Dropped it already :(

[sagalout]

Dammit - after owning bikes for 17 years I've just dropped one for the first time.  Went on a first long ride on the Tiger today and just stopped off road to take some pictures.  Went to set off and the ground was softer than expected.  The rear wheel spun up and then it was going over - just couldnt stop it.

Luckily theres really very little damage.  Scratched hand shield, Broken indicator lense and bulb, and a few scrathes on the tank.  Still gutted though as the bike was totally mint.  I was on a pretty deserted road too, so no help to pick the bike up and my god was it heavy - fully fuelled too.  Took a hell of an effort to get it upright again.  This was about 30 miles into my ride and to be honest I was so annoyed I almost turned round and came home, but decided to plough on an had an awesome day.  Clocked up 205 miles, round mostly very minor roads in the lake district that I just wouldnt have been able to go on with my sportsbike.

So, in summary, great bike, lovely ride apart from 10 minutes of it lol.  Does anyone know if indicators/lenses are standard for all triumphs?  Struggling to find any on ebay or even the net in general.

I'll post pics from the ride in a bit - just uploading them.

[Opel]

Iíll use my first post here to offer my condolences regarding your misfortune. The strange thing is that I did a similar thing this morning also, there must have been something in the air today. However I wouldnít say I dropped mine, I just laid it down inadvertently!

In your other post you mentioned possible mods for your Tiger, well after todays experience I can wholeheartedly recommend engine bars. The only damage to my bike was a small bit of road rash on the ëengine barí that came into contact with the ground. More important to me was the very large helping of embarrassment I suffered because Iíd just filtered passed a couple of dozen cars waiting at some road works!

Its amazes me how strong you can be when picking up your Tiger in front of an audienceÖ and Iíd just filled up as well!

I canít help with your finding an indicator lens but my only advise would be to try your local dealer, you MAY find that the cost of a replacement wonít break the bank. :)

[Stretch]

Here ya go...

http://houseofmotorcycles.bikebandit.co ... ~TIGER.asp

I've also see the exact same turn signals on the Buell Ulysses (but with smoke-tinted lenses) and on my sister-in-law's Chinese-made off-brand scooter.

[Sonoma]

dropped mine twice.   Once on each side just to keep it even.  :lol:

[WIDGIN]

Tigers should come with a ratcheting jack to help lift them.  When I dumped mine, the coolant tank cover was ripped off and the bike was bleeding hot coolant.  I guess that helped me find the strength to deadlift the sucker since it was a cambered dirt road and the top of the bike was about a foot lower than the bottom.  Sometimes it sucks to be a 165lb wimp with this beast.  :lol:

[Stretch]

I just keep a can of spinach in my tank bag.

[Guest]

Dropped mine for the first time. Parked it on the grass, soft dirt, came back outside and there it was , sound a sleep ! that's a heavy fookin bike !

[Advwannabe]

Sorry to hear about your off Sagealot,

Low speed crashes seem to be the peculiar weakness of Tigers and adventure bikes in general. If it makes you feel any better I'd had mine for less than two weeks when I dropped it in the garage.

Crashbars are a great investment, I have scratches on both sides of mine through low speed oppsies.

Re picking the bike up: this is going to sound silly but I did some specific strength building so I could pick mine up comfortabley. When we were living in the territory I did a lot of dirt miles. One thing you definately don't need riding a Tiger in the dirt is a buggered back from trying to lift her up.  

Oh, and the patented bike lifting methods you find on the wed don't work. It's a dead lift for your beastie on the gravel and you have to be able to do it with a bit in reserve, in my opinion.

Cheers, Russell

[pizzaman383]

Oh, and the patented bike lifting methods you find on the wed don't work. It's a dead lift for your beastie on the gravel and you have to be able to do it with a bit in reserve, in my opinion.

Cheers, Russell

So, what's your method?  I've got a bad back already.  I've picked it up mostly by myself and while it didn't knock my back out it did strain it a bit.

[abruzzi]

So, what's your method?  I've got a bad back already.  I've picked it up mostly by myself and while it didn't knock my back out it did strain it a bit.

I read an amusing article in the New York Times recently about how HD is targetting female riders with informational settings.  One thing covered was lifting you bike up after a drop.  They suggested squatting with your back to the bike and lifting with your legs.  Don't know how well that would work on a taller bike like the tiger, but right now my legs dont work so good:





Geof

[Stretch]

Dang, you're a walking hardware store!

[abruzzi]

Dang, you're a walking hardware store!

First thing I asked the doctor:  Flathead or philips?   Torx it turns out.

Geof

[Sonoma]

I have always heard that putting your back to the seat and lifting with your legs was the way to go but have never tried it.  The 2 times I dropped mine I had it back up while the Adrenaline was still pumping.

Oh and...nice legs :shock:

[Advwannabe]

"I have always heard that putting your back to the seat and lifting with your legs was the way to go but have never tried it. The 2 times I dropped mine I had it back up while the Adrenaline was still pumping."

Guys,

The 'patented' lift method is pretty much as Sonoma suggested. Back to the bike, bum on seat hands on handlebar and rear rack and use your legs to lift.

On cement or bitumen this works pretty well. On gravel however, all this achieves is to make the front wheel slide away from you.

The dead lift is just that facing the bike, handlebar towards you, other hand (in my case) on the pannier mount and lift, hopefully keeping your back straight. Once you get the bike past a certain point you can get your chest or stomach on the seat and control the movement more precisely.

Traps for young players:

1. giving it such an almighty heave it just keeps going past the vertical to the inevitable sad result :-(

2. Forgeting to put the sidestand down if you laid it down on the throttle side. It can be quite tricky to get it back around there :-) [/quote]

[sagalout]

Hi,

I tried the 'back to the bike' method and the bike didnt move lol.  In the end I just got really mad, grabbed both bars and heaved the thing until I could get my body under it.

After scouring ebay I couldnt find any second hand replacements, so i went to my local triumph dealer.  Unfortunately as the inner reflector was broken it needed a whole indicator rather than just the lense.  It was only £24 though (about $50) so not too bad.

Just left with a scrathed handguard and tank now.  The tank scratches are so small i think I'll just get a touch-up pen and replacement decals.

Re the handguards - I've seen some people have put GS ones on - are these a straight fit?  They look like better quality plastic than the triumph ones so might just replace both.