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Riding help and advice needed

3K views 46 replies 31 participants last post by  jjones0187 
#1 ·
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Well I hate to admit this on here but I keep dropping the wing. Being new to my first wing I have dropped it for the third time, each time I was virtually stationary - once when coming out of a petrol station and someone walked in front of me just as I was turning and the bike dropped, the second time I was stationary at a roundabout with a pillion rider the bike just seemed to fall and the third just starting off and the engine died, each time no harm done or no sign of any marks on the bike. I know it is a heavy bike, my last bike was a V-rod which I thought was a heavy bike but I never dropped that. Everything is fine when moving but just hate stopping and starting now, guess it must be my age. Any advice welcome.

Thanks

Brian
 
#2 ·
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You won't be the first or last to drop a Wing Brian. I'm not ashamed to admit I have dropped mine in similar circumstances. That was before I started taking some tips from my riding friends and following them in slow turns, learning to balance at slow speeds.
It will come to you in time, practice will bring confidence in your own ability.
 
#3 ·
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Yep, same here the 1500 and 1800 seem to be extra top heavy and require much more attention at low speed and stopped. My 1500 likes to lean left when I lean right and visa versa! Just amazes me and since I'm short I get those darn muscle spasms
 
#4 ·
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Brian,

I have never, ever, dropped my wing. At least not since this morning.

Do not get overly concerned about what seems to you, to be an unwieldy beast. You will get used to it, and with practice you will learn to keep the darn thing almost vertical every time you get it below 5 mph. IF you do allow it to get past about 3 inches off vertical at a near zero speed, it is down, and there is nothing you can do to stop it.

I use every single stop as practice to improve my skill at keeping it balanced. I purposely watch to keep myself behind all vehicles in traffic far enough back that I can come to a stop about 3 car lengths behind them. Even more if it is possible. Then, instead of stopping, I get it as slow as possible and just creep forward, ever so slow. So slow it seems that the bike has stopped, but it hasn’t, it is still creeping forward.

What I am doing is holding a slight pressure on the front brake handle, holding the engine rpm up a few 100 RPMs over idle, and I have the clutch in the very light friction zone. If you hold the front brake on, have both feet wide spread and ready to drop off the pegs, you are balanced. And while you are balanced, do not wiggle the handlebars. Practice every single time you come to a stop.

Go to a large shopping mall when it is not busy. Do figure 8s around all of those yellow stripes. Pretend they are cones. Do it over and over and over, for as long as you can keep doing it.

For me, every single time I get on my bike, it is a practice lap. And you must practice each time you get on the Wing. I do it, most everyone I know who has a Wing, does it.
 
#5 ·
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Takes time for a rider new to a big bike to get the feel of its balance. Once you do you will be making one foot stops as routine.

To begin with use the two foot down method. When you come to a stop , stop more quickly, and get your feet down.

You could wrap the crash guards and just spend a couple hours for about a week. Take two hours a day for a week and find an empty parking lot and just practice stop, start, u turns and that kind of thing.

Really want some confidence? Learn to put the 1800 in second gear and never touch the throttle, do not worry it will not die, now make as sharp a U turn as you can, start slow , then about the third day, start shifting your weight to the outside of the turn and push the bike down, let it go. This will teach you balance and give you confidence in slow turns and help in many ways.

Practice with the bike. Best to practice out of sight, out of mind, rather than drop it at the intersection.

They are big, they are heavy, but also very balanced once you get used to them. Just takes a bit of time.

Kit
 
#7 ·
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Last summer was my first on a Wing,(or any street bike really) and in 11000 miles (17,702.784km lol!)I have experienced a "few" Goldwing lifting exercises! I learned not to wear shoes with laces, I always make sure the side stand is down before I start to get off bike and I practice, practice, practice!! My Lady is always on the back of the bike when I ride and I too try to creep up on the stop lights, going as slow as possible while keeping the bike straight (and upright!) I have done the parking lot practice with Carol Ann on the back and it really does inspire confidence. In both of us..Keep up the slow speed maneuvers and keep your helmet on!
 
#8 ·
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Drop my bike? No, I do however check the undersidefor rust every now and then using my quick dismount method. The one thing that helped me was when a friend said to never, never, never use the front brake in a very slow turn and always have thefront wheelstraight when coming to a stop.
 
#9 ·
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brian Yarker wrote:
Well I hate to admit this on here but I keep dropping the wing. Being new to my first wing I have dropped it for the third time, each time I was virtually stationary - once when coming out of a petrol station and someone walked in front of me just as I was turning and the bike dropped, the second time I was stationary at a roundabout with a pillion rider the bike just seemed to fall and the third just starting off and the engine died, each time no harm done or no sign of any marks on the bike. I know it is a heavy bike, my last bike was a V-rod which I thought was a heavy bike but I never dropped that. Everything is fine when moving but just hate stopping and starting now, guess it must be my age. Any advice welcome.

Thanks

Brian

Brian

I had the same problem until I installed a Kumho car tire on the rear wheel.

Now the slow speed is WAY more stable at least on reasonably smooth surfaces.

Can now (most of the time) glide up to a one foot stop, no way could I do this with the stock rear tire.

Paul
 
#10 ·
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Well Brain, I must say "thank you" for starting this thread. I too am new to the Goldwing and although I have yet to put the first mile on it, I am sure I'll be having more than my fair share of "rest stops". I'll be taking the two day course this very weekend and I am in hopes that it will give me the confidence I need to practice, practice, practice. I have read each of the posts from the experienced riders and there appears to be a common theme, it happens to everyone. The moral support is greatly appreciated as well!

Keep in touch!
 
#11 ·
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Seems when I'm most prone to drop mine is when the wife is on the back, though I've done it solo quite a number of times too. I am getting better with it, but some times pull a stunt like forgetting to put down the side stand at the gas pump. :blushing:
 
#12 ·
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Yup I dropped mine twice last summer, essentially when i'm just starting out or very slow manuvers. My kids got me a DVD for Christmas called "ride like a pro" by Jerry Paladino. I have watched it and am anxious to practice what he taught; essentially he says to keep the rpm's up a little, ride the rear brake and slip the clutch to regulate speed. It seems that the gyro principal applies when done right.

I read on here somewhere that it's not your bike till you've dropped it!
 
#13 ·
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Good advice from all...Yep..have dropped a time or two. But..practice practice practice, makes all the difference. Like Kit and John said, go to a big parking lot and practice at slow speeds, ride the sweet spot on the clutch and the brake. It will come to you.
 
#15 ·
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First off the Vrod is a lightweight. Only 650lbs. A good 200 lbs less than a 'Wing. You think the 'Wing is bad, try a BMW touring bike. dIt's been almost a year since my 1500 decided to take a nap in front of the Medford Police station. Just starting out from a stop sign and heard a siren, I couldn't immediately locate where it was coming from and managed to drop the bike before I got it properly under way. If I can go a year before it does it again that will be a record for us.

There are conditions that will cause a drop and there isn't a heck of a lot you can do about it. Parking lots are the worst. If you're going very slow andyou're making a 90 degree turn from one parking lane to another when someone cuts you off unexpectedly the best thing you cando is make sure foot is clear of the bike as it goes down because it will. If you put your foot down on some unexpected gravel, that's usually enough to make a 'Wing lay down on you. Ditto if your foot hits some grease or oil. It's just a little bit of Goldwing humor, nothing personal. There are two things you need to know about if you're a 'Wing rider. First get out of the way when a 'Wing decides to lay down. It ain't fun to get your foot caught between the bike and the ground. Second, learn the butt-first method of righting a 'Wing. It's a truism that there are two kinds of motorcycle riders, those that have dropped their bikes and those that lie about it.
 
#16 ·
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a couple weeks ago I kicked the side stand down and it made the sound like it should but what happened is it went half way down and snaped back up so of course I did not know this so over she went, and yup their was an audience. another time I just forgot to put the stand down at the gas station and she went over. another time me and the wife went over in some sand up north going about 5 mph, yea its definently not a dirt bike lol. im just lucky im heavy enough i can just stand on the board and hold onto the grip and it will come up. practice makes perfect and the wing makes sure u get plenty of wing lifting practice.
 
#17 ·
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i laid down a honda shadow once my leg fell asleep and i went to stop and down she went yes the wing is like a TANK my dad has a hard time moving it around and he has a harley electra glide
 
#18 ·
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Yep, I suppose I have dropped every bike I have had in one corcumstance or another except the 1800 I just purchased last week. I was wondering about dropping one with a trailer attached as this will be my first experience with a trailer. Does it put undue stress on the hitch and trailer tongue when you do this?
 
