On its side!

[Draig]

This evening by failing to properly extend the side stand, my 1200RT went over on its left side.

 

Thank goodness for the case savers, but there is damage to the fairing and the muffler. If anyone has had this happen, can you give me any advice for the repairs?

[Tony_K]

Sorry about the mishap.

Your in good company with most everyone here.

 

Repair advice goes as follows.

Go to dealer and open wallet, hand over as much money as you have then use your credit card for the balance

or

Simply ride on.

[Dr_J]

You can go to beemerboneyard.com and see if they have any of the parts you need to replace. If they do, it will be cheaper than the dealer. Or, just consider it a War Wound and drive on down the road.

 

DrJ

[Geraldh]

Been there, done that. I now extend the side stand while the engine is still running and wait till the engine cuts out while in 1st gear.

[drodg]

Thats a great idea. I haven't had this happen yet. But boy its been close a few times.

[Jon_M]

That smarts. I dropped my previous K11LT several times, in the garage, in the driveway, in the rosebushes, in a parking lot. With the R12 I am excessively cautious every time I find myself in that low-speed vulnerability zone. So far, so good...

 

Incidentally, with great amounts of patience (and 2000 wet-or-dry), you can get pretty good paint repairs with a touch-up kit, if the damage is not too severe.

[Draig]

(keithb, thanks for the info.)

 

Luckily no painted parts were damaged. The bags were off, but that meant the muffler was damaged. The left mirror is broken and I fear the sub frame to which the fairing is mounted may be bent.

 

I found a parts fiche online and HOLY SMOKES is the chrome muffler expensive. $880! The muffler is within a couple of millimeters of the rear tire, so the supporting hardware may need replacing too. Mo $$$.

 

I'll give my favorite dealer a call to arrange an inspection and estimate for repairs.

 

I've been kicking myself since it happened.

 

I was riding one of the single-lane roads that snake through the hills of the eastern part of the Bay Area. Its full of blind curves, but cars often press their luck and take those curves as if nothing could possibly be coming the opposite direction.

 

After a few miles of bliss I came upon the scene of a terrible traffic accident and quickly dismounted to see if there was something I could do to help. It seems a pickup truck had struck a pedestrian who was now lying off the left side of the roadway, with a man, possibly the driver of the truck, wailing in Spanish at her side. She was pale and one of the on-lookers said that she was having trouble breathing. I left when emergency vehicles began showing up. Later I learned that the woman died on the way to the hospital.

 

While I didn't witness the accident, excessive speed was the obvious cause: the pickup truck had skidded, spun and ended up facing the direction from which it came and pointed down the slope of an earthen berm that supports a railway overpass. Its load was scattered nearby. The roadway is in excellent condition and traffic was sporadic.

 

It was shortly after dismounting that the bike went over on its left side. I was distracted, anxious and I probably did not fully extend the side stand.

 

I don't know how many times I've seen motorcyclists travel these kinds of roads apparently firm in their belief that nothing could possibly go wrong in the middle of these blind curves: no debris, no traffic, no wildlife, etc.

[BucksTherapy]

I had the same thing happen and picked up a used muffler on EBay for $50.

 

I then cut the weld on my old muffler, pulled it apart and cut the recirculation pipes out of the inner cannister. It was relatively easy to straighten the can out with it off the muffler. I wellded it back together and now have an aesthetically pleasing and little louder muffler with less back pressure.

 

I am going to keep the other muffler for now but if I change my mind I'll let you know.

[nbooth]

Don't kick yourself...been there. It seems like the kickstand needs a good thwack to get it down. Now, before I lean the bike, I visually check to see if the stand is extended. It's a good habit...

[Pictou]

I wish I had your excuse for being distracted. In my case I was just day dreaming and didn't pay attention. Fortunately for me damage was light - just a few scratches on the side case and a knick on the valve cover.

 

If you ride enough this stuff is bound to happen.

[ChrisRappl]

I don't think that you'll find bent mounting hardware for the muffler. Just loosen the torca clamp, reposition the muffler where it belongs and tighten the clamp.

[Aluminum_Butt]

HOLY SMOKES is the chrome muffler expensive. $880!

 

If you're talking about that kind of money anyway, you might consider an aftermarket exhaust. If you're into a slightly louder, throatier sound it can be a nice upgrade. And it's likely to be worth a few extra dollars (not what you'll pay, though) when you go to sell it.

[pbbeck]

Sorry about the mishap. It's happened to me. Wunderlich engine protections bars did the trick and are worth every penny!

 

Now, I habitually kick the sidestand from the rear once it is fully extended, just to make sure it can go no further forward. I don't mind making a mistake. I just don't like making the same one twice.

[velomoto]

Been there, done that. I now extend the side stand while the engine is still running and wait till the engine cuts out while in 1st gear.

+1

 

I almost made the same mistake - I kicked the stand down but didn't hear it pop back up. Fortunately my leg caught the weight as it started over.

 

Any chance your insurance would cover the damage?

[BamaRider]

I think Tony pretty much sums things up.

[10ovr]

Id just put a Remus Exhaust on it,,1/2 the price,,Sounds better to,,Have one on the RT and the GS,,

[elwoodpone]

Sometimes a good autobody guy can do wonders with the plastic for way cheaper than buying parts (although heaven knows I've never done that ).

[Volfan615]

I almost did the same thing on a fully loaded RT. I has just pulled in the the hotel parking lot and put the side stand down. The engine shut off but then the side stand slipped back up as I was dismounting the bike. It took every bit of strength I had to keep it up!

[tgrrdr]

I found a parts fiche online and HOLY SMOKES is the chrome muffler expensive. $880! The muffler is within a couple of millimeters of the rear tire, so the supporting hardware may need replacing too. Mo $$$.

 

I'll give my favorite dealer a call to arrange an inspection and estimate for repairs.

 

I bought a used header on eBay pretty cheap (compared to new). Also, just checked and there's a used "as-good-as-new stock chrome exhaust" listed on ibmwr.com for $250.

[GoGo Gadget]

Any chance your insurance would cover the damage?

 

 

See, he should have left it on it's side and said he was part of the accident. Then the dumb cagers insurance could pay for it.

[LuckyLeif]

I don't think that you'll find bent mounting hardware for the muffler. Just loosen the torca clamp, reposition the muffler where it belongs and tighten the clamp.

Chances are the fall just pushed the muffler towards the tire. Muffler repositioning to original position is a very easy fix. Instructions are in OM under rear wheel replacement. Even I can do it in less than 5 minutes. No need to replace the muffler unless the sidewall is dented.

[Draig]

Thanks for the support. Yeah, open wallet, remove contents.