Dumbest newbie thing you've done (that didn't result in a crash...)

[TwoWheels]

went to a buddys house who has a briggs & stratton mini bike.

I asked him if it runs, he says "make the beast with two backs yeah"

so I start that sucker up and get on it to take it for a ride around the block, failing to ask if every thing works I crank on it. takes off faster then I expected and even gets the front wheel up off the ground a bit .. as I come to the stop sign, it becomes very apparent that the brakes suck serious, might as well not even be there ass. 

didn't crash, or even go into the intersection, but I sure toasted the shit out of a brand new pair of shoes. I rode back at about 2 mph... sat on the porch and 

I had a mini bike like that when I was a kid.  I went through a lot of duct tape on that pair of chuck's.

[jwoconnor]

My mistakes always end in crashes.

[justinrhenry]

the most frustrating one i've done on several occasions is parking or somehow ending up facing downhill needing to backup. my ducati is pretty light and it's not a big deal, but i've done it on some much larger bikes that aren't so forgiving.   

[Raux]

dumbest thing i did was twist the throttle hard on my old 900 at a stop light and ended up busting my ...... on the tank when the front end came up hard. the car and bike next to me... didn't even look, just sped off and stopped at the next gas station.. .shaking

[Jarvicious]

Just had this one yesterday.  Get on the bike to head to bike night and check the trip meter.  107.  Better fill up.

Better yet, I should probably just reset my trip meter every time I get gas that way I don't have to get the pump ready, unlock my fuel cap, and squirt in a whole $.55 worth of gas. 

[Duck-Stew]

Back in '93 I was riding my Kawi KZ750Ltd in Albuquerque on a side street that intersected a couple of one way streets.  The first street ran west and the second ran east (or visa-versa as it's been 16 years now).

Get to the first street and look to my left.  No traffic so I ride through it. 

Get to the second street and the traffic is coming from the left.  Oh....My....God!!!!  I had just ridden through a one-way street without even looking the way traffic was coming.  AT ALL!  I turned around and rode back to my apartment and had a beer & chilled out for the remainder of the night.

Now?  I look at every street either going into or coming out of an intersection, even if they're not supposed to be coming that way (and have had a couple of times where they were...)

[triangleforge]

Two come to mind:

The Monster has the sidestand ignition interlock on it -- in the year plus I've had the ST2 as well I always assumed it did too. Chatting with a friend the other day when I was helmeting up & starting the ST, I was distracted and forgot the sidestand & discovered it only when the rear tire lifted off the ground on the first left turn.  

Second, I took the ST off to run a series of errands, including picking something up at a gated neighborhood in our very hilly mountain town. Got directions, including the keypad code to open the front gate. Chatted longer than I should have at the fellow's house & was cutting it mighty close for my next appointment. Headed out and discovered that the exit gate was at the bottom of a very steep hill, and there isn't enough steel in my bike to trigger the magnetic sensors to open it. So steep that I couldn't even park the bike on the side or center stand, so I couldn't go forward, backward, or do anything but stand there with the bike, waiting twenty minutes or more until a car drove up behind me and triggered the gate.

(and of course all the standard kill switch, sidestand switch & "parking light" ignition bumbles, at least once each...)

[CairnsDuc]

First bike was a Kawasaki KLR250 (Kick Start) I was sitting at a busy set of traffic lights, I need to scratch an itch on my left leg, not thinking I just take my hand off the handlebars, letting out the clutch and stalling the bike. Shit!
Normally the bike would start with one or 2 kicks, but not today, being the middle of summer, and the middle of a very hot day, pregnant dog of a bike would not start, kicked it, and kicked it for all I was worth, nothing.
Finally get the shit's with trying, just before the light turns green, I get off and push the bike to the side of the road.

Now before I pierce a hole in the bottom of the tank and let the friggin thing burn in it's own Gasoline fire 
I give it another kick.......
The bastard starts

Mental note to self: If it doesn't have an electric leg, don't buy it 

[triangleforge]

First bike was a Kawasaki KLR250 (Kick Start)

Reminds me of another -- used to own a Yamaha XT350 (kinda sad I sold it) that was the only kickstart bike I've owned. Especially in the beginning I'd forget to tuck the kick lever back in after starting the bike at least a third of the time; one time I snagged something on my right leg on the lever while dismounting, lost my balance, toppled over in slow motion & pulled the bike down on top of my other leg. Fortunately, it's a light bike...

[DesmoTull]

Up in Keen, NH, I saw a squid on a R6 kick his leg out to signal a turn in front of a car that was inches away from him.   

[mstevens]

Up in Keen, NH, I saw a squid on a R6 kick his leg out to signal a turn in front of a car that was inches away from him.  

Hmmm. Even here in Cow Hampshire it's supposed to be hand signals, not leg signals if one doesn't have them new-fangled electrical blinkers.

Keene is very squidly in general.

[DesmoTull]

Keene is very crunchy in general.

Fixed.   

[woppini]

Happened the other day while on a ride, with my woman on back no less. Coming back from a nice ride, and I said "uh oh"... my shoe lace loop gets caught on the clutch slave bleeder screw. Luckly I was able to yank my boot away and dislodge it. Got into the parking lot, and she says "uh, can I tie your shoe??"

[extra330]

Last night I went out for a ride and less then a mile from my house my wallet fell out of my jacket pocket. I didn't know I had lost it until I got home and saw a note on my door teling me to come to the local pizza shop for my wallet. It turns out the delivery guy saw the wallet fall from my pocket and turned around to pick it up. Hell of a nice guy. I had $300 cash plus credit cards ect. He refused to take any money as a reward so I left $50 in the tip jar. 

Wallet goes in the tank bag every time but for last nigt..

The dumbest thing I've done on the bike (riding wise) was when was watching a woman texting next to me and I almost hit the car in front of me... almost another texting related crash... 

Mike

[triangleforge]

OK, I know 3 posts in this thread indicate a severe problem or cry for help, but here's what just happened...

I changed the oil in the Monster yesterday, and popped off the spark plug leads to crank the motor a few times without firing to pump the new oil throughout the system (totally unnecessary, I'm sure, but an old habit).

And today I spent ten minutes cranking & fussing over it this afternoon, pulled the fuse to the light so the started would get more juice, wondering why it wouldn't start, was about to attempt to roll start it before I remembered. Oh, yeah, sparkplug leads...