Dropped this top-heavy PITA today

[FJRBluesman]

Get some outriggers..... What a farkle that'd be!

 

[Greg E.]

I've dropped my FJR 5 times. Always at low to zero speed and ALWAYS due to my inattention or miscalculation. Having a ton of stuff in the topbox doesn't help :blushing: I've gotten very good at picking the thing up. To date, just a few scratches on the mirrors and one broken finger incurred while exiting stage-left.

Centerstand while fueling? Way too much trouble.

-GSE-

 

[Toecutter]

I usually just stay on the bike to get gas.

Look Ma, no stands!

 

[Scab]

As an aside, none of my crashes have been my fault. But I don't blame inanimate objects. I blame somebody else. My last one..........all Groo's fault. Really.

Everyone knows: It's Always Groo's Fault.

I've ridden with him, I know what ya'll are talking about.

 

[SockMonkey]

I know it's my fault, but I wanna redirect the blame to the defenseless inanimate object; so just go with me on this.

I hear ya, man. But this is FJRForum and 'tough love' is the rule.

Thank you, Skooter! All this touchy-feely "oh-I-dropped-my-bike-and-I-need-to-vent-so-I'll-get-a-group-hug" shit around here lately is making me ill. Man the fuck up, people (which HotRodZilla in a way kinda sorta did)! I officially nominate this thread for the "Kotex Thread of the Week Award".

 

[cctxfjr]

I know it's my fault, but I wanna redirect the blame to the defenseless inanimate object; so just go with me on this.

I hear ya, man. But this is FJRForum and 'tough love' is the rule.

Thank you, Skooter! All this touchy-feely "oh-I-dropped-my-bike-and-I-need-to-vent-so-I'll-get-a-group-hug" shit around here lately is making me ill. Man the fuck up, people (which Crash Cash in a way kinda sorta did)! I officially nominate this thread for the "Kotex Thread of the Week Award".

not the way I was looking at it-my reply was directed to some kind of drop protection bars looking to cut the cost of a tip over because I need to keep my hard earned dollars in my pocket.

 

[dcarver]

I got 'trained' with top heavy bikes; rode a 1979 Kz1300 6-cylinder water cooled that could hold 10 pounds of ice *and* and 18 pack in the fairing! Ok, I dropped that bike, once. Not my fault, Groo caused the ice to melt and when I stopped, the water slopped back and forth and the bike toppled over..

I color mysel lucky - haven't dropped the FJR yet.. notice the key word.. Yet.

 

[Scab]

Not my fault, Groo caused the ice to melt and when I stopped, the water slopped back and forth and the bike toppled over..

That damn Groo is freakin' everywhere!

 

[DocDanDC]

Its bound to happen some time. Glad you were not hurt!

I have my gas pump ritual that has worked so far. Ignition off, side stand down, get off on the left always, rock it up on the center stand, gloves off, and gas up. Then gloves on and get on the bike with it on the center stand, rock it off the center stand, start it up and go. AND You bet, if the area is greasy or screwed up unlevel, don't go there. Just dont rush it at the pump or on the road and you'll keep yourself out of trouble. When you do things get dangerous.

 

[just roy]

you want top heavy ride an old model concourse. with the right style putting the bike on the center stand is almost as easy as putting down the side stand. i put my bike on the center 90% of the time. i will say that getting this bike off the center is harder than any bike I've owned including my goldwings.

 

[rockiedog2]

:angry2: I am SO friggin sick of this!!! This F-ing bike falls over like that's what it was made to do. In ONE year, I have dropped this bike four times. In the 19 years prior to this bike, I have only had 2 bikes touch the ground, and one time was not my fault. What pisses me off is that the first time it went over today there was absolutely no damage, except a small scrape to the slider. Of course, the second time made up for that and bent the right side mirror mount, broke the right side foot peg off, scratched the recently replaced right side bag, and gouged the crap out of the slider.
I was on my way out of Albuquerque and stopped at the last gas station headed out of Rio Rancho on Unser. I had a great ride planned and was looking forward to enjoying the road and the new music on my mp-3 player. The gas station has a slanted driveway, but is relatively flat at the pumps. I have probably gotten gas there 5 times, three of them on this bike, with no problems. I put the bike on the center stand and get gas. After fuel, I get it off the center stand and that's when the trouble starts. As soon as the rear wheel hits the ground, I know the bike is leaning hard right. There is just no holding it up, so I guide it down. It touched the ground SOFT. I even switched it off because I still had my hand on the throttle.

