Never let a friend ride your bike

[aftermath4788]

This is not my personal experience but a friends. My friend has been off a bike for a few years now;rode a bike many years before. He started to get that itch for a bike and wanted to buy my bike, I said no. He looked and looked and looked finally found a bike. He was lucky enough that the guy wanted to do a square even trade for his 95 chevy blazer in good condition. My friend traded. He ended up with a wicked clean 97 Honda Nighthawk 1100 (I think its a night hawk. Its Night something or other) This bike is clean! Brand new fresh all black paint. Frame freshly powder coated black, rims painted black. Looked like it was brand new. Not a scratch no where. Bike ran perfect and had a wicked sounded and looking exhaust. One of those 4 to 2 pipes. The pipes were stacked on top of eachother. They looked mean. He bring the bike home and takes it for a spin, no problem. 3 hours later he is grinning ear to ear and wanted to tell all his friends. (mistake number one) We all meet at the garage that one of his buddies own to show it off. There is a Cadilac (NICE!!) in the shop getting ready for repairs. He pulls up to the caddy and gets off. Friends gather and look on with jealousy. Can I Ride? They all ask one after another over and over again. At first he denies them but they soon get the best of him. (mistake number 2) He agrees to let a buddy of his take it around the block. Mind you this guy has never been on anything with two wheels. He asks how to ride and my friend generously teaches (most fatal mistake of all) He pops the bike in gear and suddenly we hear the engine scream and SMASH!! We look to see the nice bike standing straight up against the NICE Cadilac. Cadilac suffered a caved in door panel and a busted glass. No one was physically hurt. The bike was still screaming at this point and the tire is just burning away. The guy was still on the bike. Finally we got him to let go of the throttle and get away from the bike. The bike never fell down so we all helped him get it back on its wheels. Bike suffered a busted headlight, busted nose fairing, busted windscreen, and a twisted fork. And I mean twisted. Place the handle bars in the straight postion and the wheel is pointing left. My friend was so depressed at that point. He was about to cry. Finally he gets a bike after a few years and then 3 hours later, it is busted up and cant be riden. Now that bike is sort of a teaser in the driveway. It says to him all the time "HAHAHAHAHA Im right here and you want to ride me but NO WAY" I feel bad for him but he made the mistake of letting someone who have never been on anything with 2 wheels before try and ride it. He plans on fixing it and I told him I would buy it AS IS for $1000 hopeing he would take it because I want that bike so bad. I know Im wrong for trying to take advantage of my friend but its a nice bike and I would love to fix it. Moral of the story is.....Dont let no one else ride your bike.

[A2rider]

[bretsk2500]

In the incredibly off chance that I would let somebody ride my bike (I can think of exactly 2 people that I would) and they asked me how to ride... I'd say "get off my f'n bike.... NOW"

[vmuth]

When i bought my 900 classic in October, those were the exact words the old man salesman told me as i prepared to leave the dealership. "Do not let anyone drive your bike". He new this was my first bike and he said he has been selling them most of his life. He said he has seen many many friendships ended and family feuds began over this issue.

[David Madden]

Originally Posted by bretsk2500

In the incredibly off chance that I would let somebody ride my bike (I can think of exactly 2 people that I would) and they asked me how to ride... I'd say "get off my f'n bike.... NOW"

That hurts man. I will stretch that point to say, don't even let anyone sit on your bike. When a friend came to town to visit, he was in the garage looking at my car and bike. I went in side to pour water in the coffee press.

When I came back he is sitting on my bike. No big deal I thought, he rides, so it should be cool. When he goes to get off, he drags his Burkenstock sandle buckle over the seat, because he is a heavy guy and it was a stretch to get off the right side, don't know why a rider would dismount on that side but he did, and put a big scratch all the way across the seat.

I ordered a Mustang seat the next day, because I am a nut and can't stand to have my stuff f%&$ked up. I was going to order the seat anyway, but man was I pi&&$d off. I kept going in the garage to try and buff it out. Still makes me mad thinking about how dumb it was. So now I say, lets just look guys.

D

[The Vulcaniser]

i let NOBODY ride my bike...... i don't care what experience they have!! i know 2 guys who race bikes, both on dirt and tar..... they both ride R1 Yamaha's and have far more experience that me... they have asked me numerous times for a ride........ not a chance buddy!!

[HellBent]

There are a lot of people that I let ride my bikes. There are a lot of people that I won't let near my bikes. Each individual is judged not only on his or her ability to ride, but their attitude as well.

[cmptrmn.1]

Originally Posted by HellBent

There are a lot of people that I let ride my bikes. There are a lot of people that I won't let near my bikes. Each individual is judged not only on his or her ability to ride, but their attitude as well.

