My first tip over

[ex-walker]

I was really hoping to never post here,but I fucked up today. The light turned green and I lifted my outriggers up before I took off. I fell against the car next to me and scratched both of her doors. I was both mad and embarrassed at such a dip shit move.

Bottom line is I didn't stay focused.

 

[budman]

Oops. It happens.
Maybe not that exactly, but shit in general as two wheels are unforgiving.

In the future what is the plan to avoid this??

Man I respect your effort.

 

[ex-walker]

I just need to stay focused on what I am doing when starting and stopping, there a lot going on with both hands. The riding is easy, it's the starting and stopping. Hopefully lesson learned

 

[budman]

Are you doing some practice on these skills?? Parking lot stuff?
I get ya on the riding. Motion makes All things smoother.

Any ideas on what might make the mechanical bit more effective??

 

[Sticka]

How do the outriggers work, manually or auto?

 

[ctwo]

The way it was described, it sounded like a muscle memory kind of thing, maybe like forgetting to put down the kickstand when getting off. I wonder if just more practice/experience would build natural reactions for you so this is not something that really needs to be consciously remembered. How long have you been riding with this configuration?

 

[ex-walker]

The way it was described, it sounded like a muscle memory kind of thing, maybe like forgetting to put down the kickstand when getting off. I wonder if just more practice/experience would build natural reactions for you so this is not something that really needs to be consciously remembered. How long have you been riding with this configuration?

I think this best describes what happened. I only have 800 miles so far. When I rode before my injury I didn't really have to think about it. It was second nature. Kind of how when you walk, you don't think about it. I was thinking about other stuff (my mom is dying of ALS) and I hit the switch that lifts my outriggers before I took off. I need to stay 100 percent concentrated. The more I ride the more natural it will become.
The thing that is bothering me the most is I am now having doubts about riding. I raced at a expert level in speedway,moto and desert racing. I have crashed more times than I can remember and I mean real crashes. This was just a tip over, but it really makes me wonder if I still have it. I didn't sleep at all last night. Hopefully after a day or two I will be fine.

 

[ex-walker]

How do the outriggers work, manually or auto?

Manually

 

[Sharxfan]

I think you will be fine and don't give up on the riding. You are probably comparing what you did now to how you were before you needed the outriggers. You shouldn't do that and instead think of this like learning how to ride a motorcycle all over again as you now have to acquire a totally different skill set to start and stop. Stick with it and like posted before practice stop/starts in empty parking lots like we all did (hopefully)when we were starting out.

BTW what you did was amazing to be able to ride again so remember new skills take time to master make sure you give yourself that time and don't throw in the towel to early.

 

[i_am_the_koi]

Just like gearing up to go for a ride, I find some parts of riding to be procedural.

Light turns green, release clutch, give gas, lift feet, massive wheelie for safety.

 

[Son-of-Ricardo]

Shit happens. Learn and grow from it.

How did the lady in the car react?

 

[ex-walker]

Shit happens. Learn and grow from it.

How did the lady in the car react?

She was really good about it. Luckily she didn't take off cause I was pinned between the bike and the car. It sucks that it had to be an Audi SUV in Danville cause this will probably be expensive. I dented both doors. I am hoping she will let me pay out of pocket ., but she has to talk to her husband.

 

[mean dad]

Any way to make the outriggers speed-dependent? Won't go up if the bike is stationary sort of thing?

Either mechanical or electronic.

Edit: I'm picturing something that maybe engages with the drive chain once in the lowered position, so it won't retract until its sprocket rolls a bit and releases a catch?
Just letting my mind wander while I'm doing my TPS reports so there will probably be issues I'm not thinking of right meow...

 

[ex-walker]

Any way to make the outriggers speed-dependent? Won't go up if the bike is stationary sort of thing?

Either mechanical or electronic.

Edit: I'm picturing something that maybe engages with the drive chain once in the lowered position, so it won't retract until its sprocket rolls a bit and releases a catch?
Just letting my mind wander while I'm doing my TPS reports so there will probably be issues I'm not thinking of right meow...

