Overachiever to get here.

bruceflinch · Nov 13, 2015

Guess I have to count this Faux Pas...??
Test drove a ST for the first time today. On the return trip, I got lost in the Sellers Subdivision and had to stop to check the map app on my phone, which is apparently smarter than me...

Pulled over parallel to the curb, killed the motor. While slipping the phone back in my pocket, I lost my balance.

The tip guard bar pinned my ankle to the curb. The bottom of the right muffle was against the curb. I'm glad I was AGATT, so my boot kept the ankle damage to just pain.

But I did not have the ability to swing the left leg over to the right side of the bike, as I gave up my job as a circus contortionist, many decades ago!

About the time I had figured I was running out of options, this nice guy pulled up in a SUV & asked If I needed some help. "Yes Please!" He pulled over & gave me two hands to rescue me. I thanked him profusely. Turned out he was a Biker as well. You meet the nicest people on a Honda!

Oh yes, I did buy the bike. Picking it up Saturday..

klaproth · Nov 13, 2015

You GOTTA watch the ST's, they go RIGHT for the ankles!

Welcome to the forum , and thanks for sharing a smile!

ibike2havefun · Nov 13, 2015

Congratulations on the new ride.

I thought I set the record for the earliest drop, which I did on my very first ride AFTER buying the bike. Now you've raised the bar... but at least you didn't take the bike back to the owner and say "Thanks but now that it's been dropped I don't want it..."

okiehick82 · Nov 13, 2015

Welcome you will love your new bike

Jrnyer · Nov 13, 2015

ibike2havefun said:
but at least you didn't take the bike back to the owner and say "Thanks but now that it's been dropped I don't want it..."

That was a coffee spit out the mouth and threw the nose line this morning.
Congrats on your new bike

970mike · Nov 13, 2015

Wow that is the way to test ride the bike. Hope your ankle is OK. What year did you get?

paulcb · Nov 13, 2015

Well, you got your first tip over out of the way! Congrats on the new bike and welcome to the forum. Keep an eye on the Events section and join us sometime.

Oldbikefixr · Nov 13, 2015

bruceflinch.....embarrassing tip overs happen, to most of us just not that often. Back in August of 1970 I rode my CB750 to the new neighborhood Pizza Hut that had opened the day before. Really hot Louisiana August afternoon plus brand new asphalt parking lot. I found a parking spot just in front of the picture window of the dining room, slipped into it, flicked the side stand down, got off and reached up to unfasten my helmet. While my hands were up around my neck, the side stand sank into the hot asphalt and the bike tipped over on me...the left handlebar end snagged my belt buckle on the way down and took me with it. Since it had a grip on my jeans, I fell flat on my back, with the grip still tangled and could not get up....all to the applause of the late afternoon pizza crowd. Did I mention that the engine was as hot as the asphalt? Anyway...two customers came out and untangled me and moved the bike onto the concrete side walk. No scratches on the bike, bruised abdomen, trashed self esteem...I sucked it all up and went in after entertaining the customers a bit better than the highway traffic they were watching.

Thankfully, I have not been that entertaining since.

ToddC · Nov 13, 2015

Congrats on your new little ankle biter..........

ToddC

SupraSabre · Nov 13, 2015

Now that was a test ride. You even were able to test how long it takes to drop one of these!

4:

The key with these bikes it to always make sure you have a solid place to put your feet down, and if you are doing anything that might require you to take both hands off the bars, put the sidestand down!

Congrats on the purchase!

bruceflinch · Nov 13, 2015

fnmag said:
Glad you weathered your first tip over. Congrats on your ST purchase. What year did you get?

2009 in Red ( The fastest color)

klaproth said:
You GOTTA watch the ST's, they go RIGHT for the ankles!

Welcome to the forum , and thanks for sharing a smile!

Thanks.

ibike2havefun said:
Congratulations on the new ride.

I thought I set the record for the earliest drop, which I did on my very first ride AFTER buying the bike. Now you've raised the bar... but at least you didn't take the bike back to the owner and say "Thanks but now that it's been dropped I don't want it..."

So for the record I was 21 minutes into the test drive.. LOL

Oldbikefixr said:
bruceflinch.....embarrassing tip overs happen, to most of us just not that often. Back in August of 1970 I rode my CB750 to the new neighborhood Pizza Hut that had opened the day before. Really hot Louisiana August afternoon plus brand new asphalt parking lot. I found a parking spot just in front of the picture window of the dining room, slipped into it, flicked the side stand down, got off and reached up to unfasten my helmet. While my hands were up around my neck, the side stand sank into the hot asphalt and the bike tipped over on me...the left handlebar end snagged my belt buckle on the way down and took me with it. Since it had a grip on my jeans, I fell flat on my back, with the grip still tangled and could not get up....all to the applause of the late afternoon pizza crowd. Did I mention that the engine was as hot as the asphalt? Anyway...two customers came out and untangled me and moved the bike onto the concrete side walk. No scratches on the bike, bruised abdomen, trashed self esteem...I sucked it all up and went in after entertaining the customers a bit better than the highway traffic they were watching.

Thankfully, I have not been that entertaining since.

