So, today was the day I'd arranged the annual MOT (Govt Safety) test for the FJ.
I'd given the bike a check over, a clean and satisfied myself everything would be OK, then decided to turn the bike around in the driveway so I could just ride off at the necessary time for the test, no faffing about manoeuvring it in the hot sun with full riding gear on...I thought.
Well, that's when it happened....lost my footing on the left while sat on the bike and didn't have the strength or flexibility in my dodgy left hip to stop the thing from going over on it's side. The first time in 31 years that I've dropped the bike (Liz did something similar on it in the driveway back in the early 1990's).......furious doesn't even begin to describe how I felt.
Anyway, fortunately, as I was partly under the bike, the damage isn't bad, just a couple of small scratches to the mirror, bar end and clutch lever (that I've already touched up as a temporary job), a couple of scratches on the side air scoop and the plastic rub strip (did its job !!) and a couple of small scratches to the Lacquer on the engine cover. The worst part of the damage was that it wouldn't start at first once I'd righted it, then it ran all woolly, misfiring on at least 2 cylinders and wouldn't seem to clear up. No fuel spilled (engine wasn't running anyway), nothing out of the rubber overflow pipes, but it just didn't want to run. Given the time (it was rapidly approaching test time) I quickly got togged up and took the bike down to the test station. By the time I'd gotten there (with about 30 seconds to spare) it was running much better and on all 4 cylinders, but was still a bit woolly right at the bottom.
Long story short...and the good bit......the bike flew through the test, the tester loved it when he saw it and wanted to buy it when he'd finished the test. The ride home was a bit better too, with the bike running a bit sweeter, but still not back to normal right at the bottom end and on small throttle opening (maybe a bit of detritus that was in the carbs has been dislodged, or something has been upset by lying on its side) - so it looks like the carbs will be coming off during next week for another check over. Won't do it over the weekend as I've got a couple of things planned and want to get some miles in on it.
Just a couple more things that add to the "patina of use" !!
(http://fjowners.com/gallery/11/6213_17_07_20_9_55_52_0.jpeg)
(http://fjowners.com/gallery/11/6213_17_07_20_9_55_54_1.jpeg)
Millietant,
I would try some fuel injector/carb cleaner in the gas tank for a tank or two, before tearing into the carbs, but that's just me.
.
Thanks Red - any specific brand/type ?
I've always just torn into the carbs in the past when I wasn't happy about anything, but I'm happy to try something else - I know people have mentioned Sea Foam on forums, but I can't seem to get that here in the UK.
Millietant: ooof! my feelings are with you
I know in these situations the ego gets hurt the most - I've done the same 2 or 3 times with the Katana + GN 125, when trying to enter my house through a narrow gate while being on the bike (engine off) - missed my footing and the bike slided to the side, scratching itself on the gate as it gently fell - sacrebleu!
congrats on passing the test with flying colors & hope you get it in top notch shape real soon! :good2:
regards
Bummer - but the best thing about minor damage is then you don't worry about it once it happened.
(http://fjowners.com/gallery/11/6694_16_07_20_8_19_05_0.jpeg)
Those scratches on my cover happened years ago when I stopped to look at a motorcycle for sale. It was in a gravel driveway that had a decent hill. As I got close I decided not to bother stopping, so I did a u-turn on the driveway. Halfway I got to slow and needed to put my foot down, but because of the hill the ground wasn't there. The extra momentum meant my fit 20-something self was unable to stop the fall so it went down on gravel. If there are any helicopter guys here (ha) it was a dynamic rollover event.
I also got the other side once. Last year I was teaching my son how to move a heavy bike and he failed the lesson. The bike did a nice Judo throw and he was flung over the bike on its way to land on the right side again.
I'll restore the bike to its former glory when I'm too old to ride. Maybe.
I suspect we have all done this....
The most important point: You did not injure yourself
It is easy to blow a knee out or dislocate a hip....that would be absolutely terrible.
