Drop my bike and nothing broke!

[mikerider]

I dropped my bike this morning at 0 mph on its right side on the street while waiting to make a right turn. I was surprised that nothing broke! I couldn't pick it up by myself for sure. A gentleman drove by and stop to help me pick it up.

Here are some pics.

The mirror hit the ground and folded up with scratches but nothing broke:

The fairing too:

The brake lever broke at the cut off line as expected (still fully functional):

The muffler got scrached:

I think the Garauld highway peg acted as a frame slider to keep the majority of the plastic off the ground:

 

[Uncle Hud]

You're a lucky man! Observe your right mirror carefully over the next few weeks. I had a similar ooopsie eight months ago, and am now reasonably certain that my mirror stay (support) was broken. No big deal; the mirror is still attached and functional, but it now has a slight wobble that might be attributable to vibrations and wind pressure slowly working on the broken/damaged stay.

Will take off the plastics and look inside when it gets below 40F and too cold to ride.

 

[mikerider]

Thanks. I'm pretty sure the mirror stay didn't break. I dropped on the left side a year ago but it leaned on my friend's GS rear rack and didn't go to the ground. It broke the mirror stay. I used QuikSteel to patched it up and it still holds up fine. To see it, you only need to remove the headlight knobs and a few bolts and you could lift up the dash plastic (dark color one) and access the back of the mirror.

 

[MadRussian]

If it happens again.



I've seen a girl who was 5'-2" tall and around 110-115lbs pick up a GoldWing using that method.

 

[bluesdog]

Conrats on joining the No Speed Drop Club. I think nearly all forumites are members.

I managed to drop mine on the lawn the first year, with zero damage. I was so annoyed I picked her right up without thinking much about how heavy she is.

Although the feej is a hefty girl, you should be able to put her upright under most circumstances, as long as you have secure footing.

Crucial to lift using your strong thigh muscles to avoid injuring your back

 

[mikerider]

If it happens again.

Thanks for the link. I think I saw that before but I didn't try it this morning because of my back pain. Beside, there is nothing to hold on the FJR beside the handlebar so that technique may not work.

 

[wfooshee]

Beside, there is nothing to hold on the FJR beside the handlebar so that technique may not work.

That would be absolutely correct if you ignored the metal frame under the seat...... Which I have used at least three times.....

 

[bluesdog]

Beside, there is nothing to hold on the FJR beside the handlebar so that technique may not work.

That would be absolutely correct if you ignored the metal frame under the seat...... Which I have used at least three times.....

I actually used --


'course, the bike was technically on 'dirt' (my lawn)

I think my dirt riding instinct just cut in or something. Anyway, I can testify that it works quite well with the fjr.

 

[RossKean]

For what its worth, a 'Wing is far easier to pick up than an FJR; especially if the FJR goes all the way over. 'Wing has a MUCH lower center of gravity and doesn't really go over very far because of engine guards and bags. Using proper technique (learned when I had a Yamaha Venture), I have struggled to pick up the FJR on a couple of occasions after zero speed drops. I'm not a 90 pound weakling and it took quite a large effort. Mind you, this was with a fully loaded bike (camping gear etc.) on an upslope with uneven ground. It can be done by most people if you are on a good level surface - use a handlebar and the frame under the seat. As the video shows, put your butt on the seat and walk it to an upright position using leg muscles; never the back.

 

[08FJR4ME]

Don't dilly dally, you need the adrenalin rush from dropping the bike to get it back up.

 

[Pterodactyl]

I'm happy for you that the damage to your bike is very light, but you did break something. The lever certainly and I would call the damage to the mirror, muffler and fairing breaks of a sort. You did in fact get off light. I know of two cases of similar tip overs that cost in excess of $2500 to repair.

I have Canyon Cages front and rear and I added sliders to the front cages. The sliders were made and sold by a former inmate of this forum. When I performed my sudden dismount similar to yours the only evidence was some minor chaffing on the bottom of the right slider and scratching on the bottom of the right rear Canyon Cage.

 

[El Toro]

I bought my first ST1100 with a salvage title, did the repairs, got the title fixed, and rode it for a couple of years.

It was salvaged as totaled with less damage than what occurred in the OP's tip over.

My friends and I have never understood that one. We always figured that the adjuster must have been related to the person who submitted the claim.

 

[gixxerjasen]

Nice to see your mirror folded...mine didn't and snapped off. Mine has been down twice at no speed. First time it was fairly empty and I snatched her right back up. Last time was a few weeks ago. Loaded down for a trip she went over with her wheels stuck up in the air. With all the added weight I knew I wasn't lifting her up on my own. Add in the lack of O2 at 8K feet altitude and I had to man up and ask for help.

Don't dilly dally, you need the adrenalin rush from dropping the bike to get it back up.

That's hilarious.

I bought my first ST1100 with a salvage title, did the repairs, got the title fixed, and rode it for a couple of years.
It was salvaged as totaled with less damage than what occurred in the OP's tip over.

My friends and I have never understood that one. We always figured that the adjuster must have been related to the person who submitted the claim.

Depends on what minor damage there was. When you have insurance you expect them to fix it up like new or total it out. If the frame is scratched that means the frame needs replacing. The labor cost to replace the frame far exceeds the cost of the damaged parts and will cause the bike to be totaled. My FZ1 had the steering head part of the frame damaged and needed the frame replaced. Total bill for all my damage with labor involved would have bought me two brand new FZ1's. Hence, why they gave me a very small check for my very old bike.

