Well, since I got my NUMBAH, guess it's time to fess up. My C10 has lost twice to gravity under my otherwise careful and caring ownership.
The first drop occurred on the first day after she got her plate. Myself being the type that can't stand delayed gratification, I rode my new-to-me Concours proudly to work, and parked it in the same spot where I was parking my Kaw 454 LTD, a low seated bike half the size and weight of the Connie. That spot is a tight squeeze, making a tight, paddling 180 degree left turn between a gazebo and a wall and a concrete ramp, to get to the well protected parking spot. Most of the guys who ride will park somewhere around this gazebo, which is kind of a break/smoking area.
So that first day, I took it for a lunch ride, and upon my return, attempted to get into the same spot. After all, I had parked there many times on the 454 in my illustrious three month riding career... so, get between the gazebo on my left and a wall on my right... start paddling and making the nearly full lock left turn... and that's when forces combined that I wasn't ready for....
The front tire was a badly worn Dunlop, which really made the front want to turn in...the pavement is sloped favoring downhill and left...the fuel tank was full... and I was paddling in neutral with the bike leaned into, not counter to, the sharp left turn, and when my left leg was on the ground a bit behind me, the weight started going over... and I had no leverage to save it. Over it went onto the port side.
:-[
There wasn't enough room between the dropped bike and the gazebo for me to hoist it myself, so I enlisted some help. Pride had turned into total embarrassment and worry about what damage had just occurred to my new ride.
The assessment: Somehow, the only damage that occurred was a sore back, a humbled ego, a tiny scuff on the mirror, and a bent aluminum peg lowering bracket. The peg feeler had pushed the rubber insert out of the peg. That evening, the bracket was creatively straightened and the peg rubber restored to its proper condition. By bending under the weight, the aluminum lowering bracket probably saved the peg and its bracket.
I had been forewarned, and had full awareness of how top heavy the Connie was, but that day, a few lessons were learned real quick. And after that I managed to keep ConPrime on his wheels for many rides... until drop #2.
I rode as much as I could last winter; many days mine was the only bike to be seen. But in late January, the snow took over and I was forced to cage it for about three weeks... but finally, the sun came out, the roads had cleared and the only thing between my garaged Connie and the road was my seventy foot long, two-lane gravel driveway.
My bikes occupy one side of the garage, which had virgin snow on that side of the driveway; my truck occupies the other, and because I don't own any powered snow equipment, I just let the truck make ruts in the snow to get into its side of the garage. Those ruts had melted down to expose the gravel underneath, so I had the brilliant idea: with overnight temperatures well above freezing, I would shovel a path to the street so my bikes had access! The snow would melt and expose the gravel!
So I dug out the path, and the next day, there it was, my two-foot wide melted path to riding freedom! I geared up and inspected the Connie, and it fired up and rolled out onto my path for a ride to work....
...but I had forgotten something for work and needed to drop the kickstand to go back into the house. But, in my excitement to ride, I had also forgotten my kickstand pad... and the soft gravel ground was allowing the kickstand to sink into the driveway. Rolling out and parking in the street was a dangerous option because of the speed and volume of traffic past my drive. Then I looked over at the well-packed ruts that my truck had made... with about a two foot wide layer of melting snow between my path and the packed rut, where the kickstand had no chance of sinking... so I thought, the snow is melting, and the tires will cut through and reach the gravel underneath when I cross it, right?
Nope. :-[
I put it in gear, and left the path I created, and I felt the front tire going in a direction it should never go, and before i could do anything about it, the Connie was on its starboard side. The snow, you see, had a layer of ice under it. Once again, I had to enlist help to get the bike back on its wheels. And I attempted to ride on to work, but didn't make it out of my neighborhood. The bike was running quite badly after a very short time, so I limped it home and would assess the damage later.
This drop, however, turned out to have a couple of silver linings...
Once again, not much damage to the bike. The snow prevented a scuff on the mirror, and the right peg lowering bracket was bent, canting the peg forward toward the brake pedal. Which turned out to be a good thing, it made it a lot easier to use the rear brake! So I left it that way, and that peg is still canted forward.
