Dropping Fjr

[Waaane]

When mine went over it was my wife's and my dog's fault...Really

 

[kaitsdad]

I blame gravity for my drops.... both of them. :blink:

 

[abarron576]

My 07 had managed to come off the side stand twice before I started looking at threads on this sugject. I ground about 1/8" off the side stand stop to let the stand swing farther forward. So far this has seemed to solve the problem. And yes, I'll take a chance and say that the bike is very top heavy and tough to hold up if you're failry short. I was used to an 04 Warrior and found the transition to be a little intimidating at first, but you'll get used to it.

 

[otrfjr]

Nope: dropped my brand new 06 V-Max on day 2, month 2, month 12. Knock on wood: ain't dropped the FJR yet. (And I'm a pro at dropping bikes: at 16 I worked at a motorcycle shop & managed to drop most of the major brands at some point; it gets easier as you get more experience.) If anything might contribute to FJR dropability, it might be it's rock-steady handling personality: if feels soooo good in any situation you think--or sometimes I think--the laws of physics don't necessarily apply.

Get the sliders!!!!!!!!!

 

[onlyblue]

Iam a Newbie here. I have read about 40 pages of posts educating myself to the nuances of owning the Fjr. Iam struck by how many posts I see about people dropping it. Is there something about the fjr that makes it more prone to this "rider screw up"? I am registered in 2 other forums-- Vtx, and Sportsters--- Very rare to see this kind of Drop post in either of these. Ive dropped all of my bikes once.-- stop dropped. - All my fault of course. Anyway, is the higher center of gravity, which is perhaps less forgiving? Whatever Iam definitly getting my own Fjr - 06 1300A -- This bike ROCKS!

My observations are that when someone, such as yourself, notices the seemingly large number of FJR owners reporting that they've dropped the bike, there's a flock of respondents claiming that only the ignorance of the owners can account for the numerous "droppings". Might we then conclude that the FJR ownership group is generally more ignorant than other owner groups?

I thoroughly enjoy and like my 2006 FJR. But I don't worship it and I don't believe it's without some faults. But I'll be absolutely honest with you, I've gotten considerably more ignorant with the purchase of the FJR. I've been riding scooters since that's what we called the Harley's 40 something years ago. I've ridden lighter bikes, heavier ones, slower ones, faster ones, taller and shorter and a buch of stuff I can't remember. But in 41 years of riding, I only got ignorant enough for my scooter to fall over when I bought the FJR. It's happened twice in the first year under slightly different circumstances. But, both times it was either stopped or nearly stopped.

I truly hope the "ignorance" bug doesn't hit you with the purchase of an FJR.

 

[Rev Ed]

I read all the posts before buying my FJR and had the same concern, in fact, i was scared to put it on the centrestand because of everything i had read. The bottom line is that it is heavier to handle when 'pushing' it around your garage, but besides this, it is only going to fall over if you make a mistake!

The Feejer is nothing compaired to the '99 Goldwing I used to have! (850+ lbs.)

I agree with the other posts that takes into consideration the amount of miles we put on our FJR's.

 

[Canes]

It's a heavy bike and it is top heavy making it more prone to be dropped than a sportbike. All you have to do is be more attentive at low speeds or at stops to prevent dropping it.

 

[bandito]

Huh,

I never dropped any bike, and almost dropped the FJR before making the final payment at the dealer's lot. The bracket on the side stand that you are supposed to use to put it down seems to want to get caught in your boot heel, and flip itself back, up. Since then I take EXTREME care each time I put the stand down and really look to see if it is there before setting the bike on it. Also the stand looks REALLY skinny for such a heavy bike, but hey the Jap engineers must have caluculted it right?

 

[blackarrow]

Every bike I've owned has gone down eventually, with or without my help. From insecure sidestand tipovers to going down hard at 70 in a turn after the car in front of me decided to spill a bunch of gas. So I was scared stiff about the FJR with all that expensive bodywork, and researched it thoroughly on this forum.

FJR handling is quite responsive and reasonably light at low speed, all considered. But the acceptable angle of stationary or low speed lean is a little narrower than I'm used to, and when it starts to go it goes with a vengeance. There's something about the center of gravity and inertia that seems to make it particularly susceptible in certain situations like turning into a gravel driveway on a slight decline.

That being said, my first addition were sliders. The sliders, in addition to being VERY careful and attentive, have built increasing levels of comfort and confidence.

 

[LDRydr]

I read all the posts before buying my FJR and had the same concern, in fact, i was scared to put it on the centrestand because of everything i had read. The bottom line is that it is heavier to handle when 'pushing' it around your garage, but besides this, it is only going to fall over if you make a mistake!

Try pushing my fully loaded up H-D Ultra around a garage (or anywhere else for that matter). My FJR feels like a feather in comparison.