FJ's are easy to fix....perhaps you can sand down and polish up that Fairing protector, if not, no worries, RPM has you covered..
http://rpmracingca.com/proddetail.asp?prod=M%2FC%3A89-93L%2FSProtector (http://rpmracingca.com/proddetail.asp?prod=M%2FC%3A89-93L%2FSProtector)
At least you dropped your bike in the privacy of your own driveway and not in the middle of a Chevron station with a group of sport bike riders watching you....don't ask...
Count your blessings, it's all good....cheers! Pat
Thanks for the kind words guys - it's mainly my pride that was hurt - Liz and Ryan heard the crunch and then me swearing and came running out of the house to see what had happened. Neither of them laughed.......likely just in case they do the same with either of their bikes when I'm around :sarcastic:.
I've got a severely damaged left hip from a childhood bone disease and accident, and my right hips not much better. I'm on the waiting list for hip replacement surgery and should have had it done by now, if it weren't for Covid 19 meaning the cessation of all but immediate life retaining surgery. I'm sure that was already the main factor in the bike falling away in the first instance.
I've also got a bit more pain now from my hips than usual, probably just tweaked everything trying to catch and then lifting up the FJ...they're bloody heavy when they're lying on their sides, so I think the painkillers might need some assistance from JD to help me sleep tonight :sarcastic:
I'd love to buy the bits from RPM Pat, but the cost of shipping, import duty, processing fees and 20% extra VAT on top make it just not viable here. I've already trimmed the protector and sanded it a bit, I have some satin black paint I'll probably go over it with (if it looks good I'll do both so they match). I also have a can of paint left from when I painted my front FZR fender; it's supposed to be a match to original, using the Yamaha paint codes, but it's not, it's very close, but it's a bit too light and golden to sit next to the rest of the fairing- I may just touch the scratches in.....it's not like there aren't a few chips and scratches on it anyway and as Jan (2big) said, it'll add a touch more character.
I'll have a ride out tomorrow and see how things are, and then I'm off for the impromptu "Lickey Hills Shed Morning" (following the theme of our Aussie brothers) on Sunday with 2big.
If you need me to buy it and send it (as a private party) to you Dean, I will.... no problem... just say the word.
Quote from: Millietant on July 17, 2020, 11:22:44 AMThanks Red - any specific brand/type ? I've always just torn into the carbs in the past when I wasn't happy about anything, but I'm happy to try something else - I know people have mentioned Sea Foam on forums, but I can't seem to get that here in the UK.
Millietant,
I only looked on
www.amazon.co.uk (http://www.amazon.co.uk)
but they had Seafoam. Seemed to be somewhat high priced, but stock up your garage shelf if you need to order it. You might ask the local bikers or auto parts/bike shops to recommend other fuel injector/carb cleaners for local purchase.
Sorry about the minor disaster. You might want to check with eBay.UK or the local breaker yards for FJ fall bars. I have seen sets that were castings, not tubing, but if they protect the bike, that would be sufficient. Somebody here may have some set of fall bars which they will sell to you, also. It never hurts to ask the accessory sellers/manufacturers, either. They may have a NOS set to sell, which they really can't sell to anybody but you.
.
Quote from: Pat Conlon on July 17, 2020, 02:42:40 PM
If you need me to buy it and send it (as a private party) to you Dean, I will.... no problem... just say the word.
Thanks Pat, I'll message you if my repair doesn't work out well, or if I can't get one from my mate Steve who bought my 3CV race bike from me - he just wanted the engine for his FJ 1100 racer, so he might have my old fairing and scoops etc up in his garage loft.
Quote from: red on July 17, 2020, 02:44:06 PM
Quote from: Millietant on July 17, 2020, 11:22:44 AMThanks Red - any specific brand/type ? I've always just torn into the carbs in the past when I wasn't happy about anything, but I'm happy to try something else - I know people have mentioned Sea Foam on forums, but I can't seem to get that here in the UK.
