Joining the dropped the bike club now

[Boxer]

When it feels that way you need to gas it a little, it would put it back in check.

You're exactly right! A few weeks ago I was up at Amicalola Falls State Park with the wife riding two up. There was another couple with us and as we rode up the steep narrow road to the top of the falls, I mistakenly took the wrong parking lot exit and had to turn around, get back onto the steep road and continue. The parking lot was situated almost adjacent to the road on the side of the steep hill, making it a very sharp and inclined turn to the right. With the wife on the back I slowly made the turn and realized I was a little too slow as I began the incline. I had to lean to the right and could feel it going over, but knew I had to keep it upright with both of us aboard. If a car had been coming down the hill I might not have made it, but giving more throttle straightened it right up and a little over into the other lane, but I maintained "verticality", and my wife afterward complimented me on such a daring exciting turn. As if I did it on purpose!

[chris]

My favourite bike drop was my GSXR600 with flick up side stand...what a stupid idea. I parked it in my bike garage at work in a hurry one morning and it wasn't quite on the stand. As I turned and walked away I heard the clunk as the side stand retracted and turned in time to see it do a slow motion flop onto the left side. I'd just fitted home made aluminium crash mushrooms so they saved the fairing, just scuffed the bar end and mirror and a little of the rear side panel. From what you guys are saying here I better fit some head guards, seems it's only a matter of time before I flop the RR!

[towerworker]

Kristi----(btw--nice name, my daughter shares the same)

As far as the drop----been there, done that and so on.


As to your question----I have seen very fine steel wool and armor all (or something similar) used together to get scuffs out of system cases and other black plastic parts. Soak the steel wool with the protectant and lots of elbow grease.

Wayne

[Rog(UK) - Yorkshire Dales]

If you have scuffs, then you first have to use whatever weapons you have available to you in order to remove the scuffs. It may be necessary to use rough emery cloth if there are ridges. The bottom line is that you have to address the problem and remove any ridges (scuffs). It will look a lot worse before it starts to look better. Once the severe damage has been removed, you can then start with finer abrasives. I have tackled jobs such as this and when I get the 'roughing' jobs done, I take five minutes and look at the surrounding surface. In the case of, say, panniers, the surface is a kind of finely stippled surface. I would then try to reproduce this on the rough, prepared areas. You have to use your imagination as to what implement will work to produce the effect you require. Maybe a rounded-off centre punch will work. Just stipple the whole damaged area with it, until it looks something-like. Once that is done, THEN you can start to produce a finer surface which will match the rest of the pannier. Finishing off with 0000 steel wool and water will get the surface somewhere near and you can then finish it off with a bit of 'back to black' car bumper reviver.

If you take your time, this will work and I promise you, the damaged area will be almost invisible.

Safe riding.

Rog.

[rdsmith3]

Kristi

There is a company called Wurth that makes automotive products. I think it is a German company. They make a Satin Black spray paint that is an exact match for the bar ends. Yes, I know from experience! Just take off the bar end and spray a few coats of that paint on, and you are set.

For the head guard, do you mean the black plastic covered guards? Use some 3M wet or dry sand paper -- really fine like 400 grit -- and lightly sand it. Then put some Vinylex on it. It will look better but not perfect.

[Skiman]

I was at a British Iron swap meet in Oxford, MA Sunday. Lots of Triumphs, some BSA's and some Nortons. Very interesting bikes indeed. (their owners were "interesting" too) I was standin near the parking area looking at some of the bikes in the parking area when the first drop occured. Parking was on a grassy area, and down goes a gentleman on a Suzuki cruiser. We help him get it righted and a brand new Goldwing comes in, drops off his passenger, then lets out the clutch too quickly, spins his tires and loses his balance and goes down with 8-900lbs of bike!! Was he pissed!!! Next victim was on a homemade, non-descript chopper. I think this guy was half-dingle and deserved to go down. Needless to say I was extremely cautious exiting the event! Was it a full moon over the weekend???

[Xray28]

My worst so far (Knock wood) was living proof that Men should never stop to ask directions. I stopped at the general Store in Hinkley Ca. (remember Erin Brokovitch?) because I was trying to find the Owl Canyon Campground. The guy behind the counter didn't speak any English! As I left there was a gore of dark brown "dirt" between the parking lot and the road. It looked stable..Wrong!!! It was actually a thin crust of dirt over a deep chasm of loose sand. I was doing well enough using the throttle to keep the bike vertical. We were wallowing pretty badly, but I was gaining some stability, when I ran out of sand and hit the road. My rear wheel must have been doing around 35 MPH when those Metzler Z6s did exactly what they're supposed to...they took hold. Bike took off like a shot and dropped me and itself on the hard pavement. Broke a system case mount, badly scored my vavle cover protector (thank heaven for Stantons) broke my touring windshield mounts, and dinged my gas tank. A bunch of glue and zip ties later I got on board, did a few test rides up and down the street and beat a hasty retreat home and spent the rest of my vacation under the bed.

[frozennorth]

Kristi, good you didn't hurt yourself.

