SuzukiSavage.com - Print Page

SuzukiSavage.com
/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl
General Category >> Rubber Side Down! >> Third time's the charm.
/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1152402081

Message started by Aviler on 07/08/06 at 16:41:21

Title: Third time's the charm.
Post by Aviler on 07/08/06 at 16:41:21

Or curse, I suppose.

I was being stupid (read as immature) on my bike this evening before I left from work and managed a drop that damaged it enough that I won't be riding for a little bit :(. No, no details about this bit of shame.

It dropped on the left side in such a way as to:
*break front signal stem (will probably do a duct tape fix temporarily)
*bend/mangle the left driver's footpeg (are driver and passenger pegs interchangeable?)
*slightly bent the left side of the handlebars (feels a bit funky, spacing wise)
*punctured the generator cover (left hand side, has the slotted plug?) causing an oil drip leak (looks like the fall forced the edge of the kickstand switch into the generator cover)

So, in order of priority:
*inspect more fully to make sure I didn't miss any problems
*replace generator cover (and gasket, if I need to?)
*I probably will take the time to do an oil change while I'm at it, because by the time I get to be able to do this, it will have all probably dripped out.
*replace footpeg
*replace or fix handlebars
*permanent fix for signal

One does pay for one's stupidity. And if one is smart, one won't repeat that particular bit of stupidity.

Title: Re: Third time's the charm.
Post by Brewbrother on 07/08/06 at 17:58:45

Aviler wrote:

Sorry you went down, there is no shame in that, in my opinion. Glad you have laid a plan down to correct the damage and the behavior that caused the condition. Its almost never the bikes fault. ;)

Title: Re: Third time's the charm.
Post by SavageDude on 07/08/06 at 19:43:49

You actually will do some of us a favor by stating the cause of the drop. We all can learn something not to do because of someone's mistake. ;)

Title: Re: Third time's the charm.
Post by Aviler on 07/08/06 at 20:23:39

*mumbles something about trying to peel out/burn rubber* :-[

Not something one needs to be trying when one has as little actual experience with motorcycles as I do.

Don't know exactly what I did, but I did manage to wheelie it. Which is probably part of why the impact did what it did.

Title: Re: Third time's the charm.
Post by Paladin on 07/08/06 at 21:19:15

A Wheelie? Cool! Of course you did it with little experience -- that is how you gain experience. :D

Welcome to the College of Life, School of Hard Knocks. When you finally graduate you are either cremated or buried. Eventually you start to pray, "Oh please Lord, not another Learning Experience!"

Bent handlebar -- you were thinking of drag bars or apehangers so this is a good reason for getting them.

They make front turn signals that hug the fork tubes, but it's hard to justify the cost as long as the stock ones are OK.

When I bent my footpeg I simply used a piece of pipe to slip over the peg and straightened it.

Title: Re: Third time's the charm.
Post by ratdog472 on 07/09/06 at 05:56:33

Quote:

They make front turn signals that hug the fork tubes, but it's hard to justify the cost ...

But they are so danged sexy!! If you work it right you can add a pair of the dual slotted rear signals in there to match.

Something like these:

http://www.motorcyclepartspro.com/images/fork_mount_auxiliary_lights_1.gif

http://www.jcwhitney.com/wcsstore/jcwhitney/images/imagecache/G_13431G_SW_1.gif

*where is that AMEX card again?*

Title: Re: Third time's the charm.
Post by thumperclone on 07/09/06 at 07:11:23

ive repaired cases with this method it works..specially if waiting for funds for oem part..yes JB WELD
remove and thoroughly clean case(solvent,thinner,ive heard brake fluid works also)all oil must be removed.heat up your oven to 170F ,mix up and apply the jb weld ,done holes up to nickel size (shifter lever hole) by adding foil as filler.. cook for 20 min center rack on OLD cookie sheet,foil ,pie pan etc..allow to cool sand smooth inside and out, paint outside if perm fix...on larger holes may need second layer outside to blend the surfaces..ive done cases when painted you couldnt tell there had been a repair..and it gets you up and running in a couple of hours... 8)

Title: Re: Third time's the charm.
Post by SeeAPierce on 07/09/06 at 08:11:58

If you went down hard enough to bend the bars and do the other damage, I would say it's a good thing you weren't badly hurt. One ambulance trip costs more than all this damage will cost to repair. In the end - a pretty cheap way to gain some hard-core experience.
Stay well.

Title: Re: Third time's the charm.
Post by PiaFea on 07/09/06 at 09:49:19

Is it an intended wheelie or unintended wheelie?
If it is an intended wheelie, you must me the first one to try it on a Savage/S40. To my knowledge, cruisers are not made for wheelie.
Glad that no injury occured. Keep on riding and stay safe and happy.
Thanks all for sharing your experiences.
I greatly appreciate this site since started riding again for its beneficial and educative information.

Title: Re: Third time's the charm.
Post by Aviler on 07/09/06 at 10:28:41

Paladin, I think you've got me confused with someone else. I actually am satisfied with the handlebar style that is on it, at the moment. And they aren't unuseable at the moment, the symmetry is just a little skewed, now.

The mangled footpeg I took off and pounded out with a 2.5 pound hammer. The bottom side of the rubber is almost all shredded from scraping across the asphalt, but it should still function :)

As to turn signals, yes, the close in look is very nice, but I'm torn between that, and wondering whether narrowing the light display will make one less noticeable/visible to drivers.

Regarding injuries, it was all in first gear, so no real appreciable speed, but the way it happened, I'm darn lucky I didn't crack my head on the asphalt. I did end up rolling/sliding across the asphalt for a few feet. Scraped my hands up a little bit, small scrape on elbow, shirt I was wearing has asphalt skid marks across the back of it, now.

As I'm thinking about it, I'm pretty sure the step that I forgot that caused me to wheelie (unintentionally) was holding the front brake as I ran the RPMs up. Also, doing this from a stop, I think I had my feet on the ground which, coupled with my grip on the handlebars, gave the right leverage to pull the front wheel off the ground. I kinda wish somebody would've been taping me just to see what exactly it was that I did and/or did not do.

Now, I have some questions regarding replacing the generator/alternator cover. If anybody has done it, what should I look out for/pay attention to? What tools should I make sure I have on hand before I start? Is this something that a neophyte mechanic should be doing at all, or do I just need to be careful and pay close attention to what I'm doing?

Thanks for all your help and input.

Title: Re: Third time's the charm.
Post by Paladin on 07/09/06 at 14:08:55

No confusion, just trying to say that when you break things it's simply means you get an excuse to upgrade.

Re: the JB Weld fix -- I can vouch for a JB Weld patch to a radiator that lasted two years.

Lights are a courtesy to others. Those who are looking for light will see even the close ones, assuming appropriate brightness. Those who don't care will ignore a xeon strobe.