Millietant,
I only looked on
www.amazon.co.uk (http://www.amazon.co.uk)
but they had Seafoam. Seemed to be somewhat high priced, but stock up your garage shelf if you need to order it. You might ask the local bikers or auto parts/bike shops to recommend other fuel injector/carb cleaners for local purchase.
Sorry about the minor disaster. You might want to check with eBay.UK or the local breaker yards for FJ fall bars. I have seen sets that were castings, not tubing, but if they protect the bike, that would be sufficient. Somebody here may have some set of fall bars which they will sell to you, also. It never hurts to ask the accessory sellers/manufacturers, either. They may have a NOS set to sell, which they really can't sell to anybody but you.
.
Thanks Red, I'll have look at the Seafoam on Amazon and check out some local shops/mechanics for other cleaners they might recommend.
It's funny, but I put R & G sliders/mushrooms on my Aprilia RSV, FZ1 and FZS 600 and the other FJ 12, and engine bars/crash bars on nearly every one of my other bikes over the last 44 years of road riding.....but I've never put anything on this FJ. As sad as it seems, I'm happy to take the risk on this one and have to repair it if/when I drop it.
Seems stupid I know, but sense seems to have gone out the window with this one (which is my favourite bike I've ever owned).
I just did a slow. Lowering of the 89. Because I couldn't hold it up. 2 days ago. Doing a right hand turn, in the yield lane. 35mph both directions. No one there. Then a guy in a f350 came flying through at about 65mph. Throw the bike sideways. So I wouldn't slide straight out in front of him. But bald back tire(waiting for the cords to show before I stop riding it) slid a little farther than I had anticipated.
Put her down as slow as I could. The forward peg on the right side. Kept it from getting a scratch.
Only picture I have of the forward/highway pegs
There's nothing sadder than a damaged bike and not even a tale of great speed and derring-do to go with it.
I knocked the BMW off the lift table (fully lowered) with an electric garage tilt door a while back, clipped the top of the screen and rolled it off the centre stand, $9500 damage from a stationary fall in the garage! If it had fallen the other way it would have landed on two other bikes.
Noel
Quote from: vertigobike on July 17, 2020, 11:26:21 AM
....I've done the same 2 or 3 times .....
regards
Vertigo?
Noel
Quote from: Millietant on July 17, 2020, 04:08:40 PM
Quote from: Pat Conlon on July 17, 2020, 02:42:40 PM
If you need me to buy it and send it (as a private party) to you Dean, I will.... no problem... just say the word.
Thanks Pat, I'll message you if my repair doesn't work out well, or if I can't get one from my mate Steve who bought my 3CV race bike from me - he just wanted the engine for his FJ 1100 racer, so he might have my old fairing and scoops etc up in his garage loft.
Hi Pat, I shaved off the "fluff"/"plastic swarf" carefully with a Stanley knife blade and after rubbing down with 2000 grade wet & dry, polishing with black shoe polish and then going over with a wax car polish, the little protector looks fine.....
You have to really look to notice the damage, so it's sort-of in keeping with the rest of my bike, which I think has a well-cared-for, used-but-not "restored" honesty about it. Apart from my FZR front fender, I haven't repainted any of the bodywork, so there are little signs of use that tell the tale of its life (tiny stone chips, little scratches) all over the place.
Other people have told me the bike is in "mint condition", but they must have very low standards......it's nowhere near that in my book :lol:
It has character. Concourse quality bikes don't get ridden...we ride ours.
Glad it worked out Dean.
Quote from: Pat Conlon on July 17, 2020, 12:25:57 PM
I suspect we have all done this....
Nope. Never. Well...
Two years ago I went out on my last ride of the year (late Fall) on the WeeStrom. I was doing a little back-road exploring, visiting on old, historic covered bridge outside of town. I noticed a little gravel road with a sign indicating a park that I had heard of but never visited, so I decided to check it out. About a quarter-mile in I decided that it was a waste of time and I looked for a place to turn around. Oh, look...a grain bin surrounded by a nice, flat, gravel lot.