Now I feel better about myself

Thanks for the well wishes & laughs. This is my first touring bike. I look forward to tightening up the buns & meeting some of you.

ibike2havefun · Nov 14, 2015

Oooooooohhhhhh purty red. Mine is blue, which is also a nice color (and the fastest according to certain members of this and other forums, though I've never tested that theory personally), but I'm (not so) secretly envious of the 2005 Candy Graceful Red color. Looks as if the previous owner of yours was too, as I believe it was black when it left the factory.

jhn_plsn · Nov 14, 2015

ibike2havefun said:
Oooooooohhhhhh purty red. Mine is blue, which is also a nice color (and the fastest according to certain members of this and other forums, though I've never tested that theory personally), but I'm (not so) secretly envious of the 2005 Candy Graceful Red color. Looks as if the previous owner of yours was too, as I believe it was black when it left the factory.

I believe '08 and '09's were red, and of course the '05.

jhn_plsn · Nov 14, 2015

What a nice looking bike. You even landed some nice accessories with the flairs, top bag, and what looks like a Sargent seat.

At least you can check off the box on your "Hope I never do that" list.

STooRay · Nov 14, 2015

Should they come with a warning?
My first drop came after ten hours as an owner/ten hour drive on my way home after the deal......buying tickets for a ferry.....
Tipover were never a problem with my previous bikes, but they never weighted more than 400 pounds...
My second tipover was at home. No witnesses ....
But how do you lift them up again alone ??
I no longer have the strength to do this on my own...
Is there a trick?
STooRay

ibike2havefun · Nov 14, 2015

jhn_plsn said:
I believe '08 and '09's were red, and of course the '05.

I stand corrected. I thought everything from '08 onward was black, at least in the U.S.. Different for Europe.

bruceflinch · Nov 15, 2015

jhn_plsn said:
What a nice looking bike. You even landed some nice accessories with the flairs, top bag, and what looks like a Sargent seat.

At least you can check off the box on your "Hope I never do that" list.

Thanks. When the Previous Owner added the black Givi tail box, & flairs, he had the side panels & front fender painted black to contrast a bit more. I think it was a good choice. He also added grip heaters & handlebar risers.
Yep, Sargent seat as well. P.O. was a CHP Moto cop-retired. He also gave me a cover, original seat, 3 helmets, 2 jackets, battery tender, tire repair kit w/ compressor.
I think I scored pretty well!

STooRay said:
Should they come with a warning?
My first drop came after ten hours as an owner/ten hour drive on my way home after the deal......buying tickets for a ferry.....
Tipover were never a problem with my previous bikes, but they never weighted more than 400 pounds...
My second tipover was at home. No witnesses ....
But how do you lift them up again alone ??
I no longer have the strength to do this on my own...
Is there a trick?
STooRay

Saw a You Tube video of a woman righting a BMW. She put the kickstand down, (bike was on right side) placed her butt against the bike with the front wheel turned in. Then she used her leg muscles to inch the bike up.

MaxPete · Nov 15, 2015

Gravity - it sucks!!

As a wise old mechanical engineering professor of mine once said:

1) Gravity is reliable - but it is not necessarily your friend. It will be there whether you want it...or not.

2) Friction is not reliable - and it is definitely not your friend. It will be there when you do not want it and it will be absent when you do want it.

Your only true friend is a strong properly torqued bolt. Also, if in doubt, make it stout, out of things you know about. Unfortunately, I have not yet figured out how to bolt an ST to the earth in a way that precludes falling over. Oh well.

After 3 weeks of ownership I have found that the ST is a fantastic bike...but it makes short people out of tall people and clumsy people out of agile people. I haven't dropped mine.....yet. But I do have new tip-over blades on order for when I do. The key thing is to keep your wits about you and always have your sh!t together on this thing. It is definitely NOT a bike for boys and girls.

Cheers all....until I am able to contribute my own tip-over tale....

Brian Lamberts · Nov 18, 2015

It's not real intuitive (picking up a bike.) I'm a crappy shape, 64 in three weeks or so rider. I dropped my ST1100 the beginning of Oct.

I learned years ago that approaching picking up a bike facing towards it is the worst way to do it. You tend to use your back--asking for trouble. If you back up to the bike & reach behind you, flex at the knees so you use your thigh and calf muscles to lift it. I got my ST1100 up all by myself.

YMMV, and the alternative is to wait for emergency road service, AAA or other, to send a tow truck guy to help you.

KTD1911 · Nov 18, 2015

if you drop your bike on a negative incline forget about 1 man lift personal experience

and the mirrors destroyed as well

Overachiever to get here.

bruceflinch

klaproth

ibike2havefun

Still above the sod

okiehick82

Jrnyer

970mike

Mike Brown

paulcb

- - - Tetelestai - - - R.I.P. - 2022/05/26

Oldbikefixr

ToddC

SupraSabre

48 Years of SoCal Lane Splitting/Commuting-Retired

bruceflinch

ibike2havefun

Still above the sod

jhn_plsn

jhn_plsn

STooRay

ibike2havefun

Still above the sod

bruceflinch

MaxPete

Brian Lamberts

STOC 8845

KTD1911

R.I.P. - 2020/10/13