The reason the bike was running so badly was a failed petcock vacuum diaphragm, starving the bike for fuel. Fuel was spitting out the diaphragm vent. So without the drop, I probably would have gotten a lot farther from home and onto busy main streets before getting into limp/push/cuss/tow mode. Not sure if the drop on its right side contributed to the failure, but it did lead me to finding and fixing a lurking problem. And of course, the knowledge found here at COG was instrumental in the diagnosis and repair of the petcock. :great:
There ya go, two tales of woe. One CDA number please. I earned it. :truce:
The first drop occurred on the first day after she got her plate. Myself being the type that can't stand delayed gratification, I rode my new-to-me Concours proudly to work, and parked it in the same spot where I was parking my Kaw 454 LTD, a low seated bike half the size and weight of the Connie. That spot is a tight squeeze, making a tight, paddling 180 degree left turn between a gazebo and a wall and a concrete ramp, to get to the well protected parking spot. Most of the guys who ride will park somewhere around this gazebo, which is kind of a break/smoking area.
So that first day, I took it for a lunch ride, and upon my return, attempted to get into the same spot. After all, I had parked there many times on the 454 in my illustrious three month riding career... so, get between the gazebo on my left and a wall on my right... start paddling and making the nearly full lock left turn... and that's when forces combined that I wasn't ready for....
The front tire was a badly worn Dunlop, which really made the front want to turn in...the pavement is sloped favoring downhill and left...the fuel tank was full... and I was paddling in neutral with the bike leaned into, not counter to, the sharp left turn, and when my left leg was on the ground a bit behind me, the weight started going over... and I had no leverage to save it. Over it went onto the port side.
:-[There wasn't enough room between the dropped bike and the gazebo for me to hoist it myself, so I enlisted some help. Pride had turned into total embarrassment and worry about what damage had just occurred to my new ride.
The assessment: Somehow, the only damage that occurred was a sore back, a humbled ego, a tiny scuff on the mirror, and a bent aluminum peg lowering bracket. The peg feeler had pushed the rubber insert out of the peg. That evening, the bracket was creatively straightened and the peg rubber restored to its proper condition. By bending under the weight, the aluminum lowering bracket probably saved the peg and its bracket.
I had been forewarned, and had full awareness of how top heavy the Connie was, but that day, a few lessons were learned real quick. And after that I managed to keep ConPrime on his wheels for many rides... until drop #2.
I rode as much as I could last winter; many days mine was the only bike to be seen. But in late January, the snow took over and I was forced to cage it for about three weeks... but finally, the sun came out, the roads had cleared and the only thing between my garaged Connie and the road was my seventy foot long, two-lane gravel driveway.
My bikes occupy one side of the garage, which had virgin snow on that side of the driveway; my truck occupies the other, and because I don't own any powered snow equipment, I just let the truck make ruts in the snow to get into its side of the garage. Those ruts had melted down to expose the gravel underneath, so I had the brilliant idea: with overnight temperatures well above freezing, I would shovel a path to the street so my bikes had access! The snow would melt and expose the gravel!
So I dug out the path, and the next day, there it was, my two-foot wide melted path to riding freedom! I geared up and inspected the Connie, and it fired up and rolled out onto my path for a ride to work....
...but I had forgotten something for work and needed to drop the kickstand to go back into the house. But, in my excitement to ride, I had also forgotten my kickstand pad... and the soft gravel ground was allowing the kickstand to sink into the driveway. Rolling out and parking in the street was a dangerous option because of the speed and volume of traffic past my drive. Then I looked over at the well-packed ruts that my truck had made... with about a two foot wide layer of melting snow between my path and the packed rut, where the kickstand had no chance of sinking... so I thought, the snow is melting, and the tires will cut through and reach the gravel underneath when I cross it, right?
Nope.
:-[I put it in gear, and left the path I created, and I felt the front tire going in a direction it should never go, and before i could do anything about it, the Connie was on its starboard side. The snow, you see, had a layer of ice under it. Once again, I had to enlist help to get the bike back on its wheels. And I attempted to ride on to work, but didn't make it out of my neighborhood. The bike was running quite badly after a very short time, so I limped it home and would assess the damage later.
This drop, however, turned out to have a couple of silver linings...
Once again, not much damage to the bike. The snow prevented a scuff on the mirror, and the right peg lowering bracket was bent, canting the peg forward toward the brake pedal. Which turned out to be a good thing, it made it a lot easier to use the rear brake! So I left it that way, and that peg is still canted forward.
The reason the bike was running so badly was a failed petcock vacuum diaphragm, starving the bike for fuel. Fuel was spitting out the diaphragm vent. So without the drop, I probably would have gotten a lot farther from home and onto busy main streets before getting into limp/push/cuss/tow mode. Not sure if the drop on its right side contributed to the failure, but it did lead me to finding and fixing a lurking problem. And of course, the knowledge found here at COG was instrumental in the diagnosis and repair of the petcock. :great:
There ya go, two tales of woe. One CDA number please. I earned it. :truce:
