Well, it happened.

[Morrissey]

It happened a little sooner than I thought it would but it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be. I had my first tip over! I was at the 40th anniversary of the Ride for Sight on the weekend of June 15-17 and was participating in the bike games. The course roped off for the games isn't huge, so turns can be a little tight. After one of my heats for the "RP Race" I was riding back to the staging area and as I turned the corner, standing on the pegs, my tire spun out in some of the loose long grass that had been freshly cut. Instead of throttling through it (because there wasn't enough room to) I pulled the clutch in and I knew right away she was going over! I dabbed my left foot down but knew there was no stopping her so I just let her go and did my best to fall away from the bike so I didn't get pinned under it. I was just putting along so I knew it wouldn't be bad. I landed on my side with a gentle thud and rolled away and sprang up to my feet and raised my arms in victory! The crowd is much less likely to laugh at you if you own the fall rather than pout about it! My buddy who was running the games helped me stand her up and I rode over to the staging area and took a look at her. I must say that my Bygg Dawg tip over bars did their job, not a mark on the bike!

I'm kind of relieved. I knew with this big behemoth it was going to happen eventually and I feel like a weight is off my shoulders now that it has happened. I now know that in the event of a very slow speed or stopped tip over that the combo of the stock front tip over bars and the Bygg Dawg rear tip over bars that the paint isn't going to touch down which is a big load off my mind. Also, getting the bike back up wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. It was actually easy with the help of my friend (who also rides an ST1300 so he knows about the weight and how to lift it) and I'm certain I could do it solo without injuring myself.

I guess now I'm really a member of the ST club!

 

[AV8R]

I feel your pain. Glad u popped up like toast.

My first and only tip over thus far was in front of my fav taco shop with big windows and the employees all know me. I had the bike a few weeks and I forgot to drop the kickstand. I fought it on its way down but i lost the tug of war, yet the touchdown was soft. I was so embarrassed (in my own helmet in reality, no one said a word), i just dead lifted the bike off the engine tip bar (didnt touch the cop crash bars) using mostly upper body.

I think the math is roughly SIN45*(800lbs - bike vertical weight) = 565 lbs @ 45* tipover

The adrenaline kicked and i got it up on the stand first try, but it cost me weeks of right shoulder pain which is only now recovered. I didn’t employ my weight lifter common sense, nor did i know about the youtube videos on how to use legs pushing from behind.

 

[John OoSTerhuis]

Welcome to the club.



Always beST to own it



<—— my TO count

Regards, John

 

[SupraSabre]

Dang, so to hear you couldn't keep it up! 4:

Yes, it does happen to the VERY BEST of us...it only took me 325,000 miles to drop one of mine! 4:

 

[ReSTored]

Congratulations. It took me about 14 - 15 years for the first tip over and the second one, on wet grass with a spinning tire sidestepping to the left, came shortly after the first. Once it gets a certain point past vertical the only thing you can do is to let it go and stay out of the way.

 

[Dale_I]

Welcome.

 

[SMSW]

Practice makes perfect. Now you know how to dismount when this happens again. Glad you escaped without a scratch or bruise.

 

[red one]

My tip overs has been when the bars are in full lock and trying to accelerate. Learned in a hurry that its best not to turn this way. Coming from a 550cc bike to a 1100 cc bike also a tip over while I was learning the weight of the ST.

 

[Panjammer]

Welcome to the club that no one really wants to be a member of !!!

I did mine in a parking lot with my wife on the back trying to do a U turn to get back to a parking space i'd just gone past. Had the bike in second gear not first, turned and realized immediately i did not have enough forward momentum at 2MPH to make the turn. I yelled to my SO that we were going down and to jump clear. Instead she kind of fell clear, i jumped and landed like Spiderman (or at least i thought so). I turned around and saw my wife lying still on the ground, not a good sign.

I rushed over and she was fully awake, "are you ok?" I said, "yes, I'm fine", she replied, "so why are you still lying on the ground?" I asked, "I don't know" and she continued to lie there quite happy. "You need to get up!", "oh, OK" and then she started to take her helmet off still lying in the parking lot. She did get up once i grabbed her arm, pulled her up and told her helmet removal is easier if you are vertical. Neither of us were even slightly hurt, biggest casualty was my phone that flew off of the ram mount and smashed. The bike tip over bars did their job and no bodywork damaged occurred. We also provided some entertainment to the customers in the diner that we were intending to go to. Like Morrissey said, you got to own it. I picked the bike up like a boss and went inside for breakfast. I then went home and had a lie down to ease my now strained leg muscles!!


Of course now that story has morphed to our friends about how i tried to kill her in the parking lot with a motorbike, until i explain the finer points that she lay on the ground quite happy looking at the clouds.

 

[KCJones]

My wife's Sicilian grandfather always started family dinners by dipping his fingers in his glass of red wine and 'spritzing' it on the tablecloth. He'd say "there, now it's stained and nobody else has to worry about it. Mangia!"

Tip-overs are kinda like that...