Just thought i'd add an amusing anecdote of my first high-side. I had just got a new (used) XJ600 Yamaha Radian standard-like bike in college. It was a beautiful sunny day out and I had just finished watching some GP racing. So, being the expert squid that I was, I put some Steely Dan on in my headphones, donned my helmet and jacket, and tore like hell out the apartment parking lot into an ajoining road which has a nice new asphalt S curve. I'm jamming along, much too fast for my own good, and then realize that the curve in front of me is coming up a lot faster than i'm used to. I try to lean the bike, but it's too late. I jump the curb, and go for an agricultural excursion into the flower garden, sending grass, mulch, and flowers everywhere, and planting my bike in the middle of the garden there. To top off the humiliation, i ruined a brand-new jacket, and had to replace the mirror on my bike. After this I learned to take it slow until I really knew how to control the bike.