Probably need to get some frame sliders...

[digeratum]

Hey All,

I'm pretty new to this forum, and motorcycling in general. I bought a 2006 FZ6 about two weeks ago, and laid it down for the second time today. The first time was on my driveway a week ago, but it was pretty uneventful - it fell over as I was backing it out. I was able to pick it up after a couple tries, and went for my ride, no real damage. This morning was a little more traumatic.

I pulled into the parking garage near my work, and went around the first ramped corner without too many problems, other than swinging out a bit too far. The next corner came, and I did the same thing again, except I swung out so far that I was headed straight for a parked car. At that point, I'm not entirely sure what happened - I think I locked the brakes while at an angle - but me and the bike went down.

I tried to pick it up using a technique I saw online (back towards the motorcycle, pushing up with the legs), but couldn't get it up. I tried to do the same thing I did when I picked it up the first time (brute force push forward), but that didn't work either. There was a line of about 5 cars waiting for me, so there was a little pressure. Finally, someone got out and helped me get it up.

When I parked it, I looked it over for damage. Part of the plastic piece on the front of the bike (fairing?) broke off, and part of it was a little scratched. I also noticed some fluid leaking. I had to get into work and didn't have time to investigate, but I'm really not sure what it could be. I filled up on gas before I left, so that'd be my first guess. Any ideas?

As for the cause...I'm pretty sure that I was going into the turn with a bit too much speed. I was trying to practice my counterbalancing, but I was focusing too much on that and not enough on facing the direction I wanted to go. Stupid...

Chalk one up to experience, I guess. Hopefully I can ride it home this afternoon. Any suggestions for good, easy to install frame sliders? Also, how hard is it to replace that front plastic piece that I scratched/broke?

 

[DMP84]

Puig Frame Slider Kit Yamaha FZ6 - Indysuperbikes

I got these and they look pretty cool overall. I just had to wait about 2 weeks before they finally came in, but pretty straightforward to install.

Good luck, not sure on the fairing piece sorry.

 

[Motogiro]

Don't be too hard on yourself but if you haven't done so yet,and I say this not really knowing your background in riding. Check out a Motorcycle Safety Riding Course. You may ride the remainder of your life without incident but if you're newer to riding and you don't have a person to help you in your riding experience one of those courses would be great.

Yeah if you have that front wheel turned even a little and hit the brake...

You should be able to do a search on the frame sliders here on the forum.

Happy Riding!

 

[LERecords]

Hey All,

I'm pretty new to this forum, and motorcycling in general. I bought a 2006 FZ6 about two weeks ago, and laid it down for the second time today. The first time was on my driveway a week ago, but it was pretty uneventful - it fell over as I was backing it out. I was able to pick it up after a couple tries, and went for my ride, no real damage. This morning was a little more traumatic.

I pulled into the parking garage near my work, and went around the first ramped corner without too many problems, other than swinging out a bit too far. The next corner came, and I did the same thing again, except I swung out so far that I was headed straight for a parked car. At that point, I'm not entirely sure what happened - I think I locked the brakes while at an angle - but me and the bike went down.

I tried to pick it up using a technique I saw online (back towards the motorcycle, pushing up with the legs), but couldn't get it up. I tried to do the same thing I did when I picked it up the first time (brute force push forward), but that didn't work either. There was a line of about 5 cars waiting for me, so there was a little pressure. Finally, someone got out and helped me get it up.

When I parked it, I looked it over for damage. Part of the plastic piece on the front of the bike (fairing?) broke off, and part of it was a little scratched. I also noticed some fluid leaking. I had to get into work and didn't have time to investigate, but I'm really not sure what it could be. I filled up on gas before I left, so that'd be my first guess. Any ideas?

As for the cause...I'm pretty sure that I was going into the turn with a bit too much speed. I was trying to practice my counterbalancing, but I was focusing too much on that and not enough on facing the direction I wanted to go. Stupid...

Chalk one up to experience, I guess. Hopefully I can ride it home this afternoon. Any suggestions for good, easy to install frame sliders? Also, how hard is it to replace that front plastic piece that I scratched/broke?

well that sure blows man... but i can guess at what went wrong.. it sounds liek you might have been going a bit faster then you should have.. hey it happens.. not the end of th world and at least your ok.. as for fixing stuff, you'll need to post up a few pictures for us to see whats broken and you'll get alot of help.. as for sliders.. motovations, LSL sliders, etc... they are all good brands..

good luck man.. and slow down a bit

 

[Nelly]

Hey All,

I'm pretty new to this forum, and motorcycling in general. I bought a 2006 FZ6 about two weeks ago, and laid it down for the second time today. The first time was on my driveway a week ago, but it was pretty uneventful - it fell over as I was backing it out. I was able to pick it up after a couple tries, and went for my ride, no real damage. This morning was a little more traumatic.

