"Broken wings"?

[fiddle mike]

A blogger writes that she was too hot going into a low-speed turn so she "laid her down" and watched her bagger take a 30' fall off a hillside.
She says that she "earned her first broken wing patch".

I'd never heard of such a thing as a patch for wrecking a bike, even if it happens accidentally (and, believe me,  I've heard things).
Am I just stuck in the 20th Century or is there some cultural difference at work, here?

[x]

How do you "lay her down"?  Sounds to me like someone freaked, jammed on the rear brake (and probably forgot about the front brake), and managed to pull of a lowside by accident.

She needs a "I need to take a MSF course" patch.

[Valkahuna]

How do you "lay her down"?  Sounds to me like someone freaked, jammed on the rear brake (and probably forgot about the front brake), and managed to pull of a lowside by accident.

She needs a "I need to take a MSF course" patch.

+1 

[fiddle mike]

How do you "lay her down"?  Sounds to me like someone freaked, jammed on the rear brake (and probably forgot about the front brake), and managed to pull of a lowside by accident.

She needs a "I need to take a MSF course" patch.

Well, SE, I wouldn't begin to know how to "lay her down", even if I thought relinquishing control of the bike in a crises would help.
In this particular case, some greybeard Harley rider told her about "lay her her down".  
 I run into both veteran and novice Harley riders who seem to think that either the front brake won't stop a bike, or that it will cause the bike to flip over the front wheel.  I don't know where that comes from, either.

Not knocking H-D riders, I just haven't heard riders of other marques express those notions.

[x]

"Broken Wings" must be a Harley thing... I don't see nary a Honder amongst the patches

http://www.google.com/images?q=broken+wing+patch&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=HFi-TMDnI8SXcdTn7c0N&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=2&ved=0CCkQsAQwAQ&biw=1244&bih=569

A web search shows all sorts of poo.

http://www.examiner.com/motorcycle-in-national/broken-wings-when-a-biker-goes-down-hard-part-3
(It says to the world after a bad wreck that you have what it takes to get right back on a bike and keep on living)

[fiddle mike]

"Broken Wings" must be a Harley thing...
...
(It says to the world after a bad wreck that you have what it takes to get right back on a bike and keep on living)

I guess they are inventing their culture.

[Willow]

I used to occasionally attend the monthly meetings of the local CMA chapter.  They had a beat up old bell they passed around to whomever was the most recent person to have dropped his or her motorcycle.  Invariably as someone was about to receive the bell someone else would exclaim, "Oh, wait!  I dropped my bike ..." and then would go on to give the details of the event.

I told my friends that if I dropped my bike you would need to be there to see it if you wanted to know.  I guess I'm not entirely consistent with that, but if you only knew how many times ...       

[DIGGER]

never heard of that before.......

giv'em a patch for having a wreck and some will stage a fall just to get the patch...

[Karen]

OOohhh, I want one!  Maybe it's a girl thing...

[fiddle mike]

never heard of that before.......

giv'em a patch for having a wreck and some will stage a fall just to get the patch...

That has the ring of truth to it.

[fiddle mike]

OOohhh, I want one!  Maybe it's a girl thing...

I wish it was a girl thing, then I could make chauvinist jokes. That's not what my research indicates, though. 

[scoot]

Use to have a trophy that had a motorcycle laid on it's side. We would pass it around to anyone that dropped their bike over in a parking lot a slow turn or U turn. It was only ever witnessed while riding in groups. You all know we have never dropped our bike when we're alone.

[fiddle mike]

... You all know we have never dropped our bike when we're alone.

Well, I've heard that it can happen if you get into some sand while making a turn, or maybe run up on the shop air hose. But if I was to say... drop a new Road Glide off a hillside because I panicked in 20 mph turn, I think I'd keep it off the Internet. No patch, either.   
.

[Daniel Meyer]

I believe I've handed out a couple of these:

[fuzzy2bucks]

Yep, agree it sounds like a harley patch of honor.

[Chattanooga Mark]

"laying it down" is an intentional crash where the rider has no brakes, steering or ability to control direction or speed. Typically the result of the rider doing something very stupid before doing something even worse.

