To save you checking out the search function I will summarise my off, with the benefit of 2.5k's worth of extra mileage since then.

Off 1 - Filtering on wet road, Black Cab pulls out of junction to my left, I swerve and grab a bit too much front brake - lose front end, have to pick bike up, curse the scratches to my week old bike, get a new brake pedal at 1st service (wasn't snapped, just REALLY bent)

Analysis - 50/50 fault - I shouldn't have been where I was and now I would probably not have lost it.

Off 2 - Filtering again, Minibus was flashed by car to pull out - Full front brakes had me experiencing a Stoppie, bike landed on wheels, I was unable to keep it upright - scuffed left R&G bung.

Analysis - Totally his/drivers fault - it was a wide road, approaching a Pelican crossing, she shouldn't have flashed, he should have looked.

Both cases my kit saved me from injury, and the bungs kept the bike rideable - not sure how with the 1st one - seems standard to lose at least one indicator as well when doing what I did - I can only guess the bike went down "softly" perhaps lowered by me, but in both cases I cant recall the time from "Oh sh*t" to picking myself up again - too fast.

Wouldn't let those put me off riding.

Have a friend that lost the use of his right arm in a bike off, known him for about 10 years, so know some of the risks, but he was VERY much of the opinion I should get my backside on a bike - his Kwak Vulcan should be triked early in the New Year and looking forwards to riding with him.

David

Now I am totally bricking it. :?

Dont be afraid mate.

If you keep your eyes open and your speed down you will be fine.

My big regret is that I didn't get into biking years ago - felt I have missed out somehow.

Sorry if my previous stuff put you off a bit - there are HUGE benefits to the bike, not just these negatives - like the grin on my wife's face 1st time I took her out on pillion.

Take it at your own pace and you will love it.

David

Whenever you get into biking, or talk about bikes to non-bikers for that matter, you always get the stories of people coming off and hurting themselves, just ignore it. You will love your new SV, just take it easy until you get used to it and then off you go!

Unfortunately, having accidents does happen, anyone who expects to be able to get on a bike on a frequent basis and doesn't think they will ever drop the bike are delusional (or damn lucky), but its something you accept with getting on a bike.

Personally, accidents haven't put me off bikes and I've had 'above average' number of accidents, shall we say.

I have about 2.5 years full license riding. No big offs thankfully. I have dropped it twice cos of forgetting my disclock, once it rolled off its stand when I had parked in the gutter and crushed me standing next to it, and the biggest (but still small) was slowing to a stop to turn right accross traffic. I was new and had mistakenly gone down the gears but only to 2nd. A quick dropped clutch which would have been fine in 1st caused it to stall in second but I had already leaned right and I couldn't hold it up.

So nothing bad if you go sensibly and sceptically of other drivers!

Had a few 'offs over the years, hmm now let me see...

1) Car lane change at last minute to turn left instead of straight on, side swiped off. Yam RD125LC

2) Car can't be bothered to wait at a junction, takes to the wrong side of the road.... that I was on, head on collision. RD125LC

3) Left hader on Coventry ring road, diesel. Splat. Suzi GSX400 twin

4) Showing off with a wheely and a stuck throttle. Suzi SP370 trail

5) Right hand bend, diesel on Coventry ring road, big ouch Yam XS1100 and lost a bit of the outside of left knee.

6) Learner driver on first day showing off with a handbrake turn that did not quite go to plan, swipe bang slide. Yam XJ900F

7) Left hand bend, wet patch and slippery manhole cover, Starfish impression Kwak KMX200 lost a bit of the other side of left knee.

8) Suzi GSXR1000 K6, got hit from the side (yet another impatient car) on it on the way to work in Swindon but stayed on so maybe this don't count.

I think thats it... so far....

Bikes I stayed on without a collision included:
Yam DT175, Yam XJ650, Yam XV750 (won't discuss that one any more), Kwak GT750, Kwak GPZ600R, Honda CG125, Honda NX650 Dominator, Honda CBR600FK, Honda CBR600FM, original Bonneville (that blew up before I had the chance), Honda CB250RSD, Suzi SV650S K5 in 10K miles woooohoo :D

Sorry Beenz, but I just had to laugh at that one :P

Hope it didnt hurt too much

Yup, cracked knuckle and two bust fingers.

.....which reminds me of one I missed. I Was back on the same bike with bandaged hand in an overmit a week later when the thing lost power, prodding the plug cap back on fixed the problem whilst the bike was still slowing, power returned and with a power wheely it threw me off again. :oops: Sold it after that.

fist bike, 2 crashes. one lowsided from grit in the road on a 90 degree bend. trying to supermoto round a corner on my old mtx125...doesnt work with proper off road tyrers on. 2nd time tried a wheelie in first and gave it well too much throttle, ended up running down the lane holding onto the bars, then quickly :D

second bike (the SV) 1st off on a roundabout when some fool in a landrover not indicating and going way too fast, braked hard and went down, didnt hit anything. buggered up my left knee for a couple of months though.
2nd off was round another corner with some ol ice salt on the ground from about 4 monts ago and was quite slippery, went down, left hand side AGAIn, hit knee AGAIN. hurt for another 3 months.
3rd off smacked into the back of a lotus elise after braking hard and hitting drainpipes after he broke hard for some strange reasong. (never knew why he braked although i think he is milking the insurance company as i did not cause ass much damage as he insists i did. and the fact that he does track does makes me wonder???) hit the knee AGAIN, still hurts and that was 4 months ago ish. and bike still off the road

thats it soo far. i do expect to crash on other biks i get, its just a part of life really.

Can we exclude the period befor the test? No.
Off road? Emm, I was in two minds over this, and on the way in I decided you have to include this too.
Any time the bike was moving, you were driving, and it went south.

Scaling it wrt time would have been an option, but, nyeh, didnt bother.
This poll is in response to another thread about a guy who said he was selling the bike if it was inevitable that he was going to drop it.
I was just wondering how inevitable it was :wink: