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well,,,,, had the bike on the road for


gord

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less than 2 weeks, the 2nd time riding to work. Man I was feeling pretty high up in the world riding in on my shiney new steel blue 84 xvz12, Tunes were sounding great. I pulled into the parking spot real graceful like and decided to lean her over a bit and back up so that the front of the bike was pointing in the best postion to be seen. I was feeling pretty good about my new bike.

Just as I started to back up , my foot slipped out from under me, sliding quickly on a bed of dried up pine needles that had fallen from the tree behind my parking spot. The bike's weight suddenly became apparent as it leaned heavely against my thigh., I had no choice but to let her down as gently as I could. slowly and with no doubt a look of horror on my face it started to slide down. It was like it was in slow motion lol. It hit , and landed on the engine gaurd so softly that I could barely hear it. I got off and looked around hoping that no one had seen it. I thought I had gotten by when a good friend could be heard snickering and asking if I was ok. Of course I said I was even though I could feel the torn muscles in my back and neck from trying to save my new bike from any harm or God forbid a scratch. He helped me get it back on it's wheels and onto the center stand . I thanked him and just knew he would tell, lol.

YEP he did, I was teased pretty good for the last week or so, but I guess I just mark it up to another learning experience.

 

EMBARRASSED?????NAH , NEVER lol

 

P.S. hope I am still elcome in this club hee hee

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Guest Brianwgn

I have not dumped mine YET, but when I do, I can count on about 100 people looking at me and my red face. it is ok to dump it a couple times, it is not good when you dump it often.

 

A foreman at work bought a new HD and with in 3 months he recked it 2 times, first into the back of a car (following to close), second slid on gravel around a corner. He missed work both times from broken bones, the bike is for sale and he no longer rides (good decision).

 

 

Brianwgn

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Dumped mine twice, so far. First time at the Wal-Mart. Everyone parks up front on the cement. Some old codger was telling the wife and I how he had a friend who got a big bike like that and couldn't handle it and dumped it and he had to help him pick it back up......Well, in the midst of listening to the story I did a stupid and put the kickstand up before the wife got on. She hit the floorboard when I wasn't expecting it and over she came.....right in front of the guy who had just been talking (and still was talking) about his friend who couldn't handle his bike. He did help pick it up though.

 

Second time was as some friends and I were coming out of a hospital parking lot. We had started the "company" motorcycle ride that morning and one of the gang crossed the center-line on a curve and ended up with a busted bike and an arm broken in 3 places and having to have a shoulder replacement(no cars coming at the time than God), so that's why we were at the hospital......but I digress. The other two had come to the stop sign and zoomed off. I came to the stop sign and was about to go when this car came out of nowhere and totally surprised me. I, like you, strained to keep it up but to no avail. She went down very softly and I was thankful for that. I thought......well, this is the perfect time to try that solo pickup stuff I've learned. I had the presence of mind to go and put the kickstand down.....then, using the technique that I learned pulled the bike up almost effortlessly. It's nice to have the confidence that you CAN actually pick up the bike by yourself if it goes down.........But I never want to have to do that again.......It's just too mentally painful.........I feel soooo badly for the poor baby. :crying: :Bunny:

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Guest BluesLover

Hey Gord - I laid my 06 down twice in very simialr situations within a couple of months of getting her, so I know where you're coming from!

 

 

More importantly ...

:sign16:

 

Cheers,

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less than 2 weeks...,

P.S. hope I am still elcome in this club hee hee

At the Eureka Spring Rally, it became a common occurrance, almost like a rite of passage. Happened at least four times. Glad you were able to lay it down easy. Ask our Vogel rider with the cast how easy he laid his down.
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OK heres mine!I was pulling into the local pool hall ,(which by the way has hhhhhhhhhhhhHUGE WINDOWS in the front)Went to put the kick stand down ,and didn't get it in the locked position ,leaned to get of and over she went. To say the least I entered said establishment. To a standing ovation ! What are friends for!....:clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :group cheers: .....Fred

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At the Eureka Spring Rally, it became a common occurrance, almost like a rite of passage. Happened at least four times. Glad you were able to lay it down easy. Ask our Vogel rider with the cast how easy he laid his down.

 

Vogel rider with cast,who me??? It can happen soooo easy and by the time it starts to go there's nothing you can do.Take my advice and don't get stuck down a narrow dead end road that's crowned and hilly pulling a trailer and try to turn around, IT DON'T WORK!!!

