I'm sure I committed a cardinal sin of riding

[BklynBoy]

I'm pretty sure I committed a cardinal sin of not intelligent riding and just want to share my (previous) poor habit that I had a few weeks ago to dissuade others who may do the same thing.
Looking back when I first joined the forum seeking information about purchasing my first MC I seem to recall two posts in particular: one from the Ferret who spoke about ATGATT and a second from dduelin who (I believe) spoke about first buying a used bike because it would be inevitable that I would drop the bike at some time or otherwise experience damaging the bike. These early suggestions as well as the many others I received provided valuable input to this noobie and I continue to benefit from members up to today.

A few weeks ago I was trying to find a location and took my phone out and use the my gps. I pulled over to the side of the street and started the gps function BUT did not put the bike into Neutral (not smart).
The phone then slipped out of my left hand and I leaned over to try to catch it and pick it up (not smart). In doing so I inadvertently turned the throttle, jumped the curb and hit a 3 foot diameter palm tree (not good).
After picking the bike up it seemed to ride good enough I decided to return home only to find that I cracked two panels on the right side of the bike and had a rather large bruise on my right forearm. When my wife returned home she asked me what happened to my Puig windshield and returning to the garage I found that the lower right portion of the windshield was no longer there. To make a long story short I healed, I replaced the panels and windshield. I also learned how to remove embedded mulch from under my bike.

In conclusion my intent is two-fold. First even if you are stopping for a very short time I suggest you at least put the MC in neutral, if not turn the bike off completely. Second is to thank every member in the forum who took the time to share knowledge and experience and guidance to me in the time that I have been a member of this forum and continue to do so.

 

[the Ferret]

Sorry about the drop, but it was relatively minor in damage to you, and the bike, which is good. Lesson learned and passed on to other. Also good.

Luckily, I'm too old/fat/short to bend over and pick up anything that falls below my knees when sitting on the bike, so when something is dropped (usually a glove), it's (1) curse) (2) put it in neutral, (3) put the sidestand down, (4) stand on the left peg and (5) get off the bike to retrieve.

 

[BklynBoy]

Sorry about the drop, but it was relatively minor in damage to you, and the bike, which is good. Lesson learned and passed on to other. Also good.

Luckily, I'm too old/fat/short to bend over and pick up anything that falls below my knees when sitting on the bike, so when something is dropped (usually a glove), it's (1) curse) (2) put it in neutral, (3) put the sidestand down, (4) stand on the left peg and (5) get off the bike to retrieve.

Thanks for your kind sentiments and continuing sharing. In further homage to ATGATT let say with confidence I am sure that I came out better than the bike because I wear lower body protection which has removable CE2 armor for coccyx, hips, thighs, knees, and shin even though it makes me feel like I am wearing panty hose, and I typically wear a padded tactical shirt and always boots and a helmet. I support every rider to make their own decisions but I figure I need all the help I can get not to hurt myself with not too intelligent decisions much less watching out for other drivers.

 

[Deleted member 10242]

Glad YOU are OK. That is most important. One good thing about the locking frunk is that you do have to turn off the bike if you happen to have your phone in there. But I do always put my DCT bike in neutral when stopping if I have to do something like that (not at red lights). If my wife noticed damage like that she would be on her soapbox telling me that I am going to kill myself riding that motorcycle. Your's didn't come off that way.

 

[670cc]

Glad YOU are OK. That is most important. One good thing about the locking frunk is that you do have to turn off the bike if you happen to have your phone in there. But I do always put my DCT bike in neutral when stopping if I have to do something like that (not at red lights). If my wife noticed damage like that she would be on her soapbox telling me that I am going to kill myself riding that motorcycle. Your's didn't come off that way.

Unless, like some of us, there is a dedicated frunk key. And then, I’ve even read of some riders that intentionally don’t latch their frunk lid for riding.

If I have to pause to pick up a dropped item, free up both hands, or open the frunk, I hit the kill switch and shut off the engine. I leave the manual transmission in first gear so the bike won’t roll. I leave the key on so the head and tail lights remain on. To go, enable kill switch, pull clutch lever, hit starter button. No need to mess with the shifter or select neutral. No need for a parking brake. That’s my rule; no exceptions.

