Pretty upset ...

[tdw]

So, for the last week I have felt like I have won the lottery having purchased a used 2015 literally in showroom condition with less than 3,500 km on it.

Every year to improve my skills I try to take a course taught by a police instructor. During the course I always push myself which results in multiple slow tip-overs during the two days of riding. In the past I haven't minded as I had an old bike and knew the damage was simply cosmetic. I have also felt that I needed to push myself to that point to learn to handle the bike.

This year I wanted to protect my pristine bike so the first accessory I purchased were canyon cages and saddle bag guards from MC Enterprise.

Living in Canada and purchasing these from the USA, I had them shipped to my son who attends school in MI. My plan was to ride down there Friday night, install them this morning & return. He didn't want me to do that, instead suggesting he would bring them home with him later this week. I reluctantly agreed.

I'm a daily rider. Use the bike to commute, run errands, ... Today I had some training in the morning for a group I volunteer with and was planning on doing some shopping afterwards and taking the long way home, enjoying the day and the ride.

Everything was fine until I was about an hour from home, late in the afternoon, after riding for most of the previous 3+ hours I decided to pull into an antique store. I wasn't paying close enough attention as I pulled off of the road into the gravel parking lot. I was going pretty slow; but, as I turned sharply to my right to enter a parking spot failed to realize I turned right into a hole in the parking lot & down she goes on her right side. ... I was devastated. ... so much for my showroom quality bike.

I rashed the mirror, scratched and damaged the lower right faring, scratched the right bag & broke the reflector. I know it's all cosmetic damage; but, clearly I'm devastated as here I am 9 hours later writing about it to get it off of my chest.

Was I being silly? No, I don't think so. Was I tired? I didn't think so; but, clearly wasn't paying 100% attention or it wouldn't have happened.

I know ... stuff happens ... just wish I could have kept her in showroom condition for more than a week ... I'll go cry myself to sleep now ... LOL

 

[Panman]

Sorry to here, I lost focus and scratched up my left side front fairing. I had a sour tummy for a few days, nine years later she still has the scars & still pisses me off!

 

[101stpathfinder]

The first scratch is the deepest.

Now you can put some serious miles on the bike and lighten up a bit over looks.

Complacency sounds like your cause, but now you've learned a lesson and your bikes performance is not been altered.

You will most likely find that you are the only one who "Sees" the blemishes, so if you can live with them you will be fine.

Sorry for your mishap, but I wish you good riding from here on!

 

[Enn]

Sorry for that, but the scratches are inevitable. Even if you only keep your bike in garage and do not dare to ride at all, I bet your wife and kids willl manage to scratch it big time with lawnmover and other appliances. Cheer up!

 

[chrisz]

It is like buying a brand new car and then getting that first dent in a mall parking lot. Now your bike has street cred...

 

[robfilms]

sorry to read.

i remember the same tale of woe happening to me on my wee-strom.

parking lot gravel, slightly distracted, kick stand not fully down, the wee and gravity decide a nap is need and down we went.

i was furious at myself.

since then i have ridden the wee another 5k miles.

i have loved the bike.

i only occasionally notice "the insult".

next week, i trade the wee for a 2013 fjr.

keep riding.

thumbs up.

rob

 

[hppants]

The truth of the matter is this - if you are going to ride the bike, this is going to happen. To clarify, most of us here are actually RIDERS, not posers. A "ride" to us is one that has a distance of at least 3 digits, usually 4, and sometimes even 5. Running up to the local bar and grill, and kicking the tires with a bunch of pirates is not a ride.

The most important thing is that YOU are not scratched and dented up.

I try to keep my horse shiny, but it has a few scars on it, and I've come to accept that. When I'm on tour, and stop among a lot of bikes, without hesitation, the first one I check out is the dirtiest, rattiest bike with the most scratches on it and the filthy riding gear laid out over it. That dude has stories to tell.

It's OK to vent. Believe me, I get it. But if you are going to TRULY enjoy the very best part of motorcycling, then you've simply got to let that shit go.

 

[RichDoyle]

My bike wears its scars proudly

And they come from an incident just like you describe

 

[Bugnatr]

Wait until you pull the bike into the garage and forget to put the kickstand down. Can't get much dumber than that, I don't think I talked to myself for a couple days.

 

[Redfish Hunter]

This is going to be a DDAN story. You know, Dude Dat Ain't Nothin!

When MY 2015 was 12 hours old and had never been to my house yet (I had ridden straight from the dealership to work that night) I slipped down on my way home. Whole left side was trashed. New saddlebag, new fairing parts, mirror, clutch cover, etc. Oh, and a couple broken ribs.

