OzSTOC
General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: Kev Murphy on March 26, 2015, 03:45:28 PM
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Painful lesson.
I was riding to the shops this morning, following a young fella on a chook-chaser.
As he stopped for a red light, he attempted to put his foot down, only to discover
that his shoe lace had looped over the gear shift.
As I lifted the bike from him, I mentioned how lucky he was that it was only a 175,
and not something similar to mine in weight.
Am rather annoyed that no one else offered assistance to the lad while he was trapped
on the ground with the bike across him?
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Sadly, you're right. Few of the general public regard a motorcyclist in trouble as being worthy of help.
Mind you, The General Populace don't want to get involved in anyone else's lives, so it's not just us they ignore.
I dropped my blue ST13 doing a uey in front of a full bus shelter and had to ask for help. One guy reluctantly helped me get the bike up. I suspect we're not as attractive as a comely blonde on a Vespa when it comes down to it! :fp
And if you don't have a choice regarding footwear, re-tie the laces to the outside of the shoe to reduce the hazzard. You can tuck the loops into the top of the shoe as further insurance.
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I very nearly (almost, but not quite) came a cropper with a lace on a motorcycle boot (well, it was a high shoe really) catching on the gear lever. That was the last time I wore them. Zips and Velcro for me now.
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It can happen to the best off us with no shoelaces;
Pulled up at the lights and went to put my left foot down only to find it glued to the foot ped by a huge wad of chewing gum which I had picked up just proir to mounting the bike.
A.
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As a young rider, the old shoelace snagged on the gear lever trick caught me out, but only once. 2nd time was on the RHS side when I went to put my right foot down and couldn't because the kickstarter had snuck up my trowser leg - bloody flares! Funny thing was that it was at the same set of lights on the way to work. Lying on the road pissing myself laughing probably didn't help my chances of having someone help me up, but once I stopped laughing, I didn't have any trouble extricating myself from under my TX650A and getting it back up.
I can relate one instance where a member of the public did help me after an off, in front of a pub near the above set of lights at a railway crossing. Riding home from rugby practice, frost on the railway line, and a touch of front brake had me and my TX spinning down the road in front of the Railway Hotel, and patron did the right thing by me by pouring a schooner down my throat, before I could even get up. Rum would have probably been better first aid than beer, but who was I to complain. Times have changed somewhat!
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I dropped my bike outside my motel room in Barcaldine (Prostate ride to Cairns).
Before I could retrieve a pillow from the room to put under the handlebar and take a photo, people had already stood the bike up.
My jeans cuff has a hole in it from my prang last year. The cuff continues to blow over the side stand extension and gets caught. Fortunately I discovered this when I attempted to stretch my leg rather than at the lights.