Triumphrat

00wabbit · 01-10-2005

Those who have and those who will drop their bike!!

Its funny what creatures of habit we are.

Normal routine when coming to a stop is:
Turn off bike, Put Side Stand Down, Get off Bike, Take off Gloves Helmet, etc.

Well at the gas station today I did:
Turn off bike, Take off gloves, get off bike, Attempt to put bike on side stand, realize that the bike has not landed on the sidestand, realize that the bike is now on its side, try to lift bike, get my feet planted more firmly, lift bike, put down sidestand, pretend that is how I always get off my bike, begin to fuel bike, try not to spray fuel in my face because of shaking hands/ adrenaline rush.

Of course I had to drop it at a bust gas station while cars were waiting in line to fill up behind me.

Bike seems ok. I helped the bike down and the handle bar hit the gas pump so the bike did not get fully on its side. It is dripping a little oil from the airbox now, but from reading previous posts it comes with membership into the club.

I am correct in assuming that I pull the drain plug and let it drain, but other than that it is fine right?

I guess it was good that I shortened the front turn signals. Would have sucked if I crushed them or one of my brand new halcyon bar end mirrors.

well, that was fun. :-D

vonbonds · 01-10-2005

Imagine that were a Tiger

. Glad nothing got damaged!!

MickMaguire · 01-10-2005

Yes, pull the plug and drain it. If a lot comes out you may want to pull the filter and give it a clean.

tnsen · 01-10-2005

welcome to the club there oowabbit.......i did the same thing, luckley it was in my garage, last summer, my headlight tore right off the bike...120$ later ...oh well.......

mecscc · 01-10-2005

Glad there was little or no damage, to you or the bike. I don't count pride, of course. But that will heal soon enough.

Is it time for some one-upmanship yet? Anyway, here goes.

Its 1968, Frederick, Maryland, and I have a little place tucked in the foothills of the mountains east of town. The entire family and maybe 20 other guests are there for a total of about 50. We are on the large lawn, which was rugged and poorly cleared of stones. I'm showing off my first new bike, a brand new, Bonneville. The kids want rides. Forever safe, I get an extra helmet, and ride them very, very slowly around the yard. Great opportunity to show off the bike.

When that is all done I am sitting on the bike, turned off, talking to my brothers and not paying attention to what I'm doing. I go get off and to put down the sidestand, realize I haven't a clue where it is, lean left and look down to see it and the bike goes over, slow-motion, and me with it. Everybody is howling - several beers in all of them helped. They lift the bike off me and realize I'm not getting up. I'm not getting up because when I tried my collarbone sounded like Rice Krispies: snap, crackle and pop. Seems I had landed on a rock embedded in the grass and sticking up maybe a mere 2 or 3 inches. In those days they didn't do anything for broken collar bones. I had bone chips floating around in there for years until they disolved, and still have a knot there the size of a golf ball, plus that shoulder sits about an inch lower than the other.

Now you too will have a piece of "lore" to bring up at all the appropriate gatherings!! It will be easier to do, and get better in the telling as you get older. Its your badge of ????????

All of us have either done it, or, as you say, will.

Stay cool.

Monte

Tumbleweed · 01-11-2005

Well....in my first riding season (on an old Honda 500) me and my buddy had pulled up to a gas station for a "standing-with-bikes-with-a-coke-and-cigarette-looking-REAL-cool" moment. We slowly realised we really were'nt that cool, and decided to go on.

I thought I would start my bike while on the sidestand, and let it idle while I put on my helmet and gloves.

Making sure the indicator showed green for neutral, I pushed the starter button. As the neutral light had a life of its own, the bike was actually in gear, and the bike jumped forward. I managed to catch it and "help" it down softly, no damages. But boy, that adrenaline.........

Since then I've been lucky. And VERY careful.

T'Weed

00wabbit · 01-11-2005

Quote:

On 2005-01-10 22:19, MickMaguire wrote:
Yes, pull the plug and drain it. If a lot comes out you may want to pull the filter and give it a clean.

What would you consider to be "a lot" of oil? I pulled the drain plug last night and about a teaspoon maybe a little more of oil came out.

Oil does not appear to be dripping from the airbox seam anymore.

MickMaguire · 01-11-2005

By a lot I was thinking maybe 1/2 a cup or more. You should be fine if it was just a teaspoon full. Check it again in a week or so, it can take a while for some of the oil to find its way down as the drain point is not at the lowest point of the box.

LITTLEJOHN · 01-11-2005

While enjoying lunch with a friend last September 3rd,
a young fellow and his girlfriend came into the restau-
rant to inform me that they had just backed into my
bike and knocked it off the side stand. They had already picked up the bike before they came in to inquire who the owner might be. There was a bit of oil on the ground and it continued to leave a spot or two for a couple of days. Now I find out I should have done a little more investigative work. Hopefully whatever damage that might have been done to any filters will be taken care of when I have some K&N air filters installed. With the fork locked to the left, it did over $1,200 damage. Thankfully it never got the expensive parts.

MickMaguire · 01-11-2005

Falling onto the left with the engine running can actually total the bike:

What happens is oil gets sucked up and into the engine - you then get hydraulic lock - bending rods, pistons etc. The cost of repair is seldom worth it.

If your bike falls onto its side while running, and particulalrly if it stalls on its side then never try to re-start it. You should drain the airbox as described, then remove the plugs and chase it over with the starter to clear out any oil from the top end first. Failure to do so can cause hydraulic lock on the restart if there is enough oil left in the airbox/ports.

[ This message was edited by: MickMaguire on 2005-01-11 12:24 ]