New rider first drop

C

CelticDragon

New member
I know a lot of riders have done it but I dropped my C50 today. I was out testing a pair of lower deflectors I purchased to cut down on wind buffeting (good advice they work great) and I lost it in a turn. I am a new rider and was thinking about everything else but the turn. I guess I am mad because I had just put 60 miles on the highway and I lost it on an easy turn on a city street. I found myself making the turn to wide and while trying to correct ended up on the ground. I can say that the helmet, jacket and boots worked. I didn
 
First of all :welcomes:
Second of all. I'm sorry to hear that. Glad your ok though. You really got to pay attention to everything while you are riding. A wise man in this forum once said "Your bike can be replaced, you can't."
Ride safe
DRZ
 
Mr. Six....
You are very lucky. I did a similar thing at around 1500 miles on mine....thought I knew what I needed to know by that time. Boy was I wrong....:sad: It cost me three months off riding and a permanent big scar on my knee and similar bike damage. All my gear saved me except for my knee... *sigh*.
You will only have learned this lesson well if you take it nice and slow for a long long time now....many thousands of miles....and gain the experience you need to make the skills you need truly second nature.
Regards... annie
 
Hate to hear it but glad it wasn't worse. Seeing the parts you have listed I'd make sure you didn't twist the forks as well. Not as obvious as the parts you listed because there'll probably be no scratches but if they are bent you don't want to be driving on them. Just incase...

Good luck with the repair.
 
Yes, it will be a lesson learned the hard way. I didn't think about the forks, I will have them checked. "An unscheduled opportunity to customize" that was funny
 
How about a little info? Why did you end up going too wide? When you noticed you were too wide, what did you do to correct? How did that correction result in your going down? Once you noticed that you were going wide, did you "get tight" and lose your flexibility?

I learned a lot many years ago when going around a turn after a rainstorm and seeing a mudwash across the road and dumping the bike.
 
Sorry about the lesson learned. Better slow than at 60.

However, I think you're wrong about one thing. Most anybody can do 60 on the highway, but the slow maneuvers are much more difficult. Slow tight turning takes a lot more practice and concentration than zipping straight down the road.

I practice slow u-turns and circles in both directions pretty regularly. Especially in the beginning of the season.

And all I am saying is, don't be too hard on yourself, you already chalked it up to a learning experience.
 
Sorry to hear that. But as you said you are mad because you dropped it on an easy turn on a side street after you had just been on the highway.
Let me just say you are lucky my friend, I don't think dropping it at 60 MPH would have turned out the same.
 
1. Glad that you sound okay!

2. Even though you think you are okay, please get checked...

3. Before riding the bike again, please have it checked...
The forks advise is very true, you can not see the damage, but it is there
and it dangerous to be riding a bike with bad forks...

4. Learn it... It is un natural for us human to be on a leaning angle, it is a challenge to keep our self standing straight, never mind balancing a leaned motorcycle. So when you force yourself to ride leaned on the edge of a tire, your are bound for disaster at some point... Got to be very careful when it comes to curves and turning...

5. Same happened to me some time ego... New gear and accessories on a bike are dangerous... You get so distracted by the new looks of the new gadget that you forget you are riding a bike...

At one time I installed new rear view mirrors on a bike, and I was so excited with the new mirrors and I kept adjusting them while riding and looking through the mirror and stop paying attention to the front, I ended up in someone truck's bed...

No matter what, handle your business and ignore the distractions...

Am sure that you are plenty capable of handling that little curve that took you down if only you were paying attention...

Regards,
Get well!
 
Believe me friends I know I was lucky. I was feeling very frustrated because I had finally solved my buffeting problem only to find myself with several new ones. I posted the thread only hours after I dropped it. Nothing like a little sleep to help put things in perspective.
 
Just scratches? Nothing broke off? Ride it as is...scratches won't hurt a thing and you'll save $800. There are two types of riders, those that have laid bikes down and those that will. Try to learn from your mistake and what you did wrong and maybe next time you can avoid it.
 
It's good to know you're alright. Luckily, I've been fortunate to have unleashed all my accidents on motorcycles off road. I got my first motorcycle for my 6th birthday, and believe me, I've been through some doozies! Flying head first over the handle bars and all. I've even sent my bike flying over me! But there was always dirt at the end waiting to soften the fall, really hard dirt (I grew up in AZ), but dirt none the less.
 
How can you tell if there is fork damage if there is no visible signs of it?
I too have recently dropped my C50. Scratched the front fender, scratched the gas tank and folded up the left floor board.
Sanded and repainted the fender, used polishing compound for the tank and pulled the floor board back down. It seems to ride and steer fine. No wobling or binding in turns.
 
Most common is just twisting the forks in the trees. If the front wheel is still in line with the bars as it should be, probably not twisted. Take a harder hit, but certainly not THAT hard to bend the forks. Even a slight bend that you can barely, if at all, see from just a casual look at the front end can cause the spring or dampener to bind. Feels funny at best, dumps you in a corner at worst.
Only sure way I know of to test for bent tubes is to pull them and lay them on a flat surface and check for warpage. I'd like to hear if there's an easier way from others.
That being said, I've ridden with a bent (very slightly) tube for over a month before I got a replacement. Not smart but can be done. You risk the bend getting more severe with continued pressure / impacts and it's possible to have it give and bend in on your internals. Of course, this is very rare and you'd probably notice it starting to warp before something this dramatic happened, but it is a possibility. It's all in your level of acceptable risk. Personally, I'd pull the front end down after anything hard enough to throw me (just laying it down in the driveway or garage wouldn't be worth the bother) and make sure, but I enjoy tinkering and have the space to leave stuff in pieces for a few days if need be.

Good luck and ride safe.
 
Don't feel bad! I didn't get 50 feet before I dumped my new bike at the end of the driveway. It got my left leg that time, but only sustained a slight sprain of my ankle. Did the same thing in the middle of a busy intersection two weeks later, this time on my right leg (am still limping!). Not only was I blocking traffic, but was stuck under my bike and couldn't get up. THEN, my friend told me that big V-twins have a bad habit of seising when the clutch is let out rolling along under idle speed. It was a hard lesson learned, but now I've gained confidence and go around corners faster than a slow walk!
 
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