I'd been riding a Z750S since 2006... very used to the 490 lbs of that machine, also its well worn in engine and exactly how its clutch works...
Bit over100 miles on the brand new 2014 red Concours-14... 3 days. Morning rolls around, I back the bike out of the garage, I'm feeling good. Confident. I start to slowly let the clutch out as I cruise toward the rounded curb - why I chose to do this at a fairly shallow angle I have NO IDEA... Front wheel goes down the curb and I must have let the clutch out inadvertently when it touches the bottom of the curb. Stall. Crap. Well, I can... wait, there's no ground there... Alright, offset body, foot touches down, but it's too far over already - 700 lbs can't tip very far before it's not recoverable, can it... Still, slow it down, slow it down, slow it *crunch*
Well, it *was* new :\
The back wheel had still been on the sidewalk, which meant that getting it back upright was extra painful - luckily, my next door neighbor was able to help and my own knowledge of lifting (butt vs. seat) helped, but it's a tank.
The damage is relatively minor as far as I can tell. I've ridden since the drop, though I should take off the damaged fairings to make sure nothing beneath them is bent or otherwise damaged. Right side mirror bolts loosened a bunch, but the mirror didn't break and stayed on - the front of the mirror is scarred up. The black lower fairing is scratched up a bunch, the red fairing just above that toward the back is scratched up, right bag looks the same... oh, and that little piece of metal in the gutter - that's my peg feeler.
Since 2006 I've dropped my Zed a total of twice... once was the kickstand mistake in 2007. The other was uneven ground in 2008... 4 years without a drop and I'm on the ground after less than a week of owning the new machine... aw hell.
Bit over100 miles on the brand new 2014 red Concours-14... 3 days. Morning rolls around, I back the bike out of the garage, I'm feeling good. Confident. I start to slowly let the clutch out as I cruise toward the rounded curb - why I chose to do this at a fairly shallow angle I have NO IDEA... Front wheel goes down the curb and I must have let the clutch out inadvertently when it touches the bottom of the curb. Stall. Crap. Well, I can... wait, there's no ground there... Alright, offset body, foot touches down, but it's too far over already - 700 lbs can't tip very far before it's not recoverable, can it... Still, slow it down, slow it down, slow it *crunch*
Well, it *was* new :\
The back wheel had still been on the sidewalk, which meant that getting it back upright was extra painful - luckily, my next door neighbor was able to help and my own knowledge of lifting (butt vs. seat) helped, but it's a tank.
The damage is relatively minor as far as I can tell. I've ridden since the drop, though I should take off the damaged fairings to make sure nothing beneath them is bent or otherwise damaged. Right side mirror bolts loosened a bunch, but the mirror didn't break and stayed on - the front of the mirror is scarred up. The black lower fairing is scratched up a bunch, the red fairing just above that toward the back is scratched up, right bag looks the same... oh, and that little piece of metal in the gutter - that's my peg feeler.
Since 2006 I've dropped my Zed a total of twice... once was the kickstand mistake in 2007. The other was uneven ground in 2008... 4 years without a drop and I'm on the ground after less than a week of owning the new machine... aw hell.
