The Weight Issue in an RSV....What results?

[DarkWolf]

My last bike was a BMW K1200RS. I dropped that thing over one time from a standstill - A STANDSTILL, I said - and it caused $3800 in damage when it landed on its side. When it reached a certain axis, it was going down, and not King Kong or anyone else was going to hold it. That is why I am not buying any more BMW's. They do not have any protection for that sort of thing.

 

A few bikes before that, I owned a Gold Wing. Now there is a behemoth. I also dropped that thing a couple of times, and it took Man Mountain Dean and a small army to heft it back into place. However...it always landed on these engine guards and tilted at about 45 degrees without any damage to anything. Nothing but the guards touched the ground. Again, there is nothing like that for most BMW's.

 

I have also looked at Honda ST 1300's, which I really like. They have these wings on the side and some bar you can buy that sticks out behind the rear footpets to prevent those BMW drop-problems. This is a good thing.

 

Now we come to the RSV. 807 lbs. Another leviathan. In the Gold Wing category. What happens when you drop an RSV on its side? Are there engine guards to keep the fairing and handle bars intact? Does it fall completely over and bend all kinds of stuff? Do those side bag guards do anything, or are they just for decoration? By and by, most of us are going to drop this thing, and I would like to know what is going to happen then?This is very important to me when I choose my next bike. It is one of the most important considerations on my list.

[TrainMaster]

Hold on a minute Darkster, I'm going out to the garage now to push mine over. I'll report later.

 

Ken

[Condor]

From what I've seen on 2ndGens that have been dropped is the rear trunk always seems to have scratches and dings. The only way that can happen is if the bike goes all the way down. 'Course I don't know if it happens everytime, but I see a lot of damaged trunks. If getting it back up is a problem carry a 4:1 purchase. Hook it to any deadfall... car bumper, tree, fire hydrant, etc.... and bring it back up. Personally I couldn't get my butt low enough to get below the seat and use the push with the legs method. May look funny when doing it, but it'll get the job done. The last resort is a trike.... then you never need worry.....

[paperboy]

I've dropped mine over at least three times, from a stop that is. The crash bars do an excellent job of preventing any damage to the bike.

as long as the ground is level there shouldn't be a problem. Mine doesn't have a mark on it, at least not from tipping over onto the bars.

[SilvrT]

carry a 4:1 purchase.

 

OK, I'll bite... what is a "4:1 purchase" ?

[Condor]

OK, I'll bite... what is a "4:1 purchase" ?

 

Four fried pies for a buck!!! Just kidding. Sorry about that. The sailor in me snuck out. It's a block and tackle set up. If you can't find a deadfall you can carry an anchor and kedge it back up......

[SilvrT]

Four fried pies for a buck!!! Just kidding. Sorry about that. The sailor in me snuck out. It's a block and tackle set up. If you can't find a deadfall you can carry an anchor and kedge it back up......

 

thanks... figgured that's what you meant... aka a "come-along" ... cheap like borstch at Walmart or Crappy tire. I'm now wondering if those ratchet-type tie-downs might also work..??

[cmiles3]

Don't use the cheap ratchet tie downs. I've had more than one of them let go when I tried to get one more ratchet in to tighten up on a load.

[BurgyMon]

Hold on a minute Darkster, I'm going out to the garage now to push mine over. I'll report later.

 

Ken

 

Well, TrainMaster, I'm waiting. :rotf:

[SilvrT]

Well, TrainMaster, I'm waiting. :rotf:

 

Instead of pushing it, he probably pulled it over on top of hisself and is stuck there...

 

[1BigDog]

DarkWolf, the only way YOU are going to determine whether an RSV is the right bike for YOU is to ride on one, then make a decision. I owned a first gen but once I took a demo ride on an RSV I was hooked.....(sorry to all you first genners there:whistling:) When my 1st gen finally gave up the ghost I went out and bought an RSV and have never looked back.

[dynodon]

I have seen girls (not body builder types) pick up a fully loaded Electra Glide without any help.

 

There is a method, one hand on a handlbar grip, turn the wheels all one direction and put your but on the seat with your feet together and knees bent, then grab something with your left hand near the bags or rear frame.

 

Then DO NOT lift with your arms, but start scooting your feet back and push with your legs on the seat. You should be able to walk it back to vertical without throwing your back out.

 

Several sites go over this, am sure it is on here more than once. Also the excellent RIDE LIKE A PRO IV DVD not only goes over how those motorcycle cops get their bikes to turn on a dime and lean without fallling over at low speed, but they go over this technique. Good investment.

 

Just google the name and be amazed.

[Lone Eagle]

I don't have experience dropping my bike - which is similar - if not heavier - than the RSV. But, it did fall of a service bay at the dealer. The crash guards up front prevented damage - the handlebars had to be replaced - along with the light bar. The saddlebag rails held up - no problems to the sidebags.

Don't know if this is your thing - and don't need to start a discussion here as you would either like or hate the bike - but the Victory Vision advertises that somehow that bike doesn't tip all the way over. I bet at some point it would - but from a standstill - etc - it's not supposed to the way I read it.