I somehow raised the kickstand during this time, so I reached over the bike and put it down by hand so the stand would catch it as I lifted the bike. I'm pretty strong, so I lifted the bike by the bars and stood it up on the stand. I gave it an extra push to make sure it was solid. It was! I look the bike and paint over, and nothing is damaged, except for that small scrape on the slider and an almost unnoticable mark on the outside edge of the mirror. Nothing I give a crap about, so I make sure everything is square with me and go back to the left side to get back on.

As soon as I touch the left handlebar to swing my right leg over, the bike starts its fall to the right again. This time I do not have enough of a handle on the bike, so it goes without me and hits HARD. One of those hits were it seems like it bounces and you can year the plastic slap the pavement. Now I'm pissed, but I think, "Ok, it hit the same spot as before, so the damage should be minimal. Lemme just pick this thing up." That was the wrong answer apparently, because now I cannot get it onto the wheels. A pretty buff girl that was parking when the FJR fell the second time offered to help me lift it. Together we got it back onto its stand. There was no way to lift it putting my ass in the seat and walking it back because it was about 6 inches away from the raised pump island.

After this girl helps me get it standing, she comments on how heavy the FJR really is and then tells me her brother has dropped his bike at this same pump two times. Says everyone who lives in the area refuses to get gas there because so many of them have dropped their bikes on the slanted drive. Apparently it looks worse than it is, but I hadn't realized it was so bad and was comfortable with it because I had stopped there before without a problem. We look the bike over and now find the scratches on the bag and the gouged slider. The slider did it's job though and saved all the front fairing. Now I'm a little irritated, but it's nothing some paint can't fix and I'm still ready to ride and just get the stupidness out of my mind.

I get my helmet and gloves back on and check everythign over one more time. That's when I see the foot-peg laying on the ground. It broke at the mount. Goddammit!!! I put it in the saddle bag and decide to ride the 13 miles home without it. This time I am able to get on the bike without a problem, althought I was very cautious of it moving. As I start the ride home, I realize my right mirror is out of adjustment. I try to fix it and realize the mount under the fairing is bent. Now I am really pissed. I get home and my wife, who doesn't expect to see me for about 5 hours hears me in the garage. She asks what happened and I rant about the whole incident and the money its gonna cost to fix. Then I get on the bike and hit the top of the bent mirror while letting out some cuss words.

I must have hit it just right, cuz it immediately went back into adjustment. Well, after looking it over, I think I actually fixed it, cuz now it seems fine. I know I bent the sub-frame underneath the mount and probably just bent it back to near pre-drop. If not, F-it, I'll just fix it later. For now, I will have to take the bag to the guy at BMW and head to Yamaha on Tuesday for a damn peg.

I love this bike, but I am sick of it falling over. No more slanted driveways, gas stations or parking spots. This thing is way too top heavy for that bullshit. Sorry for the rant, but I actually feel a little better. :angry2:

Man do I feel better.

I have one of the retarded AE versions. Somewhere I read that you are supposed to put it in neutral before turning the thing off. Well being ex-Air Force and taught to follow the rules I did that. Stupid. Parked on the shallow slope at the mailbox and got off to check the mail and of course it rolls off the kickstand. What a shitty sound when the thing hits the ground. Skint mirror and bag but no broken pegs, and no problem getting it up(wish I could say that about everything). Even a HD has a detent in the kickstand(doesn't it?) but not this thing... no overcenter no nothing. Now it's shut it off in gear, let it roll forward til it stops, then set it against the sidestand. I knew better than to do that in the first place. Stupid.

As far as being top heavy goes...I dropped my Vaklyrie on the ground(and picked it up each time) get this 8 times in the first year I had it but maybe that's to be expected when going from a 250 Elsinore to a Valkyrie. That sucker was real top heavy, real. This one actually seems light after that.

The best solution I have found to problems like this is to quit giving a shit. That's what i did anyway.