Mark

[Rocketman]

Use to have a trophy that had a motorcycle laid on it's side. We would pass it around to anyone that dropped their bike over in a parking lot a slow turn or U turn. It was only ever witnessed while riding in groups. You all know we have never dropped our bike when we're alone.

I've never dropped mine in front of witnesses, either.  They were obviously mistaken in what they THOUGHT they saw.

[Rocketman]

Oh, and while I would do everything in my power to stop the bike from reaching that 30' drop, I think I would bail out and let it take that trip alone once I run out of room.

[Piper]

I believe I've handed out a couple of these:

Now I came close to being eligible for the above patch this summer.
Aaah my basic thoughts are that I would rather do without the qualifying event.

The fat lady now throws enough photons out in front that she resembles a small aircraft coming in for a landing. Someone flashed their hi-beams at her the other night, then quickly surrendered when the fat lady flashed hers in response. One of my co-workers said that all I need now is a tail gunner....

[Disco]

My patch just says, "Crashing Sucks"... 

Hey Daniel, got any "Car up your A$$" Division illustrations???   

And Rocketman, when we were in Kerrville a couple of weeks ago, I know you probably think you saw me parked on an incline, sidestand low, fully packed and ready to go home, in front of what, 40 or so other VRCCers, raise the bike to just shy of vertical, kick the stand up, get my boot heel tangled between the stand and LH exhaust for just enough milliseconds for the bike to lean back to the left and past the point of no return before I could untangle my heel, but not so long as to prevent its release in time to slowly lower the bike down and onto its highway board. 

But you didn't.   

That reminds me - I still need to replace that broken clamp...   

[Rocketman]

And Rocketman, when we were in Kerrville a couple of weeks ago, I know you probably think you saw me parked on an incline, sidestand low, fully packed and ready to go home, in front of what, 40 or so other VRCCers, raise the bike to just shy of vertical, kick the stand up, get my boot heel tangled between the stand and LH exhaust for just enough milliseconds for the bike to lean back to the left and past the point of no return before I could untangle my heel, but not so long as to prevent its release in time to slowly lower the bike down and onto its highway board. 

But you didn't.   

That reminds me - I still need to replace that broken clamp...   

I don't remember anything of the sort.

[bigguy]

How do you "lay her down"?  Sounds to me like someone freaked, jammed on the rear brake (and probably forgot about the front brake), and managed to pull of a lowside by accident.

She needs a "I need to take a MSF course" patch.

+1

[5_19]

And Rocketman, when we were in Kerrville a couple of weeks ago, I know you probably think you saw me parked on an incline, sidestand low, fully packed and ready to go home, in front of what, 40 or so other VRCCers, raise the bike to just shy of vertical, kick the stand up, get my boot heel tangled between the stand and LH exhaust for just enough milliseconds for the bike to lean back to the left and past the point of no return before I could untangle my heel, but not so long as to prevent its release in time to slowly lower the bike down and onto its highway board. 

But you didn't.   

That reminds me - I still need to replace that broken clamp...   

 +1!
I don't remember anything of the sort.

[Daniel Meyer]

Hey Daniel, got any "Car up your A$$" Division illustrations??? 

LOL! I actually was going to do exactly that...(your inspiration)...and WITH that caption too...but I couldn't get my artist friend to respond...and none of my efforts were satisfying.

When I manage it, you'll be on the list LOL!

Need to do a "Deer up your nose" division too...and for at least one friend, a "Formerly Live Bacon on your head" division (we have us a hog problem in east Texas)

[Big Rig]

We did a group ride and the oldest guy in our group dropped his bike in a parking lot, he did not get a patch, he did get a new handle....First Alert...I fallen and can not get up. 

Gravel in a parking lot will take you down...

[john]

" Most motorcycle problems are caused by the nut that connects the handlebars to the saddle. "             
 

[Bama Red]

Gravel in a parking lot will take you down...

So will antifreeze in the Honda dealer's parking lot as you pull up in front of a boatload of witnesses.  

As will loose grass and dust in the road at a stop sign at the top of a hill.

Taking a turn off  an asphalt driveway onto wet grass has been known to drop a bike in a heartbeat.

Keeping your foot on the rear brake as you come to a stop while making a very sharp hard right turn will also overcome your anti-gravitational devices!

Not that I've done any of these things, mind you. I'm just sayin'............