Well, I was prepared to beg for mercy...but my practical spouse reminded me - everyone drops sooner or later!
My sad story(s), sorry no pics:
Part 1 - In June 2013 I found a nice shortish route (~4 hrs) north of me near Baltimore, MD
http://www.sundaymorningrides.com/road/4613696/detail "Monkton Run" (this is about the most I get to ride 95% of the time)
Have you every pulled up to a 'Stop' sign on a cambered back road where you are on an incline, and you want to turn right sharply. My error was vainly hoping I could slow but roll through, and then that damn car appeared and I had to come to a full stop and...you know when everything goes slomo and you see your steed crumpling below you as you vainly try to resist gravity's pull on 600 lbs of steel, rubber, plastic and fluids?
It's immortalized on my GPS now as a 'point of interest.'
Part 2 - In September 2014, I had just returned from a parent-teacher meeting at my daughter's preschool (she's 4) and was stowing Connie in the driveway. As I have been experiencing more recently, I was having trouble getting it up on the centerstand. I have oscillated over time between having no problem and a bear of a time. This was the bear type.
After three unsuccessful attempts I rested and thought "I'll give it one more try and then call it a day." One too many.
Slomo camera please...as I watched it capsize away from me, I got a nice gash on my left shin from the footpeg and to seal the deal, completely snapped off the right footpeg. Got to order two replacement parts for $110, thank you very much, only to peek at what is involved in removing a footpeg and immediately went in search of a stiff drink (okay, well not really, I was just completely deflated since my wrenching skills are marginal at best). :truce:
I will now search the archives to find the collective wisdom about changing out footpegs without removing the swingarm (uhhh...is that even possible???)
Bonus Epic Fail from the Silverdammit National Rally.
It started all so innocently. I thought on the morning I was leaving, "Hey! All this stuff is not fitting in my duffel the way it did coming down. Oh well, it'll be fine..." Finished loading the bike with my handy dandy ROK Straps and headed up Route 26W a few miles to catch I-81 back up to Maryland. A minute after I got on I-81 I looked in my mirrors and thought "Huh! What a great view behind me! Nothing flapping around, nothing blocking my vision..........?!!!! #@%^&*!!!"
I made the quickest U-turn safely manageable and went back down to Rt 26 and sure enough, 1 mile before I had gotten on to I-81, there was the remains of all my duffel bag contents strewn on both sides of the road. After a good "pressure treatment" by probably 50 semis, at least 100 other vehicles, and what have you, not much was left of my clothing, sleeping bag, tent, folding chair, toiletries, snacks, Thermarest, two books, house/office keys, etc. Lucky for me, my water bottle, rain gear, and other essentials were in the saddlebags. To his credit, a gentleman driving a pickup truck saw me attempting to collect stuff and offered to help, then backed up from the entrance ramp to go on the overpass to see if he could help me track down things I couldn't see from the ground level. I appreciated his thoughtfulness, but it only meant finding yet more stuff that was completely destroyed and not worth retrieving. ???
I collected a bunch of things just out of desperation, and then basically left a pile of junk on the roadside after I realized it was a complete loss and I probably could have just kept going and not worried about it in the end. Things like this keep me humble, at least most of the time. :'(
I figure my replacement cost was probably about $500 if I was lucky.
Alright, that's enough for the confession box tonight.
Keep the rubber side down, and your boots on the pegs.
Over and out,
Doug
My sad story(s), sorry no pics:
Part 1 - In June 2013 I found a nice shortish route (~4 hrs) north of me near Baltimore, MD
http://www.sundaymorningrides.com/road/4613696/detail "Monkton Run" (this is about the most I get to ride 95% of the time)
Have you every pulled up to a 'Stop' sign on a cambered back road where you are on an incline, and you want to turn right sharply. My error was vainly hoping I could slow but roll through, and then that damn car appeared and I had to come to a full stop and...you know when everything goes slomo and you see your steed crumpling below you as you vainly try to resist gravity's pull on 600 lbs of steel, rubber, plastic and fluids?
It's immortalized on my GPS now as a 'point of interest.'
Part 2 - In September 2014, I had just returned from a parent-teacher meeting at my daughter's preschool (she's 4) and was stowing Connie in the driveway. As I have been experiencing more recently, I was having trouble getting it up on the centerstand. I have oscillated over time between having no problem and a bear of a time. This was the bear type.
After three unsuccessful attempts I rested and thought "I'll give it one more try and then call it a day." One too many.
Slomo camera please...as I watched it capsize away from me, I got a nice gash on my left shin from the footpeg and to seal the deal, completely snapped off the right footpeg. Got to order two replacement parts for $110, thank you very much, only to peek at what is involved in removing a footpeg and immediately went in search of a stiff drink (okay, well not really, I was just completely deflated since my wrenching skills are marginal at best). :truce:
I will now search the archives to find the collective wisdom about changing out footpegs without removing the swingarm (uhhh...is that even possible???)
Bonus Epic Fail from the Silverdammit National Rally.
It started all so innocently. I thought on the morning I was leaving, "Hey! All this stuff is not fitting in my duffel the way it did coming down. Oh well, it'll be fine..." Finished loading the bike with my handy dandy ROK Straps and headed up Route 26W a few miles to catch I-81 back up to Maryland. A minute after I got on I-81 I looked in my mirrors and thought "Huh! What a great view behind me! Nothing flapping around, nothing blocking my vision..........?!!!! #@%^&*!!!"
I made the quickest U-turn safely manageable and went back down to Rt 26 and sure enough, 1 mile before I had gotten on to I-81, there was the remains of all my duffel bag contents strewn on both sides of the road. After a good "pressure treatment" by probably 50 semis, at least 100 other vehicles, and what have you, not much was left of my clothing, sleeping bag, tent, folding chair, toiletries, snacks, Thermarest, two books, house/office keys, etc. Lucky for me, my water bottle, rain gear, and other essentials were in the saddlebags. To his credit, a gentleman driving a pickup truck saw me attempting to collect stuff and offered to help, then backed up from the entrance ramp to go on the overpass to see if he could help me track down things I couldn't see from the ground level. I appreciated his thoughtfulness, but it only meant finding yet more stuff that was completely destroyed and not worth retrieving. ???
I collected a bunch of things just out of desperation, and then basically left a pile of junk on the roadside after I realized it was a complete loss and I probably could have just kept going and not worried about it in the end. Things like this keep me humble, at least most of the time. :'(
I figure my replacement cost was probably about $500 if I was lucky.
Alright, that's enough for the confession box tonight.
Keep the rubber side down, and your boots on the pegs.
Over and out,
Doug
