Another tip-over, but not really my fault ...

mcatrophy · Sep 15, 2009

Was on a tour of Scotland, on the Isle of Skye. having a great time with good people.

Weather forecast for Tuesday was Windy (with 80 mph gusts).

So, we set off on the single track roads, 5 bikes, 6 riders - it would have been 6 bikes, but the wife of a couple wasn't too happy with the wind (they happened to be Americans over for this tour) so she rode pillion.

We parked up on a good surfaced car park in the lee of a small building,

(Click on image for larger view)

and walked down a cliff path to go to a light-house,

the wind threatening to blow us off our feet the whole while.

Got back to the car park to find four of the five bikes on their sides.

Mine (the one on the left) was leaning on the next bike, it has a broken mirror stem, bent brake lever and nastily dented fairing. B*gg*r.

Oh well, that's about £750 to fix. Assuming I can straighten the frame that holds the mirror. (There's been a useful discussion about that, thanks, guys.)

I'll edit and add pictures of the mend as and when it takes place.

Big Sky · Sep 15, 2009

Oh, that's nasty! Kind of like the proverbial movie tough guy who takes on a badass gang of bikers, beats the crap out of all of 'em, then, once outside the bar, kicks one bike and row of 30 of 'em go over like dominoes. Funny on film; not funny in real life. Just one more lesson: "Never park close to your partners' machines in really, really windy conditions," which we are certainly no strangers to here in the Northern Rockies.

Damn!

Fred W · Sep 15, 2009

Damn MCA,

I don't want to start any conspiracy theories here, but...

Your bikes all appear to have been properly parked leaning down the slope. I do not see how, even with hurricane winds, that the lead bikes (yours and the FJR behind you) could have been tipped by the wind. I wouldn't be surprised if some sod backed into them and then high tailed it outta there before they got caught.

Still sucks either way. My condolences...

Geezer · Sep 15, 2009

Sorry to see all that carnage. FWIW, when parking in windy conditions I always point the bike into the wind, on the side stand. The front is where the wind is supposed to be, and if the bike does slide back it won't collapse the side stand.

wfooshee · Sep 15, 2009

Wind direction was my question. The bikes look far enough apart to prevent a domino effect from yours being backed into by an inattentive driver. Yours alone wouldn't have gotten all four, just the one it was next to.

Wind will get them, though, as we saw from the parking lot at Indy last year at the MotoGP. Can't find it, but I saw a pic of several bikes blown over in the parking lot at that event.

NSrider · Sep 15, 2009

Mine blew over this summer in TN, while enroute to CFR, 80mph wind will do that. My Racing 905 crash bars save all my tupperware but my right mirror mount is bent slightly.

Fairlaner · Sep 15, 2009

Gotta love that Scottish weather....

R

RadioHowie · Sep 15, 2009

mcatrophy said:
Mine (the one on the left) was leaning on the next bike, it has a broken mirror stem, bent brake lever and nastily dented fairing. B*gg*r.

God bless a gentleman who is so courteous as to not even WRITE "bugger".

Personally, I would have categorized, defined and used in a sentence every one of George Carlin's famous "Seven Words".

majicmaker · Sep 16, 2009

Sorry to see that MC. Us dropping our bikes is no problem.

But, The wind?!?! Now that will Piss you off! (Our Pissed, Not your Pissed). :drinks:

Harald · Sep 16, 2009

That's a bummer! :angry: Will insurance cover any of the damage? Or is the bike even insured?

I witnessed wind blowing a whole row of bike over like dominos once. This was on my college campus in Florida which was located on the Daytona Beach airfield. The "wind" was created by the jet engine on a F16 that was turning on a parking area just on the other side of the airfield fence. There's lots of thrust coming out the back even at just over idle!

Yort · Sep 16, 2009

Years ago, in El Paso Texas, I saw several bikes on their side stands and in neutral have the wind stand them up enough that they rolled backwards until they fell over. I always leave my bike in gear.

FJR-Voltron · Sep 16, 2009

Wow!! Pretty crazy stuff..

Has anyone seen a bike get blown over on it's center stand? Just curious...

mcatrophy · Sep 16, 2009

A quick comment on some of your replies:

Big Sky said:
... go over like dominoes. ... "Never park close to your partners' machines in really, really windy conditions,"...

I don't think it was a domino event. There was no sign of scrapes on my fairing, just a sharp dent as if it just fell onto something hard and sharp (actually the cylinder head of a BMW). My guess is the BMW went down before mine. I'll post some more pictures in a few days, my time's filled with preparations for ~~our~~ her 40th wedding anniversary :wub: .

Fred W said:
... I wouldn't be surprised if some sod backed into them and then high tailed it outta there before they got caught....

It was definitely the wind. It was witnessed by a car driver in the car park.

Geezer said:
... I always point the bike into the wind, on the side stand. ...

We parked more or less in the lee of a small building, but I guess the wind was blustering round in all sorts of directions.

wfooshee said:
Wind direction was my question. ... a domino effect from yours being backed into by an inattentive driver. Yours alone wouldn't have gotten all four, just the one it was next to....

See comments above.

NSrider said:
... 80mph wind will do that. ...

I know that now :mellow: .

Fairlaner said:
Gotta love that Scottish weather....

All part of the fun.

RadioHowie said:
... a gentleman who is so courteous as to not even WRITE "bugger"....

What I said to myself might well have surprised even you.

majicmaker said:
... But, The wind?!?! Now that will Piss you off! ...

You can say that again.

Harald said:
... Will insurance cover any of the damage? Or is the bike even insured?
I witnessed wind blowing a whole row of bike over like dominos once. This was on my college campus in Florida which was located on the Daytona Beach airfield. The "wind" was created by the jet engine on a F16 that was turning on a parking area just on the other side of the airfield fence. There's lots of thrust coming out the back even at just over idle!

It is insured, but there's an excess, a no-claims bonus, effect of a claim on car insurance ... even at this cost it's not worth claiming.
As for "jet wash", I used to work for Rolls Royce, and I'm very familiar with the effect!

Yort said:
Years ago, in El Paso Texas, I saw several bikes on their side stands and in neutral have the wind stand them up enough that they rolled backwards until they fell over. I always leave my bike in gear.

Mine was in gear (I believe all the others were). As far as I'm aware, it just tipped sideways.

wfooshee · Sep 16, 2009

FJR-Voltron said:
Wow!! Pretty crazy stuff.. Has anyone seen a bike get blown over on it's center stand? Just curious...

It would go over easier from the center stand. The triangle is narrower, and it doesn't have to be lifted before going over center, it's already over center.

Another tip-over, but not really my fault ...

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