Dennis

 

[FredandJeannesRacer]

Having dropped my new FJR in a parking lot at low speed, I realized that the bike handles a lot differently than the other bikes I have ridden. First it is top heavy, especially with a full tank of gas. Second, most of the weight is over the front wheel. Third, the fork angle is steep. Forth, the front brakes work great. Put them all together with a little turn of the front end, and down she goes! Fifth, rider error!

 

[Thumperbike]

My 07 had managed to come off the side stand twice before I started looking at threads on this sugject. I ground about 1/8" off the side stand stop to let the stand swing farther forward. .

Respectfully, how can the bike come off the sidestand if it is fully deployed and parked on somewhat level ground?

 

[Silver Penguin]

Respectfully, how can the bike come off the sidestand if it is fully deployed and parked on somewhat level ground?

There is some strange voodoo curse that affects riders of FJR. Due to my short stature, I can't back my bike out of the garage so I have to walk it out, turn it around and then climb aboard. As I swung my leg over, the bike very gently eased its way to the ground, taking me with it.

I think the key point is 'fully deployed'. The FJR gives a mistaken impression that the side stand is all the way extended, before it actually is. After one drop, most riders catch onto a safety push on the stand, before letting go of the bike.

Jill

 

[Special_K]

Iam a Newbie here. I have read about 40 pages of posts educating myself to the nuances of owning the Fjr. Iam struck by how many posts I see about people dropping it. Is there something about the fjr that makes it more prone to this "rider screw up"? I am registered in 2 other forums-- Vtx, and Sportsters--- Very rare to see this kind of Drop post in either of these. Ive dropped all of my bikes once.-- stop dropped. - All my fault of course. Anyway, is the higher center of gravity, which is perhaps less forgiving? Whatever Iam definitly getting my own Fjr - 06 1300A -- This bike ROCKS!

Visit any BMW GS centric forum. If you haven't dropped that bike several times, you've owned it less than a month.

 

[E1Allen]

I just pushed mine over right after I bought it to get rid of the first time dropping jitters...

 

[red diver]

So let me chime in too...

Have had the FJR about 6 weeks - now have 2K miles, including Deal's Gap - thank you all very much! Undoubtedly the bike has a high center of gravity. I came from BMW R1100S, R1200ST and Ducati 900SS, where I never felt I had to be overly careful about balance. I am 5'7" (he is very strong though, really!) and have had some alarming moments on the FJR. I cannot flat foot the ground because of the seat contours and with this much bike weight its not so great in some situations. Attempting to back over the concrete lip into the garage was real interesting.

What I have not seen in any post is that sometimes we are parking on not-so-level surfaces (North Georgia) with lots of gear. Absolutely this makes the tendency to drop or lose balance MUCH higher. The thin margins of error are even thinner when loaded with camping gear, etc. MHO.

There were some good aftermarket sidestand foot enlargers/extenders for the BMWs but I have not found anything for the FJR. - Anyone know of any?

Thanks, Charlie

 

[yowser]

I just came from a 360lb gsxr and the third day on the FJR my dress pant cuff got caught on the footpeg and I almost got the chain reaction started, lucky me cought it and didn't drop it. I have been very lucky as to not drop a bike yet. I have noticed that the FJR is heavier and will command a little more attention while stopped.

 

[Aviator]

We complain and tell our stories because we care so much about the bike. Who washed and waxed it over the weekend? Ohh come on. . . your out there.

I almost dropped mine making a U turn on a gravel road with an incline and a rider on the back. Almost broke my finger to keep it up since it was stuck between the clutch level and the bar. BUT I WAS NOT LETTING GO! Told her to jump off and it stall.

 

[ramblingrose]

I'M ALL OF THE ABOVE: OLD, FAT, DUMB. BUT I LOVE MY FJR. IT IS A BIT TOP HEAVY WITH A FULL TANK. IT DOESN'T DO WELL IN THE DIRT DOING U-EES AND IF YOU ROCK IT OFF THE CENTER STAND WHILE THE FRONT WHEEL IS TURNED AND YOU ARE THINKING ABOUT THE BABE WALKING DOWN THE STREET IT MAY BE TOUGH TO HOLD UP. THE BIKE IS NOT OLD, FAT AR DUMB. WE ARE.

SCOTT

 

[kulwen]

Huh,
I never dropped any bike, and almost dropped the FJR before making the final payment at the dealer's lot. The bracket on the side stand that you are supposed to use to put it down seems to want to get caught in your boot heel, and flip itself back, up. Since then I take EXTREME care each time I put the stand down and really look to see if it is there before setting the bike on it.

I don't understand it, but I have the same dang issue. This is the only sidestand I have ever used which the bracket you talk about gets caught in the loop on the back of my boot used to pull the boot on. It only took one close call for me to learn to becarefull of this.