killed my first deer yesterday

[compensation]

Thank you for having a helmet on. Good to see your alive.

 

[DaKow]

3 cheers for good gear! Glad you weren't hurt too badly!

 

[Guillaume]

love my frame sliders!

Well, I just drop my FZ8 for the very first time yesterday. It took 8,000 miles of riding since March for it to finally happen! Hopefully that will be the last.

When I realized there was a gate blocking my way on an uphill parking exit ramp, I decided to make a last second u-turn. Super slow left speed turn for a newbie rider with a newbie passenger in the back; the bike started to lean and putting my foot down wasn't enough to hold it. My girlfriend jumped off the bike (which is good since her leg is harder to replace than the bike) and started saying "I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry". It definitely wasn't her fault but since she's only been on a motorcycle three times, she thought she did something wrong.

Bottom line is that I have the Yamaha frame sliders and thank god for those! I was able to help the bike down slowly rather than just drop it and the only evidence of the laying down is on the slider itself, barely visible. A tiny bit of paint came off the side-stand too. Even my Rizoma bar end mirror, which was on the ground and twisted from the weight shows no evidence whatsoever.

The ramp was pretty steep and the wheels were pointing upwards so I'm happy some people saw me and helped me lift the bike up.

I'm relieved that this finally happened! Lesson learnt and, just like you, love my frame sliders. I was thinking of taking them off a couple days ago since I thought I finally passed the "since-you're-a-beginner-you'll-drop-your-bike" phase. Needless to say that those will stay on.

And I'm glad to hear that you're getting all better; I certainly wouldn't want to try those sliders with a deer!

Update: As I had a hard time finding my gear shifter this morning at a light, I noticed that it was actually bent inward. It still clears everything and functions properly, just a little more on the inside. I guess my bike is a little more aerodynamic now, you should consider it.