I had ordered that bike from my local dealer the day we (this forum) found out what the color would be for '15. I had waited and waited and then I threw it down the road. Much like you, I posted here and that thread is still here somewhere. We feel your pain. I personally feel your pain.

Don't be too hard on yourself. These are big heavy motorcycles. They are a bit top heavy. They don't come with any crash protection. If you ride long enough, the odds are that something will happen to the bike.

Good luck with the repairs, don't start blaming yourself and beating yourself up. Learn from it and move on.

 

[RossKean]

I had ordered that bike from my local dealer the day we (this forum) found out what the color would be for '15. I had waited and waited and then I threw it down the road. Much like you, I posted here and that thread is still here somewhere. We feel your pain. I personally feel your pain.

Here it is so RFH can re-live the moment (and so you can realize it might have been worse).

https://www.fjrforum.com/forum//index.php/topic/160974-wrecked-the-15-already/page-1?hl=fairing

 

[Redfish Hunter]

Gee Thanks. Friend.

 

[Goodman4]

As I read your post I thought of poor RFH and how sad we all were when it happened to his baby as is mentioned above. For me personally, I got over my scratches on my mirror and stopped noticing them, and then somebody was selling a parted out mirror the same color as mine and I thought, "well it would be nice to fix that." I don't remember how many months passed and then I dropped it in Arkansas and scratched the same dang mirror. I think she just likes the scar.

We feel your pain, but the scratches fade quickly.

 

[tdw]

Thank you everyone for your support!

Totally agree with your comments.

As many of you know, it's just friggin' annoying when you're trying to take care of your 'new' baby. Not being overly cautious to the point of being silly or dangerous ('cause you're being too slow); just a little more careful than you may have been with your previous ride.

Thanks for letting me vent and get it off of my chest!

 

[SacramentoMike]

You didn't mention it, except to say you "rashed the mirror," so I'm guessing and hoping that means that's all you did in that area. Is the mirror still stable and fixed? If yes, you're really pretty lucky and you should be glad that's all you did and stop stressing. It's depressingly common for even a low-speed tipover like you had to result in a broken internal "stay," the very brittle and weak internal frame that supports both mirrors. There are lots of threads about that damn part on the Gen III's. It's a damn big job to replace, and expensive too, but it has to be done since mirrors are completely useless flopping around in the wind. And riding without a mirror on each side is awful scary. DAMHIK.

Scratches that don't affect performance don't mean much of anything in the long run. Enjoy the bike!

 

[NightShine]

Sorry to hear about your first drop, tdw, but it certainly resonates with so many of us.

During its first summer, I rode my new 2015 FJR From the SF Bay Area to a family wedding in Pennsylvania. After a long, hot ride, I landed 4 days later at my cousin's place in Ohio. "Here. I'll help you push it into the garage, where I keep my bike," he said. "Nah, I can just ride it in myself". You know where this is going.

I slowly ride it in, feet on the pegs, but as I set my foot down it slips on his garage floor, and down went my FJR on its right side, knocking his pristine Harley over, which then buried its mirror into the newly poked hole it made into the drywall.

That caused some excitement...

 

[harper]

I bought a 2006 a few years ago that had already been dropped on both sides. I don't feel so badly when it has gotten sleepy and has had to lie down on one of those big, fat side pillows when I have stopped a couple of times. They're all scratched up but they're behind me when I'm riding so I don't have to look at them.

 

[Pterodactyl]

You are able to own and ride the motorcycle of your choice, you live in a free and prosperous country and it sounds like you have a family that cares about you. You scratched your bike...... so what?

 

[biknflyfisher]

When I got my 2007 FJR, on the first "real" ride my Dad wanted to switch bikes (he rode a Gold Wing 1800) in Mariposa for the ride to Oakhurst. Coming out of the historical park where we stopped to make the switch, a car pulled in front of him and he put his foot down as the bike was leaning a bit and gently over it went. There were some scratches on the right mirror, the edge of the right side cowling and a few scratches on the right side saddlebag. Dad felt awful, and I was a bit bummed at the time. Dad insisted that I order new parts and replace what he had damaged, but I said let's just wait and see....After a while I told him that I was just going to leave things as-is because those were tangible memories of a great ride, and that they were really no big deal.

I lost Dad to Lou Gerig's in October and now I would NEVER change out those parts, just like the left side of the bike that got (minorly) sandblasted on one of our Death Valley rides, they are reminders of trips that we took over the years. Happier times....

I consider the scratches, small dings, bug scars and stuff like that the signs of a well-used machine!

Biknflyfisher