Dropped it

[harper]

During the several times that my FJR has decided to take a nap on one of those big, fluffy side pillows I have seen the disadvantages and advantages to making a public display of it. The primary disadvantage is the unavoidable consequence of looking like a complete buffoon with people watching. The primary advantage is that the people watching me be a complete buffoon are there to help me pick it back up. I feel that in helping me lift that heavy FJR back up, they have earned the entertainment they got from witnessing the drop.

 

[art miller]

All it takes is a shoestring to catch on the side stand. Don't ask me how I know. (After only a week of ownership). Very little damage to bike, massive damage to my ego.

And just once!

After that every time I straddle a bike while wearing laces they're double-knotted and securely tucked. Amazing how that stays with you after all these years.

Thanks for all the replies. Last dropped a bike in 1990-something and just felt a right pillock.

I just learned me a new word.

From OxfordDictionaries.com:
Definition of pillock in English:

pillock

NOUN

British informal

A stupid person.

'a complete pillock!'

Origin

Mid 16th century: variant of archaic pillicock 'penis', the early sense of pillock in northern English.

There are two sorts of motorcyclists. Those who have dropped their bike and those who are going to drop their bike.

Thanks Mac for the copious explanation of pillock. I am now a more learned person.

 

[art miller]

Gravity is a cruel mistress. I dropped my FJR the day after I just added front sliders. The event occured when coming down the steep hill I lived on, I tried to make a U turn up the curb to my driveway and back up the sidewalk. Was in first, feathering the clutch when all forward momentum ceased.
The bike simply began to tip over and my one attempt to save it was destroyed by my left foot touching down on a marble sized rock, just round enough to roll my ankle to the outside and let the weight of the tipping motorcycle attempt to break said ankle. Involuntary action on my part picking up my foot to avoid this was all Miss Gravity needed to pull me and the bike over on its side.

Same basic damage to the bike as yours, scratched side case and gouges in slider. Thumb was fine but ankle slightly sprained, which made raising the bike back up to starting position impossible for me. Luckily a neighbor witnessed the horror and came over to assist in picking it up.

Thereafter I changed my return route to home so I'd be riding up the street instead of down, thus removing the need for the U turn.

For what it is worth, try to avoid U turns in down hill position. I have not dropped a bike "yet" doing it but have witnessed a few tip overs trying it. I always ride a little further if possible to avoid down hill U turns. One of my CHP motor officers friends trains other motor officers how to do the maneuver.

 

[Bill Lumberg]

Ive been knocked down once, and laid it down at almost no speed by not paying attention doing a 360 into a parking space. Thanks to t-Rex bag guards and r&g sliders, zero damage. To the bike...

 

[ThwartedEfforts]

Sharing some pics, we all like pics

Thank you Messrs. R and G:

Nearside pannier took 90% of the aesthetic impairment:

Nice morning, so kept going:

Remember this is leper colony matte paint everyone! And you know, it's perfectly nice.

 

[Lee R.]

The primary disadvantage is the unavoidable consequence of looking like a complete buffoon with people watching. The primary advantage is that the people watching me be a complete buffoon are there to help me pick it back up.

Agreed. Seems the only thing worse than tipping over with spectators is tipping over without spectators. To address this conundrum, I've decided not to drop my bike unless in front of a school for the blind or similar institution.

 

[hppants]

I think this thread would take a whole different direction if this forum was for sport bikes or cruiser bikes. We are not squids, we are not posers, and we are not bikers.

We are riders, and there is a distinct difference.

We actually ride our motorcycles. We use them as tools to take us to the adventure. That could be 5 miles away or 5000 miles away, but regardless, its always an adventure. However, there's a catch.

In order for a rider to get the full experience of the adventure, he/she has to be willing to let stupid **** go. They have to let their work and home trouble go. They have to let their health troubles go. And they have to let their ego troubles go. They have to humble themselves sincerely and acknowledge fallacies. They have to associate with other riders who have been there and done that and TRULY understand how they feel during different parts of the adventure. Both the good and the not so good parts. Once a rider gets to that point, only then can the true adventure experience begin. And when it does, the rider is rewarded one hundred fold.