Except it wasn't.
What looked like smooth gravel was actually a thin layer of loose gravel that had washed over a base of mud and wet cornstalks. I was only moving at a walking pace, but the front washed out like it was on ice. It happened very fast. The left bar-end hit the ground, driving my shoulder backwards - tore everything, may have broken or dislocated my collarbone. Okay...so now I'm a quarter-mile from a paved road, injured, with no cell phone. I did manage to get the bike upright, and after my heart rate came down and the adrenalin level dropped, I rode back home.
I was bruised completely purple from my left shoulder to my nipple. There's pics, it happened, and I'm not postin' 'em here. :dash2:
Yeah dropping bikes. The Fj has been dropped once on new tires when crossing white lines on a left turn out of a driveway. That was before the crash bars were installed of course. Since then Lady Luck has been smiling.
The bike I dropped with alarming regularity was a big red, fully faired VFR750. It was almost comical the variety of situations that resulted in a walking pace tip over. Two from a Europe tour stick in the mind. A diesel spill whipped the front out on a Spanish roundabout. Drawing into a French campsite the front finds a rabbit hole and down she goes again.
As you might imagine, that fairing was mainly duct tape be the end of ownership.
Milletant i think you got lucky after all with minor damage. I dropped mine when i had the helmet hanging on right mirror waiting outside a
carwash when it was my turn i jumped on the bike and did a sharp slow left turn to drive inside the wash.In the exact same moment
the frontbrake lever got activated by my helmet and the throttle rolled on so i did a little burnout same time as the bike fell over .
Many people was watching :blush: adrenaline came in my blood and i quickly lifted the bike up as is was made of styrene and drove in the washinghall pushing the knob on the wall to lower the overhead door.My pickupcoil cover got more nasty scratches than yours.
The photo makes my pod repairs look much better than they actually are, but as my old mum used to say...."a blind man on a galloping horse won't notice it" :sarcastic:
(http://fjowners.com/gallery/11/6213_20_07_20_8_08_44.jpeg)
Quote from: Old Rider on July 20, 2020, 09:10:28 AM
Milletant i think you got lucky after all with minor damage. I dropped mine when i had the helmet hanging on right mirror waiting outside a
carwash when it was my turn i jumped on the bike and did a sharp slow left turn to drive inside the wash.In the exact same moment
the frontbrake lever got activated by my helmet and the throttle rolled on so i did a little burnout same time as the bike fell over .
Many people was watching :blush: adrenaline came in my blood and i quickly lifted the bike up as is was made of styrene and drove in the washinghall pushing the knob on the wall to lower the overhead door.My pickupcoil cover got more nasty scratches than yours.
I think you're right, definitely got lucky with this one !!!!!
Quote from: giantkiller on July 17, 2020, 11:33:11 PM
I just did a slow. Lowering of the 89....
Dan, we are all familiar with you accident record, it appears you have under achieved on all fronts this time, speed, damage and injuries! (Glad you weren't hurt)
Noel
So my most recent f ----up happened two weeks ago. I was two minutes from home using the ex's truck and trailer that I had used to travel 4 hrs to pick up a 2000 Blackbird. Two flipping minutes from home I hit a big bump and one of the front straps break, I see the bird leaning over as I slowly try to come to a stop, bam it falls over in the trailer, I screamed. Thats not all that happened that day that went to shit but seeing that bike fall over in the rear view mirror, a very clean clean looked after machine had been disgraced by its new owner. Thats why I screamed.
Quote from: ribbert on July 21, 2020, 09:18:42 AM
Quote from: giantkiller on July 17, 2020, 11:33:11 PM
I just did a slow. Lowering of the 89....
Dan, we are all familiar with you accident record, it appears you have under achieved on all fronts this time, speed, damage and injuries! (Glad you weren't hurt)
Noel
Thanks Noel.
