if I should just make the room / effort to ride the bike down the driveway instead of backing out. That said, questions...
- I didn't see any other damage than these scratches (the blue paint one made me sad). Do I need to check the brake lever any more than confirming it worked?
- I didn't install the frame slider -- can the outer part be replaced? Should I even bother?
- Am I damaging the front brake backing it down the driveway?
- If I ride facing out of the garage, do I just need to keep it straight to avoid laying the bike down under power with my left side facing downhill in the street?
Thanks in advance for any feedback offered. I DID get out and ride AFTER the incident. My first REAL motorcycle ride lasted about 40 minutes, and other than getting into way too much traffic / fast roads, I enjoyed it.
Regards,
nthdegreeburns
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