Ooops Moment

[Condor]

Now I've put a bike on a trailer and taken one off just a few times. Never had a problem.... until last week. I needed the trailer to pull another duty, so the '07 had to go find some other place to hang. Putting it on wasn't a problem in L.A., but unloading it in the back yard proved to be a little hairy. Yes there are pics. The '07..all 850# of it almost landed in my lap. My life did flash before my eyes. It could have been fatal. It'll take too long to explain what happened except to say the left exhaust tip dug into the lawn on the way down the ramp, and I ended up flat on my a$$ on the ground looking straight up at the bike. Luckily it didn't go all the way over. Another 6" farther back, and it would have... Whew!!

[steamer]

So other then an exhaust pipe full of dirt and a bent bag guard, any other damage?...You are one lucky dude it didn't keep going over.

[Bob Myers]

That almost looks staged, except for the bent cover. Man o man are you fortunate that it wasn't going any faster or slower when it dug in. Either one would have had a far worse ending.

[Snaggletooth]

Jack, you had a good day. You're in one 3D piece and it don't look like the bike took a hit. Just remember to dig the dirt out of the tail pipe....... and I'm sure fresh shorts are were in order.

 

Bet you have a new game plan in place already for the next time. And pick up a lotttery ticket.

 

Glad you didn't get hurt.

 

Mike

[Condor]

So other then an exhaust pipe full of dirt and a bent bag guard, any other damage?...You are one lucky dude it didn't keep going over.

 

Amazingly nothing other than the left eyebrow in one of the last pics.... I have extras..and my pride.. Didn't bend the guard, and when I fired up the engine the dirt disappeared... Also found that the tilt switch works great, although I wouldn't suggest anyone else testing theirs this way.....

[Cougar]

Isn't this type thing a donation

Glad your OK !

[Marcarl]

I can feel your pain,,, it's happened more than once, not coming off a trailer,, but going over gives one a real let down feeling. OUCH!

[Condor]

Isn't this type thing a donation

Glad your OK !

 

Thanks for the OK... but Nope.. It never hit the ground. Besides I think that donation per drop thing was great when the site was a freebe to keep the SAF fund afloat. Geeze, I can't even remember what it was called back then?? Lord knows I've tossed a few bucks that directon in the past, but I now wonder where the donations go?? If it ends up in the SAF then by all means continue to do so if you choose. I don't have any guilty paigns....

[Guest tx2sturgis]

I'm sure glad all is well.

 

In past rants, I have warned other members about trailer issues with these bikes...and some members kinda gave me the brush-off, claiming I was wrong, or stupid, whatever.

 

But s**t can and does happen. I've seen it, and I've experienced it. Recently, a buddy of mine had his $20,000 HD RoadGlide dropped over the side, four feet to the pavement off the deck of a 'roll-back' tow truck. Ouch. It was totalled by the wrecker's insurance company. (wrecker is right!) They only offered him $12,000...so far. (blue book value of course)

 

Again, Condor, glad your OK dude...coulda been a broken leg with that one!

 

 

Edited May 24, 2013 by tx2sturgis

[friesman]

Wow, Jack you are one lucky dude:yikes:, (must be all that clean living... ) So glad that you and your bike are fine.

 

Brian

[Evan]

Amazing pics Jack. Glad it was mostly your pride that was damaged and you shared the story with us. Had a bit of a scare myself two day ago and also felt embarrassed as a result. Put my bike on the centre stand to do an oil change. Was on soft ground so used a piece of plywood for support. When I tried to take the bike off the stand, one leg of the centre stand slipped off the plywood and I just about lost it.

[CaptainJoe]

Glad your ok... the bike can be fixed...LOL

 

was you seated on the bike or on the left side?

 

After years of dirt biking I got rally good at taking bikes off of trucks and trailers.

 

With the bike turned off, put the bike in first gear and back the bike down the ramp while working the clutch(effectively the back brake now) and front brake.Plus you can even leave the kickstand down.

 

The major problem of`backing the bike without it being in 1st gear, I can gaurentee you the front wheel will start sliding.

 

maximum braking always takes place on the downhill wheel(s)

Edited May 25, 2013 by CaptainJoe
using wireless keyboard(for now)

[dacheedah]

I always find a small ditch or elevated lot and drop the ramp so it's as close to level as possible. Once you find a good spot it is so easy you will do it again.

[Condor]

Glad your ok... the bike can be fixed...LOL

 

was you seated on the bke or on the left side?

 

After year of dirtbiking I got rally good at taking bikes off of trucks and trailers.

 

With the bike turned off, put the bike in first gear and back the bike down the ramp while working the clutch(effectively the back brake now) and front brake.Plus you can even leave the kickstand down.