I am sure this is possible some how,but it's above my skills and pay grade. I am just an old crippled iron worker.It was preventable,I just lost my concentration.

 

[ScottRNelson]

I didn't notice this thread until today - I guess I never look in Crash Analysis.

I was riding with Jesse at the time and we had a great ride up Mt. Diablo and back. At this particular left turn lane, I took off from the light first, in the inside left turn lane, looked back and no following motorcycle. I was guessing that he might have killed the engine or had it in the wrong gear or something, which can both be issues with that particular setup. After figuring out it was time to head back and making a rather illegal U-turn, I saw several people there by the bike and he wasn't on it - uh-oh.

Many of the people in the turn lane were quick to jump to his assistance and get the bike back up, then get the wheelchair off of the back and set it to where he could get into it to get back onto the bike again. We held up traffic for four or five cycles, which annoyed a few people further back. I still can't figure out what part of the bike scraped the side of that Audi, because other than the windscreen popping off and a slightly loose bar-end mirror on the right - the side that scraped - there wasn't really any visible damage.

Once Jesse was back on the bike, the wheelchair was strapped back into place, and the loose windshield strapped down, it was easy enough to continue on and go talk to the woman with the scraped car. She was really great about the whole thing.

My observations:

It would be nice if the outriggers could automatically come down and stay down below some particular speed, which would be in the 2-5 mph range. It would be very tricky to come up with something to do that reliably.

Jesse has a lot more to concentrate on than the rest of us when pulling away from a stop. The left hand has to deal with clutch and shifting. The right hand has to deal with throttle, front brake (no rear brake available to him currently) and the switch to raise the outriggers. The outriggers have to be up to make a turn and this was a case of needing to get moving then immediately turn left.

When we first met and I asked if he would rather lead of follow, he said it didn't matter, so I chose to lead, which is always my preference on group rides. I now see how I should have been following (which I did the rest of the way back to Livermore). I would recommend that Jesse ask someone to follow on any future group rides. I could have been a lot more help if I was still there helping instead of looking in my mirrors trying to figure out what happened.

I'm hoping Jesse can quickly get over this and resolve that he won't let THAT happen again. He's an inspiration to other people with disabilities. :thumbup

 

[mean dad]

Some sort of centrifugal clutch setup on an arm attached to the outriggers, spun by a small sprocket on the chain?

My brain doesn't want to let this go, I've built a couple of them in my mind already today. :laughing

 

[Smash Allen]

Some sort of centrifugal clutch setup on an arm attached to the outriggers, spun by a small sprocket on the chain?

My brain doesn't want to let this go, I've built a couple of them in my mind already today. :laughing

If the riggers are triggered with an electronic switch then it's possible to wire in a relay that trips the switch when it sees speedo over 5mph using a cruise control module made aftermarket for the fj

There are a couple guys like synfinatic who would be able to give more definitive advice regarding the particulars

 

[Son-of-Ricardo]

She was really good about it. Luckily she didn't take off cause I was pinned between the bike and the car. It sucks that it had to be an Audi SUV in Danville cause this will probably be expensive. I dented both doors. I am hoping she will let me pay out of pocket ., but she has to talk to her husband.

I'm glad that went as it did. Some people can be horrible no matter what.

I'm certain you'll be back on the road again soon... riding with the rest of us. Thanks for sharing your experience.

 

[mean dad]

If the riggers are triggered with an electronic switch then it's possible to wire in a relay that trips the switch when it sees speedo over 5mph using a cruise control module made aftermarket for the fj

There are a couple guys like synfinatic who would be able to give more definitive advice regarding the particulars

Yeah, electronics are definitely not my strong suit. I'm sure something could be done much cleaner than a pure mechanical solution too.

 

[ex-walker]

The problem with automatically coming up or down at a certain speed is there are a lot of variables out there. What if I had to drop down off a curb or pulling in my driveway. I don't want them to drop down till I want them too. I think I got caught up in the moment and didn't stay focused. I don't really care that I fell over,I am just mad the it affected someone else. I will be ready to ride by this weekend.