[Spunkysquid]

Greeting All!

For the past 2 weeks, I have been driving the Burgman 650 around town with not one drop or tip.

Until........

At my work, there is a LARGE window in the lounge where the employees of my department relax (surgery). The window overlooks the parking lot.

It was a wonderful ride in (45 minute ride), no problem with the traffic, very relaxing and fun!

I pulled into the parking lot, turned off the ignition and stepped off the bike (like I have a hundred times), however.......

The 650 slowly, ever so slowly tipped over to the right and down to the ground. I dare not to look up at the windows. One of the construction workers nearby came over and we brought the bike back upright. No damage at all (at least to the bike).

Well, I went up to work and nobody really said anything about the tip, maybe it escaped detection. I did receive many compliments on the bike and one of the surgeons is now going to take the rider course!

 

[Stormsteed]

Never mind.

 

[pauljo]

I think that is a first! Several of us have admitted to forgetting to deploy the sidestand after a long ride, and having the motorcycle or scooter fall down to the left. But to the right? What caused that? Was it a level parking spot?

Anyway, the fear of being seen was common to all of our incidents.

Now if I was a co-worker sitting in the lounge overlooking the parking lot, and if several of us witnessed the tip over, here is what I might do. I might caution the other witnesses not to mention a thing to you. I might then take up a collection to buy a cake, and have a fallen down scooter placed as the centerpiece on the cake - and some appropriate inscription. Then at an appropriate time, we would hold a little "tip over" party - kinda sorta like an employee birthday party. But I'm sure that your co-workers aren't as evil as I am... :twisted:

 

[allwalk]

I use my centerstand about 99% of the time. Its on rare occassions that I use the sidestand. I have encountered curious onlookers who just cant resist the temptation to sit on the bike. If it's on the centerstand, the chances of it getting accidentally knocked over is minimized. Plus I can warm up the engine while I get my riding gear on.

 

[Spunkysquid]

I like the cake idea, food is always welcome in the department!

I don't know why it had tipped to the right, maybe a wind gust?

 

[Warren]

I use my centerstand about 99% of the time. Its on rare occassions that I use the sidestand. I have encountered curious onlookers who just cant resist the temptation to sit on the bike. If it's on the centerstand, the chances of it getting accidentally knocked over is minimized. Plus I can warm up the engine while I get my riding gear on.

Me too... Plus down in San Diego in the summer the sidestand sinks a bit into the asphalt... More likely to tip over.

 

[Invincsum]

I use the side stand but always use the rear brake and lock the front wheel to the left. Perhaps it tipped to the right if your front wheel was more pointed to the right?

Paul, you *are* evil, but that's a good thing, isn't it? :twisted:

Hey, consider your bike "christened"! This has/will probably happen to us all...

Cheers,

Bryna

 

[Rod]

sorry to hear that...must have been just an awful feeling

Always get into a habit of using the parking brake when choosing the side stand. Don't get off the bike till the wheel is turned to the left in its locked position.
It will help

 

[Randy]

I use the side stand and the barking brake .
your bike may have been almost level because of the lay of the land, then with the unloading of the shocks and maybe a little help from the wind ..

NOTE : lost my parking brake knob, it just fell off., good news is it's only about 8 bucks for a new one.. Check your screws..

 

[pauljo]

OK, as far as the poll goes, I picked the "Nothing, I lean it against a tree" answer. My reason is that either the sidestand or centerstand answers would be wrong a lot of the time.

It depends on the parking spot. If the parking spot is level, I prefer the centerstand. If it is uphill or downhill, I prefer the sidestand and brake. There can be other considerations too, but basically I evaluate the parking spot and make my choice accordingly. Obviously, you could use the sidestand all of the time, because many motorcycles don't even have centerstands anymore. But we are lucky enough to have both.

Regarding the sidestand - You never want to park on the sidestand in a way that the scooter isn't firmly leaned onto the stand. This can be the case if the parking spot is slanted upward on the right side of the scooter. And if you park on new, hot (soft) asphalt, do use the sidestand, but put something under it so that it wouldn't sink into the soft asphalt. I always carry something with me - a plastic can lid or a AOL CD can do the trick.

