Tip over #1 (dang it!!!)

Joined
Oct 17, 2015
Messages
1,957
Location
near Harrow, Ontario, Canada
Bike
'83 BMW R100RS
STOC #
8870
Well, I knew that gravity would eventually get the best of me - and today, it did.

I have been been on a 2-day ride with some buddies from another city and after splitting off from them to return home this afternoon, I took a detour down a country road. As an aside I must tell you that I am restoring a 1976 Yamaha XS650C - just like one I had at university in the 1970's. Anyhow, I was tooling along this back country road and I saw a nice 650 on the shoulder with a "For Sale" sign on it in front of a messy yard full of other assorted cars, bike and stuff. Hmmmm - I wonder if this guy has a nice fender for my '76? So, I hit the brakes and wound-up right on the edge of the very narrow shoulder of the road just past the driveway.

Soooo, I tried to do a 5-point duck-walk turn-around on the narrow road so that I could go back to see the bike and enquire if any of the parts needed for my resto-job might be available.

Unfortunately, my last cycle of back-and-forthing put my front wheel onto the shoulder which proved to be 4 inches of very soft sand. I couldn't back-up, and really had no alternative but to try going forward and.....down she went on the right side. The engine immediately died and I stood up - undamaged (except for the customary embarrassment). There were 4 or 5 burley guys sitting on the front porch of the house where I had stopped and one of them called to ask if I needed help....and yes, I sure did. Anyhow, they all ambled over and righted my ST - and pushed it out of the sand. They also kindly providing me with the name and phone number of the XS650 vendor - who turned out to be absent.

Dang it! Sand sucks and so does the earth!
 

ibike2havefun

Still above the sod
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Jan 8, 2015
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Rockville, MD, USA
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Bikeless (9/29/2019)
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8824
Welcome to the club, however unwilling you were to join. Glad it was no worse. Hope your Yammy project is the beneficiary, at least.
 
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MaxPete
Joined
Oct 17, 2015
Messages
1,957
Location
near Harrow, Ontario, Canada
Bike
'83 BMW R100RS
STOC #
8870
Good to see that you have updated your profile to suit ! There is no point in trying to stop these things once they have got past the point of no return. Just stride off and throw your gloves onto the floor in complete disgust. I think its important that you get that action correct.

I used to love my XS650E - beautiful bike. I had a sidecar on mine and we used it as our family transport. A bit too high geared for that, so I had a one-tooth smaller sprocket made, put it on - but there wasn't then enough clearance for the chain around the bearing housing. Doh !

I never got to ride it on two wheels though - I put the chair on before I had passed my test - I could ride a 650 with a chair as a learner, but couldn't ride it solo. I had a look on howmanyleft.co.uk - there are no longer any UK registered XS650s.
Thanks for the congratulatory notes gents! (I'm so proud).

As an aside....the site simply cannot be correct about no XS650s registered in the U.K. There is a thriving U.K. (And NAM for that matter) community and in fact, I am about to order some XS650 parts from the UK firm Yambits. I wonder why that info is circulating? Must be a conspiracy by The Prince of Darkness to discredit a vertical twin that has actual working lights.
 

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Joined
Jul 16, 2015
Messages
74
Location
Chicago
Bike
2003 ST1300
PICT4023.jpgSorry, but the pic from 1982 reminded me of my first beloved Honda, or any bike, 1972 CB125, bought in 1983.
 
Joined
Oct 17, 2014
Messages
911
Location
Tacoma, Wa
Bike
2010 ST1300
Welcome to the club. I get to add one more tip over to the counter as I fell over leaving the garage this morning.
 
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MaxPete
Joined
Oct 17, 2015
Messages
1,957
Location
near Harrow, Ontario, Canada
Bike
'83 BMW R100RS
STOC #
8870
The older you get, the more gravity takes advantage of you... or your bike, if you will.
Correctamundo Vinny - for sure.

I must tell all of those who have never tipped over on an ST....once it starts to go - it is irresistible. I rode big heavy bikes for years - and NONE of them could rival the ST for heading for the dirt when your time comes for a tip-over. Holy cow - it was like I was being pulled down to the ground by a winch with a cable around my bike.

Anyhow - as they say in the nuclear industry when bad stuff happens and is dealt with....EVENT ENDED.

Pete
 
Joined
Sep 2, 2016
Messages
86
Location
Beaver Falls, PA
Bike
2003 ST1300A
As a recent inductee myself, ahem, welcome aboard. I agree that the tipping point of no return is more like a sledge hammer effect
 
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