Dropped my 650GT today.

[Skutorr]

'Cause that's what you should do. You may not be able to, but you offer. You commiserate. Just like when you see a bike and rider stuck on the side of the road. We're in this together.

....except for the last time I drove my truck though LA, and was getting gas up in the Grapevine. There were a bunch of Harleys getting stuff in the store, including the obligatory cool customized one with ape hangers and a 150 dB straight exhaust. The 5 of them took off, leaving the 6th to catch up om his huge, fully-loaded solid bagger. Started it, was backing it around in a 11-point Y-turn, and just dropped that massive pig on it's side. Almost peed myself....

 

[SteveADV]

Ha...Yeah, you're right. There can be exceptions.

 

[Snowdog]

In the eighties I worked at a place with a lot of guys that had bikes. One weekend, a bunch of them went to a rally in the next state. On the way back a bike broke down and was left at a garage to get fixed. The owner had no way to get out to the other end of the state to pick it up, and none of his riding buddies would help him. I felt sorry for him and offered to help. It was about 100 miles to the garage and the route was a toll road. I took my van in case his bike broke down again on the way back, and I followed him to his house which was out of my way home. I was glad I could help, as I offered, and didn't ask for anything in return. A few days later, one of my coworkers came to me and told me he had asked the guy if he gave me some gas money. The guy told him it would be a cold day in hell before he gave me anything! I never said anything to the guy I helped, after all I offered, but his attitude hurt. I had to deal with this guy as part of my job, and didn't change my dealings with how I treated him, but, he never treated me the same after my help. Go figure.
I could tell you other stories about ungrateful recipients of help, but I type to slow. I will say, I have a friend who offered to help someone 40 years ago, and has had constant back pain since.He had to fight to get some help with medical bills.
When cars were less dependable, I worked as an auto mechanic. It was not uncommon to see a car in a parking lot with the hood up. The owner would look around and even in non work clothes would sense I was a mechanic, and ask for help. I never refused and would never except money, I was glad to help. I learned an important lesson over the years. If someone asks for help, they need help and will appreciate it in at least words. If they don't ask for help, they don't need help. So if you need help, ask for it.
Is it life or death? I am trained to help and will.

 

[Colin J Monteith]

Snowdog you are a good human being and on many occasions I have aspired to do the same kind of thing. Unfortunately what I have noticed many times the person with the challenge is also hung up with a couple of issues - pride/ego and embarrassment.
I recall many years ago I had just completed a two week first aid course sponsored by the place I worked. A couple weeks later at a large inter company sports weekend one of our senior executives collapsed on the squash court in an epileptic seizure/fit. As people watched the guy choking on his tongue I jumped in with my new found knowledge and managed to wedge in something between his teeth before pulling his tongue back out. I then put him into the full recovery position and let him go to sleep while an ambulance was called in. The guy could not look me in the face ever again after although we passed a gazillion times in the corridor over the next few years. He certainly never thanked me but I felt good regardless that I saved him from choking and dying if everyone had just stood around not knowing what to do. There is a slightly funny side to this - I used the nearest thing I could find to wedge into his jaw at the time and that was a jock strap/athletic supporter. We never found out who it belonged to - lol.

 

[Snowdog]

Most people won't jump into a medical emergency unless they have training.

 

[SteveADV]

So he says to you, "Colin, the only thing you could find to save my life was a jock strap? What about a bra? Or maybe a pair of panties? But a jock strap? C'mon man. Please tell me you had to tear it out of its new jock strap package!......What do yah mean you just wanted to save my life? And what do yah mean Billy Bob from shipping wants it back?"

(Dark humor notwithstanding, you are obviously a man who reacts well under pressure, Colin.)

 

[Colin J Monteith]

Lol - like your take on this!

So he says to you, "Colin, the only thing you could find to save my life was a jock strap? What about a bra? Or maybe a pair of panties? But a jock strap? C'mon man. Please tell me you had to tear it out of its new jock strap package!......What do yah mean you just wanted to save my life? And what do yah mean Billy Bob from shipping wants it back?"

(Dark humor notwithstanding, you are obviously a man who reacts well under pressure, Colin.)

 

[Rifleman3006]

Lol - like your take on this!

Colin - Good job, nice to see some people react to try and help someone. With respect to the dropped bike, I also dropped my 650 a couple of years ago making a slow turn and lost my footing. I was embarrassed as hell as a couple of cars were driving by. I was 57 ish at the time, not a big guy at 5'10" 165 but I guess the embarrassment at the moment gave me the strength to reach down and pick it right off the ground. I was surprised at it's dead weight but got it up quickly. Luckily only a few scrathchs underneath the bike that can't be seen unless you look underneath. The one thing I don't like about the BMW is that the seat is too high in my opinion and not as easy to sit at a light when both feet aren't on the ground flatfooted. What the hell BMW, lower the seat a few inches.

 

[Hatburger]

If your going to drop it, just hope you are on a flat surface or slightly uphill. Mine went down on a slightly downhill angle and the bike rolled all the way over, snapping off the mirror and leaving some slight dings in the top panel. I had a hard time finding touchup paint for the Quartz Blue Metallic paint. I couldn't find out if this is the same as the auto but finally found some on Amazon for the NC7 color code. I ordered it and received it yesterday. I was surprised to find that it was shipped from Turkey. In the jar it looks like a pretty good match. On top of the dings I had to get a new mirror at $400. I was also able to fix the old one with Gorilla glue and JB Weld. It seems to be pretty strong so I'll have a spare if I'm stupid enough to drop it again.
UPDATE: Touchup paint was a perfect match.

