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TBC · March 10th, 2013, 06:03 PM

Ugh.

With the beautiful weather out yesterday, I decided to go for a long ride! Headed up to a state park an hour or so away and rode around, admiring the scenery. Stopped at a bike shop on the way home to pick up some maintenance supplies, and also realizing that my helmet is probably too big for me (drats...). Then after a quick stop, I decided to ride out to Sears for one last errand. All-in-all added over 100 miles to the bike.

About that time is when I screwed up.

I could've taken one of a dozen different ways to get there, but instead I decide to go one way where I'm stuck waiting for a signal to change. Of course, the little Ninja won't activate the left turn lane light, so I hop back onto the main road looking for a turnoff. About a mile or so down I get behind a truck in the turning lane, successfully turn onto a fairly steep side road, and go to do a U-turn.

Naturally, the bike stops in the middle of the turn and goes down on its left side.

As quickly as I can I hit the kill switch and struggle to get the bike back up. A young girl in an Accord behind me shouts "Are you okay?" Damnit.

After gathering my wits together I roll the bike twenty or thirty yards to the side of a less-busy side street. I spend roughly half an hour cursing myself, looking for damage, and trying to get it started again. Meanwhile I nearly get clipped by a kid in Civic tearing around the corner at 50 mph. After finally pushing it into someone's driveway, it comes back to life and I ride home without incident.

Damage:
-Seriously bent clutch lever. Will need to be replaced.
-Bent shifter lever. Nearly overlapping the link bar. May need to be replaced...
-Scuffed bar end.
-Scuffed mirror.
-Scuffed center stand.
-Possibly bent left exhaust mount. Need to double-check that.

All-in-all, it could have been worse. But still, money out of pocket...

Lessons learned:
-Stop trying to do U-turns on steep hills. I've dropped the bike twice, both times trying to do U-turns on steep hills at night.
-Next-time, get the bike off of the road as quickly as possible. Especially at night.

I should probably also add a hex-wrench for draining the carbs, but that's neither here nor there.

So: OEM clutch lever or aftermarket? Decisions, decisions...

March 10th, 2013, 06:03 PM	#1
TBC ninjette.org guru Name: Dave Location: Pittsburgh Join Date: Oct 2011 Motorcycle(s): 2004 Ninja 250F Posts: 308	Dropped Baby Dropped Baby Dropped... Ugh. With the beautiful weather out yesterday, I decided to go for a long ride! Headed up to a state park an hour or so away and rode around, admiring the scenery. Stopped at a bike shop on the way home to pick up some maintenance supplies, and also realizing that my helmet is probably too big for me (drats...). Then after a quick stop, I decided to ride out to Sears for one last errand. All-in-all added over 100 miles to the bike. About that time is when I screwed up. I could've taken one of a dozen different ways to get there, but instead I decide to go one way where I'm stuck waiting for a signal to change. Of course, the little Ninja won't activate the left turn lane light, so I hop back onto the main road looking for a turnoff. About a mile or so down I get behind a truck in the turning lane, successfully turn onto a fairly steep side road, and go to do a U-turn. Naturally, the bike stops in the middle of the turn and goes down on its left side. As quickly as I can I hit the kill switch and struggle to get the bike back up. A young girl in an Accord behind me shouts "Are you okay?" Damnit. After gathering my wits together I roll the bike twenty or thirty yards to the side of a less-busy side street. I spend roughly half an hour cursing myself, looking for damage, and trying to get it started again. Meanwhile I nearly get clipped by a kid in Civic tearing around the corner at 50 mph. After finally pushing it into someone's driveway, it comes back to life and I ride home without incident. Damage: -Seriously bent clutch lever. Will need to be replaced. -Bent shifter lever. Nearly overlapping the link bar. May need to be replaced... -Scuffed bar end. -Scuffed mirror. -Scuffed center stand. -Possibly bent left exhaust mount. Need to double-check that. All-in-all, it could have been worse. But still, money out of pocket... Lessons learned: -Stop trying to do U-turns on steep hills. I've dropped the bike twice, both times trying to do U-turns on steep hills at night. -Next-time, get the bike off of the road as quickly as possible. Especially at night. I should probably also add a hex-wrench for draining the carbs, but that's neither here nor there. So: OEM clutch lever or aftermarket? Decisions, decisions...