More about tipovers

Last night I was on the couch hanging out with the kids in front of the Disney channel and my wife comes rushing in with all her gear on and asks for my help in the garage. She seems fine so my worries go to my fairly new to me Viffer. As I get to the garage her WeeStrom had fallen over on my bike. Her top box was wedged close to my foot peg and her hand guard was on my front fender holding up her front. All was being held up by my side stand and I was trying to figure out how to get between the 2 bikes and lift hers off my new best friend without a domino effect happening. All went well, she was fine thanks to being fully suited up, mine only had a couple of small scatches but no biggie it was a demo and already had a few.
Cause of the incident; she forgot to put her stand down before she got off the bike. Another reminder that brainfarts and motorcycles don't go too well together.

 

Ha!

I did this 4 days ago in the parking lot at D&B Supply. First one in 20+ yrs.

A really nice part of human life is that none of us are expected to be perfect!

 

So true, I'm still gonna keep her.

 

I'll tell you what's funny. I remind myself every single time by saying "look down and watch it touch". I am TOTALLY paranoid about the whole kick stand thing.

Jose

 

what aboot the spring loaded side stands, now thats style!

 

well, could of been worse. I've had the stand buckle myself, not putting it all the way forward.

Or had it sink into a blacktop parking lot.

 

Though I can't say I have ever forgot to put the kickstand down on the Viffer, I have however performed this brainfart on a previous Honda (my old CB750 Nighthawk). Hurt my pride more than the bike (thankfully it fell on to the grass next to the driveway) but I do make a conscious effort to look down now and check to make sure it is down before I get off the bike.

My previous Viffer (a 97 VFR) suffered the misfortune of the side stand sinking in to the hot asphalt and falling over. Of all the bikes I have ever owned this was the only time I had ever had a bike fall over from the side stand sinking in to the asphalt. I was utterly shocked. After that, I always used to carry a small round aluminum plate to put under the side stand if the bike was going to be parked anywhere for an extended period on hot asphalt. One day I had to take the bike to one of my local car dealer to pick up a vehicle I had to repair a few dents in and it was about 30*C so I parked the bike in the shade and had forgotten the small aluminum puck, so I thought it might be safer to put the bike on the center stand. You know, two feet with larger pads to support the bikes weight would be better. WRONG. I got a phone call about 30 minutes later from the receptionist at the dealership asking if I was the one who owned the red Honda motorcycle. Yes, I responded, not thinking much about it, until she said, "Sorry to tell you this Bill, but your bike just fell over." I finished fixing the vehicle that I had picked up and then returned to see what had happened. When I went over to where I had parked my bike I noticed it had fallen on the right side. Both feet of the center stand had sunken in to the asphalt and when it had gone down far enough to hit the actuator lever on the left side of the stand the right side sank kept going and over she went. Thankfully, there was not much damage as it went down slowly (just some small scatches on the mirror and near the right turn signal). The center stand stuck in the asphalt really well and the asphalt helped slow it's decent to the ground as the legs pulled free and tore a couple of chunks out of the parking lot. The major bonus, besides the lack of damage to the bike, was that the bike was parked just far enough away that when it fell it didn't hot the brand new, fully loaded Harley Davidson F350 one ton Ford (window sticker said it was worth $51,000) that happened to be parked next to my bike. Since I didn't have collision coverage on the bike at the time, that would have been a costly OOPS. As a result I now try to find a parking spot where the side stand can sit on concrete in case I forget to bring the puck with me.

 

i bought my vfr used, the guy gave me these plastic coasters, has some logo for bike school on them but you put them under your kickstand if you are on hot pavement, keeps kickstand from sinking into pavement, haven't used them yet but seems like a good idea, i keep one in my tank bag.

 

I HATE IT WHEN THAT HAPPENS!

I dropped my 1998 VFR800 to the tune of ~$700 damage.

I usually put the center stand down and let the stand switch shut off the engine then turn the ignition off. Doing it this way usually leaves the stand down but you run the risk of forgetting to turn of the ignition and run down the battery. I was tired after a long day of riding and just moving the VFR into a parking space. I rolled it back, put the stand down, shutoff the ignition and then decide to roll it back further to make room for another bike. You guessed it! Put the stand up rolled the VFR back and then proceeded to dismount. By the time I realized the stand was up the VFR was too far over and passed the point of no return. CRAP! I tried to slow it down and minimize the damage. On the 5th gen the turn signals will punch through the upper cowl.

Long story short, one upper cowl, one lower cowl one clutch lever and I am ~$700 poorer. Still waiting for the parts to come in.

 

Better to have the puck and use it, than to need it and not have used it. Last thing you want to see is you bike lying on it's side in an oh so expensive position. The only bikes I have ever owned that have had the tendency to sink in to the asphalt have been my VFR's (specifically the '91, '97 and the latest one, the 2000). Why, who knows??? As a result, the puck now goes with me everywhere I go. I have even thought about having a larger steel foot welded to the bottom of the side stand to make it larger so that it displaces the weight over a larger area.

 

Dropped my old KZ about 4 times that way. Duh. :doh:

I try to be extra careful, and triple check the side stand is down with the VFR while I am still on the bike.

 

My spotless 07 got dropped in my driveway one morning. I was hungover as hell and meeting an early start group. Ruined my whole day. As those stated before...watch that kickstand closely each and every time, regardless as to your beer count the night before!

 

Ask the wife to park her bike farther away from your VFR.

 

Working on it, will be putting up an addition to house the bikes. Don't tell her but it's gonna be the start of a larger flock.

 

I don't have one, but can usually find an old pop can laying around that works just the same. Don't always have tank bag or saddle bags.

 

I have seen harleydoods use their upper dentures.

 

I broke a brand new mirror (installed the day before) on someone's brand new F4i when we made a stop. We were parked so close together I couldn't stick my leg out to catch the bike when it tipped. Scratched the paint on his new bike as well.
And then there's the time a 60 mph gust of wind tipped my spotless viffer over on it's right side. Scratched up the engine case on the curb to the side of the parking spot. It left one tiny mark on the paint. The bike still has the case scratches. No matter how careful you are, things happen.

 

I installed two new condom style oem mirrors off a great Ebay score. I used to have a wild commute route in the middle of no-where in the middle of the everglades. On one ride home, going faster than hell, I saw an object, (almost like an incoming missle.) Turned oot it was a bird of some sort, well it hit that mirror solid, at first; I almost thought it was a fairing part that came off the bike. I got home, looked at the mirror, and there was feathers and blood on it! Should have taken a picture, I know what it felt like for all them fighter pilots of yester-year to say, "incoming."

Bikes are precarious creatures, shit happens as you know. Won't bore you with my three decade of tip-ova's. Wanted to share the creame of the crop though ; )

 

So right !!~ Here's an example of the worst "DAy" this bike had.......