| Author | Message | ||
     Rmp |
Just a few minutes ago, while getting ready to pull the wheels off for a set of new Diablo's, my baby went crashing to the garage floor. When considering if I was going to take it to the shop for the tire change or not, I thought doing it myself would be the way to go. I've always done maintenance on all my vehicles including four wheelers, tractors, etc. so this should'nt be too much different right? I have the craftsman motorcycle/ATV jack so here I go. Slide the jack under pumped a time or two, through a strap on and tightened it down pretty snug. Pumped another couple times, tighten the strap. I checked to see if it was in there solid before going for the other strap and it felt sturdy. No sooner than I got clear of the bike, down she it went. Race pipe dented no big deal. Frame damage, not looking good. Scratched paint to the metal along with a nice dent. Please don't tell me how much of an idiot I am. I don't think I can take it. I need some help convincing me to keep the bike right now. I've loved riding since day one, but this may do me in. I probably over reacting, but I'm also pretty upset. Just wanted to let you guys know. Later. Rob | ||
| Kccyclone |
Calm down....it sucks YES...but the end of the world? NO ... Hang in there, get it fixed, ride it, and you will remember why you have it in the first place.  | ||
| Josh_ |
Over react throw something heavy (note, try not to break anything else. It only makes you feel better in the short run) find some friends and rant and rave (ooops, done that  ) Have a drink worry about thinking rationally later Later, see if a frame puck will cover up the scratches/dent. re-evaluate your lift procedure and correct when you went wrong (trust me, screwing up once doesn't make you feel nearly as bad as repeating it later) Ride! | ||
| Buell12hundo |
buy the frame pucks to cover the dent if at all possable,then wash the bike till she shines again that may help the pain.You have to look at it as a good thing......now you get to buy new things for your bike to replace and to help you get over dropping it. guilt free spending sorry to here about you dropping her but we all go down some time  | ||
| Djkaplan |
Not the end of the world by any means. Dust it off and get back into the fray. | ||
| Reepicheep |
You shoulda seen me reaching around trying to arrange the jackstands while trying to balance the entire bike on a single hydraulic floor jack in the middle of the exhuaust. It turned out fine, though through little fault of my own. I gotta get the come-along hook set up in the new garage before I try something stupid like that again. There but for the grace of God go I! It's an easy mistake to make.... | ||
| 2hogs |
Rmp, Depending on how high it was, it may not be too bad. Is that Craftsman jack the old style, i.e. like all the other C-lift jacks? If so, I almost a similar thing happen when lifting my Road Glide. I raised it some, straps to the loops on the jack, and finished raising it. I found out the straps tighten more as you raise it, and in my case the bike started to pivot on a single point and was close to sliding off the lift bar toward the back of the bike when I saw it and lower it quickly. Since then I make sure everything is lined up, raise it as high as I want it, then throw the straps on. Just relating my experience with that jack. Cheers | ||
| Nadz |
I have very carefully dropped my ride twice. Nothing big broken, but one time was embarrasing. Get a Pit Bull from DaveS. On the positive note, since Buells are so rare, nobody will know that dent ain't s'posta be there! 'Nuff sympathy, now go fix it. | ||
| Eurotwins |
I have felt your pain. One time I was washing my black BMW R1100S and asked a neighbor to hand me a towel. The towel he handed me had dried house paint on it that didn't wash out when my wife washed it. I didn't notice until I had dried half the bike,scrathed to c**p out of everything. I threatened to sell it right there and then but cooler heads prevailed and I had some parts painted and the others replaced with carbon fiber. The moral is that my wife gave me carte blanche to repair it just to ease my pain. BTW I still have that bike and will never get rid of it...John | ||
| Mou5e |
