7 hour wait for recovery on a hot Bank Holiday Monday .bike started pissing out petrol all over the back tyre.
Hart in mouth moment.
I don’t know if it counts as a ride-out but one time I had taken a sabbatical from work and was doing the ski season in Chamonix with my partner. As luck would have it, it was the worst season ever for snowfall and after two months looking at bone dry roads, and reasonably high temperatures, rubbish ski conditions, I decided I would go home and fetch my bike.
Eurostar to London. Bought myself a new extra warm textile jacket just in case. Dressed in multiple layers and headed for the Eurotunnel.
After two months of sunny dry weather, of course the weather gods decided that this would be the right time to show me what February normally brings.
I knew I could make London to Chamonix in a day - I’ve driven it many times - but the temperature kept falling, the rain turned to sleet. I was torn between putting my head down to get it over with and having to stop to warm up. The last few hours were a torturous dance between the bike needing petrol, me needing hot coffees, and me needing the toilet because of the endless coffees. I discovered I could make all three needs coincide if I rode at 100 mph: the bike was able to get through a tank in an hour, and I was able to hold on for an hour.
Around Sallanches it started snowing, the petrol light had been on a while and I decided I couldn’t risk stopping again or the snow might stick. I made it on fumes.
It took me about an hour to thaw out in a warm bath.
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I have decided my worst ride was last autumn when my dad had his stroke. My sister and I alternated staying at his house and going to Boston everyday to visit him in hospital.
Some of those times meant riding is very heavy rain, but they were just annoying. Instead, on one of those day I went back to the house via Skegness so I could pick up some shopping, but when I returned to the bike the ignition barrel would not turn.
So I spent about five hours waiting around in Morrisons’ car park on a Friday night for a recovery company. First for a bike technician to try and fix the problem, he could not, and then for someone they could send who could recover a bike. And when they did finally arrive it meant the fun of trying to load and unload a bike with the steering column locked.
I probably should have got my money’s worth and have them recover home to London, but I had them take it to my dad’s house. I found a local mechanic who took it away, got the barrel off and sent it to a locksmith who was able to repair it. Took about two week’s, mind, and not cheap though still much less than the cost Honda charge for a replacement. And I had to get the National Express a couple times.
Second worst would be when I went over at slow speed in Southampton on a bit of wet smooth road due to poor tyres. My little finger ended up under the bar end, breaking it. So I had to abandon the bike and get a train home as they had to put my hand in a cast, then privately arrange for someone to collect it. But at least it that experience made me get breakdown cover, or the situation in Skegness would have been even worse.
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Worst track day, Folembray 15th August 2010 with ELAM ( https://elam.org.uk/ ):
I did about eight track days there with ELAM over the years, but that day, I went back to the hotel after only a few hours.
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man, I don’t think I’d have even left the coffee shop with weather like that…
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Didn’t we have a lovely day the day we went to …
If aceMan was on a Triumph there I’d expect him to be leading the field, alas he’s on a Yamahaha so is probably a tail ender about to be lapped 
A bad day on the track, like a bad day on the road, still trumps a good day in the dojo
edit: Just noticed the rear pegs, are you missing a pillion?
Dojo - That depends on one’s personal competence. My chop socky stuff FAR outranks my riding skill.
Pegs - Oh not you as well. I always ride with my pegs down. If I fall off, especially at a low speed, the pegs may stay down and if so, could prevent my leg/foot getting crushed, or more damage to the toy.
Initial capital “A” for Aceman please 
Following lap, I got the fishing rod out. I caught two perch, a frog, and a Harley and a shopping cart.
Not really a bad one but in 2008 I decided to go to Bikefest at Donnington Park on my CB500. Didn’t seem that far away on the map and at 120 miles I thought it would take just over an hour. Weather seemed ok so I kept my textile inner liners in my top box. Was a bit chillier than I expected on the ride up but thought I’d power through, didn’t want the faff or stopping to put my jacket and trouser liners in. Nearly 3 hours later I leave the M1 and come to a roundabout and nothing works, neither hands nor feet. Thankfully there wasn’t any traffic and I was able to somehow lean around the roundabout but Jesus I got a fright. Got to the festival and we were all lined up to do a lap of the track and I finally started to warm up from the heat of all the engines. Didn’t realize how cold I was. I was also wondering why so many people at the event were from the north.
