Ooops, or how a lowered bike + bad judgement = Dropped bike
Heh, I was riding around Orcas Island yesterday (doing a mini trip to the San Juan Islands). Coming out of this parking lot there were a few largish holes right where the road (paved) met their parking lot (gravel). I could have avoided the area entirely by going to the entrance side but decided to just try to ride through the area and try to hit the strip between the potholes (I have no idea why I was being stubbern about that. I think I was thinking the worst that would happen was I'd hit a pothole and get jostled around some as the holes didn't look too big but in hindsight looking back they were on the edge of the parking lot right where the road pavement met so while they weren't big, the pavement was raised up a bit higher off the gravel lot so they created more of a large lip right at that point).
So, my bike is lowered. I got front wheel on pavement, was in mid turn to turn onto the road, back wheel hits pot hole. With pavement area raised, back wheel down in pothole, bike in full mid part of turn, the bike didn't manage to have clearance on the side and my bottom fairing struck the pavement, stopped the bike in mid turn (I wasn't going very fast), and, well, a stopped bike when it is leaning over to turn... yeah... it dropped.
I managed to jump off of it when I realized it was a lost cause and I was not strong enough to catch it and prevent it from dropping (by the time I jumped off the bike was so leaned over it was easy to get my leg over the large tailbag on back).
And my bike is a toughie . She suffered a paint chip, a bent brake lever, and a large scuff from where the bottom front fairing hit the pavement. And other than that, none the worse for wear (of course the saddlebags might have helped cushion her fall. They're actually showing no wear except some dirt, and they are soft bags, not hard!).
(Crossposted to motorcycles).
So, my bike is lowered. I got front wheel on pavement, was in mid turn to turn onto the road, back wheel hits pot hole. With pavement area raised, back wheel down in pothole, bike in full mid part of turn, the bike didn't manage to have clearance on the side and my bottom fairing struck the pavement, stopped the bike in mid turn (I wasn't going very fast), and, well, a stopped bike when it is leaning over to turn... yeah... it dropped.
I managed to jump off of it when I realized it was a lost cause and I was not strong enough to catch it and prevent it from dropping (by the time I jumped off the bike was so leaned over it was easy to get my leg over the large tailbag on back).
And my bike is a toughie . She suffered a paint chip, a bent brake lever, and a large scuff from where the bottom front fairing hit the pavement. And other than that, none the worse for wear (of course the saddlebags might have helped cushion her fall. They're actually showing no wear except some dirt, and they are soft bags, not hard!).
(Crossposted to motorcycles).