[jokermtb]

I live in a traditional downtown area, homes close together, narrow driveways, etc. My house has a setup like this [one car garage which is really a workroom/storeroom for all our road bikes, mountain bikes, cruisers cx bikes, etc...in addition to a shop area]. My wife usually gets home from work before I do, and inconveniently parks just so, I have to usually ride on our adjacent neighbor's manicured lawn, to get past her RAV4. I've asked her repeatedly to park a bit closer to the house, but you know the story...right!

And, for all you bicyclists who either owned a roof rack, or had a friend who does - you'll appreciate this all the more. So, hot hot day in MI, and my brain is fried. I pull into the driveway, and see the RAV4, with enough adjacent pavement that I think 'I can squeeze thru without lawn'ing it". I gingerly creep forward, riding the razor's edge of lawn/concrete. I'm thinkin' I've really nailed it, and as I begin to formulate my congratulation to myself, suddenly my world is jarred.

I mean JARRED! Huh? What's happening!?

Gravity, my ol' friend, lends a hand to my confusion, as the Wee gracefully [in slow motion, of course] begins to topple over towards my neighbors heavily manicured side lawn/fern garden/rose bushes. Of course, I try to save it, and only succeed in depositing myself into a ferny thorn bush landing pad. Disbelieving that this is really happening, I jump up and realize my side Pelican case had impacted wife's RAV4 bumper!

OK, so I go to pick up the Wee. Juh-hee-zusss! This thing is freekin' heavy!!! I use my best handlebar in/grab rail lift with my back to the bike technique and somehow after Hulk attempt #2, manage to get Fat-Wee upright again only to discover my Givi rack is holding the Pelican at quite a weird angle. Thank Gawd, I had the Pelican's on to at least give the bike a head start on attaining verticality again - I can only imagine how impossible it would have been otherwise [anyone have to lift a Wee solo?]. My episode reminded me of friends who've driven into their garage with their bikes on the roof rack...boom! To my surprise - absolutely NO damage. The Pat Walsh Crash bars kept the fragile fairing + turn signal from being mashed by the Wee's prodigious girthage.......and the bars didn't bend or budge a bit. I'm impressed!

Later that night, I managed to bolt everything back together quite easily [a testament to the tuff design], but for the life of me I can't figure out how the upper rack supports of the Givi pulled free of the bike. The only thing I can think of is that I didn't get the side rack holes aligned with the Strom's top rack mounting bolts [don't really know how I could have actually missed that! - which is really puzzling to me]. The rack/bags seemed very stable and strong before my accident. Anyway - it's installed correctly now!

.....................................................................................................................................................Good as new again.


Did I mention how heavy the Wee is to lift? Damg! Might have to reconsider this whole off-road ability thing...she ain't my ol' KX125~!

 

[Stromin'Nroman]

...she ain't my ol' KX125~!

No she ain't.

Thorn bushes, the often ovelooked reason to wear the gear.

 

[mad dingo]

So how is the RAV4, or don't we care since it a cage and is the wife's. Did you go inside and ask her what she backed into because there is a big dent in the bumper?

 

[jokermtb]

There's a 5" black vertical smudge on the bumper corner. I thought about telling her, then thought "Hmmmm......do I really feel like dealing with this now?" :thumbup:

And yes, My S+S jacket did keep the rose thorns at bay quite nicely!

Can't wait to see my chiropractor this afternoon........

 

[dtalk]

my side Pelican case had impacted wife's RAV4 bumper!
...
Thank Gawd, I had the Pelican's on to at least give the bike a head start on attaining verticality again -

I feel compelled to call your attention to the above irony. :beatnik:

 

[jokermtb]

I feel compelled to call your attention to the above irony. :beatnik:

Yes, done in by Paradox, once again................:headbang:

 

[bureaucrat]

There's a 5" black vertical smudge on the bumper corner. I thought about telling her, then thought "Hmmmm......do I really feel like dealing with this now?" :thumbup:

Emergency shipment of rubbing compound will be discreetly delivered ASAP. If she intercepts it, tell her it's a romantic aid.

 

[Scott E. Bonds]

Great writing. I dumped mine backing it out of the basement. The approach to my basement garage door is gravel. When backing the bigVee out, my foot slipped and before I could get it back under me....timberrrrr, over we went on the clucth side, mashing some landscaping in the process. Between the crash bars, the pelicans and the bark busters, the bike suffered no harm.

But, I couldn't get enough traction to pick it up the standard way. So, with my pride crushed, I got my neighbor to help me pick the beast back up.

I will never dual sport this bike alone.

 

[jeems]

... - I can only imagine how impossible it would have been otherwise [anyone have to lift a Wee solo?]. ...

Did I mention how heavy the Wee is to lift? Damg!

It helps when you weigh half as much as the wee... but it is always good to have a friend help if possible :cheers2:

 

[fredellarby]

I've lifted it stripped (the bike not me) and with fully loaded luggage.
Both suck.
I'm fairly big, reasonable strong and I know several easy techniques.
It still sucks.

 

[Torquser]

My Road Glide is easier to pick up than my Vee - strange physics

 

[middie26]

Did I mention how heavy the Wee is to lift? Damg! Might have to reconsider this whole off-road ability thing...she ain't my ol' KX125~!

Amen, brother.. Amen.

I dropped mine TWICE in one day and had to pick it up solo both times.. Just put the small of my back in the saddle, one hand on the grip and the other on the passenger grip and HHHHEEEEAAAAAVVVVEEEEE. Got it up and on it's side stand both times.

But then realized later that day I sprained my wrist... Had to go to the Urgent Care facility to get it looked at. That thing is heavier than my Boulevard was!

 

[fredellarby]

Unfortunately, the poor little Strom is harder to pick up the Harley.
I took the police training on our beat up bikes and we had to pick them up as part of the course. They tend to rest or pivot on the exhausts and have a low centre of gravity.
The poor Strom fall flat.

 

[Stromin'Nroman]

My Road Glide is easier to pick up than my Vee - strange physics

Not strange physics, simple physics.

The Road Glide is like Hillary Clinton and the Strom is like Pamela Anderson.

Hillary, with a greater overall weight but lower Center of Gravity may be easier to pick than the lighter, but more top heavy Pamela Anderson.

Myself, I'd opt for the greater, more rewarding effort of the latter example.

Conversely, the V-Strom with an empty gas tank is more likely to float upright.

That's why I ride a V-Strom.


Disclaimer:

My apologies to the female members of this forum for the cravenly sexist physics anaolgy above, but given the degree to which the concept of "Center Of Gravity" (COG) has been repeatedly misunderstood on this forum, I felt I had no choice but to lower my unfunded journalistic standards to illustrate the concept in terms the majority of forum members could understand without dangerously overstressing their collective cerebral cortices.

 

[honest bob]

:green_lol::green_lol:

 

[Prime]

I dumped my Wee once in a very slow mud-mess-of-a-ride and in the process I broke the shift lever clean off. Anyways, I guess my adrenaline took over, because I had the Wee back upright in about 5 seconds. I simply grabbed the handlebars and performed a type of bent-over-row exercise. I am a big dude, and fairly strong, so that helps no doubt. Furthermore, my left side Givi E21 side case came open even though it was locked. It did not break or suffer damage, but it did come open on a fairly slow speed lay down. They are made from somewhat soft plastic.

My $0.02

 

[MT26]

Man I laughed out loud at that tale. Thanks for sharing it. I was expecting you to say you had smacked you helmet on the load bars for the RAV's bike rack (I have done this on my wife's Forester). Glad no damage to your back or bike.

 

[vwtom]

Thanks for sharing.