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What's more embarrassing is laying it ever so gently on it's side in front of a group of Harley riders no less.:8: Did mine a couple times too. once from forgetting to put the side-stand down :8: and twice for tapping the front brake with the front wheel turned while stopping. As big as these bikes are they're not very forgiving for such stupidity. Lessons learned now but you never know when you'll get caught off guard like when having to make a sudden parking lot stop or your passenger getting on un-expectingly

Larry

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I had my lay over last weekend - on a charity ride. Was at the gas station - some of my group decided to go next door to the next station, I was deciding whether to fill or follow- decided to fill. Getting off the bike, it just kept going over into the pump. Straining to not let the bike go, pinned between the bike and pump, handle bars pushing against the pump, no kickstand. Fortunately, couple of Harley guys raced over and helped me. Only suffered an ego bruise and cracked clutch housing. I learned a distraction could happen any time, and I sure was thankful to the Harley guys - because I wasn't going to be able to save the bike had it kept coming over and probably would have been pinned under it.:no-no-no:

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Hate it when that happens !! Almost never happens when no one is around.

 

I pulled into the Church parking lot last year, a few minutes late, one foot on pavement and one on grass. the grass foot sliped. Over she went, and in the edge of the lot like i was, it was a little down hill.

 

After struggling in the grass, must have been an awfull sight, I got it back up.

Everyone was already inside, and thanks to God and stained glass, no one saw it. Or if they did, they are just a forgiving people because i never heard a word about it.

 

That was not the only time though...............................................:whistling:

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Mine was so stupid it should have been in a movie. I pulled up in front of the local coffee shop and with my mind wandering off on its' own I forgot the kick stand entirely. My friends said it was hilarious. I pulled up, stopped, then gradualy leaned over and dissapeared from sight! My foot was trapped under the bike so they had to lift it off me. A friend of mine pulled up at the side of the road in front of his co-workers and put his feet down. There was a ditch on the right hand side, down he went.

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Leaning into a turn in front of the house the rear brakes locked up tighter than a frog's a$$. Slo-mo lay down incurred. Bike doubled in size while laying on it's side. Picked it back up, but it wasn't easy. Getting my rear end under the seat in order to use the legs to lift is great for someone who's normal highth, but when you're 6'6" it's a long way down, and straightening the legs back out isn't easy..... Did it, but was breethin' hard when it was over. Whew!!!

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Guest ephebus

were you wearing a good pair of boots. I find it's usualy when i get sloppy and ride in my tenny runners that I have had traction problems with simular results.

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I was out Geocaching with a friend and was leaving when I had a corn stalk come up over my floorboard while still under my front tire and the bike rode the stalk to the ground. Had to get off and pick the bike back up didn't know what happened until I got the bike back on it's wheels and saw the corn stalk.Just Lucky the bike wasn't hurt.

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I think just about everyone has done this at least once. The worst part is getting the Venture back up because this bike is soooooo top heavy! I dropped mine once at a red light riding with a buddy. He was riding a Triumph Daytona 500 that he frequently stalled when taking off. This had just happened to him and I jokingly called him a "rookie". Well, at the next light I lost my footing in some pea gravel and down she went. Stopped traffic for 2-3 light cycles. It was really hard to get the Venture back up. No damage. There was some road rage, but that's another story...

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I dumped my 83 twice in one day. I was making a u-turn in my driveway and got the front tire into some leaves that had mud under them. I layed it down and ended up having to get the wife to help. Everytime I tried to pick it up, it just slid more in the mud. I kept getting closer to something, so I got a long 2X4 and put under it and got it up. I went to work and was talking to a friend and he wanted to see the bike, so we walked out to the parking lot. As we were talking, I reached over and hit the start button and my clutch switch was not working correctly, and it was in gear, so the bike jumped forward and fell over. We were both laughing so hard that with both of it was hell to get up.

As soon as I got home, I fixed the clutch switch.

randya

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I dumped my 83 twice in one day. I was making a u-turn in my driveway and got the front tire into some leaves that had mud under them. I layed it down and ended up having to get the wife to help. Everytime I tried to pick it up, it just slid more in the mud. I kept getting closer to something, so I got a long 2X4 and put under it and got it up. I went to work and was talking to a friend and he wanted to see the bike, so we walked out to the parking lot. As we were talking, I reached over and hit the start button and my clutch switch was not working correctly, and it was in gear, so the bike jumped forward and fell over. We were both laughing so hard that with both of it was hell to get up.