 

[mcatrophy]

Simple tip-overs can be very expensive. I had one on my '14. It occurred at zero speed while I was trying to turn it round on a steep, gravelly slope. (OK, very bad judgement for choice of place to do a u-turn on my part, see later.)

Bike tipped right over the slider, hit hard on handlebar and mirror, and slid some way down the slope.

Damage included mirror (scratched, not broken), mirror mounting frame, handlebar and bar end, front and side fairings, slider, foot shield, silencer (muffler), foot-peg, both brake levers, side-case, engine side cover (dented by the slider), plus odds and ends I can't remember off hand.

Total insurance claim: £3800 ($5856), including £500 labour.

Had I repaired it myself I wouldn't have changed some items, but it still would have been pricy, which is why I used insurance.

Had to stop another rider to help me right it, plus another person from a van also stopped and helped. Insufficient adrenalin and too many birthdays precluded solo recovery.

I was mad with myself. Trouble is, I'd been leading another rider. This was a nice twisty road that did have some steep falls to the side in places. She disappeared from my mirrors. I'd stopped and waited a few minutes, but no sign. I was worried that she'd gone off the road. Thinking more about her than what I was doing.

 

[RichDoyle]

Although the feej is a hefty girl, you should be able to put her upright under most circumstances, as long as you have secure footing.

Aye, there's the rub. Mostly when I've 0-speed dropped a bike, the same factors that contributed to the drop confound picking it it back up. In the case of my '13's drop, it was into a depression in the pavement. It was beyond horizontal and lifting it required standing in a bit of a hole. When I got it as high as I could with the butt-on-the seat trick, it then required backing myself up the slope and I could get no more traction. It required a passerby to give it that last shove to the left so it was back over the top and on the side stand.

When I dropped my ST's, it was on loose gravel. So in both cases as I started to pick it up it slid away from me. And of course I couldn't get any lateral traction from my feet.

These idealized demos don't really show the whole picture even with nice dry level pevement. When a bike like ours goes flat-as-a-dead-salmon, getting your butt on the seat and starting the lift presumes you're still as limber as a 19-year-old and can start a lift of significant weight from a deep squat.

 

[RichDoyle]

Beside, there is nothing to hold on the FJR beside the handlebar so that technique may not work.

That would be absolutely correct if you ignored the metal frame under the seat...... Which I have used at least three times.....

On the right side of a Gen III the frame under the seat isn't available. You've got the handlebar and the passenger grab rail, which are quite far apart. On the left side, there is the indentation below the seats to be help lifting the bike onto the center stand. So picking it up from a right-side drop presents a different scenario than from the left.

 

[mikerider]

Thank you all! I think I will need to add real frame sliders and canyon cage next...

Is touch up paint for the 2014 available?

 

[mikerider]

Just saw something here on Amazon for 2014 touch up paint:

https://www.amazon.com/TouchUpDirect-FJR1300-Exact-Match-Motorcycle-Touch-Up/dp/B00OYLXOL8

Or:

https://touchupdirect.com/shop/touch-up-paint/yamaha-fjr1300-deep-red-metallic-k-tricoat-yam017-motorcycle/

 

[bluesdog]

Although the feej is a hefty girl, you should be able to put her upright under most circumstances, as long as you have secure footing.

Aye, there's the rub. Mostly when I've 0-speed dropped a bike, the same factors that contributed to the drop confound picking it it back up. In the case of my '13's drop, it was into a depression in the pavement. It was beyond horizontal and lifting it required standing in a bit of a hole. When I got it as high as I could with the butt-on-the seat trick, it then required backing myself up the slope and I could get no more traction. It required a passerby to give it that last shove to the left so it was back over the top and on the side stand.

When I dropped my ST's, it was on loose gravel. So in both cases as I started to pick it up it slid away from me. And of course I couldn't get any lateral traction from my feet.

These idealized demos don't really show the whole picture even with nice dry level pevement. When a bike like ours goes flat-as-a-dead-salmon, getting your butt on the seat and starting the lift presumes you're still as limber as a 19-year-old and can start a lift of significant weight from a deep squat.

Hell, I have trouble even standing up from a deep squat! No +640 lb necessary

The loose footing problem, really deep squat starting position, and lack of a grip point when the bike is lying on it's right side, is why I prefer the 'dead-lift' method, whereby one turns the handlebars to point the front wheel upwards, then squat down (!) grasp the lower bar grip with both hands. The feet must be placed shoulder width apart, to each side of the handlebar, and as far forward as possible. Instead of 'walking backward to push the bike up, you lift from a safe, but not super deep, squat using those leg muscles lever it nearly straight up, using the front wheel as fulcrum for mechanical advantage. Since you're already facing the bike, this method has the additional benefit of making it easier to grab the other bar when the bike is nearly upright, in case you need to squeeze the brake 'cause the bike fell on the left side while in neutral.

As the bike comes up past 45 degrees, take a small step forward with whichever foot is nearer the bike, so you can prop your hip/thigh along the bike's side if necessary.

When you're feeling bored someday, lay the bike down on some padding, and give it a test.

Note: either plug the fuel overflow or do this with a less than a full tank.