OK, so today was number 4. I bought my 2001 1150gs last spring, and I've dropped it four times. Two drops were shortly after I bought it: once trying to put it on the center stand (didn't quite make it up and I lost balance as it bounced back down), and once taking it off (that time it just leaned against my garage wall). I credited the first two to being a GS newbie. The worst was when my wife and I were both on it and I stalled while starting up on a beat up concrete apron leading from a park because the front wheel wedged in a broken up part of the pavement just as I was letting out the clutch. The last was this morning. Sitting on the bike and backing it out of a parking spot, my foot slips on heavy sand left over from winter and I couldn't re-catch my balance. I love the bike as long as it is moving. I rode it on several trips last year, including down to the Rally and to and around the Smokies. Often two up and loaded. I love the look of the bike (yes, believe it or not I do), the riding position, the handling, etc. . . No, I don't intend to really ride off road, but in test rides I enjoyed the GS more than the RT. And of course now I have spent money on new shocks and various farkles and updates (new cables, brake lines, etc.), rebuilt the throttle bodies, and have the engine purring beautifully. But I am wondering if I chose the wrong bike for me. I am 5'10" with a 30" inseam and weigh 160 pounds, so I am not a big guy. And at 57 years old, let's just say that I won't be getting any taller or stronger. :) Between the engine guards, the Jesse bags, etc, the drops don't mean much to the bike. But they are making me question my choice. I am not new to bikes, and currently own an 1100S and a 650GS, and have owned a Bonneville and multiple Japanese bikes. I have never dropped any of them due to their weight, but of course the GS is the tallest and heaviest bike I have owned. Anyone else have similar experiences, or am I just over-challenging my inseam? Thanks.
A tall bike means that you have to learn and adjust your riding technique, but even so there will be a greater likelihood that you will encounter a situation where your technique won't save you. I'm 42, 5'10" 240lbs. I wear a 30" leg jeans, so I guess my inseam is closer to 31/32. When I got into adventure bike I've owned (in order) 2003 Triumph Tiger (33.1" seat height), 1996 Triumph Tiger (33.5" seat), 2004 KTM 950 Adventure (36" seat), 2003 KTM 640 Adventure (37.2" seat!!), 2004 R1150GS Adventure (35.4" seat). At this point I'm very comfortable with tall bikes, and don't even look at the seat height when I buy a bike. You may want to find a place and a way to practice some the the techniques. Geof
Always have the bike leaned toward you when pushing it around. For the center stand; I balance the bike, put the center stand down with my right foot, just touch the ground with both sides of the center stand, make sure both parts of the touching the ground evenly. Stand on the centerstand as you pull it up. I can do this bare footed so the effort is minimal when done correctly. I always back up off the bike so I don't drop it. Look out ahead plan your departure so you don't get stuck in the concrete. OR
I'm 5'9" and wear 33/30 jeans also. Just about the same as the original poster. However, I'm nearing 70 years, and can see my strength and response time slipping. So, I am a little more careful with the GS now, because if it starts to get away, I'm screwed :eek1. I can flat foot the GS with my riding boots on, so it probably isn't an inseam problem. As far as getting older - hey, stuff happens!
I don't think I need to add more wheels yet. :) My two drops relating to the center stand were right after I got the bike and I think I was still surprised by how differently balanced it was. But I have put it on and off the stand many, many times since then, as I use center stand any time I leave the bike for a few minutes. On the concrete drop, I got caught by surprise because I was forced to stop where I didn't want to because a car came around the curve I was about to pull out into, then had to start from a really broken up and badly angled spot, two up with a full load. Very unusual circumstance, but I shouldn't have tried. Once I was forced to stop, I should have had my wife get off. The only thing you note that is different than my practice is to back the bike out of spots standing next to it. I'll change that up going forward. Around my own garage and driveway, I always move the bike by standing next to it, leaning toward me, with the kickstand down (in case my feet slip). I guess I should do that out on the road also. I use the bike a lot, and mostly get it right. But there is so little margin for error with my less than amazing upper body strength that if I go wrong (such as my foot slipping in sand), it goes South in a hurry. I guess I just need to really focus on how I move the bike way more than I do on my other bikes. I think I was just upset at myself when I posted.
It's a top heavy bitch. end of story. Worse when loaded, inseam challenged or not. 53, 5'10" 31" inseam 170 lb here. Lots of pre-planning for where to stop, where is solid footing so forth you will get the hang of it. Most GS's get dropped when stopped. I try to never have to back it up If you do, lean her into ya. that sidestand down will trip ya up somewhere IMHO
Nah you just need to learn to ride. <iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/kRFyw57o_Ic" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Nice job, but a bit risky of a maneuver. I just mount it like a horse leaving the kickstand down until I'm on it. Easy pickens.
I disabled the cutoff on my kickstand and just leave it down all the time. I'm thinking about mounting a second kickstand on the right side. All joking aside the height of the GS really adds much to the comfort of the bike. I have a 29 inch inseam and keep my seat in the high position. 75% of motorcycle handling is mental imo. The rest is inner ear.
I got mine with the low seat. My 29" inseam dictated that. And like someothers, I mount her with the kickstand down. I actually don't find her any more difficult now than I did my V-Strom 650.
29" pants here. It's a struggle. You get used to it and it can still happen. The bike is so top heavy, when it goes there is no stopping it. Just have to be super aware of your stopping starting parking. Never EVER use the front brake only in low speed moves, coming to a stop and etc. Examples are: Leaving a gas station and pulling up to the edge of the exit, put front brake only on...boom especially if your front wheel is turned Coming to a gas pump, put front brake only on and ...boom especially if your front wheel is turned Coming to a road junction, coming to a full stop, put front brake only on and boom especially if your front wheel is turned Doing a 180 in to a down hill slope...boom Our legs are just not long enough, so you must compensate..you never stop learning..50 years riding now and I still drop 'em and still learn. Watch a Motorcycle Cop...one foot down..always...left foot..always...right foot on brake..always...in gear..always...you have so much more control. Forget trying two footing it and get used to one..the left. Do it over and over...left foot down...over and over
+1 I'm only 1.7m (5'8" in ye olde speake), but being a girl I have longer legs for my height than a bloke. I learned all my big bike handling skills with my old K100RT, so the GS isn't too much of a challenge.
Bikes get dropped all the time. Pick it up and ride on. Your eyes and subconscious brain are your main balance mechanism. Keep your eyes up and practice. The handle bars do not move much when balancing, even when near the stops. I repeat, keep the eyes up.
We're u wearing boots. If so find some with more lift. Get rid of the heavy ass topcase. Might try a rear shock 1 in lower. I doubt there's anyone here that hasn't had a bike cough and fall when taking off and turning. When it happened to me there were only 120 bikes behind me as my girlfriend did a tuck an roll.