 

The major pr`ng on the left side of the bike without it being in 1st gear, I can gaurentee you the front wheel will start sliding.

 

maximum braking always takes place on the downhill wheel(s)

 

 

Been there and done the slide the first time I ever tried. Thought about it a bit and now I keep the bike running and in 1st gear. When the front wheel stars to lose traction I feather the clutch to 'brake' with the rear wheel. And yep I ride them off. I just don't feel confortable balancing 850#'s from just one side..

 

I always find a small ditch or elevated lot and drop the ramp so it's as close to level as possible. Once you find a good spot it is so easy you will do it again.

 

Actually if I had been on asphalt it probably wouldn't have happened. Generally I unload out front, but this time the bike wasn't tied down any longer and didn't want to go thru the hassle of retieing.. Next time I'll tie....

[Peder_y2k]

Geometry is why it went over on you. If you could have kept the handlbars straight, it would have stayed up. The angle of the fork rake, combined with the height of the trailer, plus the rear wheel on the ground, all conspire to have gravity as the major force turninng the front wheel to the side. It's called castor. The weight of the bike shoving downward on the castor angle of the forks forces the wheel off center, and trying to manually control the whandlebars against this force while stepping off the trailer onto the ground is VERY challenging, and one really needs two good helpers.... or a good restraining system.

-Pete, in Tacoma WA USA

-83,88

[Phoneman1981]

Hello Jack. Thanks for sharing. Glad you were not injuried. I have not trailered my bike as of yet, but have loaded it in various trailers in an effort to do so. I certainly prefer my large tandem axle enclosed trailer with rear ramp door, but even then it is not the most comfortable feeling going backwards down hill, especially by yourself. I learned a few helpful things by reading your post.

 

I want to share a story about my neighbor. Perhaps it might save another member from injury. My neighbor Bruce has rode a bike for years and trailered many times. Recently he was loading his Ultra Classic in a similar single axle trailer with a wide tail gate. He was alone at the time. As he rode up the tail gate the added weight on the tail end of the trailer caused the trailer tounge to become disconnected from the ball. The tounge went up, the trailer rolled ahead and the tounge came back down on the tail gate. With the unexpected incline he was unable to hold the bike. Fortunetly the trailer had tall sides and he was simply pinched between the bike and the side of the trailer. I shudder to think about falling head first off the side of a trailer and worse have the bike possibly tumble down on top of oneself. Thankfully no real damage or injury. But taught him a few things. Try not to load while alone. And he now puts a floor jack under the tail end of the trailer when loading and unloading to relieve the upward pressure on the tounge. Lessons learned.

[Condor]

Hello Jack. Thanks for sharing. Glad you were not injuried. I have not trailered my bike as of yet, but have loaded it in various trailers in an effort to do so. I certainly prefer my large tandem axle enclosed trailer with rear ramp door, but even then it is not the most comfortable feeling going backwards down hill, especially by yourself. I learned a few helpful things by reading your post.

 

I want to share a story about my neighbor. Perhaps it might save another member from injury. My neighbor Bruce has rode a bike for years and trailered many times. Recently he was loading his Ultra Classic in a similar single axle trailer with a wide tail gate. He was alone at the time. As he rode up the tail gate the added weight on the tail end of the trailer caused the trailer tounge to become disconnected from the ball. The tounge went up, the trailer rolled ahead and the tounge came back down on the tail gate. With the unexpected incline he was unable to hold the bike. Fortunetly the trailer had tall sides and he was simply pinched between the bike and the side of the trailer. I shudder to think about falling head first off the side of a trailer and worse have the bike possibly tumble down on top of oneself. Thankfully no real damage or injury. But taught him a few things. Try not to load while alone. And he now puts a floor jack under the tail end of the trailer when loading and unloading to relieve the upward pressure on the tounge. Lessons learned.

 

The tongue coming off can sometimes happen when the trailer has a worn 2" coupler and the ball is 1 7/8". One way to be absolutely sure the tongue doesn't get airborn is to brace the rear with a set of those El Cheapo braces that are available at Harbor Freight... There's an orange one laying on the ground in one of the pics. Once in a while I'll flub and put the 2" trailer on a 1/7 and it'll work as long as the tongue weight is positive, but you don't want to load anything heavy on the back without some support. Actually you can load/unload a trailer off the tow vehicle while using those braces. Even with a heavy bike on the trailer. Screw the coupler off the ball, and then drop it back down once the vehicle is removed. Place the braces... one on each side.. under the rear cross member, and crank the tongue back up until the rear is supported. Solid as a rock. Load..unload without a worry...