Egad! I dropped my bike
 

Original story here

Well boys and girls; after 1 year and 5 days one of the moments I have most feared has happened. I dropped my bike. This was completely and totally my fault. After spending last week prepping and completing my chain and sprocket install I decided to swap my front wheel bearings. Loaded with hubris and new tools I placed my bike for the first time ever on a front fork stand and removed the wheel. Did you catch my mistake there? I used a front fork stand and not a center stand! I partially removed the front axel and slump,,, crash! The damage so far does not appear too major and my frame slider and tail fairing took the brunt of the damage. Looks like it really is time for the tail fairing to go. Good news is that the bike is paid off next month. After everything was said and done I cleaned my bike like never before and she is looking fantastic.

YouTube - ‪Yikes I dropped my motorcycle!‬‏

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-K...611_160640.jpg

Post fall; I purposely have her leaned over.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-I...611_183936.jpg

This tail has been burned and stress cracked. Time for a new sub frame and tail fairing.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-B...611_183959.jpg

On a serious note. I cleaned every part of of my bike of baked on oil etc and when test running the bike I noticed oil leaking from the oil filler cap and down the right engine cover. Oil level is a little lower than it should be, but why would oil leak from there? the O-Ring looks ok...
Also what are y'alls experiences with motorcycle jacks? the kind that lift by the oil pan. Do they damage the bike? how does Honda want us to lift these.

Whenever I've had to have a wheel off, I use a chain hoist with a loop of rope around the triple clamp. It looks a little ungainly, but it works great as long as your ceiling can support it.

That seems popular, but I should have posted that I dont have the ability to do that.

I use a Pitbull stand in front, which has a pin that goes in the middle of the triple.

snap :p

after 5 years of bikes up and down everyday i ran at the ramp with the stand down on my own freshly painted bike :D (sure if you didnt laugh youd cry :rolleyes:)

and im in bed now after busting my back picking it up as i more or less only can use one shoulder :bananadance:
doh!! hehe

When you say motorcycle jacks do you mean the ones with the 2 wide contact points that lift by the frame? They won't work on this bike because it doesn't have a a full frame like a cruiser does. As far a lifting by the oil pan I've done it plenty of times with a car jack and a rubber pad or piece of wood with no problem after I remember reading the service manual actually recommending it. But please be careful and do it along with some other form of support as was previously stated like hanging from the ceiling by the triple and using a rear stand. On another note, if ever removing the swingarm and wondering how to support the bike afterwards I've also found it very helpful to slide in two axles (I have a spare just for this), each halfway into the engine and support on jackstands. Again you can never be too careful getting to that point if jacking by the oil pan and use extra support of some form by hanging from above by the subframe, etc. I've been guilty plenty times of rushing and taking a chance to get stuff done, but if you ever have doubts about stuff like how well the bike is supported chances are you probably should look for a better way-your fairings will thank you.

Gotta use a rear stand first then a front stand or well place blocks against oil pan and a jack. Only time i lift front without a rear stand first is if it is a bike stand that has pin up in the triple tree.

My Woodcraft front stand uses a pin, but they still say to use only with a rear stand in place.

Coulda been worse. You can fix that rear fairing with some plastic welding if you choose.

Used a small jack with a bit of wood under the oil pan to get the front end raised, and secured under home-made frame. With the rear end fastened secure in a rear stand.

http://homepage.mac.com/spaderunner/...e/forks-02.jpg

The problem wasnt the stand. At racetracks around the world there are guys working on bikes using those fork stands. You should however also have it on a swinarm stand to solidify it. And yeah ANY time you walk or roll your bike the sidestand should be up. Its a good habit to be in. They can crush your feet, tip the bike, etc.

Sorry to hear about your mishap. Rear swingarm stand for me was a first purchase
decision over a front end stand. Creats a lot of stability, and yes I always leave my
side stand down. I used an old surplus hospital hoist to raise the front(attached to the triple clamp to raise it. A rear swingarm stand is a good first investment.

Geek, since I picked my VTR up it has always had a little seepage around the oil fill cap, esp after a long hot ride. Asked the local bike shop and they said it could be normal because of the v-twin design (heavy compression etc). I actually did replace my O-ring and still, seepage. Can anyone confirm this? Sorry to hear about the layover. Never had it happen to me yet but I find rear stand really helps with balance when wrenching.

BTW, this is my first post. Have been following you guys and this forum for months and have been very helpful! Will put pix of my new Hawk after my planned photo shoot tomorrow :D

-Jeff