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Ah, remembered another one. Christmas eve last yer. I have a very strict rule, always fully geared even if off to corner shop. In Vietnam decided different, a trip on a scooter from De Nanag, up the Laos border along Hoi Chi Minh highway to Hue then back. Liked the idea as research said it was empty and quiet.
Which at 1pm in 40 degree heat I hit some gravel, slide and have the bone sticking out of my knee. Then realising I have not seen a car for 90 minutes and I am in the mountains and pretty scared. Had to jump back on scooter(which thankfully started), ride an hour to a village trying not to look at my leg, villagers then took me to hospital. X-Rays, doctors called from out of town, continuous “have you got health insurance?” (after they got someone from another village who spoke English.) Sat in pool of my own blood for 3 hours, got cleaned up and stitched (not break, just skin loss) and ended up costing £32!
Last 2 weeks of backpacking were daily hospital visits to get redone as for some reason a small village in the mountains did not do a good job. Reinfected twice, stitches reopened twice… but at least a nice scar and story,
Also wear gear guys, even at low speed.
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We did a BCR in the snow once, stupidly! We were going to head into London where there’d be better conditions then changed our plans.
He threw the Harley back and kept the rest 
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Bwahahahaaa Nice one Centurian.
@Aceman, Folembray was like that last year, totally pissed it down first thing. It tempted us it would dry up over the morning, but that came down even more from lunch… Apparently last year and 2010 are the only years they’ve had a wet Folembray trip.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B1Ug90ynrMW/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
https://www.instagram.com/p/B1UgMiEH-Qj/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Still, wasn’t exactly the worst ride. We got some track time, we really practised smoothing everything out, smooth throttle, smooth gear changes, and just used the day to hone our wet riding skills etc. Got some great advice from the ELAM coaches and a had good laugh with others in the group. Did about 4 sessions, then went back to hotel bar about 3pm.
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Few years back had a trip abroad. Met at south mimms, it was raining, then m25 was shut. Waited 45 minutes for it to open then had to blast to Dover.
Returning at the end we stayed at a b&b 1 hour from Calais. Woke up and it was raining. Waited for the shower to pass. It didn’t. Left it as late as we could then had to leave in the rain and blast to Calais. Couldn’t dry out properly on ferry and it was raining in England as well so got wet again. Feel it would have been better to keep going once wet instead of warning up a bit in between.
It seems torrential rain is the common factor.
Mine was meant to be a nice bimble last October taking the back roads to Hayling Island.
It was lashing it down from the off and 20 minutes in my heated gloves stopped working. Icy water was running from both legs and sleeves and down the back of our necks when we eventually walked into the pub.
Two hours steaming jackets across radiators made no difference and the ride home was worse with heavier and colder rain. It was so bad I couldn’t see my mate on the A3 and lost him.
After a while when my fingers had turned to ice blocks I decided to pull in at a service station to get a hot coffee. There was a wide smile on my face when I saw Kev already sitting in there with his coffee.
It wasn’t such a bad ride out after all.
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K&N oil filter failing going up a hairpin mountain pass in France.
Queue a pack load of baby wipes cleaning the rear wheel so I coast (and get towed) over 10 KM back down to the valley to find a replacement part and new oil to continue my euro trip.
To say the rear wheel was a bit lively for a few 100 miles is a understatement. A couple of burnouts helped 
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Who’s that sexy motherfucker surveying the mess?
Gav was actually grabbing some dirt to help with the oil spillage. We were worried a load of oil on the outside of a bend would potentially fck up another bikers day.
Having a trained bike mechanic on a trip is also quite handy (shout out to PF) though turning a Honda off/on does not count as a breakdown / repair 
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Shaft? 