#19 ·
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I seemed to have more problems with throttle control at take offs and on slow speeds on the 1500 than on the 1200. It took me many miles and close calls before and constant practice before I got the hang of it. I still feel a little wobbly coming to a stop sometimes. I learned to start a little sooner to come into the approach and not wait to the last minute to put my foot down. I am averaging about 13000 miles a year on the 1500 and still I am not as smooth as I would like to be. I figured it was just my age.
 
#20 ·
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The first drop sounds like was caused because you hit the front brake with the handlebars turned. The other two I'm not quite sure about but there are things you can do to help prevent these spills. First make sure you are verticle and the handlebars square when you are stopping. Keep your right foot on the rear brake and put your left foot down first; this helps keep the bike stable until you are stopped. Practice these things on your heavier and taller Wing. These are things we teach in our MSF classes. I hope this helps you sort your problem. Last of all, you still may occasionally drop the bike for other reasons. Be sure to check your footing where you will be stopping to make sure there isn't a low spot where you need to put a foot down. Good luck!

Bernie
 
#21 ·
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chas.weaver wrote:
Drop my bike? No, I do however check the undersidefor rust every now and then using my quick dismount method. The one thing that helped me was when a friend said to never, never, never use the front brake in a very slow turn and always have thefront wheelstraight when coming to a stop.
I agree, (TRY to never use the front brake) If you use the front brake be sure the handlebars are staight, practice in parking lots & I bring my foot/feet down as I slow to a stop. Always watch where you put your foot down, paint, oil, water, sand, all will make your foot slip!! And wear shoes/boots with a good rubber sole for grip.
 
#22 ·
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I did the same thing when I was new to my wing, the secret is to keep you eyes up and straight forward until AFTER the bike has come to a full and complete stop, never look to the side, or down, at the last second or the bike will immediately tip that way. On a smaller bike it is no big deal to hold it up after it starts to tip, but not so with a bike as big as a wing.
:?
When stopping especially on a corner or turning in a parking lot ect. you must always first straighten the bike and pick a focus point ahead of you before applying the brakes.
With practice you will become more stable on the wing than any other bike you have ridden, but it is more unforgiving of poor skills at low speeds.

:brokedown:

Now after 7 years of practice I can ride my bike at less than 1 mile per hour, come to a full 1-2 second stop without using my feet, and can turn her on a dime, and stop in the bikes length at speeds up to 25 mph, but still I need to keep practicing as I know folks who are much much more skilled that I am.
:bow:

PS. Yes I do still drop my bike on occasion, always in parking lot practice though as that is where I am pushing my limits, don't worry about it though as that is exactly what the engine and saddle box guards are for.
:ssshh:

Once the bike starts to go beyond a few degrees just let her go, don't get caught beneath her, besides it's just practice on how to correctly pick up a bike right?

:applause:
 
#24 ·
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I would say to anyone dropping your bike is a sure indicator that your skill set needs to be upgraded. I would also recommend to anyone that is riding any type of motorcycle to take the following course:

msumotorcycletraining

Doug and Norm and the rest of the guys are tough, fair, and encouraging! The skills that you learn will be the ones that make among the best riders on the road. You will drop the Harley Road King so many times on that course that you will never drop another motorcycle.

PS. If you can't make it to Michigan, at least purchase Ride Like A Pro and really practice the exercises.
 
#25 ·
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I would [suB][/suB]truly hate to embarrass myself in public. I have dropped my bike twice in the garage and once off my trailer.

If you are tall and have a long inseam (long legs) I think one would have a much better advantage.

I do not know what ya'll can do with an 1800. 1500s can have a less taller seat, let the air out of the shocks, and I think some have attempted to even cut and lower shock.
 
#26 ·
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Regarding advice , watch some of the " ride like a pro " vids on youtube . Im not a new rider but i did learn some things watching them vids .



I dropped my wing the very first ride on it . That was enough for me , time to learn something new .



My # 1 errror was coming to a stop with out the front wheel being straight , makes a huge difference . You dont mention if you are tall or short . Us short guys seem to have a little more issue i think but iv learned to compensate .



Learning to do the tight turns as they show on the vids was a big help also . Just the other day i took a ride with a couple guys from this board . We missed a turn on a narrow 2 lane paved . It was nice to just wheel the wing around and not do a 3 point turn .



I found out after some practice my road is only 22 ' wide , the vids were using 24' . I was pretty pleased with my self when i realized i was U turning on a rather narrow street .



Its all practice as the guys have said but those vids offer some darn good tips .



Iv dropped my wing once so far . How long will my luck hold out :action:
 
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