tfly
Moped
Irony! I show my friend (riding only a week) the Connie Droppers Anonymous section as primer of what not to do. I explain if he reads the post he might learn from some else’s mishap. Yesterday I took him for a 500 mile ride. Rhode Island up through the White Mountains, New Hampshire.Yes, I know 500 mile ride with beginner rider might be a mistake. I am trying to curb his appetite for Sturgis 2000 miles from us.
Anyways back to DROP! We have a perfect ride after finishing the Kagamangus highway in NH, stop for fuel. I am standing next to bike in Hot sun waiting for my friend to return from restroom and decide to move to a shady spot. I grab the handle bars, kick up the kickstand and give the bike a slight lean towards me (left side). I begin to push the bike forward ant the left handelbar riser snaps in half (completely). This leaves me with little in the way of supporting my bike. I tried in vain to stop the fall but failed (just slowed it). My now fully packed and fueled bike is on its side :-[. My friend comes back to the scene and can’t figure out what he is seeing. He ask what I am doing and why repeatedly. I explain it is not intentional or a lesson. He helps me stand her back up and ask me if I read the Connie Droppers Anonymous section.
We inventory the damage on my MINT 2011 C-14 (purchased 10 weeks ago-new). DON”T LOOK AT ME I AM NOT CRYING :'(! Bag, side panel and mirror all have some kind of cosmetic damage. The big problem is the broken left handle bar riser. Clutch and grip now lay free on my storage compartment. I am 210 miles away from home, late Saturday afternoon and I feel my options fading away. My now very helpful friend is calling any and all shops that might be able to help. We decide on a roadside repair. Duct tape, zip ties and black gas pipe from local hardware store. 3 pipes acting like splints and duct tape as cast. Not a real functional fix but manageable. One hand riding and no clutch shifting entire ride home. The biggest problem with this setup was I was unable to shift my seating position with nothing to push/ pull (you need both side to do this).
I am Home safe now wondering my options. The riser should not have snapped. That is the only reason the bike went down. Kawasaki will probably replace the defective riser but what about the consequential damage? ???
Anyways back to DROP! We have a perfect ride after finishing the Kagamangus highway in NH, stop for fuel. I am standing next to bike in Hot sun waiting for my friend to return from restroom and decide to move to a shady spot. I grab the handle bars, kick up the kickstand and give the bike a slight lean towards me (left side). I begin to push the bike forward ant the left handelbar riser snaps in half (completely). This leaves me with little in the way of supporting my bike. I tried in vain to stop the fall but failed (just slowed it). My now fully packed and fueled bike is on its side :-[. My friend comes back to the scene and can’t figure out what he is seeing. He ask what I am doing and why repeatedly. I explain it is not intentional or a lesson. He helps me stand her back up and ask me if I read the Connie Droppers Anonymous section.
We inventory the damage on my MINT 2011 C-14 (purchased 10 weeks ago-new). DON”T LOOK AT ME I AM NOT CRYING :'(! Bag, side panel and mirror all have some kind of cosmetic damage. The big problem is the broken left handle bar riser. Clutch and grip now lay free on my storage compartment. I am 210 miles away from home, late Saturday afternoon and I feel my options fading away. My now very helpful friend is calling any and all shops that might be able to help. We decide on a roadside repair. Duct tape, zip ties and black gas pipe from local hardware store. 3 pipes acting like splints and duct tape as cast. Not a real functional fix but manageable. One hand riding and no clutch shifting entire ride home. The biggest problem with this setup was I was unable to shift my seating position with nothing to push/ pull (you need both side to do this).
I am Home safe now wondering my options. The riser should not have snapped. That is the only reason the bike went down. Kawasaki will probably replace the defective riser but what about the consequential damage? ???