To the OP, I've BTDT. I've got the exact same scratches on my frame slider, my saddle bag, and even a few other places. I'd ride with you, and rest assured, I'll help you pick the bike up. When we are too old to throw a leg over, and somebody has to wipe our ass, inside our seemingly mush minds, we will have thousands of wonderful memories to carry us on.

And none of those will have anything to do with ******* scratches.....

 

[Uncle Hud]

Hey, man, just tell people it's ancient hieroglyphics or Venusian radio wave patterns or something. The closest translation in English is, "Momentary lapse of attention".

 

[bigjohnsd]

With the FJR it is not "if you are going to drop it" it is "When am I going to drop it?"

With the FJR it is not "if you are going to drop it" it is "When am I going to drop it?"

 

[cl12000]

all the protection add on parts don't work if you park close to your garage wall and forget to put the stand down. The mirror isn't a very good slider. Just saying.

Maybe I should attach mattresses to my walls now. Oh, the mirror stay can be fixed with JB Weld easier and faster then replacing it. If you drop it enough times you will probably need to do this someday. I got lucky and had to fix the stay on the first drop even with all the anti drop stuff added front and back from day one.

 

[Motorcycle Mayor]

Are the Canyon Cages easily removable? I park my FJR in the garage, and there's not a lot of clearance to be had. But if they're quick to add and remove that wouldn't be a problem.

 

[Motorcycle Mayor]

I've dropped my FJR three times so far. The first time I'd owned it for less than a week, and was getting ready for my first long-range (well, multi-day) ride. And cracked the mirror mount frame on the left hand side. I won't admit to what it cost me to get it repaired, but I was able to do the trip regardless. Just with a mirror that would vibrate (I had the place I bought it from check it out and confirm it wouldn't fly off; but they had to order the parts to repair it).

The second time was maneuvering away from a gas pump. I hadn't even started the engine yet.

The most recent (notice I didn't say "last"

) time was pulling into a parking space, when I tried to abort the maneuver at the last second.

I felt bad, and stupid, about all three events...but I learned something from each of them, and enjoyed the rides that could've been spoiled.

The main thing I learned (which another rider here explained better than I can) is that the FJR, while a joy to ride at any kind of speed (IMHO), is a real beast at low speeds. Apparently because it has a relatively high center of gravity. That, plus its weight, means that even a few degrees off vertical at low or no speed and it's "there she goes!"

So don't beat yourself up too much, learn from it...and keep riding. After all, now you know someone who's laid it down more than you have

.

 

[RichDoyle]

For one reason or another, I've dropped almost every single bike type I've owned over the 50-ish years I've been riding. (The sole exception being my NT700.) Why? Because no motorcycle is stable at 0 MPH and they all outweighed me, by a factor of anywhere from twice my weight to about 4 times. I've dropped my FJR once in the 5+ years I've had it (humongous depression in the pavement + inattention), and "saved" it a few times (blessed with long legs). The big deal for me is picking the bike back up after it's down. I've seen those contrived scenarios where some pixie of a woman picks up a Harley or GW from where it's been gently laid down on a dry rubber mat on level ground. That ain't reality, usually the same thing that contributed to the bike going down works against you picking it back up. It's sitting in a pile of gravel or a sea of wet leaves or it's down in some monstrous hole in the pavement or sitting on a sheet of black ice. That said, the heavier/more top-heavy it is the harder to pick up in any given condition. The worst case was my ST1300. Considerably heavier than the FJR and similarly upper-weight-biased.

 

[Uncle Hud]

Motorcycle Mayor posted: <snip> ... now you know someone who's laid it down more than you have

.

Wish I believed you. Practice has helped me a LOT with low speed handling. And, Mr Doyle, you're not the only one who needs help picking up these bikes.

 

[kiwimike]

I belong to the school of "it's not a matter of when, but if, you drop it.

I would add after learning from painful experience, if it's going to fall over - be sure to get your leg away from the bike. If the bike falls on your ankle and breaks & dislocates it you are in for a painful and restricted existence for a few months.

