Sidecar Flip

Living Legend
Joined
Jul 16, 2006
Messages
6,356
Location
20150 Mc Carty Rd. Deerfield, Michigan 49238
I got to witness an interesting and embarrassing (for the rider) sight today.

I stopped at a truckstop withy my student for lunch and just after we walked out the door after eating, an older guy rode up on a really nice HD dresser, pulled into a parking spot and forgot to put the sidestand down and got off. It went down to the left and laid on the highway bars and the HD lower fairing. He tried to pick it back up himself but he could not budge it. It took myself, my student as well as the old man to get it off the pavement and it did at least a couple thousand bucks damage to the left side.

I felt really bad (I don't care what you ride, it's that you ride that's important to me), but I thought about the Rock and it's weight and having that scenario happen to me. Scary.

I'll be double checking my sidestand often now.
 
close call.

i'm just glad the bike didn't roll over on him. i saw that happen once. broke the poor guys' ankle.then again,he shouldn't have been riding after taking the prescription med. live and learn the hard way.

greg
 
I'm with you Flip... That sort of thing makes me feel bad. We like to race other bikes but I don't think any of us wants see some old boy lay a bike down and screw it up. I shudder to think what would happen if I dropped my Rocket in the driveway just moving it around. It wasn't that long ago that I ran over my own big toe with it and took off the toe nail and that was just a freak accident. I'm glad you were there to help!
 
Lay Down Sally

I laid my R3 down on an icy road and was just missed by a logging truck. I picked up my bike all by myself. I'm a big kid now.

Back when I was only 19 I had a KZ 1000 that I rode to a party. Being young and dumb and hammered I tried to ride it home. I started it up to let it idle and warm up. Suddenly I tipped over to the left. My turn signals were broken off. In a fog I righted the bike, remounted and restarted it. Moments later I tipped over to the right thereby removing my right side turn signals. It was at that point, drunk as I was, that I realized I should just let dead dogs lie. I fell asleep (passed out) next to my bike and rode it home the next day.

I am only now wondering where was the help that I needed?

Like someone to take away my keys!
 
What with my gimpy leg and all I am really afraid of dropping the Rock even sitting still. I can move it pretty well and can even back it uphill, but picking it up is another story. If I were to go down on it at any speed, it's pretty much a given that I am going to the hospital at least for pain management. Knowing this slowed me way down on my recent trip to the Tail of the Dragon, and I learned that there are places that you can actually see some scenery up there, but not much.:eek:
 
mine has been to the ground once. i righted it without a problem but like mentioned earlier i am also a big guy. but it was not real bad. i think thats the weight placement that plays into that. with that much mass below the axles it probably makes it easier.
 
I was in Longview last weekend at what was called Party in the Pines, and they had one of those portable drag racing dynos there. Part of the particapation was to have your bike weighed with you sitting on it. I was simply amazed when the the guy said the total package weighed 1016 pounds! I don't think the fuel tank was even full. Bigern
 
I was in Longview last weekend at what was called Party in the Pines, and they had one of those portable drag racing dynos there. Part of the particapation was to have your bike weighed with you sitting on it. I was simply amazed when the the guy said the total package weighed 1016 pounds! I don't think the fuel tank was even full. Bigern

I guess I need to start watching out for big bikes as well as cars and trucks when I ride the little, lightweight KLR. I could be creamed by a big bike....wow.

No wonder the Metz has such a short life...the bike needs duals.:eek:
 
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