Arrrr - dropped it!

[Troyskie]

Boy I now am a real believer in those drop bars.
Stopped for juice at the servo, flick down the side stand, lean over to hop off, and the bike keeps leaning, further further, oh nooooo, one hand on the low side grip is not enough & she's too far to stop, I can only slow it down.....I really hope that investment in replacing those fairing protectors was for more than decoration....now she's totally flat on the concrete.....
Picked it up, side stand now down properly (I am an idiot I know )

Fuel leaking out of the cap, no biggie I suppose.
Look at the newly painted fairing, nothing, no scratch. Check those outrigger indicators, still straight. Check the new mufflers, nothing....
What the ?
My Effie was laying on her side a second ago, but, nothing!!!!!!!
What saved it?
Those drop bars from the UK that I got from RPM, the rear footpeg (almost always down), and having turned the down side handle bar so the weighted end was on the concrete kept all my beautiful new parts well, beautiful, and new!
A few small scratched on the lower part of the drop bars, and a tiny scratch on the new pillion peg, that is it!
Of coarse I had a rather amused audience, including one of the local plodders, but that embarrassment was a small price to pay for getting away with so little damage after being careless.
Woo hoo!

[ken65]

glad it all ended well

[Bones]

Yeah, once they start falling their bloody hard to stop. Mine fell over offside off the centre stand at a servo one time and all I could do was watch it fall into a garden, didn't have a hope in hell of stopping it.

[Pat Conlon]

Why is it always at the servo? (gas station)  I suspect many of us have done that... I know it's happened to me.

Now I always use my sidestand to shut off my engine. Good habit to get into.

I don't dismount unless the engine is off...When the engine is off...I know my sidestand is down.

Although now I've been known to walk away from my bike with the key on...

[FJmonkey]

I have dropped my '86 in my own driveway. Backing it up to park it, slipped on leaves, tilted past the CG and I let it down slowly. Then again on my new to me '89 just in front of my driveway. Might have been its second time out. The clutch spring is very heavy, I was letting the clutch out from a dead stop and turning to head down the street. Stalled it mid turn and did not catch in time. Both instances were controlled slow drops and both were testing the Renntec bars from RPM. The bars paid for themselves and still look good, except for a few scratches that I have not bothered to cover up. 

[~JM~]

My '89 has tipped over a couple of times. The side stand kept collapsing. So I took an angle grinder & relieved the side stand stop so the side stand would extend forward more. Then I replaced the side stand spring. No problems since then.

[ribbert]

I've dropped mine 3 times and very much to my surprise, has never sustained any damage other than a few scratches on the back of the mirror and the last time, a couple of scratches on the scoop.

I have been absolutely sure each time I was going to pick it up and find dented mufflers, particularly the much thinner Delkevics (the first time was with Staintunes) or some other damage. I don't have engine bars.

Caution in such matters is definitely not my trademark, but I do four things when I put it on the side stand. I turn the motor off with it, I give it a kick forward to make sure it's fully extended, I look at it while leaning the bike on to it, taking the weight of the bike until it has settled on the stand and nudge the bike backwards just prior to getting off as a last check.

I think this is hangover from workshop days when a lot of bikes had dodgy side stands. Some of will remember the ones that only had springs, they would only stay down if the weight of the bike was on them!
Or those silly rubber tips or the ones that barely went over centre.

Like Pat, I have walked off and left the ignition on many a time but I have never lost it off the stand.

As has been noted, if you're not expecting it, they don't need to get far off centre to be lost.
Glad there was no damage to your bike Troy.

Noel

[magge52]

I dropped mine last summer at a campground. I knew when I first got the bike it was a matter of when, not if. Stopped on my way out to deposit trash in the bin. Bike was on a slight down slope on gravel. As I got back on, the bike moved forward just enough to come off the side stand-way to easy. Before I knew it she was listing to the left. Well, fully loaded with a long weekends worth of camping gear, tools, clothes, etc. there wasn't anything i could do but lay it down as gently as possible. Very minor scrapes on the mirror and on the black strip just below the cowl is all she suffered. It's still a matter of when so I have since added the Renntec engine bars. Luckily a couple came along and helped me 'right the ship' without having to unload it.

George

[jo-sommer]

Today I'm in this, too.

Doing an U-turn this morning I ran into a 5" by 5" damp water channel with the front wheel... nothing more to say than the bike didn't suffer more than a few scratches on the mirror, the clutch lever and the front fender.

Maybe because I made sure to keep my left foot in between the bike and the tarmac... this just made it a little bit more difficult to get back up again 

No need to mention this happened just in front of the place I work at; so all colleagues had a funny start into the working day...

Greetz Jo

[Troyskie]

I think the audience must have put the water there on purpose Jo  . I can't think of many times I've gotten away from this sort of thing without a few laughs at my expense.

[Urban_Legend]

Since I got my bike on the road in February, it has been "Dropped" twice.
The first time was in the shed when trying to put it on the centre stand and I over balanced. Bit of a Doh moment, but no damage.
The second time was on a really wet day, I had a low speed washout during heavy braking to avoid another rider. Happened in front of a large group of riders taking shelter. Bugger!
Lucky there was only some minor damage to the bike, but a very damaged pride. We live and learn.
9 times out of 10 it will happen with an audience watching.

Mark

[Troyskie]

too right mate, I think, perhaps, the audience might be part of the cause.....

[novaraptor]

Just a little thing to watch out for: The little ball on the end of the 1990 kickstand that your boot presses on to lower the stand fits really nice into the tread on my boots. I found this out just after getting the boots. I put the stand down, and without realizing it, pulled it back up as I raised my foot. A very slow motion drop onto the Renntecs.

[Bones]

Well... I did it again, every morning on the way to work I pull up at the servo down the road to get the newspaper, put the stand down but my boot must've knocked it back as I got off, next thing I'm swearing as Im trying to wrestle it from falling on the ground, not a hope in hell.

Shit!!! Now I gotta try and pick it up, first attempt no way, the lady at the servo was out getting something and I nearly asked her for a hand but thought better not, she might think I'm a weak bastard or something, so second attempt I huffed and puffed and just about busted a gut but finally got it up.

No damage apart from a scuff on the engine bars, and a near heart attack from lifting it, (why are they so fuckin heavy)  but that's the second time now I've dropped it at a servo, I really should avoid the place.

There's a saying that if you can't pick it up, you shouldn't be riding it. At the moment Im ok but not too sure for how much longer.

[charleygofast]

Once they start to go over there's no stopping it! Kinda like a barrel full of lead with handle bars...so low and wide. It still amazes me how agile they are once they're moving. I park mine on the center stand at work and allways get on it to take it off or I'd surely drop it....again                                                                                          Charley.