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Repeated Drops

evansdjango

New member
Here's the thing. For the second time in ten years, I dropped my RT while starting a sharp turn from a stopped position. I understand the geometry of the situation, but tell me I am not the only forgetful one who does this?
 
Here's the thing. For the second time in ten years, I dropped my RT while starting a sharp turn from a stopped position. I understand the geometry of the situation, but tell me I am not the only forgetful one who does this?

You're not the only one who does this. I mentioned here the other day that I dropped mine while on a conference call but fooling around with the bike at the same time. Even dinged the windshield which I've sanded and polished out ... :(
 
Drops

Did it a number of times the first year I owned the bike. Looked at how and why of the problem. In my case it was being lazy and doing the California Stop. Right turn most of the time. I would come to an almost stop, look left then right, start to turn bars to right, one last look back left for safety, see a car coming, tap the brakes and down I went.
I now pull up to a stop and do not look left or right. Full stop, feet down. No drops since.
Not saying I don't do a rolling stop once in a while. It's got to be a wide open area with long view to my left, no chance of cars coming from nowhere.

Ken Denton 04 1150 RT
 
Two things come to mind. AT a rally in a small campground I kept coming up behind M/C's parked RIGHT SQUARE IN MY WAY. Griped to somebody about it and they explained it. People were riding bikes so big (for their size) that they simply couldn't maneuver except to tilt up from the stand and drive away. No backing, no nothing. Didn't like it much but noticed how many times I could avoid backing or other muscle maneuvers if I planned ahead riding into somewhere (without blocking someones way). As I've gotten older and my ride got taller, I do more of it.

Second, I apply the strategy Ken Denton outlines above. I chop tasks up into into simple safe maneuvers.
 
I now pull up to a stop and do not look left or right. Full stop, feet down. No drops since.

I just do this, but it wasn't because I was dropping the bike a lot. Usually when I drop it, I'm not even on it. Rolled it off the centerstand a couple of weeks ago when I was working on it. Usually, that's good for a broken blinker, but this time it fell onto my son in law's bike and broke HIS blinker. :laugh
 
Good thing you weren't on it when it went down, or you might have broken that camera hanging from your neck! :stick

When I had my LT, I pressed the trunk closed and at the same time pushed it off the sidestand onto it's side in the driveway.
It was in sickening slow motion.
 
Eyes up, Head turned

Here's the thing. For the second time in ten years, I dropped my RT while starting a sharp turn from a stopped position. I understand the geometry of the situation, but tell me I am not the only forgetful one who does this?

Two things:

Since you're starting from a stopped position, turn your head where you want to go. For example, if you want to turn 90 degrees, turn your head that much and keep it there while you ease the clutch out. If you are doing more of a turn or maybe a U-turn from a stop, turn your head that much more. Keep your head turned in the direction you want the bike to wind up in. The bike will follow and end up pointing in the direction you want to go.

Keep your eyes up! Do not look at the pavement or where the tire will roll. If you look down, you'll lose balance and go down. Keep your eyes on the horizon level for balance.

It will feel weird to not look where the tire is but if you keep your balance and focus in the direction you want to wind up, the bike will follow.
 
I just do this, but it wasn't because I was dropping the bike a lot. Usually when I drop it, I'm not even on it. Rolled it off the centerstand a couple of weeks ago when I was working on it. Usually, that's good for a broken blinker, but this time it fell onto my son in law's bike and broke HIS blinker. :laugh

If you are working on it on the center stand and have to use much force, tie the center stand to the front wheel or if the wheel is removed, put the axle back in and tie off to that.

I once dropped my parts bike off the center stand with no wheels on. It didn't tip over, but it sat there laughing at me resting on the engine case. That was fun.

I also tried to put my bike on the center stand to load it in a gravel lot after a rain. That turned out to be a bad idea. when the center stand sank into the gravel that wasn't as solid as I thought and my wet boot slipped off the lever, the upward pull I was giving the grab handle was enough to flip the bike on its side. Thankfully it only added a couple more scratches to my side case and valve cover.
 
seems like get your eyes up, and get off the seat and on the outside peg. a little practice in a parking lot some sunday morning and you'll be dandy
 
twice so far the first year in on my r1100rt.
Once when I was trying to park, just had it leaning the wrong way when I went to stop and turned the wheel.
Second time was practicing balance and turning in a sharply banked lot. Stupid. I stopped with the left hand side of the bike facing downhill. Boom.
Something that has helped me was to change the rear shock's preload, install shims for the seat mount, and lower the seat to drop the center of gravity. It almost seems too low, but the balance is better, and I love cornering the bike. I have the guards front and back (rt-p). The front guards really helped when I dropped it, but the rear pannier guards actually tapped the pavement the other day when I hit a dip while leaning around a corner.
Something for me to watch for, as the bike actually moved laterally before I came out of it.
fun stuff.
 
