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I dropped my bike. :(


RPG

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First time ever dropping a bike in 300,000 plus miles.

 

I was in the garage and had to move my '04 RT. I took it off the centerstand and the front wheel was too close to the mower deck on my JD tractor parked in front.

 

So the wheel cocked hard to the left and pitched the bike to the right. It went over kind of slow (like an old man slipping into a warm bath) and rested on the right cylinder guard (So glad I had these installed).

 

Taking a bad situation and attempting to make it positive, I figured now is as good a time as any to practice my lifting technique. Just place the sidestand down, go on the right side, back into the bike, left hand on the right grip, right hand on the tailrack. Put your butt into it and pretend you're coming up from a squat.

 

Not bad at all, really. And the RT is one heavy bike.

 

Just for grins, I removed the right plug to make sure no oil had moved to the combustion chamber. She fired right up and no issues or any damage :)

 

What I'm most happy about is that my R90s wasn't parked in it's usual spot, where the RT fell.

 

Lesson learned: Don't park so close to the GD John Deere tractor!

 

RPG

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I'm sorry to say I've done that maneuver....more than once. I find myself on my tippy toes with loose stones scooting out from under my feet leaving no support for the bike to stay upright. Lifting like you said works every time with less effort than trying to face the bike and leaning it back up. My take away: stay off loose stone or sandy surfaces.

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Lone_RT_rider
Lesson learned: Don't park so close to the GD John Deere tractor!

 

Sounds like the grass cutting duties need to be outsourced! :D

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Lesson learned: Don't park so close to the GD John Deere tractor!

 

Sounds like the grass cutting duties need to be outsourced! :D

 

outsourced.....to the wife!

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Lone_RT_rider
Lesson learned: Don't park so close to the GD John Deere tractor!

 

Sounds like the grass cutting duties need to be outsourced! :D

 

outsourced.....to the wife!

 

And then she outsources your bank account.... to a Lawyer! :rofl:

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Like MT, I am vertically challenged and have dropped mine a few times. Not my current one....yet. Got the RT Powerlift technique down pretty well. Yes the RT is a heavy bike, but try lifting a fully loaded Goldwing (day one of a five day trip). It took four of us to get that one up.

When I bought my first RT a member here once told me this, "It is not a question of if you drop your RT...it's how may times."

 

Welcome to the RT Drop Club.

 

Mike

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We have a new member to the who dropped their bike club and is royally po'd about it. You are member number 2,249,180... Please add the number to AARP card :)

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I dropped mine at 4 dark thirty getting ready for a 500 mile trip. Thanks to the Illium works bars no damage to the bike---my car on the other hand.....Welcome to the club!

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You can't call yourself a "real" motorcyclist until you've dropped your bike. (several times, for some of us)

 

:rofl::rofl::rofl:

Edited by elkroeger
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I have a new 2016 purchased in Feb. We were on a road that turned into a dirt road, and decided to turn around. A slow u-turn that got too tight, so I put my foot down in loose dirt, slipped and went down. This Killed Me, but I have had the feeling that something could happen. That tipping point is just inches away. $1,400 later the bike is like new, and the cost included Illium bars which I'll install this weekend.

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I'm up to 4 times with mine in the 5 years i've owned it. I bought a hard surface 18-volt Ryobi blower to blow all of the leaves and slippery debris out of my garage so my feet don't slip.

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Lone_RT_rider
If you had a GS, this wouldn't even be a worthy post. Just sayin'. :whistle:

 

If he had a GS he would have to learn the secret handshake, make sure all his routes went off road to justify his purchase and cop an elitist attitude toward RT riders.... ;)

 

Just saying... :cuz::bike::revit::beer:

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If you had a GS, this wouldn't even be a worthy post. Just sayin'. :whistle:

 

If you had an HP4, you could pop it back up with one hand ;)

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Bigger garage means he'd have to add more bikes though...isn't that what garages are for? :D

 

True, RT5.

 

I find that life's simpler with 2 bikes though. And I can only ride one at a time. However, if the right R1200s came along........:)

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If you had a GS, this wouldn't even be a worthy post. Just sayin'. :whistle:

 

If he had a GS he would have to learn the secret handshake, make sure all his routes went off road to justify his purchase and cop an elitist attitude toward RT riders.... ;)

 

Just saying... :cuz::bike::revit::beer:

 

Oh, and don't forget the $3000 BMW riding suit lined with whale foreskin. just sayin' :)

 

Edited by RPG
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Francois_Dumas

:grin: :grin: :grin:

First time it happened to me (forgot to take the front disk brake lock off) I was so embarrassed.... but that fades with every time you tip one of these beasts over. Happened 4 times now, for various reasons.

 

The one thing I have to add to your story is : have a helper with you all the time when you have a bad back. I can NOT get the RT or GS back up again with said method...... or any other method for that matter. Hernia's suck. But together with Nina it works all the time :D:D

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Lone_RT_rider
If you had a GS, this wouldn't even be a worthy post. Just sayin'. :whistle:

 

If he had a GS he would have to learn the secret handshake, make sure all his routes went off road to justify his purchase and cop an elitist attitude toward RT riders.... ;)

 

Just saying... :cuz::bike::revit::beer:

 

Oh, and don't forget the $3000 BMW riding suit lined with whale foreskin. just sayin' :)

 

 

:dopeslap::rofl::jaw:

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I've been riding for 40 years. In 1977 I went down once on my Honda 550K on wet leaves in a curvy hilly forest road. A few scrapes but I picked up the bike and kept riding. Around ten years ago in my garage I let my R1100RT tip away from me enough that it leaned on some wall shelves momentarily, no damage. Maybe I'm jinxing myself but knock on wood those two incidents are -- and will -- qualify as my sum total lifetime quota of "drops"!