Sorry to hear about the fall Rmp. i too have a craftsman jack and i was worried the same thing would happen to me. i grabbed my canyon dancer and cross tied it to the walls of my garage. it works well if your garage isnt very wide. i just have a 1 car. have a drink tonight then ride hard tommorow. now that it have a ding you can ride the hell out of it. bring it to a track day and rip. if she goes down she needed to be fixed anyway =) | ||
| Jajarm |
Sorry to hear about the mistake, try these carbon frame covers they look good and you will forget all about the dented frame.  | ||
| Black_sunshine |
Rpm....I did the EXACT same thing....don't feel bad. I had mine up on a hydraulic jack. Took one of the straps off to reinstall my rear set and BAMMMMM! Fell right on the frame puck. Luckily Odie at Speciall O.P.S had my levers powdercoating them so they were spared. Had so much adrenaline pumping that I picked it straight up off the floor and put down the stand. Than I stood there in shock. Take a deep breath, throw something, fix what's broken, cover up your dent with a puck and ride on. You can laugh about it to your buddies in the future. | ||
| Rmp |
Everyone, I appreciate it. I'm cooled off now and starting to see the light. I recently bought the jack and it's the all steel one. I think 90 bucks at Sears. I tried it out one time already and didn't have any trouble. I guess live and learn huh? Anyhow. The frame pucks won't cover it as it too far back, but the carbon fiber covers might be the ticket. They hadn't even crossed my mind. Good idea Jajarm.  I went ahead and pulled the wheels off being way cautious this time around. I've got about six straps binding it to the jack. Well, as far as talking to some friends over a drink, it'll have to wait as I'm heading off to work now. Once again. I appreciate it. I'll keep you posted. Rob | ||
| Wesbone |
B.D. #1 THIS YOUR BOY B.D. #2, HANG IN THERE MAN. THIS IS NO BIG DEAL, THE BOYS WILL HELP YOU GET HER FIXED AND BACK ON THE ROAD AGAIN. YOU KNOW YOUR FAMILY WILL ALWAYS BE HERE FOR YOU MAN, WE LOVE YA!!! REACH FOR THE SKY HONKEY!!!! | ||
| Frausty12r |
Whoa, lotsa love in that post Yeah man a dropped bike causes more damage to pride, than it does to your wallet. Just live and learn, and next time, put some pillows down!! *grin* | ||
| Rubdoggy |
i met a guy who fixed his dent w/ bondo and the touch up paint that is sold by buell. i could'nt tell he ever went down. just sayin' bro | ||
| Tq_freak |
Rmp, I feel your pain, similar thing happend to me with that jack but a much lighter dirt bike. i some how managed to catch it. but after that scare me and my father went out and bought a lift like the dealers have. not that much money for some peace of mind and it is also so nice workin on stuff at eye level | ||
| Mellow_yellow |
Rmp-I know you just spent $90.00,but use that jack for something else or sell it to somebody and get yourself a swingarm stand and a front end stand.They are real solid,and easy to use.You could get away with just the swingarm stand(once the rear wheel is in the air,go ahead and jack up the front by way of the muffler)Jackin' a Buell up by the muffler only scares me.Just my humble o.  | ||
| Xbolt12 |
Rmp, Luckily I haven't dropped mine (keeping fingers crossed). However I have given the dreaded frame dent a bit of thought and here is my conclusion for what it's worth. As long as it's a dent without a lot of bulging at the edges you could simply remove the paint, Bondo the dent and repaint with Buell touch-up paint in a spray can and I doubt anyone would ever know the difference. Also any decrease in fuel capacity would be miniscule. I never thought the jacking point a good idea because of the curved surface of the exhaust. I second the PitBull stand suggestion. I have the front (triple tree) lift and it works great. I use a cheaper Redline rear which is ok, but I'll be getting another PitBull when I have some extra money. They are heavy, but really solid as well. Of course you would still want the jack for anything major or checking the steering head. Anyway, I'm sorry this happened to you and I know how it feels from other vehicles that I've damaged. | ||
| Xbolt12 |
BTW, don't bother with front stands that go in the bottom of the forks. Buell forks like R6 Yamahas are uneven length and you have to turn the fork to get the front wheel out. I had my 12r fall off on one side while I was removing the wheel with that type stand and while I saved the bike except for a scratch on the fork, I hurt my back holding it up while yelling for help and having to lift the bike back onto the stand. Get the triple tree lift-it uses a pin which goes up into the stem from underneath. | ||