I pulled into the parking garage near my work, and went around the first ramped corner without too many problems, other than swinging out a bit too far. The next corner came, and I did the same thing again, except I swung out so far that I was headed straight for a parked car. At that point, I'm not entirely sure what happened - I think I locked the brakes while at an angle - but me and the bike went down.

I tried to pick it up using a technique I saw online (back towards the motorcycle, pushing up with the legs), but couldn't get it up. I tried to do the same thing I did when I picked it up the first time (brute force push forward), but that didn't work either. There was a line of about 5 cars waiting for me, so there was a little pressure. Finally, someone got out and helped me get it up.

When I parked it, I looked it over for damage. Part of the plastic piece on the front of the bike (fairing?) broke off, and part of it was a little scratched. I also noticed some fluid leaking. I had to get into work and didn't have time to investigate, but I'm really not sure what it could be. I filled up on gas before I left, so that'd be my first guess. Any ideas?

As for the cause...I'm pretty sure that I was going into the turn with a bit too much speed. I was trying to practice my counterbalancing, but I was focusing too much on that and not enough on facing the direction I wanted to go. Stupid...

Chalk one up to experience, I guess. Hopefully I can ride it home this afternoon. Any suggestions for good, easy to install frame sliders? Also, how hard is it to replace that front plastic piece that I scratched/broke?

I would strongly suggest that you get some training mate, or get yourself to an empty car park and practice some basic machine control. Frame sliders are not going to fix your problem.
I don't say this out of maliciousness, but you are rapidly using your bag of riding luck up.


Nelly

 

[necrotimus]

Take the time to practice more and like mentioned take a class if you haven't already. The first two times it happened at low speeds in relatively 'safe' environments. You don't want the third to be at 50mph on the road.

Don't beat yourself up but learn from it.

 

[digeratum]

Thanks for the feedback. I took the MSF course two weeks ago...I'm just learning still. I have gone out to a parking lot to practice, but clearly I need to get a little more low-speed maneuvering practice.

Any ideas on the leaking? Does gas typically leak when a bike is laid down?

 

[necrotimus]

Thanks for the feedback. I took the MSF course two weeks ago...I'm just learning still. I have gone out to a parking lot to practice, but clearly I need to get a little more low-speed maneuvering practice.

Any ideas on the leaking? Does gas typically leak when a bike is laid down?

I have never laid my bike down but my wife has dropped hers and gas did come out of the filler cap. It is a different style but I would say it is possible.

 

[sm00thpapa]

As for the liquid did you look, touch or smell it? If it was gas it should of evaporated pretty quickly from the ground and you should of smelled it was gas. My friend dropped his bike and his was leaking from the front brake master cylinder. Squeeze the front brake slowly and see is any comes out. If it does you just need to tighten the nut. This isn't the first time you dropped it and sure as hell isn't your last.

 

[Motogiro]

Thanks for the feedback. I took the MSF course two weeks ago...I'm just learning still. I have gone out to a parking lot to practice, but clearly I need to get a little more low-speed maneuvering practice.

Any ideas on the leaking? Does gas typically leak when a bike is laid down?

Good on the MSF. Sometimes slow riding is the hardest. You'll get used to it..

There is an overflow hole at the filler area of the gas tank. If you tip the bike, gas could go into that area and when you right the bike back up it would leak out of the overflow hose. Especially if the tank is pretty full.

 

[tasop7]

Wow, when I read this I totally got Deja-vu and reminded me of this almost identical situation that just got posted not too long ago... http://www.600riders.com/forum/fz6-general-discussion/16351-ashamed-proud-whcih-should-i.html

When you swung out too far during the first turn, that should have told you to slow down going into future turns. In the MSF course I took, they drilled the fact that you should never go into a turn too fast because braking is one of the last things you want to do when you're turning. If you go in too slow, however, you can always roll back on the throttle and give it some gas.

Anyway, I'm really glad you're ok (especially with the fact that you were on public roads with traffic)! Thanks for posting your story. Just make sure to learn the lesson at hand here. Ride safe and ride within your abilities. Just like Nelly said, I would also recommend to keep practicing away from traffic. You can never have too much practice.

Were you fully geared up when this happened (helmet, jacket, gloves, etc)?

I'm guessing the fluid was gas as well, so I wouldn't worry too much about it. I've never laid this bike down, but I do know that the tank has a couple rubber hoses that will leak out a little gas when the tank is tipped up. I'm not sure what else it could be, but you should get other responses too.

I'm not sure how bad the damage is, but if you're patient, people sell the plastics from the front fairing pretty often here and on ebay. When someone wants to convert their FZ6 to a completely naked streetfighter, the first thing they sell is the front faring.

Thanks again for the post, welcome to the forum, and again, really glad you're ok! :thumbup:

 

[digeratum]

Yeah, looks like a similar situation - too much speed going into the turn. They definitely drilled that point in the MSF class - once you enter a turn, you can only add speed, so you'd better be going as slow as needed before entering the turn.

