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07 TBA Fell Over....Looking for TIPS

2K views 12 replies 12 participants last post by  Don T 
#1 ·
Kickstand half extended + tightening luggage strap = Over She Goes!!!!
The bike went over on it's leftside, bending the shifter (still works freely with slight foot contortions to reach it) and the clutch lever (adjustable type). The clutch lever snapped after a careful (what I thought was careful) straightening attempt.
Anyway, I'm just looking for tips, do's, don't's and "watch out for's".

Thanks All
 
#2 · (Edited)
Hope that your shift shaft, or whatever it's called, isn't bent. Look for proper position, smooth shifting action, and check for leaks around the seal. Hopefully you can find a used shift lever, e.g. from someone who has installed rearsets.

Replace the clutch lever.

It happens to all of us sooner or later. I recently half-dropped mine for the first time in the 3+ years I've had this bike. I was too tired to dismount and keep it balanced and put it on the center stand (without lowering the side stand). Luckily, I and the junk in my garage were in the way, damage was limited to two small scuffs on the left side case, which I can live with. Two neighborhood teenage boys who just happened to be in the alley pulled the bike up and off me. Embarrassing!
 
#6 ·
You got off cheaper than me. On Monday my 2nd bike, an 05 GSF1200S Bandit, tipped over on me when I had just dismounted. Some stone pieces gave way in the macadam and the 530 lb machine (I had just filled the gas tank) started to topple over onto me. I was able to slow the fall a tad, but the bottom line was: replace front and rear cracked turn signal assemblies and a snapped clutch lever ($125 for OEM parts at BikeBandit), aside from scuffs on the engine casing.

The best part? As I was grunting to get my Bandit back on two wheels, a voice asks, "Do you need any help?" It was the superintendent of schools where I work looking at me from his car, a few feet away in the parking lot.

"No, I'm fine," I said, as if uprighting a machine 3 times my weight was just what I had planned for the day.
 
#8 ·
ya, we all do it. Just bought my 2008 TBA, after a 200+ mile ride i just simply forgot to put the kickstand down! bent the clutch lever and the shift lever. what suprized me was that nothing else touched the ground. maybe because my leg was under the pipe. did the same thing as you with the clutch lever, trying to strighten it, ya that doesnt work. snaped it in to. so what i have done now is created a system that i follow every time on shut down which includes the kickstand. After replacing the clutch lever I drilled out the old one and inserted a nail with JB weld and put the lever back together and put it in my parts bag on the bike. Just incase i do it again i will not be fully stranded.:cool:
 
#9 ·
Cast clutch levers will most always snap when bending them back. When I used to race dirt bikes, a spare shift and break lever were always close by. Most likely everything else is okay, you should be able to bend the shifter back without any issues.

A helpful bending tool is two crescent wrenches, one on the area you do not want to move ( close to the splines) and the other out near the end. Wrap the metal in tape or a rag to avoid scratches.
 
#11 ·
There are many threads about left side damage and they almost all get into shifter woes. Here are some OEM costs.
The shifter arm is about $140 new. Likely you sheared the 6mm pin bolt, because it is designed to do that. Aout $12, save the rubber.
If you have bent the shaft, then a new one is about $116.
Case removal necessitates a gasket. Figure $25 for gasket and some supplies. if you have a cycle shop do this, I am not sure how many hours, but it is a pretty simple operation if you can get to the e-clip without removing the whole clutch. Hopefully less than 3 hours labor. $300 maybe.
Replace the shaft seal for a few dollars too. Worth it for sure.
Even if you needed a new polished cover at $320, you are still well under that scary $1200 dledinger threw out.
Forchetto has a thread on $12-$20 shift levers that work from Hondas. very helpful guy he is.
Good luck.
a
 
#12 ·
This happened to me to. I parked on a slight slope and walked away from the bike and it followed me as I walked away and fell over behind me. Forgot to put it in gear!
I used the sparkplug socket and ductape on the remaining stump of the clutch lever and that worked fine for the next two day of riding before I got a new lever.

Norse
 
#13 ·
Sorry to hear BCTriumph. I had a little incident recently at what we call Devils Elbow. This is a switch back on Woy Woy Rd on the central coast NSW here in Oz. The road was greasy from the night befores rain. Going up the hill with my wife on board we just rounded the corner in 1st gear luckily, to find the rear let go & down we went. No one hurt thankfully. My Speedy suffered a few scratches only on the exhaust thanks to my HARDBAGS. NEVER LEAVE HOME WITHOUT THEM! I leave the bags on 24/7 now as a result. I have also put an engine dresser bar on for a bit more insurance.
 
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