As soon as I got home, I fixed the clutch switch.

randya

 

How badly did you scratch up the paint job??????

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Fortunately for me the first time I forgot to put the kickstand down I was riding a KZ1000 that only weighed around 500 pounds, so it was pretty easy for me to pick up in a hurry, and then look around the gas station to see if anyone noticed.

Although now I probably just jinxed myself. So, by the way, what is the proper technique for picking up a first gen? So I'll know when it happens.

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Fortunately for me the first time I forgot to put the kickstand down I was riding a KZ1000 that only weighed around 500 pounds, so it was pretty easy for me to pick up in a hurry, and then look around the gas station to see if anyone noticed.

Although now I probably just jinxed myself. So, by the way, what is the proper technique for picking up a first gen? So I'll know when it happens.

 

I was sooo burning to give out this info, but nobody was asking. It was posted before but didn't seem to be good enough 'cause someone went and wiped the whole site clean as a whistle and it's gone. I'm sure it will come back someday, but in the meantime this is what I remember and have found out, works. Don't ask how I found out, but it wasn't light outside.

If your scoot is down on it's right side, put out the kickstand, but don't count it. If it's on it's left side the kickstand will be under the scoot and not available until later in this procedure.

Back your body up to the bike on the opposite side as the tires, grab hold of the grab rail or something solid ( depends on the bike in question) with your one hand and if your are two handed you can use the other on the steering gear, the downest one. Now put your rear into the bottom edge of the seat with your underpinings slightly bent, or more bent if they are too long, and focus on pushing your backside into the seat. As you push the scoot gets the message to get up, and it does. Hitting it, kicking at it, cussing it, throwing things at it will only infuriate it and it will just stay put. Best to practise procedure before a downer happens and you really need to do it fast. Go to the nearest meet and eat and while everybody else is eating you'll have lots of practise time and machines to practise with. After, when they come out and notice how you, all by yourself, have righted all the bikes, you'll also become a hero.

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  • 2 weeks later...
Rocket, the two dumps that I did in the same day were before the ghost flame paint job and I was lucky that in both cases I was able to stop it before it got to the fairing.

randya

Good to hear Randya, I had thought of the repair & re-paint work involved.....

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I have dropped mine 5 times since I have had it a little over 2 years.......these 1st Gens are really top heavy and once they start going over there is no stopping it. Last time I dropped it was at Vogel.......early in the morning going down to the parking lot had to cross a little 1 lane bridge..........had to stop due to a truck crossing the bridge, pulled to the side, still on the asphalt, put my right foot down and went right into a hole and over I went...............I tried to pick it up using the lift, but the bike was pointing downhill and I could only get it up so far, thank God, the driver of the truck helped me..........no damage except my ego.

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  • 5 weeks later...

I dropped my bike the first time on the test ride.

 

I had just gotten back into riding when I knew I wanted a cadillac of bikes. I am not a Harley fan, and a friend turned me onto the venture.

 

I found one at a bike shop in Roseburg Oregon, threw my leg over her and could put both feet flat on the ground. They got her ready for a test ride, and off I went. I had some trouble with the heal shifter but thought what the hell ......

 

I was traveling east on a 4 lane highway with a slight incline. I stopped on the incline to turn around. As i started my turn, I must have hit the heal shifter, and kicked her into second gear. The bike stalled, and over she went. I was in the passing lane, so no danger of being hit... Love the lack of traffic on some Oregon roads.

 

Luckily I had discussed picking the bike up with the dealer, so I got off, turned my back to the bike, and walked her up. I walked her back to the east bound side of the road and checked to see if there was any damage.

 

Two older gentlemen (I was 55 at the time) stopped to see if everything was ok. I told them it was.. tried to hide my embarassment, and they laughed and said that turning one of these big bikes around was not like turning a smaller bike.

 

They waited until I started her up and got turned around. I headed back to the dealership and bought her. Before I picked her up though, I had the heal shifter removed.

 

I have dropped babe 4 or 5 times, the other embarassing time was at Crater Lake.... but thats a different story. mike

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