 

[exavid]

One of the difficulties I had when righting my GT that fell downhill side down was that the bike got pretty tall as it came up. Since I had to lift standing about a foot lower than the bike it was slightly above me. That sure didn't help things because I just couldn't lift it high enough. It would come up to where the wheels were on the ground but that was about as high as I could lift it. At that point it was chest height and I couldn't hold it up and change my grip. I didn't need much help. When my daughter arrived she just held it were it was while I re-positioned myself for the final push. It was a fairly steep slope that I cleverly
located to drop my bike.

Since that fiasco I test lifted the bike. Laid it on its side in the garage on a moving blanket and lifted it fairly easily with the butt first method. I don't like putting too much strain on the handlebars. They can bend.

 

[loujim]

Well, it's finally happened to me. My left foot slipped on gravel when I stopped on the side of the road in a group ride. I broke my left mirror off and put some decent gravel scratches on the left black panel. I also snapped the end off the brake lever. I'm very annoyed with myself but I always said it was just a matter of time until it happened to me. : (


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[TwoPort]

Well, it's finally happened to me. My left foot slipped on gravel when I stopped on the side of the road in a group ride. I broke my left mirror off and put some decent gravel scratches on the left black panel. I also snapped the end off the brake lever. I'm very annoyed with myself but I always said it was just a matter of time until it happened to me. : (


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Better the bike than you! I hope you were unhurt.

 

[Bornfree]

This thread makes me very sad indeed ... haven't dropped a bike in decades ... but reading all 4 pages ... I probably just jinxed myself

 

[Skutorr]

....I also snapped the end off the brake lever. : (


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Then, get a NEW pair of Shorties from Mad Hornets, where I got mine! Only $39/PAIR!

http://www.madhornets.com/short-cnc-brake-clutch-levers-bmw-c650gt-2012-2015-silver/

 

[SteveADV]

What you have on your feet make a difference. Where you ride makes a difference. How you stop makes a difference. How many miles you put on your bike makes a difference. Dropping your bike is a factor of all the above. I have often told people that the "drop and roll" that works when on fire also works when your bike is going down.

For those that never dropped a bike, God bless you. I've dropped a bunch and consider it a badge of honor that I have only been injured (slightly) once.

 

[Rifleman3006]

What you have on your feet make a difference. Where you ride makes a difference. How you stop makes a difference. How many miles you put on your bike makes a difference. Dropping your bike is a factor of all the above. I have often told people that the "drop and roll" that works when on fire also works when your bike is going down.

For those that never dropped a bike, God bless you. I've dropped a bunch and consider it a badge of honor that I have only been injured (slightly) once.

If BMW wouldn't have built this bike where you can't flat foot it without being 6ft 5 we wouldnt be dropping these!

 

[SteveADV]

If BMW wouldn't have built this bike where you can't flat foot it without being 6ft 5 we wouldnt be dropping these!

Ha. I hear yah, but I'm not so sure that most drops are slow turn front brake related more so than a seat height issue. I'm 6'2" and dropped my CGT while "sorta slowing" at a stop sign to make a right hand turn when a little boy jumped into my eye sight chasing a dog into the intersection. I can't even count the number of times I've dropped bikes in the dirt. But that's another whole kinda thing.

Of course, the CGT is a gentleman's bike and should never be dropped. C600's, on the other hand, are primarily owned by hooligans and other ne'er-do-wells that are well known for their show offy whiskey drinkin' woman stealin' ways and drop bikes just so they can prove how quickly they can get it back up

 

[Bornfree]

Ha. I hear yah, but I'm not so sure that most drops are slow turn front brake related more so than a seat height issue. I'm 6'2" and dropped my CGT while "sorta slowing" at a stop sign to make a right hand turn when a little boy jumped into my eye sight chasing a dog into the intersection. I can't even count the number of times I've dropped bikes in the dirt. But that's another whole kinda thing.

Of course, the CGT is a gentleman's bike and should never be dropped. C600's, on the other hand, are primarily owned by hooligans and other ne'er-do-wells that are well known for their show offy whiskey drinkin' woman stealin' ways and drop bikes just so they can prove how quickly they can get it back up

okay ... you're killing me here

 

[exavid]

Too true, GTs are for gentlemen and the Sports are for ruffians. Can you believe it? a 650 sport doesn't even have room to store your polo saddle and mallet.

 

[JCRecline]

Dropping Scooters

Hi guys! New member here. I've owned a couple of BMW C650GT's, a 2013 model and now a 2016. Great scooters, no doubt! After owning a couple of Burgmans and a Yamaha TMAX I consider the BMW to be...well, the BMW of the scooter world. I know I shouldn't even say this, but so far I haven't dropped mine. I did however drop my BMW F800GSA in my soft, sandy driveway. Even though it is a little lighter than my C650GT, I could not pick it up. The combination of soft sand, bad footing, and a bike that is so top heavy and tall made it impossible, at least for me. Luckily for me, my 17 year old neighbor and "girl next door" came by and offered to help out. She can't weigh more than 100 pounds, but that's all it took and we had the bike back up on two wheels. After that incident, I purchased a device called the Dustriders Motorcycle Hoist from ADV Motorrad. Basically it's a small come-along with a few poles that snap together and very effectively will lift a motorcycle when it's on it's side. You can look at it here, along with a couple of quick videos.

https://www.advmotorrad.com/dustriders-motorcycle-hoist

Of course, since I've purchased this great tool, I haven't had an opportunity to use it, but after writing this I no doubt will :^)

Also, thanks Skutorr for the Mad Hornet brake lever tip, I've been looking for some brake levers that would match the fine quality of my GT. I ordered a pair of the gold ones just for the bling factor!