So now it happened

[premier]

This is strange. I'm pissed off and laughing at myself at the same time :-D

What happened? Well. I was cruising in the outskirts of Helsinki. It's night so there's not a single car or bike in sight. I have the road just for myself.

I came to crossroads and stopped. I desided to go back about 20 meters to a right turn I just went past. Because there's no one in sight I deside to take a U-turn on my own lane (to the right). Stupid, huh? Well. I should have guessed that triple can't U-turn in a space that small at least when I'm driving. So I drop my darling on her right side in less than a walking speed. I just went too slow and turned too tight so I lost the balance.

I lift her back up (she needs to loose some weight!) and walk her to the side of the road and notice that the right turn signal light is smashed and there's little scratches on the side of the engine. The brake lever was twisted too. I go pick up the blinker remains and drive back home.

At the garage I take a bit closer look at the damages. The bike seemed a bit strange when riding back. I notice that the right footpeg+brake lever thingie is broken. I also see something blue dripping on the floor, which I realize, is coming from the radiator.

So dropping my triple in less than walking speed, caused by my stupidity totals:

- Broken blinker
- Broken footpeg-rear brake lever thingie
- Broken radiator
- Twisted front brake lever
- Scratches on the right side of engine

And I might have missed something. The handle bars might be a little twisted too.

Lesson learned:

- Do not try to make U-turns in too small space
- Learn some F'n handling skills, n00b
- Dropping the bike, no matter what the speed, might cause extensive damage

One question though to you guys. If the radiator is leaking, can I drive the bike to the shop? I can see the motor temperature meter all the time. If it stays is the middle there shouldn't be any problems, right?

[crashmasterd]

On 2006-08-10 17:02, premier wrote:

Lesson learned:

- Do not try to make U-turns in too small space
- Learn some F'n handling skills, n00b
- Dropping the bike, no matter what the speed, might cause extensive damage

Been there, done that. Add to it, -Wet parking lots can be slippery and can cause you to fall on your stupid a$$.

If the radiator is leaking, can I drive the bike to the shop?

I'd guess that you don't have a leaking radiator, but that you leaked coolant out of the reservoir through the overflow. If it is the radiator, then carrying some extra coolant will probably get you to the shop. Like you said, keep an eye on it. It might be good to run it up to operating temperature in the garage and see if it leaks faster.

Tough luck my friend.

[Kajota]

One more lesson: Get some frame sliders.

My bike slid across the track on it's side and flipped over once and the radiator is in perfect shape.

[dfib]

Learned that painful lesson in a sandy parking lot Skyking sliders are worth every penny!

[Speed_tripin]

I had a bit more luck when I dropped mine a week after I bought it. :evil:

I had a slight slope on my driveway and as I was rolling it out of the garage it knocked the kick stand up enough that it did hold it straight until I turned around, it started to fall and I dove under it but the clutch lever snapped in half and scratched the side of the engine, luckly that's all that happened, but the scratch was enough to ruin my day (poor baby)

Grrr... can't seem to type tonight too much Finlandia Vodka

I'd love to ride my bike up the king's highway from Helsinki toward Vaalimaa. my sister-in-law lives up that way.

Al

[Punkinwing]

Dropped mine once off the rear stand.. Sportbike lesson #1 - Don't put the kickstand up when it's on the rear stand! :-D

Speedy does take some practice to turn tight and slow.. Practice, practice, practice!! A little rear brake and a turned head does wonders!!

[bluesjeans]

On 2006-08-10 17:02, premier wrote:
- Do not try to make U-turns in too small space
- Learn some F'n handling skills, n00b
- Dropping the bike, no matter what the speed, might cause extensive damage

Sounds to me like someone needs to invest in some frame sliders..

[sss1200]

just make sure that it doesn't have a leaking radiator!!

As it gets hot pressure will rise and could force more coolant out.. if you lose enough the temp sensor, generally in the head, will get uncovered. If the sensor is uncovered it is no longer telling you how hot the coolant is!! In fact I've seen them read normal to low when the coolant is boiling!!

[Skydakine]

You're not alone. Add me to the "Been there, done that" list. Mine was with less than 20 miles on the odometer. Pushing back out of a diagonal parking space, reverse cambered road, I let the bike tip too far to the right and I couldn't hold it as it very slowly laid down on my right leg and side. After crawling out from under the no longer showroom new bike, I assessed exactly the same damage as you sustained except the radiator wasn't damaged. The nice thing about this whole story is once the bike was "initiated" I could ride it the way it was supposed to be ridden and not babied as I was planning on doing. All the bent, broken, and scratched pieces have been repaired and improved upon so this was a good experience.

[jdub3]

sh!t happens!!! glad yer alright.

practice counterbalancing. remember that from your training? that's how you turn in tight situations.

on the damage:

-u can improve on the stock blinkers anyway for minimal fee.
-get some pazzo levers. they are NICE.
-lightly sand and paint the engine casing with pj1 engine and case paint. will cost u under $10 and a bit of time.
-get the radiator fixed and order a new rear brake lever.
-get some frame sliders. this would have saved your radiators and possibly more, depending which ones u get.