Just another day in the life of Dan McCoy.
I didn't think I would be posting this but in the spirit of the thread I will. Last month I was on the 86 fj I bought a few months ago driving down my dirt driveway. I hadn't done any tuning on it yet and the idle was way to high and with the choke still on it was racing down the driveway so I pulled in the clutch. At the end of my driveway the large tip of a huge rock protrudes up in the middle of the road and normally I dip to the inside to miss it. This time as I was dipping around it I made a very poor decision to release the clutch and try to push in the choke ( which on this new bike is down on the fairing). When I did the burst of acceleration caused my front tire to run into the rock turning the wheel hard right to full lock and tossing me off and on to my left shoulder and a roll across my back. My jacket performed well my helmet never hit and other than a two inch stripe of road rash below my left knee no injury's or even pain. The damage to the bike could have been worse. The fairing had a small scratched area the left scoop has a crack on the edge the fairing screw covers were damaged the left ignition cover was scratched and the shift lever has a new angle. All of that is pretty easily repaired but the worst part is that even though the left handle bar never touched the ground the wheel turned so violently to the right when it hit the rock it caused the right handle bar to dent the gas tank.
Quote from: Millietant on July 17, 2020, 05:15:14 PM
Quote from: red on July 17, 2020, 02:44:06 PM
Quote from: Millietant on July 17, 2020, 11:22:44 AMThanks Red - any specific brand/type ? I've always just torn into the carbs in the past when I wasn't happy about anything, but I'm happy to try something else - I know people have mentioned Sea Foam on forums, but I can't seem to get that here in the UK.
Millietant,
I only looked on
www.amazon.co.uk (http://www.amazon.co.uk)
but they had Seafoam. Seemed to be somewhat high priced, but stock up your garage shelf if you need to order it. You might ask the local bikers or auto parts/bike shops to recommend other fuel injector/carb cleaners for local purchase.
Sorry about the minor disaster. You might want to check with eBay.UK or the local breaker yards for FJ fall bars. I have seen sets that were castings, not tubing, but if they protect the bike, that would be sufficient. Somebody here may have some set of fall bars which they will sell to you, also. It never hurts to ask the accessory sellers/manufacturers, either. They may have a NOS set to sell, which they really can't sell to anybody but you.
.
Thanks Red, I'll have look at the Seafoam on Amazon and check out some local shops/mechanics for other cleaners they might recommend.
It's funny, but I put R & G sliders/mushrooms on my Aprilia RSV, FZ1 and FZS 600 and the other FJ 12, and engine bars/crash bars on nearly every one of my other bikes over the last 44 years of road riding.....but I've never put anything on this FJ. As sad as it seems, I'm happy to take the risk on this one and have to repair it if/when I drop it.
Seems stupid I know, but sense seems to have gone out the window with this one (which is my favourite bike I've ever owned).
,
So, some more good news........with another 110 miles put on the bike yesterday, after putting in a good does of carb and fuel system cleaner on Monday evening (and riding for about 15 minutes), all is right in the world of FJ carbs. Starting has returned to normal and the low end response is pretty much back to where it was. I think I can notice a "slight" hesitation, just off idle (almost imperceptible) that I didn't think was there before, but I haven't really ridden the bike since late last year, so I might well be mistaken.
Anyway, more riding to be done over the next few days :good2:
Quote from: T Legg on July 22, 2020, 02:09:13 AM
I didn't think I would be posting this but in the spirit of the thread I will.....
That's a great shame Travis. I doubt there's a man among us that hasn't had a low speed / stationary drop. If you're unlucky, it's still possible to hurt yourself even at that speed and it's a good thing on this occasion you didn't. The dent in the petrol tank is very disappointing, but I'm sure you've covered that one with yourself a few times over already!
I salute your bravery in admitting the rock was in your own driveway and it's presence known to you. :biggrin:
Noel