We post SMART things, we also need to post DUMB things we do
by: oldchopperguy - May 6, 2018 0:00:40 GMT -5
Post by oldchopperguy on May 6, 2018 0:00:40 GMT -5
OK boyz n' gurlz...
I've posted some neat stuff I've done that worked, so others could try it.. We ALL do that. But once in a while, I do something not so bright, and posting THAT experience can help others too...
So... A few days ago I got my new rear whitewall tire installed. GREAT!!! So I went to my favorite spray-wash to give "Minnie Mouse" her annual spring cleaning.
When finished, hot-wax and all, shammy and helmet under my arm, I hurried to move out of the stall to let an impatient posse of Red-Neck 4x4 jockeys in to de-mud their monster trucks. Fast walking the Mouse, with wet, waxy hands, wet, waxy scooter, slippery pavement at funky drainage angles and I let my feet go out from under me and the bars slip out of my hands and CRASH! Down went Minnie. Why do they ALWAYS fall AWAY from you instead of TOWARD you so you can stop the fall with your body?
FIRST time I ever dropped a bike. I suppose that's a pretty good record for near sixty years of riding, but somehow that doesn't make me all THAT happy. I should have been less hurried and more careful.
MERCIFULLY the right saddlebag cushioned the entire rear half of the scoot, preventing the seat, plastics and muffler from hitting the pavement. Really STOUT saddlebags! Sure paid me back the $8 I paid for them on eBay!
The right-hand mirror took ALL the impact, shattering the ABS mount and destroying the mirror paint. That was the ONLY damage, and I'm thankful for that. I unplugged the power line from the mirror, retrieved all the bits of plastic mount and carried everything home in the trunk. Poor thing looked like a dead plastic rat.
Like a jigsaw puzzle, I reassembled the mount with epoxy (like broken glass, all the pieces fit perfectly together...) and reinstalled the mirror, with some chrome trim covering the ruined paint. Wow, the power mirror still functions correctly, and I put 50 pounds of twist on the mirror with no breaking of the epoxy. I will order a new mount though... Yeah, they are STILL available!
Valuable lesson learned here. When WALKING any bike, be as careful as when you're RIDING it. Once it slips from your hands, and falls away from you, it's doggone hard to stop it! Especially when you're on your butt on the other side... LOL
I spent a good hour reflecting on how I let this happen, and contemplating all the plastic, upholstery and exhaust parts I'd now have to be replacing without that nice, stiff saddlebag to intervene. Makes me think maybe saddlebags are worth having even if you never use them except as "air-bags" for your plastics...
So ride safe, and make SURE of your grip, stance and balance when walking your bike. Accidents and damage can happen just as suddenly walking as when riding...
Leo (really, REALLY glad this was NOT a new Indian Chief) in Texas
PS: I did get some advice from a crotch-rocket boy in the next stall. He kindly helped me pick the scoot up, and advised: "Bummer old-timer! I'd just break off the OTHER mirror so it looks even... That's what I did with MINE." Noticing his big bike looked like it had been dragged a mile or so down a gravel road, I simply thanked him for the advice and for helping out...
I've posted some neat stuff I've done that worked, so others could try it.. We ALL do that. But once in a while, I do something not so bright, and posting THAT experience can help others too...
So... A few days ago I got my new rear whitewall tire installed. GREAT!!! So I went to my favorite spray-wash to give "Minnie Mouse" her annual spring cleaning.
When finished, hot-wax and all, shammy and helmet under my arm, I hurried to move out of the stall to let an impatient posse of Red-Neck 4x4 jockeys in to de-mud their monster trucks. Fast walking the Mouse, with wet, waxy hands, wet, waxy scooter, slippery pavement at funky drainage angles and I let my feet go out from under me and the bars slip out of my hands and CRASH! Down went Minnie. Why do they ALWAYS fall AWAY from you instead of TOWARD you so you can stop the fall with your body?
FIRST time I ever dropped a bike. I suppose that's a pretty good record for near sixty years of riding, but somehow that doesn't make me all THAT happy. I should have been less hurried and more careful.
MERCIFULLY the right saddlebag cushioned the entire rear half of the scoot, preventing the seat, plastics and muffler from hitting the pavement. Really STOUT saddlebags! Sure paid me back the $8 I paid for them on eBay!
The right-hand mirror took ALL the impact, shattering the ABS mount and destroying the mirror paint. That was the ONLY damage, and I'm thankful for that. I unplugged the power line from the mirror, retrieved all the bits of plastic mount and carried everything home in the trunk. Poor thing looked like a dead plastic rat.
Like a jigsaw puzzle, I reassembled the mount with epoxy (like broken glass, all the pieces fit perfectly together...) and reinstalled the mirror, with some chrome trim covering the ruined paint. Wow, the power mirror still functions correctly, and I put 50 pounds of twist on the mirror with no breaking of the epoxy. I will order a new mount though... Yeah, they are STILL available!
Valuable lesson learned here. When WALKING any bike, be as careful as when you're RIDING it. Once it slips from your hands, and falls away from you, it's doggone hard to stop it! Especially when you're on your butt on the other side... LOL
I spent a good hour reflecting on how I let this happen, and contemplating all the plastic, upholstery and exhaust parts I'd now have to be replacing without that nice, stiff saddlebag to intervene. Makes me think maybe saddlebags are worth having even if you never use them except as "air-bags" for your plastics...
So ride safe, and make SURE of your grip, stance and balance when walking your bike. Accidents and damage can happen just as suddenly walking as when riding...
Leo (really, REALLY glad this was NOT a new Indian Chief) in Texas
PS: I did get some advice from a crotch-rocket boy in the next stall. He kindly helped me pick the scoot up, and advised: "Bummer old-timer! I'd just break off the OTHER mirror so it looks even... That's what I did with MINE." Noticing his big bike looked like it had been dragged a mile or so down a gravel road, I simply thanked him for the advice and for helping out...
thanks Unca Leo! 
Of course, everything has an "up-side". I've found uninvited ammonia to be an effective aid in removing bugs and road tar at the end of a ride... Double EEEWWW!