Strider7
Well-Known Member
I haven't really gotten started yet this year, but I do have some pictures of lowside damage from about a month ago. I finally got around to washing the bike today, and doing a more thorough inspection of the bike to assess any hidden damage. It's been raining here pretty much non-stop, and I was sick for about a week too - so I just didn't feel like messing with the bike. Anyway it was a nice day today, I was off work, and I got to work on the bike. I was surprised to find that all three of the points that took impact and sliding/grinding damage not only had bent bolts, but the bolts were also loose to varying degrees. I was not expecting to find loose bolts from the impact of a minor lowside.
The damage is all on the left side, and mostly contained to the main frame slider (STILL unavailable for order from T-Rex), the rear spool, and Satan's highway peg. I installed a bright and shiny new set of rear spools, and tightened/re-locktighted the other stuff. I got off pretty easy on this one. It's been a while since I've been down - this is number three since I started riding in 2008, and they have all been relatively minor. The first two were on the 250 that I first started riding on.
As far as the details of the lowside, it was a nasty day and I had been out riding in it all day. I just happened to find the extra slickery spot in a left turn under a freeway underpass. It was a misty not quite rain snotty weather kind of day where the oil really doesn't wash off the pavement. I put her down at about 20 mph, slid with the bike for maybe 10 feet until the rear wheel caught and spun the bike which then gently pitched me off. I slid for about another 10 feet or so, and then the bike caught up to me and gently pushed up against my leg. My biggest concern was getting hit by traffic, so I quickly got up, got the bike, moved to the side of the road, and tried to get her started again. The bike started, I did a VERY fast visual inspection of the bike while seated on it, hopped onto the freeway, and speed off into the sunset. No actually I went to the bank, which is where I was headed anyway, and I did a better inspection of the bike there in the safety of that parking lot. I did take the freeway to get there though.
She seems no worse for wear, and I had just a coupla bruises that faded within a few weeks. I was fully geared, as I almost always am. There was only about a quarter sized wear through spot on the left rear pocket of my riding pants.
Enough jibber jabber, pictures ...
The damage is all on the left side, and mostly contained to the main frame slider (STILL unavailable for order from T-Rex), the rear spool, and Satan's highway peg. I installed a bright and shiny new set of rear spools, and tightened/re-locktighted the other stuff. I got off pretty easy on this one. It's been a while since I've been down - this is number three since I started riding in 2008, and they have all been relatively minor. The first two were on the 250 that I first started riding on.
As far as the details of the lowside, it was a nasty day and I had been out riding in it all day. I just happened to find the extra slickery spot in a left turn under a freeway underpass. It was a misty not quite rain snotty weather kind of day where the oil really doesn't wash off the pavement. I put her down at about 20 mph, slid with the bike for maybe 10 feet until the rear wheel caught and spun the bike which then gently pitched me off. I slid for about another 10 feet or so, and then the bike caught up to me and gently pushed up against my leg. My biggest concern was getting hit by traffic, so I quickly got up, got the bike, moved to the side of the road, and tried to get her started again. The bike started, I did a VERY fast visual inspection of the bike while seated on it, hopped onto the freeway, and speed off into the sunset. No actually I went to the bank, which is where I was headed anyway, and I did a better inspection of the bike there in the safety of that parking lot. I did take the freeway to get there though.
She seems no worse for wear, and I had just a coupla bruises that faded within a few weeks. I was fully geared, as I almost always am. There was only about a quarter sized wear through spot on the left rear pocket of my riding pants.
Enough jibber jabber, pictures ...