Really, in Nebraska, there isn't always a tree handy... :wink:

 

[Spunkysquid]

I like the AOL CD to put under the stand, I have plenty of those!

Thanks to everyone for the replies :lol:

 

[Stormsteed]

Never mind.

 

[pauljo]

I have a question... when the bike is parked with the side stand and parking brake, the handlebars are locked to the side, right? But are the handlebars locked when the bike is on the centerstand too?

Yes. Locking the handlebars is done by turning the ignition to the "lock" position. The handlebars are then locked. Doesn't matter if the Scoot is on the sidestand, centerstand, or no stand. It has nothing to do with the parking brake either. Likewise, if you put the scoot on the sidestand and set the parking brake, but do not turn the ignition over to "lock" - the handlebars are not locked. Each function is totally independent from the others.

 

[Brian]

I use the centerstand occasionally, but use the sidestand more -- about 90% of the time.

Why? Because the 650 is just too much effort for me to lift onto the centerstand. Maybe with practice it'll get easier, but so far I just haven't developed the knack for doing it smoothly and effortlessly.

 

[Harold]

I find I can get it ON the centre stand, I just am too short to get it OFF. Thus I use the side stand exclusively. So far, I haven't had any mishaps.

 

[Richard]

Side Stand & Tip Over

Two issues.

1. I use the centre stand whenever I plan to leave the bike for more than a few minutes unless there isn't room (my garage until recently) to get at the centre stand pedal. I also use the centre stand when buying gas or I don't get anything like a tank full. :wink:

I also always lock both the handle bars and the magnetic lock over the ignition switch. (As my daughter put it; "If you lock the handle bars and someone steals the bike, just wait a second or two, they'll be back! :lol: )

As to tipping over, the first time I rode the bike to the park where I walk 8 KM three times a week. I'd had the bike exactly one day. After my walk I drove out the driveway to the highway and stopped for the stop sign. How I don't know, but I dropped the bike to the right. My foot slipped and there it was on the ground. There was no apparent damage, but the line of cars behind me started honking, making my faus pas complete.

 

[Brian]

Dropping a bike.

If you do have a mishap and drop your Burman, dropping it on the right side is better than on the left. You can reach down and extend the sidestand, so that when you lift the bike if it goes past "top dead center" the sidestand will catch it.

If you lay the bike on the left side there's nothing to keep it from going all the way over if you overdo the lift.

No, I don't (yet) speak from experience. :wink:

 

[Randy]

Over lifting is not something you are likely to do,
as the bike reaches straight up it weights nothing so controlling it is not a problem because the lifting force is in the beginning of the lift, tapering to nothing.

 

[Kias]

A couple days out of the dealership I was coming up to an intersection where I did not have a stop sign, but the crossing road did. I was watching a lady in a SUV approach the stop sign, and I could tell she was looking right through me like I didn't even exist. I put my fingers on the brake levers getting ready, and sure enough she didn't stop. I came to an abrupt stop, so as to not get hit by an SUV, and for whatever reason when I put my foot down the bike started tipping to the left and I couldn't get it back. I fought the bike all the way to ground!! (Which my arms paid dearly for that the next two days!) I finally succumbed to the weight of the bike and set it down ever so gently. I tried for about three seconds to pick it up while "on" the bike, and realized that was a losing battle. So I dismounted the bike, put on the parking brake, as I was on a slight inclined, put my butt against the side of the seat while holding onto the handlebar and pushed it right up without a problem. Once it's back in the upright position, it's a piece of cake.

The jogger who saw the whole thing gave me a thumbs up and a big smile when I got it uprighted again! How embarassing!!

 

[Brian]

Over lifting is not something you are likely to do,
as the bike reaches straight up it weights nothing so controlling it is not a problem because the lifting force is in the beginning of the lift, tapering to nothing.

You're right, overlifting is not something I am likely to do.

Other people, on the other hand...

It happens often enough that it's brought up in many motorcycle courses. The police course I'm familiar with deals with getting downed bikes back up extensively, and going over the top happens more often than you might think.