 

[RBEmerson]

In the sailing world it's "if you haven't run aground, you haven't gotten too far from the dock". "If you ride and haven't dropped, you haven't gotten off the center stand very often." Or something like that.

Mercifully, I've felt every drop coming and had some part in slowing the drop. A previous bike was dropped by persons of questionable heritage, whose mothers' affections were negotiable. They were working for a contractor we'd hired. If the job wasn't in the middle of completion, I would have drop-kicked them off the property. Anyway, the point is, they clearly dropped the bike with no attempt to slow the drop, or, worse, bailed out on the high side as the bike went down, speeding up the drop. Parts of the tupperware were past repair and the bike was totaled.

IMNSHO, the FJR is a little too easy to drop - top heavy and hard to get a wide, supporting stance. It feels to me like trying to balance an upside down bowling pin.

The most recent drop (of three

) was a superior collection of stupidities: The side road I was on was a steep slope up to flat road on a blind intersection. There was no practical way out. A K turn would have left my left foot far too far below the bike (Drop below 90°!). "Up and over the lip" was out because there was almost no space between the top of the ramp and the road, and no visibility for incoming traffic. First sin: not recognizing I was headed toward a no-win place - I should seen the "ramp", bailed while I could, and gone to a saner crossing. Second sin: a guess and brief look left me thinking I was safe to come out. Third sin: no faith in coming out and nailing the gas - front wheel cocked to the right, almost zero speed, and what the heck did I expect???

Most painful drop: Low-side out of a hairpin turn when the back tire hit slick mud. Damage: Broken left thumb (on a drop to the right???) just pronounced healed with permanent loss of range of motion. Moral? Stay the eff-bomb away from bicycles - they'll get you if they can.

And to think I'm allowed to get out of the house without adult supervision...

 

[Fred W]

I bought my 2005 used in 2006 with 10k miles and nary a scratch.

Dropped it the first time when I thought I had the kickstand down, but didnt. Did that in front of two friends who immediately dashed to my assistance in righting it.

Dropped it the second time attempting a U-turn on a steep driveway. Bad judgement. Should have backed it down the steep part and done a three-point turn on the flatter part. Worst part of that drop was it was to the right side (previously unscathed) and it went down the hill so the wheels were up in the air. Also, I was alone. That was a righteous test of my motorcycle lifting technique.

Third drop was at the end of a long day of riding in a deluge, coming back from Nova Scotia. I tried to ride the bike up onto a sidewalk under an overhang in front of our hotel room. More bad judgement. After picking the bike up myself (100 lb wives arent much help there) I left it out in the rain. It needed a wash anyway.

New 2014 has only been down once. Went to position it in front of a covered bridge for a photo. The dirt road was much softer than it looked. Front wheel tucked, and down she went, softly. The T-Rex front engine guards and rear luggage guards paid for themselves there. Not a scratch on the bike, nor the bars. And the bike was easier to pick up with those luggage guards holding it up.

Bad judgement and poor mental acuity seem to be the main reasons for my bike drops. I wont tell you how many times my old VStrom went down over the years, but thats to be expected when you intentional ride a heavy bike in some difficult places. Lifting practice helps perfect your technique.

 

[cota95]

All it takes is a shoestring to catch on the side stand. Don't ask me how I know. (After only a week of ownership). Very little damage to bike, massive damage to my ego.

And just once!

After that every time I straddle a bike while wearing laces they're double-knotted and securely tucked. Amazing how that stays with you after all these years.

Thanks for all the replies. Last dropped a bike in 1990-something and just felt a right pillock.

I just learned me a new word.

good thing it wasn't a left pillock...that would be wrong!

Sorry, couldn't help it.

 

[RBEmerson]

When I get a cold, I usually take some pillocks to feel better

 

[someguy]

my old girl has taken many dirt naps. not happy about the first one, but each one was on a new adventure (and technically all on some gravel mountain adventure i should not have been on) but i don't mind the scars. they are filled with memories of each adventure.