In the sailing world it's "if you haven't run aground, you haven't gotten too far from the dock". "If you ride and haven't dropped, you haven't gotten off the center stand very often." Or something like that.
Mercifully, I've felt every drop coming and had some part in slowing the drop. A previous bike was dropped by persons of questionable heritage, whose mothers' affections were negotiable. They were working for a contractor we'd hired. If the job wasn't in the middle of completion, I would have drop-kicked them off the property. Anyway, the point is, they clearly dropped the bike with no attempt to slow the drop, or, worse, bailed out on the high side as the bike went down, speeding up the drop. Parts of the tupperware were past repair and the bike was totaled.
IMNSHO, the FJR is a little too easy to drop - top heavy and hard to get a wide, supporting stance. It feels to me like trying to balance an upside down bowling pin.
The most recent drop (of three
) was a superior collection of stupidities: The side road I was on was a steep slope up to flat road on a blind intersection. There was no practical way out. A K turn would have left my left foot far too far below the bike (Drop below 90°!). "Up and over the lip" was out because there was almost no space between the top of the ramp and the road, and no visibility for incoming traffic. First sin: not recognizing I was headed toward a no-win place - I should seen the "ramp", bailed while I could, and gone to a saner crossing. Second sin: a guess and brief look left me thinking I was safe to come out. Third sin: no faith in coming out and nailing the gas - front wheel cocked to the right, almost zero speed, and what the heck did I expect???
Most painful drop: Low-side out of a hairpin turn when the back tire hit slick mud. Damage: Broken left thumb (on a drop to the right???) just pronounced healed with permanent loss of range of motion. Moral? Stay the eff-bomb away from bicycles - they'll get you if they can.
And to think I'm allowed to get out of the house without adult supervision...