I have been riding now for 15 years and I NEVER dropped my bike! I knew it was only a matter of time, but why did I have to drop my NEW 06 Fatboy on my friends gravel driveway? Is the world against me? I was leaving my friends house and coming down his 20 Degree Gravel driveway, (it always) made me a little nervous, and of course instead of using my rear brakes and front together (like you should), I hit my front ones, the gravel gives way and forces my bike and me into a precarious situation. My new lindby bars are now imbedded deep into the gravel, and I can't upright the bike because of the front tire is turned into the gravel down this steep incline, not to mention that she is in gear! I cut kill switch and yell for my buddy to help out . . . I am feeling like such an idiot. The only thing that is going through my mind is that my "wife is going to kill" me when she sees the repair bill! We uprighted the bike, and as luck would have it, (as if I had any), the only scratch was on the base of the floor board mounts. Nothing on the bars! I was contemplating not putting the crash bars on, but in this case they saved me a boat load of money! Anybody else have a bad experience with gravel driveways? It would make me feel better that I not the only one out there!

 

I have a 60 foot gravel driveway. Never set it down there. But I did set it down in my front yard racing through the grass trying to out-dodge a sprinkler and slipped on a wet railroad tie.

BTW. Don't ask, you'll be glad you didn't.

 

I always coast into gravel driveways. Friends live on gravvies back in IA and I always hate them

 

Knock on wood....never dropped a bike, but never really felt comfortable on gravel either. Hate that you had a spill. Glad the damage was only minor. I am no expert, but slow and always use the rear brake to stop is my rule.


nogood o~`o

 

Tell your friend you are going to take him to court, because he failed to warn you that gravel driveways at 20% grades are dangerous. -- Just kidding! I am glad you weren't hurt and your bike came out reltively unscathed. I hate gravel too as well as potholes.

 

Oh yes, know all about long dirt/rock driveways. Have a 1/2 mile driveway I need to navigate to get to the dirt county road. Have ridden through dirt, rock, mud, snow, dust, ruts, etc. Never have dropped the H-D but have had an anxious moment or two when the skinny front tire would sink into loose soil while going down the steep hill. Will save this... I'm a better rider for having to learn how to handle the H-D on tricky surfaces.

Have another 1/4 mile to go before I'm off the driveway...

 

That sux...glad the damage was minimal. My best riding bud has a half mile gravel driveway, he has dropped his bike twice on it. I make him meet me on the highway.

 

Hey fatboy
I was coming down a paved incline from a motel parking lot, it was every bit 20 degrees if not more. Had the wife on the back. When I got to the bottom I was on the front and rear brake and almost to a stop when the front wheel went into a pot hole full of pebbles or gravel. I had let off the rear brake as I was stopping for traffic coming in the road ahead. Well I wasn't even moving so to speak and the front wheel locked and down we went. Like you I had a LINDY BAR! I had just installed it on the Deuce a week earlier, against the wishes of my son who said it didn't look cool. LOL

 

My buddy warned me that the grade wasn't legal (it has always been a problem) . . . His dad won't even drive his Road King up to his house. I only went over to his place to go riding. He rides a 2003 Indian Chief . . . but I found out that his bike is down for the count, not quite sure, but I would rather drop my harley than pay for all the repair bills he has on his Indian.

 

See...even the vultures want it...[>:]
Just respect the road a bit more...3 years...never dropped it.
on THAT road anyhow...