Sympathetically

Joe

I am a FNG and don't deserve or expect any respect

 

[HotRodZilla]

Dude. Just 'cause you got that replacement bag cheap, does not mean you're allowed to destroy it!

Haha...I was waiting for you to chime in! I actually went out and looked at it a little while ago and it's not as bad as I thought and not nearly as bad as the one it replaced. I'm gonna leave it as-is. They get scratched too easy and the scratches are down low anyway. Figgure I'm not selling this thing any time soon, so screw it. Blowing by at 100, no one will ever notice.

Put it on the centerstand to get gas???? Sounds too much like work to me.

Yep, never understood the logic to this.

Really? I always put it on the sidestand while fueling or when parked in most public places. It especially makes dealing with the left bag much easier. I never thought it was that much work, but ok.

Thank you, Skooter! All this touchy-feely "oh-I-dropped-my-bike-and-I-need-to-vent-so-I'll-get-a-group-hug" shit around here lately is making me ill. Man the fuck up, people (which HotRodZilla in a way kinda sorta did)! I officially nominate this thread for the "Kotex Thread of the Week Award".

Who rattled your cage. It is MY kotex and I will let it drip where ever I see fit. Now I just need one of those "dropped my bike" symbols so that every time I leave a post, people will still know I am in need of a hug. Besides, what's wrong with hugs?

The best solution I have found to problems like this is to quit giving a shit. That's what i did anyway.

I gotta say: I think you are onto something there.

 

[SkooterG]

you want top heavy ride an old model concourse.

No doubt! My ol Connie - I dropped that bike a shitload of times.

Man do I feel better.I have one of the retarded AE versions. Somewhere I read that you are supposed to put it in neutral before turning the thing off. Well being ex-Air Force and taught to follow the rules I did that. Stupid. Parked on the shallow slope at the mailbox and got off to check the mail and of course it rolls off the kickstand. What a shitty sound when the thing hits the ground. Skint mirror and bag but no broken pegs, and no problem getting it up(wish I could say that about everything). Even a HD has a detent in the kickstand(doesn't it?) but not this thing... no overcenter no nothing. Now it's shut it off in gear, let it roll forward til it stops, then set it against the sidestand. I knew better than to do that in the first place. Stupid.

The best solution I have found to problems like this is to quit giving a shit. That's what i did anyway.

Sympathetically

Joe

I am a FNG and don't deserve or expect any respect

I really LIKE this FNG!

:wub:

 

[2006FJR]

I usually just stay on the bike to get gas.
Look Ma, no stands!

I am with Toecutter on this one. I always stay on my bike when refueling and top it off. As for the bike falling over. Not yet and it has never seem to be an issue or a concern for me.

 

[Mooseonagoose]

Third vote for Toe's method, ...I always stay in the saddle & keep my feet planted. Although if a rider is inseam challenged I can see this perhaps not being a good plan.

 

[TalioGladius]

Sorry bro, but the FJR is not that top heavy.

 

[Checkswrecks]

I usually just stay on the bike to get gas.
Look Ma, no stands!

+1

I really LIKE this FNG! :wub:

At least it wasn't Odot who wrote that!

I officially nominate this thread for the "Kotex Thread of the Week Award".

I MUST remember that line!

 

[BugR]

I know it's my fault, but I wanna redirect the blame to the defenseless inanimate object; so just go with me on this.

I hear ya, man. But this is FJRForum and 'tough love' is the rule.

Tough Love from this bunch, well lets say you really don't want to drop it when attending one of the rally's, in front of witnesses, it gets mentioned at dinner and you may even have to standup and get an award for it. :clapping:

 

[doctorJ]

Well, when I get my FJR soon, I'll be checking out the guy on ST-owners forum who does rear tip over bar protection so as not to damage the panniers on tip overs. I can't believe someone hasn't come up with some (non European ones) yet. I don't plan to drop it, but even one tip over can cost big bucks and I'd like to avoid that. Yes, I've got some T-Rex sliders waiting also to put on for the front part.

JDP

 

[painman]

Really sorry to hear about your mis-fortune at the pumps. Some days are like this but the worse part about this whole incident is having a girl help you lift your bike back up the second time.......ouch! PM. <>< :blushing: