Once, when I was 19, I spent the day polishing my '68 XLCH -- Santee hardtail frame, long chrome springer, custom paint. Sweet bike. Went over every little bit, even ArmorAll'd the tires. Looked absolutely beautiful.
Rode it around a little that day, but it probably wasn't until the next day, went around a 90-degree corner at like 5mph, and it just slid right out from underneath me! Luckily the highway peg caught in the asphalt and it just went around in a circle before I walked over and picked it back up. Basically not a scratch on it!
Lucky or what?!?!
Some years later I was hit by a car -- totalled the bike, but I walked away without a scratch on that one too -- sore as hell from the impact though!
Mike