I have only three people that I trust to get on my bike and ride. They pay for mistakes.

[Greg in ND]

Originally Posted by David Madden

That hurts man. I will stretch that point to say, don't even let anyone sit on your bike. When a friend came to town to visit, he was in the garage looking at my car and bike. I went in side to pour water in the coffee press.

When I came back he is sitting on my bike. No big deal I thought, he rides, so it should be cool. When he goes to get off, he drags his Burkenstock sandle buckle over the seat, because he is a heavy guy and it was a stretch to get off the right side, don't know why a rider would dismount on that side but he did, and put a big scratch all the way across the seat.

I ordered a Mustang seat the next day, because I am a nut and can't stand to have my stuff f%&$ked up. I was going to order the seat anyway, but man was I pi&&$d off. I kept going in the garage to try and buff it out. Still makes me mad thinking about how dumb it was. So now I say, lets just look guys.

D

Didn't he even offer to help out on the new seat Dave?

[The Vulcaniser]

Originally Posted by HellBent

There are a lot of people that I let ride my bikes. There are a lot of people that I won't let near my bikes. Each individual is judged not only on his or her ability to ride, but their attitude as well.

that pretty much sums it up too many people interested in how much power it has, or whether or not it can pull the front wheel up in any given gear, or how good they can pull a wheelie........ only serves to tell me they are not going to treat it nicely.

[YurFatMom]

Originally Posted by cmptrmn.1

I have only three people that I trust to get on my bike and ride. They pay for mistakes.

Same here. I have three people that i trust to ride my toys and occasionally borrow them for a while(We've all been really good friends since we were in grade school), and they know that if they break something, they must bring it back to what it was, or better. I also get to ride their stuff, and the same goes for me.

[mrblanche]

I once had a guy who had some financial leverage on me insist on riding my Yamaha XS 750. That's a tall bike, and a strong one. He swore he was experienced. He didn't get fifty feet, and I was lucky all he did was fall over with it at low speed. The only justice in it was that he just about herniated himself trying to hold it up, so it didn't really fall, it just got let down to the ground, slowly.

Never again, no matter who.

Now, my hotrod, I've let plenty of people drive it, even some teen-age girls (although I insisted on going with them). But it doesn't fall over!

[ddouble]

A real friend would never ask. I have been offered rides, never take them, feels like being told to kiss someones wife. A bike is a personal thing, especially one you have brought back from dead.
Mt wife has never ridden my bike, (she could, just won't) why should someone else?

Dan

[RDap98]

35 years ago an old biker told me "lend your bike out as often as you'd lend out your gun or your old lady and you'll be ok". I can count on one hand the times I've gone against that advice and one time it ended in disaster... my bike was totaled at less than 1000 miles, hit broadside by another bike with someone who had never ridden before and had his kid on the back. Since then (18 years ago) I haven't gone against the advice. I look at the person and can hear the voice in my head "lend your bike out...".

[herk]

Originally Posted by aftermath4788

... My friend ... ended up with a wicked clean 97 Honda Nighthawk 1100... This bike is clean! Brand new fresh all black paint. Frame freshly powder coated black, rims painted black. Looked like it was brand new. Not a scratch no where. Bike ran perfect and had a wicked sounded and looking exhaust. One of those 4 to 2 pipes. The pipes were stacked on top of eachother. They looked mean. ...

...my friend agrees to let a buddy of his take it around the block... buddy asks how to ride and my friend generously teaches... ... ... ... (edited a tad)

Superdumb. JMK.

[vulcan500rider]

I have never let anyone ride any of my bikes but come to think of it, no one has ever asked - and I've never asked to ride anyone elses bike. I think it's the best way to keep your bike and your friends.

[David Madden]

Originally Posted by Greg in ND

Didn't he even offer to help out on the new seat Dave?

I didn't really notice the scratch until he was gone later in the day. We went inside for coffee, and then he went back to Pittsburgh. I went out and saw the damage. I knew right away what happened. I never bothered him about it, just learned a lesson.

D

[David Madden]

I just rode a friends new Connie yesterday. I didn't ask to ride it, he kept pushing the issue saying you have to check out these anti lock brakes. I said I don't ride other peoples bikes, but he really kept up the push, so I went for it. The bike rides funny to me, but the brakes are very good.

D

[GeorgiaRider]

Friend of mine asks me to ride his bikes all the time. I always refuse. I'd be nervous thinking about how much it would cost to fix if I messed it up. I agree, no one gets to ride mine, not even the wife (She has her own).

[bretsk2500]

The only one one of my friend's bikes I'd like to ride is my coworkers Valkyrie.... that thing sounds SICK with the cobra pipes on it... he's also one of the 2 I'd let ride mine...