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Oh, and don't forget the $3000 BMW riding suit lined with whale foreskin. just sayin' :)

 

Laugh if you want. But, nothing wicks moisture better than whale foreskin. ;)

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beemerman2k

The good news is now that it has happened, you're free from the concern of dropping it. The other good news is that you have two big cyliners sticking out on each side.

 

I rue the day when I drop my K1300GT. A lot of pristine plastic is going to look terribly ugly when that happens :cry:

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The good news is now that it has happened, you're free from the concern of dropping it....

 

Yup. My wife dropped her bike when I was teaching her to ride. I said "Well, you got that out of the way. Now you get to learn how to pick it up. Something you might need to know sometime..."

Edited by elkroeger
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I dropped mine a few years ago (about time to do something like it again). I came to a stop sign in the mountains. My travel lane was heavily sloped to the left and I was going to make a left hand turn. (remember it was heavily sloped to the left) When I came to a complete stop the front wheel turned to the left and I leaned to put my left foot down. The distance to get my foot on the ground coupled with the inertia of the bike going to the left side well, let's just say I was not expecting the weight on so few muscles. I could not hold it and slowly down the bike went on its side. Needless to say, with that steep of a slope, the seat was lower than the right cylinder. The reverse squat raising of the bike came in handy that day. Thankfully only the rear side case was scratched.

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I dropped mine a few years ago (about time to do something like it again). I came to a stop sign in the mountains. My travel lane was heavily sloped to the left and I was going to make a left hand turn. (remember it was heavily sloped to the left) When I came to a complete stop the front wheel turned to the left and I leaned to put my left foot down. The distance to get my foot on the ground coupled with the inertia of the bike going to the left side well, let's just say I was not expecting the weight on so few muscles. I could not hold it and slowly down the bike went on its side. Needless to say, with that steep of a slope, the seat was lower than the right cylinder. The reverse squat raising of the bike came in handy that day. Thankfully only the rear side case was scratched.

 

I dropped mine last weekend in a similar situation. It was a little complicated but the short version is that I was passing some stopped cars on the shoulder (this is Mexico, we can do stuff like that). The shoulder ran out and I was coming back onto the right lane only to discover there were a couple of other bikes right where I needed to go. I had to stop half on the shoulder and half in the lane. When it started to go over to the right my right foot didn't reach the ground in time to catch if before it started down. Once it starts, it is all over. One of the other bike riders hopped off and in 30 seconds we had it upright again, but it has some new scratches on the cylinder head cover.

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I feel your pain. A few years ago I let my fully loaded for touring, with full gas tank, 04 RT drop over in gravel while dismounting. It is the closest I have come to crying as a grown man. It still hurts today even though the only damage was a broken mirror. But my beloved Black Beauty now had a few scratches. They say time heals all wounds. I am still waiting...

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I haven't dropped the RT yet but other bikes, of course. The worst was packing my bandit up for a week long trip and I had it parked slightly downhill. Well it was not in gear and that mayhem bast**d waited until I was walking back out to watch it roll off the side stand. That resulted in a busted front turn signal. Luckily, I had a spare in the garage after putting on a Givi wingrack and i was able to get going on my trip. I nearly dropped the bugger again at the first stop sign. That turn signal is slightly longer than the other one and I leave it to remind me of dumb mistakes. Also because I'm too cheap to buy the right size one. I was way over-packed as it was my first long distance solo trip.

Edited by joeyjamb
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The latest bike drop I went through was my new 2013 F800GT, one day after I picked it up.

 

That bike is (relatively) light and I can easily flat-foot it. Was heading out to put on some break-in miles and 4 blocks from my house I stopped at an intersection. Went to do a right hand turn; unfortunately I was in 2nd gear, promptly stalled the bike and gently went right over on the RH side.

 

A very small scratch on the bike and a big ego deflate for me. Fortunately it was early am so no others saw me, nor were there "friends" with cameras to record the event. ;)

 

My '09 R12RT does worry me on certain gravel parking lots. I can flat-foot the bike, but marblely-gravel/off-camber lots sometimes make things "interesting". If I'm not confident I just dismount and muscle the bike around. And I'm 5'11", 32" inseam.

Edited by shuber
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I dropped my '15 RT in the garage coming off the center stand as well. The bike slowly landed on my lawnmower which promptly scratched the side case. I was so furious with myself. I was able to get the bike up and meet the riding group for our ride. Veteran riders pointed out that dropping a bike is an almost a certainty sometime during your riding career. I happened to get it out of the way sooner. It happens, I just try to learn from my mistakes so I don't do it again.

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Yep, my 1150 RT really seemed to need naps at the most inappropriate times. Nothing worse than traveling on a tired bike needing to lay down for a nap. Has BMW come out with "Official" RT pillows yet?

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'04 RTs have a special attraction for the ground. Don't ask me how I know.

 

I've noticed that too. I've dropped mine twice, once in the driveway and once in the garage.

 

In the driveway, I was getting on and as soon as I took the weight off the side stand it retracted and I wasn't quick enough to catch it. The left foot peg hit my left ankle and it still hurts now and then. No damage to the bike, somehow.

 

The garage drop happened when I was rolling it off the lift and it fell away from me onto the right side. The rear tire was on the floor and the front was on the ramp. The windshield hit the wall on the way down and destroyed the windshield mechanism. Also got a big scrape in the windshield but it didn't break. Beemer Boneyard had a used mechanism but it was a real PITA to replace. Really dumb. I was lucky it wasn't worse. I shoulda waited until my wife got home to help roll it off but I got impatient. Live & learn...

 

 

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