 

[BklynBoy]

Glad YOU are OK. That is most important. One good thing about the locking frunk is that you do have to turn off the bike if you happen to have your phone in there. But I do always put my DCT bike in neutral when stopping if I have to do something like that (not at red lights). If my wife noticed damage like that she would be on her soapbox telling me that I am going to kill myself riding that motorcycle. Your's didn't come off that way.

I appreciate your comments in more ways than one denstl. Fwiw my wife and I have been married 33 years and dated a number of years before that. I would guess like most significant others her first inclination was to make sure I was okay (I have the added benefit that she's an RN) but then I got my wife's special version of commentary: "and you're the guy who went to college? did you learn anything there?" For some reason those words always remind me of what my friend Edythe used to say to me: "G*d can't fix ugly (people being mean to someone else) but stupid....you got a chance".

 

[halfSpinDoctor]

Thanks for sharing your oops. When I was learning, my friend let me borrow his learner/loaner bike for practice. An old Honda CM200. I was showing it off to friends, didn't realize it was in gear, and hit the starter (not sitting on the bike). The bike took off, smashed into a mailbox, and fell over.

Didn't realize that (1) it didn't have a functional neutral switch to prevent it from starting in gear, and (2) I should be sitting on the bike before starting it. Thankfully no harm done. The bike was already old and beat up. Now I ALWAYS look for the green light, or hold my hand on the clutch, before I start a bike. Can't trust those switches to always be functional.

 

[mzflorida]

I'm pretty sure I committed a cardinal sin of not intelligent riding and just want to share my (previous) poor habit that I had a few weeks ago to dissuade others who may do the same thing.
Looking back when I first joined the forum seeking information about purchasing my first MC I seem to recall two posts in particular: one from the Ferret who spoke about ATGATT and a second from dduelin who (I believe) spoke about first buying a used bike because it would be inevitable that I would drop the bike at some time or otherwise experience damaging the bike. These early suggestions as well as the many others I received provided valuable input to this noobie and I continue to benefit from members up to today.

A few weeks ago I was trying to find a location and took my phone out and use the my gps. I pulled over to the side of the street and started the gps function BUT did not put the bike into Neutral (not smart).
The phone then slipped out of my left hand and I leaned over to try to catch it and pick it up (not smart). In doing so I inadvertently turned the throttle, jumped the curb and hit a 3 foot diameter palm tree (not good).
After picking the bike up it seemed to ride good enough I decided to return home only to find that I cracked two panels on the right side of the bike and had a rather large bruise on my right forearm. When my wife returned home she asked me what happened to my Puig windshield and returning to the garage I found that the lower right portion of the windshield was no longer there. To make a long story short I healed, I replaced the panels and windshield. I also learned how to remove embedded mulch from under my bike.

In conclusion my intent is two-fold. First even if you are stopping for a very short time I suggest you at least put the MC in neutral, if not turn the bike off completely. Second is to thank every member in the forum who took the time to share knowledge and experience and guidance to me in the time that I have been a member of this forum and continue to do so.

Very sorry that you were injured and damaged the bike. That said, sharing this is a valuable contribution to the forum. New, experienced, and returning riders will learn from your experiences. Glad you are okay, for the most part at least.

 

[dduelin]

Odds are everyone that rides for a length of time has a story like this. We learn from our mistake and keep going. Thanks for sharing your experience with us. Of course glad it was a teaching experience that did not include a trip to the hospital.

Everyone that rides hears stories of a minor crash that ends with the person telling the story "I swore I'd never get on a bike again... those things are dangerous." The difference with us is that it doesn't dampen the desire to get back on it and keep going.

 

[BklynBoy]

Very sorry that you were injured and damaged the bike. That said, sharing this is a valuable contribution to the forum. New, experienced, and returning riders will learn from your experiences. Glad you are okay, for the most part at least.

I appreciate your words mzflorida, I still think I got away relatively unharmed considering the force I must have generated with breaking my windshield, which was enough to push back on the windshield stays, disconnect the front cowl, push back on the right air panel and bend it downward into the front side middle cowl which I cracked enough to have to replace both panels. I also had to take apart the front side cover middle cowl on the right because I hit the windshield so hard that it pushed back on the air panel and cracked the right middle cowl a. I consider myself very lucky because I must have hit that palm tree pretty good to generate that damage.
I am only too happy to share my errors in judgement and technique if it results in others not getting hurt.
Thanks again for your comments.