| Rmp |
I'm am definitely upgrading my lift procedures and equipment ASAP. I may have found another option for covering the dent. I think their called grip skins. It's not my first choice, but nice to know there are options. I'm the kind of person that wants stuff to be right not patched but a cover may have to do for now. I feel much better reading these posts. BadWeb is the best. Rob | ||
| Davefla |
I've dropped mine twice (and the second time REALLY hurt. Don't be an idiot like me: if you're going to walk the bike around the garage, walk on the side the STAND'S on, so you can see for certain that it's down.) Damages to date are two pegs and a brake lever, though it could use some new signals and unscarred mirrors too. Sure, it's not showroom beautiful any more, but after ten riding months and 3,200 miles, it's still just getting better looking. Even when there are bugs all over the fairing after a great summer ride. | ||
| Tahoe_xbuelligan |
At least you didnt have all your buddys standing there. When I crashed my baby at 1100 miles I was at with all of my Harley riding buddys. Someone said something and the next thing you know I am demonstrating how it will do a "power wheelie". Long story short, power wheelies, minivans and public streets dont mix, mostly the power wheelie part. I am a "veteran rider" (funny sh*t) and dont like telling the story, my friends tell it enough. I am only telling it to hopefully make you feel a little bit better. BTW, my moment of sheer stupidity cost me ALOT. I had scabs for 6 months and I still limp. Fix the bike. You will feel better. Ed | ||
| Alstroker |
Guys, don't give up on those Craftsman type lifts just yet. The first thing I did when I got mine was to fabricate a steel cradle that fit the radius of the muffler perfectly. The cradle has rubber on it for traction and bolts right in place of the stock one. I lift my bike often, many times just for cleaning the wheels. I have had zero incidents with it and I don't even tie it down. The bike is totally stable and I can roll the stand around with the bike on it without any problem. I have changed front and rear tires at the same time and have left the bike sitting on the stand for several days. The problem with the Pitbull type stands is trying to hold the bike up right while putting it on the rear stand. It just seems risky to me. | ||
| Rmp |
Alan. How do you get the cradle underneath? I can barely get the factory flat one under. Rob | ||
| Coldwthrrider |
Sorry to hear about the tip-over but relax, it will be just fine. I was really pissed at myself when I got Diablos recently (story here). Once you get past the shock and get riding the bike again all will be well. I too do all my own service and somehow I wondered if I was worthy of this awesome machine if I couldn't even take care of it. Last weekend a 6hr ride through the twisties reminded me that all is well. BTW, when changing my tires I used a single point craftsman jack underneath and suspended the rear from the rafters of the garage. It wasn't ideal but it worked. A swingarm stand and the jack up front worked fine for swapping the front wheel. | ||
| Roc |
I hang the front of my bikes with a come-along and use a pit bull in the rear. I had a bike jump off of the front pit bull before, while held up with the rear pit bull. I managed to catch and hold the front of the bike, tire in but no axle, in a very odd balance - tire on front fairing I think, untile a friend came over. Hanging is cheap too. (Message edited by roc on August 10, 2005) | ||
| Vegasbro |
http://www.ironmachine.com/product_info.php?cPath=45&products_id=101 $379 for the carbon covers | ||
| Daves |
or 359.10 thru me. Sorry to hear of your troubles. | ||
| Rick_a |
The first couple times always hurts... | ||
| Skyguy |
Sorry to hear about your pride (I mean bike). You will feel much better if you go out and ride the bike fast enough no one can see the dent. I have a nick in my frame from a little high side this last winter (oil, hard turn wayyyy to much throttle). Going to put a frame puck on it and call it a day!. My leather jacket has 17 years and scratches from three get-offs and I wear it with pride. "If you never go down you ain't riding it" |
