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Dumb kickstand mistake

v8shadow

v8shadow

Road Bike
  I was on a nice practice ride before I go to my ABATE class tomorrow.  I stopped to help some guy pulled off on the side of a county road.  He was getting ready to grab a snapping turtle by its tail to get it out of the road.  Before this guy got his fingers snapped off, I showed him the proper way and we saved the old ugly creature.  I got back on my bike, and immediately got going so I would have a nice cushion of space between him and I once we were both underway. 
  Next thing I know I am fighting my bike to stay upright with a terrible scraping sound underneath.  The bike kept pushing itself to the right and I followed suit by taking it off the road at the same time cutting down my speed as much as I could.  Next thing I know, I am watching my windshield snap in half while I am tumbling into the road with my head hitting the pavement last.
  I forgot to put the damn kickstand up.  I feel incredibly sad and stupid about it too.  One mirror (second on I have had to buy) broken at the linkage inside, my brand new Rifle windscreen snapped in half, my front top fairing cracked all over, and a bent fairing bracket underneath.  I have a scraped elbow, sore but uninjured knee and a broken heart!
 
Oh crap! As bad as I hate  that kickstand kill switch, I KNOW it's saved me more than once. That's terrible.
 
I don't know if it came later or if you have/had one that was disabled. It's annoying as crap,but kept me from driving away just this week. Maybe you can look on the RonAyers.com site at the fiche and see if you find one.
 
IF you shift into gear, the bike runs. When you let out the clutch it dies. Mine is a 2001.
 
v8shadow said:
Kickstand kill switch.....yet ANOTHER thing that the old generation C-10 doesn't have?
Click to expand...

Actually, it does. Sounds like yours has been bypassed.

Nice thing is, you'll never do that again.

Develop a routine. Me? First thing I do when I plant my butt on the saddle is put the stand up.

Look on the bright side.... ya didn't get a CDA #  :))

<edit to add>
Ummm... thinking about this.... sorry for being flippant. I keep forgetting how emotionally attached people get to their rides - I don't. Good to hear you weren't hurt too bad. But like I said, develop a routine and don't worry about what others may do.
 
  Yeah, I underestimated Connie.  She has the switch down there, but the part that actually makes some contact with the kickstand is broken off and not making any contact at all.  What a damn shame that is.  That certainly couldv'e saved my bike today. :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'(
 
v8shadow said:
  Yeah, I underestimated Connie.  She has the switch down there, but the part that actually makes some contact with the kickstand is broken off and not making any contact at all.  What a damn shame that is.  That certainly couldv'e saved my bike today. :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'(
Click to expand...

Glad you ok..
I've been there and done that. Slammed into a curb and broke my big toe. But kept the bike up..
 
I did that a couple years ago on my KZ and went into a corn field. Kept it upright but had a lot of clean up. Glad you came out ok.
 
If you have kickstand switches that work-- that cant happen. Are there that many of you that bypassed that switch?  Why?
 
Some bypass the kickstand safety switch because it will occasionally stick and prevent the bike from running. Usually a good cleaning/lubing will resolve this but if the switch is truly faulty, bypassing it is "cheaper" than replacing it. It's cheaper right up until you ride off with the kickstand deployed. :-[ 
 
Daytona_Mike said:
If you have kickstand switches that work-- that cant happen. Are there that many of you that bypassed that switch?  Why?
Click to expand...

I HATED that damn thing when I first got my Connie. Having ridden bikes since before this kinda tech existed, it seemed an unnecessary feature.

Yea, ummm...I like it now! Just wish it had a dash light to go with it. May have to add that to mine since I have the gauges out for maintenance at the moment.
 
  I'm still very sick about it.  A kickstand should not be something that ruins a beautiful bike.  I will not depend on the switch mind you, and I am usually very dilligent about it.  Its just that particular day........  When I get the switch fixed, and I will, it will be used as a failsafe is all.  Not part of the routine.
  Get on and square handlebars
  Kickstand UP
  Key on engine switch on
 
SIMPLE!  UGH!
 
It took one embarrassing "Why does this #*%@in thing keep dying!?" In
front of bunch of bikers...at a traffic light, after helping upright a tipped HD Dresser
"Dude...your kickstand is down", I turn beet red, kick the stand up, and go.
Now I check that kickstand every time I get on, and OFF the bike.
So, you see.... having the switch can be embarrassing too, just
in a different light.

Time WILL heal this wound... The lesson will linger....hopefully.  ;)
 
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