Long weekend, wife gone, I had a fever, she had the car. I went to the grocery store and stopped for the mail. Got off the bike and never put the side stand down. Crunch. Still picked it up by myself. I figured someone was warning me not to get on the road feeling as lousy as I was.

But....You gotta love the design of the fairing on the R1150RT. It did crack the plastic head protector, but no other damage.
 
Just got the rt in june and was till getting accostom to the height, or at least that s the story i m telling. Dropped in the driveway with the wife watching. Next time was a feww weeks ago. Had been riding my old Benelli 250 with drum brakes. Got back on the beemer and grabed the front brake on gravel. Handlebars were turned just enough to almost send me to the ground. Saved it with brute force "i m not a brute force sized guy". I m blaming that one the difference in the size and braking ability of the two bikes. The real reasons are that i wasn t paying attention.
 
twice so far the first year in on my r1100rt.
Once when I was trying to park, just had it leaning the wrong way when I went to stop and turned the wheel.
Second time was practicing balance and turning in a sharply banked lot. Stupid. I stopped with the left hand side of the bike facing downhill. Boom.
Something that has helped me was to change the rear shock's preload, install shims for the seat mount, and lower the seat to drop the center of gravity. It almost seems too low, but the balance is better, and I love cornering the bike. I have the guards front and back (rt-p). The front guards really helped when I dropped it, but the rear pannier guards actually tapped the pavement the other day when I hit a dip while leaning around a corner.
Something for me to watch for, as the bike actually moved laterally before I came out of it.
fun stuff.

yup, it's all fun and games until someone gets an eye poked out.

or in this case- until you lever your tire up off the road, and you low side your way into a guard rail, oncoming traffic, or off a cliff edge. not fun stuff.

better to raise that rear end up a bit more (the bike's, not yours) to give you back the ground clearance that you need to corner safely. telling yourself that you will slow down to avoid the touchdown action is not a real reliable course of action- you never know when you might need that extra bit of gournd clearance to make it through a corner.
 
yup, it's all fun and games until someone gets an eye poked out.

or in this case- until you lever your tire up off the road, and you low side your way into a guard rail, oncoming traffic, or off a cliff edge. not fun stuff.

better to raise that rear end up a bit more (the bike's, not yours) to give you back the ground clearance that you need to corner safely. telling yourself that you will slow down to avoid the touchdown action is not a real reliable course of action- you never know when you might need that extra bit of ground clearance to make it through a corner.

The "fun stuff" was actually sarcasm.
But-
Yep. it got my attention. I was going to bump the shock up a bit, and remove the rear guards when I get a chance. I'll have to see if I can drag the city cases next, lol.
 
Had a Harley sales lady tell me it was fun to drag her Floor boards. I told her the same thing...wait until you lever it over. I don't think she was impressed that I found the Sporty 1200 with pegs more interesting than the dressers.:dance
 
I never once dropped a bike until I bought an '04 1150RT with ABS linked brakes. A couple years ago I removed the ABS system and haven't had a problem since when making slow sharp turning maneuvers. Any experienced rider knows not to apply front brakes when making slow sharp turns. Kind of hard to avoid when the brakes are linked. Thanks for nothing BMW.:banghead
 
Which model was the link operated off the rear? wasn't it earlier than '04?

The later gens all operated link from front..rear does rear only...still gotta stay off the fronts at low speed turns. Some folks just don't like them as mentioned.

Anyways...

I dropped my B&S mini bike, a few Honda 90's,100's,350's and up to my brothers pre K-750( that one got me caught sneaking his bike to the beach:whistle) Most of those were youth and operator error in my teens. Some were from trying to beat gravity while impressing the young ladies...at least they helped bandage my skinny butt a few times so it kind of worked.

Never dropped my 70's HD...except for being hit from the rear by a makeup applying mom with a touch of vodka involved...her,not me.
Oh yeah, forgot the time I left the padlock on the front end causing a heck of a 360 turn with a drop ...and of course in front of a crowd...priceless twenty something pride damage that day...def operator error! Nagging girlfriend,soon to be wife was pleased as well:banghead shoulda known then!

Dropped my '05 RT twice learning about tall bikes...and occasionally while moving one in our shop with flip flops and wet floors:banghead ...
did it Sunday...held the GSA up from a full laydown while I summoned by Popeye strength...gotta quit wearing flip flops in the shop on a wet morning and moving our heaviest bike:violin

once again, boneheaded operator errors...not bike design here.
 
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