I wasn't on a public road fortunately - I was in a parking garage. Since it was at 8 this morning, there were a bunch of other people parking, thus the reason for the 5 cars behind me. It could have been much worse if I were out on the street.

I had good gear except my shoes - they don't cover my ankles. Other than that, I had a good jacket, helmet, gloves, and jeans.

Thanks again to everyone for your feedback. This forum is a great resource for newbies like me Guess it's back to the parking lot this weekend.

 

[Norm]

Well I think everyone said what needed to be said. I'll add that if you were my friend or relative I'd have given you the same counseling you've received here but also praise you for being brave enough to take the bike on the road. Don't let this discourage you. You'll be a better and safer rider than many because of this experience. Motorcycling comes too easy to some and that overconfidence is probably more dangerous.

 

[LERecords]

jeans an sneakers are not boots and protective pants... ebay yourself a nice set of overpants (tourmasters are great)... oh and look up sidi boot... they are worth every penny... good luck man

 

[tasop7]

I wasn't on a public road fortunately - I was in a parking garage. Since it was at 8 this morning, there were a bunch of other people parking, thus the reason for the 5 cars behind me. It could have been much worse if I were out on the street.

Oh, I'm sorry, I totally missed that :spank:... I thought this happened on the street.

Other than the shoes pants, I'm glad you ride with gear! :thumbup: It really surprises me how many people ride without a helmet. I feel naked without my helmet on lol.

 

[niben001]

Hey All,

I'm pretty new to this forum, and motorcycling in general. I bought a 2006 FZ6 about two weeks ago, and laid it down for the second time today. The first time was on my driveway a week ago, but it was pretty uneventful - it fell over as I was backing it out. I was able to pick it up after a couple tries, and went for my ride, no real damage. This morning was a little more traumatic.

I pulled into the parking garage near my work, and went around the first ramped corner without too many problems, other than swinging out a bit too far. The next corner came, and I did the same thing again, except I swung out so far that I was headed straight for a parked car. At that point, I'm not entirely sure what happened - I think I locked the brakes while at an angle - but me and the bike went down.

I tried to pick it up using a technique I saw online (back towards the motorcycle, pushing up with the legs), but couldn't get it up. I tried to do the same thing I did when I picked it up the first time (brute force push forward), but that didn't work either. There was a line of about 5 cars waiting for me, so there was a little pressure. Finally, someone got out and helped me get it up.

When I parked it, I looked it over for damage. Part of the plastic piece on the front of the bike (fairing?) broke off, and part of it was a little scratched. I also noticed some fluid leaking. I had to get into work and didn't have time to investigate, but I'm really not sure what it could be. I filled up on gas before I left, so that'd be my first guess. Any ideas?

As for the cause...I'm pretty sure that I was going into the turn with a bit too much speed. I was trying to practice my counterbalancing, but I was focusing too much on that and not enough on facing the direction I wanted to go. Stupid...

Chalk one up to experience, I guess. Hopefully I can ride it home this afternoon. Any suggestions for good, easy to install frame sliders? Also, how hard is it to replace that front plastic piece that I scratched/broke?

What did the fluid smell ike? what color was it?

 

[digeratum]

I definitely can't imagine riding without a helmet - especially on the freeway. I'll have to look into some better leg covers/boots, especially for the longer rides I want to take.

I didn't get a good chance to check out the liquid, but I'll see if it's still leaking when I head out this afternoon. It looked clear. From what people are saying, I'm guessing it was gas. I'll definitely smell it, check the brakes, and do a thorough T-CLOCS before I head out.

 

[neshi]

Don't be too hard on yourself but if you haven't done so yet,and I say this not really knowing your background in riding. Check out a Motorcycle Safety Riding Course. You may ride the remainder of your life without incident but if you're newer to riding and you don't have a person to help you in your riding experience one of those courses would be great.

Yeah if you have that front wheel turned even a little and hit the brake...

You should be able to do a search on the frame sliders here on the forum.

Happy Riding!

I have learned this the hard way. If you have not done so take the MFS course and if you have always do some practice when you can in a lot or something frame sliders may help but ive seen some falls there they did nada for the bikes plastics!

 

[Se7enLC]

The fluid is probably nothing to be concerned about - probably coolant overflow. Just check your levels to make sure you've still got enough.

If the fairing is the piece I'm thinking of, you can likely get away with a rattlecan job that looks pretty snazzy. Check my prior posts to see how my crash damage repair came out.

 

[Funkmaxtor]

I'm fairly new to riding also and what I have learned is to apply power when in a turn. This seems to be even more important with sport bikes. They tend to squat and hookup better when powered. This doesnt mean you should fly around the turn but slow before entering the turn then apply slight power. I also took the MSF course (free in PA) and I learned alot even though I had over 3000 miles on my bike when I took it. Another trick I learned to help with this is to look further ahead! If you were worried about the parked car you may have fixated on it and were looking too close to you. Something I learned when I used to race BMX is to always look where you want to go. If you look at that car that is close you will hit it!

Glad you are okay. Be safe!