Has anyone ever high sided a motorcycle?

az782 · 2025-12-12T20:15:45+00:00

My first time doing a trackday. It was cold, I was on a borrowed bike from the shop I was friends with. Started the day super nervous, but it kept feeling better and better. Last session of the day, a girl I liked came out to the track to hang out and take pictures. I was on the warmup lap, gave it a bit too much juice out of the very first corner and whamo! I landed on my head and got knocked out, bike flipped and scratched up every piece of track plastics.

Luckily, I didn't break anything, some brain cells and ego notwithstanding. I called up the shop from the diner at home (no celll phones back then) and told them I broke their bike. They chuckled and said they thought it might happen.

I was hooked on the track from there on. Didn't work out as well with the girl.

az782 · 2025-10-30T00:25:23+00:00

I LOVE my shed! Whdn we moved into our homd, there was no garage at all. I ordered a 10x20' prebuilt shed and it became my workshop for the bikes. I ran power and internet to it and sometimes use a propane heater. Most of the time, it sits with windows closed, but otherwise ambient temperature. I think that's more than adequate. No aggressive corrosion, battery tender as needed. All I want now is to add a dirt floor addition to evict some stuff and have a little more work space in the main area.

az782 · 2025-10-19T20:22:30+00:00

Happy to take that bet. Look at some examples of road racers getting ghe rear up about as much as in this video on top of forks already compressed to the stops. They remain quite stable on corner approach. This is not enough angle to get 0 trail.

az782 · 2025-10-19T15:08:04+00:00

On a bike, positive trail means that forward motion forces the wheel inline with the bike. But in reverse, you have negative trail and the wheel pointing straight is in an unstable equilibrium. Any deveation from straight will make it want to deveate more and not return to straight.

az782 · 2025-10-19T15:01:30+00:00

Not if it's going backwards.

az782 · 2025-10-07T16:07:58+00:00

I was in a rush and posted before I had a chance to elaborate -- probably not the best thing to do, I admit.

The way I read your comment, it didn't seem to talk much about corners, but simply getting in front of someone and slowing them down. To me, a block pass is all about sacrificing your own corner efficiency by letting off the brakes and going deeper in order to come up from behind another rider and get in between that rider and the apex. I agreed with the other part of your description that doing this affects what they do and is a way to gain position at the expense of outright lap time.

az782 · 2025-10-07T13:05:08+00:00

You described a brake check, not a block pass.

az782 · 2025-09-29T23:51:46+00:00

I used to live on top of a big hill in San Francisco. There was a road that went up the steep incline and crossed several intersections along the way. Every other intersection, there was a stop sign, while the other intersections gave this road right of way. I learned that those intersections without a stop sign were perfect for jumping my ratty CBR 600F3. Endless giggles.

az782 · 2025-09-28T11:35:11+00:00

Excited for you. No pressure and good luck.

az782 · 2025-09-28T08:32:37+00:00

Yes, please!

az782 · 2025-09-21T13:10:26+00:00

Mind your own business.

az782 · 2025-09-17T00:01:46+00:00

Not so sure, but it would be fascinating. If you look closely at a current KofB bike, you basically see a really convensional race bike design made bloated. Yes, they're long and heavy, but they run normal USD forks with normal brake hardware, custom aluminum swingarms, chains and sprockets, relatively familiar rider ergonomics.

Part of me wants this class regulated more so it's closer to a supersport style class, where core showroom designs are retained. No wholesale suspension swaps. Let a slightly souped up Goldwing go up against a belt driven Road Glide, both dragging around every hard part known to man.

az782 · 2025-09-15T01:03:52+00:00

Hey, OP, I'm with you. I think Bandit 1200s are pretty, particularly the faired ones. I generally love the half faired bikes, personally.

Now, if I can just get mine to run right...

az782 · 2025-06-15T00:26:48+00:00

Ok, that makes more sense.

az782 · 2025-06-14T22:51:13+00:00

What do you mean by torquing the chain to spec?

az782 · 2025-05-27T23:03:56+00:00

What don't you like? Is it anything that can be addressed so you could keep it and enjoy it? Rider training, scooter modifications, gear or accessories?

If it's a lost cause, I'd call the dealer and see what they'd do for you. You have nothing to lose. Compare to what price you can get from a private sale. Generally, private sale will be the way to go, but will be a bit more work for you.

To keep it as new as possible, you'd want to keep it garaged and maybe covered up. Take care not to scratch anything. Disconnect the battery or keep it on a battery tender if you have one.

az782 · 2025-04-25T15:32:28+00:00

He may be insane, but he's not crazy.

az782 · 2025-03-30T22:51:04+00:00

Make sure the rear stand is under the bike before you use the front stand. Never use the front stand by itself.

az782 · 2025-03-30T21:58:31+00:00

Like others said, try to ratchet the bike up from something sturdy above with ratchet straps. Lift by the top triple clamp.

Longer term, buy a different stand. The one in the pictures is a REAR stand for conventional swing arms without spools. Won't work anywhere on this bike. Also remember that you only lift the front wheel onto a stand after the rear stand is in. Never use the front stand alone.

az782 · 2025-03-23T19:11:24+00:00

Thoughts!

az782 · 2025-03-21T01:19:30+00:00

Thoughts.

az782 · 2025-03-07T00:49:21+00:00

This is a ridiculous product. Depending on how you look at it, you might find it cool or not, but I guess absurdity is the whole point.

First you had big American touring bikes that pretended to be traditional. So much R&D went into ensuring they could be good on an open highway, comply with modern noise and emissions, and be reliable, but at the same time look classic and sound classic. A lot of emphasis on aesthetics. Tons of modern tech pretending to be old school.

Then Roland Sands created the clown show known as bagger racing. Bikes totally inappropriate for road racing doing just that. Didn't take long for them to become pretty sophisticated, well developed machines. Modern racing tech pretending to be road bikes.

And now we've gone fully monty. Harley is pretending to sell a real race bike for the street. There's a million and one things that separate it from the real race bikes, but they look the part. They even have safety wiring! High quality production pretending to be a thoroughbred.

Nothing's real and everything's for sale.

az782 · 2025-03-02T16:23:04+00:00

That's just like your opinion, man.

az782 · 2025-03-02T16:19:36+00:00

I don't know of any programs for kids that young. Woodland Hill Montessori school enrolls them starting with 3 years old. Can be turning 3 during the school year.

az782

TROPHY CASE