The $61 driveway drop

There it was ticking over while I was putting on my helmet with my back turned and plop over it went. Clutch lever broke where it was supposed to and valve cover and black plastic on the cover scratched. Other than that no damage. Replacement parts on the way .Ordered a cheap set of black levers from ebay as the OEM one is almost $150 as opposed to $25. Theres a slight incline on the driveway so I guess its just too much for the sidestand to hold the bike up. Still I thought it tipped over too easy and will pay attention to have it on flat ground in future. My neighbor saw the whole thing. He was more upset than I was. I shrugged it off, jumped on and went for some BBQ .

That's crap! Glad it [ and you ] took it pretty well and you have sourced the parts already. Hope the barby was good!

Bummer.
Can you provide some details on the bike's orientation relative to the slope of the driveway? I'd like to avoid a similar occurrence on my sloped driveway.

My 1100 would "walk" backwards at idle on a gentle slope.

Something similar happened to me last year: the bike was parked on my gravel driveway while I got ready with helmet and gloves. The engine was running and I assume the famous Guzzi "idle shake" moved the bike and some stones under the sidestand gave way. Luckily I was standing at the "leeway" side so I was just in time to "catch" the bike. I'm more careful since then and avoid running the engine while parked.

You react to such things way more maturely than I do.

I got upset over YOUR drop!

Bill

It sucks. When you drop it on the move because you did something wrong or some other twat does it to you, it's bad. Anger, frustration, annoyance and sometimes pain. When it flops over by itself you get that horrid sinking feeling that's like no other and the horror of an otherwise pristine piece of Italian perfection all scratched up because of a stupid piece of dirt that gave way on a gravel driveway or it walks itself off the sidestand due to the way it shudders and shakes at idle like a proper big block v-twin.

I have been there. I feel your pain.

I wait until I am ready dressed, and astride the bike before hitting the starter. The best way to warm an engine is to ride it. Wasting fuel otherwise...

Oz1200Guzzi wrote:

I wait until I am ready dressed, and astride the bike before hitting the starter. The best way to warm an engine is to ride it. Wasting fuel otherwise...

 
Plus 1.

plantboy wrote:

Oz1200Guzzi wrote:

I wait until I am ready dressed, and astride the bike before hitting the starter. The best way to warm an engine is to ride it. Wasting fuel otherwise...

 
Plus 1.

Plus 2. The last time I had the motor rocking without me astride was when I was doing a vid of the new Termi silencer I put on. That was 5 years ago. Never saw a purpose to idling the motor for more than the moment it takes to engage the gearbox and roll out. Life is too short not to put those crank revolutions to productive use all the time.

Your neighbor is in love with the mighty GRiSO.
I kinda watch the angle of the bike anywhere I park it as it doesn't have a lot of a lean angle on a flat surface, especially after I dropped the fork a little bit.
I've been changing parking spot and moving the bike before when it didn't feel right to me...
Hell yeah!

What a coincidence as I dropped my less than a month old GRiSO on my driveway in the same situation - started the bike to warm up the engine, turned my back to get my gloves and heard it fall over. Broken clutch lever - also replaced with a set I bought off Ebay - and a scuff on the header, both the metal and the plastic bits. What a pisser!

My driveway is also slightly inclined, but none of my other bikes have been this sensitive. This is also my first bike in a long time with a forward mounted kickstand and I am thinking that perhaps I did not snap it all the way in place.

I do start mine then put on the helmet, but only in my garage as I know it's flat.
I'm the same as you SPEIRMOOR, I just say opps as getting shitty takes to much energy.

I bought the stucchi crash bars from new, haven't dropped it yet , a waste of money
I am a paranoid poor bastard though, when parking on a sloped surface I put the side stand down in gear to kill the engine then let the clutch out, stops the bike rolling back

opc wrote:

Bummer.  
Can you provide some details on the bike's orientation relative to the slope of the driveway?  I'd like to avoid a similar occurrence on my sloped driveway.

Well this is the way it was at the time to the best of my memory. Of course today it wouldn't move an inch while the camera was rolling.
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Tolle09 wrote:

My 1100 would "walk" backwards at idle on a gentle slope.

My driveway slopes quite a bit and the bike will walk backwards unles I make sure the kickstand is on a brick.

In Belgium a couple of weeks ago, I filled up at a petrol station, rode off the forecourt put the sidestand down and was getting off the bike when it went down and I had to jump out of the way........rather annoying! I hadn't pushed the side stand right out (I was a bit knackered at the time).
slightly scratched handlebar end and broken clutch lever so not the end of the world.

I had my H & B hard panniers on and they take the brunt of any fall so it's only the handlebars that touch, panniers scuffed but fine. I'm not too bothered about the panniers as long as they still hold - they got stuck between a bollard and a dustcart in Soho last year and I managed to accelerate out of that one!

Had my daughter on the back a couple of years ago on the Euston Road, stopped in traffic and there was a big hole where my foot was supposed to hold the bike so we slowly went over amidst applause and jeers from the queue at the bus stop - a heavy bike to pick up but adrenalin kicks in and we managed to pick it up quickly and ride off giggling.

One day I'll drop it without the panniers on...........

jc1200 wrote:

In Belgium a couple of weeks ago, I filled up at a petrol station, rode off the forecourt put the sidestand down and was getting off the bike when it went down and I had to jump out of the way........rather annoying! I hadn't pushed the side stand right out (I was a bit knackered at the time).
slightly scratched handlebar end and broken clutch lever so not the end of the world.

I had my H & B hard panniers on and they take the brunt of any fall so it's only the handlebars that touch, panniers scuffed but fine. I'm not too bothered about the panniers as long as they still hold - they got stuck between a bollard and a dustcart in Soho last year and I managed to accelerate out of that one!

Had my daughter on the back a couple of years ago on the Euston Road, stopped in traffic and there was a big hole where my foot was supposed to hold the bike so we slowly went over amidst applause and jeers from the queue at the bus stop - a heavy bike to pick up but adrenalin kicks in and we managed to pick it up quickly and ride off giggling.

One day I'll drop it without the panniers on...........

Fair play for laughing that last one off - Glad the panniers are taking the brunt of it!

The big twinned GRiSO likes to jiggle, that's for sure.  I've had mine "walk" backwards down my driveway before.  Starting it up to idle facing down a slight incline is a recipe for disaster!  Idle it on a flat, or backed up to a curb.  Kickstand design is not the problem...