 

Just my two cents

[Guest Boomerbiker]

Sooner or later you will not be able to defy gravity and over it goes! The key to answering your question rests with the weight and size of the RSV which you already know from your post. I have dropped mine once and it is a load to get upright depending on the terrain. I leaned my back against it, a tricky maneuver when you are alone. I've seen a few rigs with some type of outriggers, but I'm not sure if they're for "tippecanoe" or something else. Stick two four wheels and avoid the problem all together. Otherwise, the risk is there, but I look at it as another challenge.

 

Boomerbiker - 60 years young

[Condor]

thanks... figgured that's what you meant... aka a "come-along" ... cheap like borstch at Walmart or Crappy tire. I'm now wondering if those ratchet-type tie-downs might also work..??

 

A come-a-long would probably work but I wouldn't care to carry one around all the time. I was thinking more along the lines of that pictured below. You can stuff it just about anywhere it would fit. Doesn't weigh a lot, doesn't take up much room, is ply-able, and will do the job. Racheting tiedowns aren't too good of an idea as they don't have a heck of a lot of movement before the spool gets cloggd up. The 4:1 purchase is a pretty handy item. Use it anytime you find something you thought you could move, but can't anymore.......

[Guest sargeb13]

'Had two tip overs in 18 months. Bars prevented any damage at all; even the bars were not scratched. Both were stationary go overs...

 

First time, stopped on a steep, angled (uphill to the left) driveway, put left foot down and bike learned waaayyy to far to the right: right foot dangles in mid-air due to the steep angle. (by the way, that's the second time I've done that with a motorcycle... I ought to learn not to approach hillside drives at an angle... sigh...)

 

Second time, left foot slipped on oil at a tire-air station at convience store, and it went down on the left side.

 

Both times I raised the bike with the sit-on-the-seat-grab-handlebar-with-left-hand-passenger-bar-with-right-hand-walk-backwards-technique... worked like a charm, even on the steep hill driveway.

 

Michael

[stardbog]

Hey Wolfie stop vining about everything, No FI, Bad Firing, What About.... Go and get your girl and you'll be hooked up for long time. same as ruffrider said ride one and there is whole different world. Firing is OK, Chrash Bars works, same way as Gold Wing, Dont ask me how i know . Little less power then GW, lot more Then HD. Carb's are OK.... And Big Family overhere to help you spend some money on Accessories

What else you want.

 

[sarges46]

Dumped mine this summer at 5-8 mph. Damaged the lower fairing and scratched the upper and broken shield. The lower engine guards are not very sturdy for such a drop. There is a really really cheap way to stiffen those up with a bracket. They are going on this spring. Took 5 men to lift her on her feet...but she was almost completely upside down and trying to lift uphill.

 

Friend riding his later this summer had a "drop", basically rested it on the guards and then lifted it back up when his passenger scooted off. Nothing damaged. We didnt even realized it until he told us it was that fast.

[halfwitt]

I have gently laid my RSV down twice. First time, with wife on the back, I was coming out of a driveway. Driveway was banked to the right and I was turning left. Came to the top of the driveway, stopped and started to fall to the left. Put my foot down but the ground had eroded away, nothing to put my foot on. Bike went down. Wife went down. I was left standing. A couple of guys came over and helped get everyone and everything upright again. No damage at all. Second time I was backing into my little bike garage. Ground was a little muddy and she went over to the left. Saddlebag hit the side of the garage and put a little scratch in it. My kids had a good time watching me try to stand it up again by myself on that one. but hey! I got 'er up again!

[BuddyRich]

Mine has been dropped 4 or 5 times. The crash bars always stop it. Now I read once where one of these genius magazine writers dropped one an stood up on the high side foot peg, This, of course sent the bike past the crash bar. DUH...

 

I guess he wanted to be sure it did not get back up once he dropped it.

[TrainMaster]

Hi, my name is Lisa and while I don't like to admit it, I'm married to TrainMaster. He asked me to post that when he gets out from under his bike, and out of the hospital, he'll have that report for y'all.

 

[DarkWolf]

I know that getting up any of these heavy bikes can be done. I have been to rallies where they demonstrate the technique. I am not concerned with that. I just want to know what damage transpires when it is dropped over. Paperboy said that he had dropped his 3x and the engine guards saved him in each case. I don't know that I have seen any RSV's with engine guards. All I see is pipes and floor boards, handlebars, lowers, fairing, and maybe some highway pegs taking the brunt of the fall. I have no problem with this bike or how it rides. I do have a problem with repairing inevitable damage on a recurring basis. I don't want to spend money constantly replacing those items. It is absolutely heart-sickening when you drop your bike and sustain hundreds of dollars worth of damage. I don't want to do that anymore.

[GunnyButch]

If you have seen any RSVs then you have seen engine guards. They are on each and every one. I would suggest you examine one up close for a few minutes.

Maybe we can help if we have a bit more information such as 1) what kind of motorcycle do you have now and 2) how many times has it been dropped or dumped?

[BuddyRich]

The crash bars are just under the lower front fairings and just in front of the saddlebags with the red reflectors on it

 

 

http://www.starmotorcycles.com/assets/content/images/600/08VentureS_gray_6_827dd691.jpg

[Sleeperhawk]

I have dropped mine 3 times, all at a stop, just gently laid it down, the guards prevented damage to the fairings and saddle bags. And you do have to put your butt to the seat, grab hold and lift with knees.