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Don't Drop the Bike

Snagging on the Injector Controller

Loved the list of low-speed drop styles. Let me add another about which I'm entirely serious since it very nearly killed me. After a fly-in buy of my beautiful R1150GS in Tahoe, I rode it 6000+ miles of bliss through the West EXCEPT for a nearly zero mph drop in a traffic snarl in Santa Fe NM. Stopping in traffic, my left cuff caught on the weirdly mis-engineered black throttle controller box, and I lay the bike down and rolled bodily into the on-coming lane, right in front of an approaching semi. Since that remarkable moment, I've caught a cuff on that damnable object half a dozen times. Wunderlich makes a plastic (!) cover for $159!!!! The wonderful people at BMW should make the part and install it on every bike they've made with this crash waiting to happen.
 
The above article and personal stories. They were very educationally informative and interesting, and everyone had/has their 'drop' story. So, this is mine. Moral of my story: don't raise the kickstand and get off the bike. Have you done that?

After a hot July ride from Seneca Rocks, WVa, to Bloomsburg and the BMW Rally, I arrived found where I wanted to camp, put the kickstand down, surveyed the campsite a bit more from the bike's seat, and relaxed a bit as I sat astride of the bike. Then, I put both feet on the ground, raised the bike and kickstand, and "got off" the bike. The GSA 'followed' me to the left with a crash, and with me bounding off toward the left.

Red-faced from embarassment, I cursed myself for stupidity, and wondered how in the world I'd get the heavily laden bike up by myself, since I was tired, and really have problems lifting the heavy GSA. Fortunately, there were many helpful peers there who helped me lift the bike. Peers because they all had dropped a bike, and peers because we were all Rally siblings.

But, none of them had ever dropped a bike so stupidly. After a good hard, long laugh together, we shook hands and went our separate ways. I try not to relate this stupidity story to many others, and think quite often that maybe this heavy bike belongs to a younger guy who can lift it!!
 
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Nice article! I attribute most of my drops (0-2mph drops) to fatigue, the rest to SLS (short leg syndrome) and dirt & gravel where I don't expect it.

I almost always fall on the right hand side....the damage to my side case is a reminder of lessons learned. No reason to hide the reminders.
 
Drop

As the not so proud owner of a scratched 2012 RT, lets bring this excellent post to the top again so that others might not be as stupid as I was. As stated in another post, not making sure the kickstand is down was my downfall, no pun intended.
 
I put the side of my foot against the sidestand when I dismount. If it isn't there...I don't.
 
I put the side of my foot against the sidestand when I dismount. If it isn't there...I don't.

My R1100RT side stand had a habit of popping back up. After two drops while touring in 2011, I have learned to also have my foot ascertain that the stand is properly deployed before attempting to dismount. :laugh
 
The one I DIDN'T drop.

Now that I think about it, the only bike I've ever owned and NOT dropped was also the heaviest bike I ever owned--a Kawasaki Nomad. The difference must have been the really low center of gravity and low seating position. Although large and heavy, it was very easy to ride, and like I said, it's the only bike I've ever owned and not dropped in 30+ years and several hundred thousand miles.
 
Over a decade ago on a first ride on a new to me 640 Adventure with a custom tall seat giving it a 38 high seat (yikes!) I met a bunch of Adv Rider buddies at Alices for lunch. I stopped on a off camber spot so when I went to put my left foot to the ground.There was no ground. My bike fell to the left and I did a graceful dismount and looked at my buddies. Not one stepped up to help pick it up, instead they all had out their cameras taking photos and the pics were posted on ADV Rider before I ever got home. Even better, I was the moderator for the "Face Plant" forum on ADV at the time..Friends:D

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I'll have to agree about fatigue and add distractions as major contributors to this problem.

Had an incident en route to the rally in Colo Springs, Pulled into a gas station, Later to be Ex & I dismounted the machine no problem. Noted no pavement at the dispensers just slag as I recall. Slag looks like rock but is a bit softer & rounded off. I re-mounted the bike & braced for her to climb aboard. The pull to the left as she mounted caused my left boot to loose traction & oh so gradually we clunked down on the "crash Bar".
I haven't seen any gravel surfaced fuel pump islands since. Lots of slippery fluids get spilled at gas pumps and in lanes where auto's await the change from red to green lights too. Good communication between passenger & rider can also minimize mounting incidents.

Another time more recently while parking at a bank...Asphalt was in a poor condition. Space was slightly uphill pulling in. I did not realize that the pavement also dropped off to the left. Foolishly tried to muscle the bike before it made contact & failed. I did however tear a muscle in my left shoulder that is not amenable to repair. Thus I too say get out of the way & let it fall.

On a separate but somewhat related topic, when I park the bike in an auto parking space, I try to stay to the right side of the space. I do this so that should the bike fall to the left (more likely than to the right I believe) thus hopefully no other vehicles will be involved. Caution must be used for the usual auto oil drip spot almost to the front of the space as it is of course slippery and often the products that drip soften the pavement making it as stable as soft dirt. It's probably best not to be all the way forward in the space anyway so that a fast turning distracted parker won't rear end your somewhat concealed machine before they can stop. Sorry for the digression.
 
I do this so that should the bike fall to the left (more likely than to the right I believe)

I always thought so too, until one day on Coronado Island in San Diego. The wind was strong and I parked my heavy sport-tourer leaning into the wind. As I walked away from the bike, a wicked gust came along and I turned around just in time to see my bike fall over ON THE RIGHT SIDE!

Ya just never know.
 
Thank you, LngRdr!

As the OP, I'm delighted you brought this thread (dormant for well over a year) back to the attention of those interested. These problems don't go away - though writing the article which was printed in the August 2011 edition of the ON, has certainly helped me! (Only one drop since then. Moral of that episode: don't even attempt to ride the bike from your driveway to the storage shed if you have been drinking. I did take my printed advice, swallowed my pride, and called a neighbour to help me lift the bike.)

I DID receive both PM's and, of course, the remarks in this thread which, I believe, made for a better article. My thanks to all who bared their errors for the sake of helping their fellow riders.

Someone on this forum has a tag line: "Experience is not the best teacher. Someone ELSES experience is the best teacher." I agree. The whole point of the article and this thread is learning what NOT to do to avoid stupid low speed tipovers.

Mods, is there any possibility of making this a "sticky?" If so, I would be delighted if all the posts which simply say nice things, whether by me or others, were deleted. There is a lot of information on this thread which I would like to see accessible by all MOA members. I have no illusions that the thread will stay current otherwise. I also offer to delete posts which don't offer information. Let us know what you think.
 
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