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Right Turn From Stop

J

Jayaallen

Tricycle
Like a few others, almost a same-day COG and CDA member.

2012 C14 with 21K purchased As-Is on 3 January (Happy New Year to me!).
6 January, clear weather, clean roads, I'm pulling away from a stop light making a right hand turn and the bike completely low sides!

Thankfully, previous owner had canyon bars - no damage to speak of.
Crushed lower right leg, abrasion on my right hip where my pocket knife took the brunt and a hole worn in the right elbow of my most awesome Tourmaster Flex 3 jacket (iron-on patches already ordered).

Yesterday, in my garage, I notice that the handlebar stops are not equal - on centerstand, the bars physically turn more to the left than to the right.  Is the normal?

This morning.  Back on the horse.  Raining - super careful and cautious due to my experience 2 days prior.

At a stop along my commute, turning right, bars are cranked, slight lean (all the good MSF training and 40 years of riding has taught me) - and it goes out from under me!
Hard to keep a man down.
Get to work.
ID check at front gate.
Sharp right turn, from a stop, bike BEGINS to go out/down and I straighten/widen out my turn enough to pull away.

Pulling into my parking space, low speed sharp right turn, bike goes down.

I'm done.

Needless to say, back to dealership tomorrow (they are closed today) due to safety concerns.
Was is sitting so long that oil seals dried up and are now leaking on the right edge of the read tread?  No evidence.
Is something getting pinched in the front that is locking up the front in a right hand turn?  Seems possible.

Any thoughts from the COG?

 
Cold tires, combined with lots of power... done it myself. First ride of the season a few years ago, rode straight to the gas station, (less than a mile) low sided after filling up coming out of the gas station. Bruised hip, scratches on the edge of the mirror and fairing, broken peg, and a lesson learned I shouldn't have needed to learn again after 40 some years of riding.

Mines an '01, so I couldn't say about the unequal turning thing, but unless you were at full lock I don't see how that could affect it. Unless you are walking it around, like in the driveway or garage, you should never even be close to either full steering stop.

There are two kinds of riders... those that have gone down, and those that will.
 
I've come SO close to doing this, usually after not riding for a fairly long spell (days, not hours). Now this is just my opinion which may in fact be all wrong:

When you turn sharply and are under power, you are sort of "pushing"  or shifting the weight sideways against the tires and the weight going straight down is somewhat mitigated and you can continue through the turn.

If you let off on the gas or give too much clutch or brake during the turn, the weight shifts downward to the inside of the arc of the turn and BOOM, you're suddenly leaned over too far.

Like I said, I could be wrong.
 
Had a (Honda) enthusiast that I trust take a look and he found the two bolts that hold the front fairing to the steering tube completely unsecure.  The upper bolt is backed out to where it has contacted a hydraulic line of some sort and stopped.  The lower bolt, when we turned the front to a more neutral position, was able to be backed out the last few threads that it had remaining.  With the lower bolt removed, full throw on bars.  That solved the premature stop on turning right - the left steering tube was actually contacting the bolt head.

With the bike on centerstand, we did full right throw with both engine off and on and the front wheel still spun (we were suspecting a pinched brake line that may have been locking up the front wheel).

Sadly, I now don't trust the work of the dealership where I purchased and will be returning the bike tomorrow.
 
Hope that only sours you on that bike. C14 is a great bike. Hope you find one that performs well for you
 
Approached the dealership with mercy and grace (since I am a patch wearing member of http://cmanwr1.org/CAN/REDWOODGOSPELRIDERS) and we worked it out.

Not only did they install the nuts that were supposed to be there (see 15-22 of Service Manual) and use blue threadlock to 18ftlbs, but they also threw in a PDF service manual and are going to restore my headlights to OEM for free.


All in all, "Christine" is staying in the family and I'm looking forward to healing and many, many more miles.

 

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I think you let them off lightly. Looking at that leg, suing would be an option. Or maybe some accessories... ;)
 
  I have learned that when turning right from a stop or very slow moving, never apply the front brake or even touch the lever. This will cause the bike to fall over every time.
Brent
 
mtnbandit said:
  I have learned that when turning right from a stop or very slow moving, never apply the front brake or even touch the lever. This will cause the bike to fall over every time.
Brent
Click to expand...

AMEN
 
kv5e said:
mtnbandit said:
  I have learned that when turning right from a stop or very slow moving, never apply the front brake or even touch the lever. This will cause the bike to fall over every time.
Brent
Click to expand...

AMEN
Click to expand...

Ditto.  Basic MSF guidelines apply at low speed and tight turns - feather that foot brake and keep you hand off the front!
 
gsun said:
I think you let them off lightly. Looking at that leg, suing would be an option. Or maybe some accessories... ;)
Click to expand...

>:D
Did cross my mind, but they have a decent reputation and are certainly the most convenient for me.  The PDF manual already saved me $50-80 and they fix the headlights to have both low/high beams next Tuesday.
Grace and Mercy.
Now, if I had broken my leg, that might be a different matter!  Thank God for the canyon bars!
 
I don't think this site allows "old Man"porn" like that leg shot buddy! :))

Watch out or see a doctor about DVT, that looks pretty bad but you are at the 2 week mark so prolly no worries.
 
I didn't realize you experienced front wheel lockup from your original post, that would have changed my reply completely... I'm glad to hear you are not seriously injured. Front brake can be a...
 
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