I dropped mine in my washed gravel driveway a couple of weeks after I got it. Got home, turned in, put my foot down, gravel moved, bike leaned, I struggled, slipped in the gravel and the bike came to a rest with the rear wheel still spinning. Of course, I had to do this while my neighbour was coming home, so he got a bit of free entertainment. Didn't even help me lift her back up

I notice on this bike that when you have the bars cranked almost all the way (left is worse) and are going dead slow and stop, that the weight can be weird. If you don't have solid ground and you put your foot down hard (espcially if you are a 5'10" short-a** like me) it can be hairy.

A Berol waterproof permanent marker fixed my bar end scuff and a little bit of silver model enamel touched up the slight scuff on my head. I also find that the waterproof marker is good for keeping the inside of hex and torx nuts black after service work . . . if you want to be super picky.

Now, don't you ever do that again

[NoRRmad]

The front suspension of the Roadster does a funny thing when you're paddling the bike at a near standstill. If you've got the bars way over for a turn and hit the front brake too hard, the bars jerk all the way over. The bike lunges an inch to the side, and if you're not well planted, you do a full-leg press to get the bike level again. So far, I've won most of the little battles that result, but if your weight-bearing foot slips, then it's oooovvvvver she goes.

I bought my bike used, and it has cylinder-head protectors and some rather nice rubber pads glued to the outside of the sidebags. So, no marks yet.

[gagator79]

NoRRmad, thats exactly how my first and only drop happened. Now I use the back brake for slow manuvering. The front brake is too jerky for slow stuff. Only problem with my drop was that there were 4 other riders at the gas station where it happened...lost many, many cool points. They were nice folks...helped me get the bike up and then shared their own 'dropped bike' stories.

[nomatch1]

I got to see my (mint) bike get dropped while I was following it. Because my buddy has shorter legs than I, he got the 2000 r1100r with ,,,yes, 2400 miles on it. I was on my longer legged K100. An uphill right twisty and he decided to downshift, dropping the clutch. I saw the rear wheel do the little dance and him go straight across the opposing lane into the ditch. He popped up right away and waved as I went past. $3200 in damage later, Nobody got hurt and nobody got angry. We drove it home. I am not so worried about scratches anymore.

[chris]

My new cylinder head protectors are arriving tomorrow....

[bikermeow]

Does it count when someone else dropped it for ya? My brother in law dropped mine when he rode it for the first time .... albeit a stationary drop.

I think that it is more painful when it's done not by my own hand .... sigh.

Cheers

Meow

[awagnon]

I dropped my R-bike tonight for the first time practicing tight turns in a college parking lot. Furtunately the place was deserted. Obviously I need to practice some more....!!

A few months ago a put Wunderlich engine bars on the bike. The bar got a little scratched, but nothing else contacted the asphalt. I can live with the scratch on the bar. My pride is pretty dinged up.
Al

[LonestaRR]

awagnon:

Sorry to hear about the drop. But take comfort in the above stories that comforted me! No doubt some of those stories were a lot more traumatic than mine and yours. And everytime I get off the bike I can remember some of the above posts about not having the kickstand down. I'm leaving my scars on the bike for the time being as a reminder. I'll take the scuffs and scrapes from a drop in a parking lot to any other alternative any day!

[Beemeridian]

678

[krieves]

I dropped mine within the first year I had it. I was looking for a place to park and found a spot beside a large truck. The space was obscured until I was right there. I quickly turned in and realize there was loose very tiny sand (left over from winter) in the space right as I turned in. I reacted by grabbing too much front brake with my wheel turned. I can to a complete stop, then in slow motion the bike fell over on the right side.

Very embarrassing. The only damage was a scratch on the right side head protector. It is a small scratch and is a great reminder not to do dumb stuff.

[philm35]

I dropped mine exactly one week after I bought it. As I backed my bike into a parking space at work, my right foot went into a shallow puddle of water. As I was placing the bike onto the center stand, my wet shoe slipped off the center stand "pedal", and the bike started slowly falling away from me. I pulled as hard as I could to keep the bike upright, but I didn't stand a chance, as the bike fell in slow motion onto the pavement.

I put a scratch in my my right saddlebag, and a pretty good gouge in the valve cover. And, it took about six weeks for my shoulder to stop hurting. I did feel good that my MSF training helped me get the bike upright after the cursing was over.

Afterward, I installed the BMW valve-cover guards, which neatly hid the nasty gouge in my right valve cover.

--Phil

[wncbmw]

Although I dropped my 1100 GS many times in 18 months (which is why I no longer have it!), I had avoided this club on my Roadster, until the Thursday of the Bash. I whipped the bike over to a wide apron at an intersection to do a map check and put the right foot down - on a fine sandy, rocky mix that acted like ball bearings! Fortunately, it was a fairly soft landing and not too much to show for it.

Wounded pride doesn't leave a visible mark!

[Anger]

I was thinking, riding home in the rain today...I don't minding owning vehicles (cars and bikes) that ARE NOT MINT, that way, I fell less emotional pain when I inevetivelbly do something stupid. I haven't dropped my '82 R65 or my newer '02R BUT I bought them used and they have both been dropped in their past. I did drop my '80 Yamaha XS1100 a couple of times over the years and had the pleasure to watch a friend try to ride it in a parking lot, stear it straight for a light pole, then dump it over going about 10MPH to avoid the inevitable collision. YIKES.