I've logged about 20,000 miles on a Sportster and decided to go metric and bought a 05 Busa. I was pulling away from a parking lot and saw a car at the last second. I grabbed the front brakes and stopped at a leaned over angle (leaning for the turn). I couldn't get my feet off the pegs fast enough and just toppled over. I'm not yet used to the high and back peg position. Scuffed up my bike and ego. Any tips?
Embarrasing event
- Thread starter FloydV
- Start date
welcome. one good thing is it can be fixed and ya got the first spill right out of the way now ya can just ride
same thing happened to me a week after I picked up my (brand-new!) 'Bus. Grabbed the front binders at low speed set up for a left turn out of a driveway and the damn bike practically threw me to the ground. Great big scrape in my generator cover, and I ended up with my left foot pinned between the main fairing bolt and the road - I felt like a turtle on its back. Saved my plastic, though. Good thing one of my buds was with me, or I'd probably still be lying there in someone's driveway...
The trick is the front brakes, they grab like hell at low speeds, and the Bus' higher center of gravity ( compared to a cruiser) will almost always make you overbalance when they do, if the steering isn't straight. Use the back brake if you are going under 10, only the use the front when at low speeds if falling over is better than "running-into" and always be ready to get your left foot down!
--Steve
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The trick is the front brakes, they grab like hell at low speeds, and the Bus' higher center of gravity ( compared to a cruiser) will almost always make you overbalance when they do, if the steering isn't straight. Use the back brake if you are going under 10, only the use the front when at low speeds if falling over is better than "running-into" and always be ready to get your left foot down!
--Steve
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Reason for Edit: "grammar nazi looking over my shoulder..."|1120299655 -->
Welcome to the Board!
I'm in the same situation as you. Been riding a VTX and just recently the Busa. Congratulations on the Bike too.
If the wheel is turned at slow speed best to have that foot on the rear brake. Just the other day I went to make a right turn and was leaning over and thought I had given the bike enough gas, but the engine conked out in the turn. Needed to rev alittle higher for the faster takeoff. Needless to say I had to yank the wheel to the left and the first thought is to hit the front brake. I didn't and applied the rear brake. Almost still dumped to the right side though. I was embarassed and on the shoulder having to restart the Bike.
I learned the hard way on the VTX.....
Its not a problem to use the front brake at low speeds as long as the front wheel is straight
I'm in the same situation as you. Been riding a VTX and just recently the Busa. Congratulations on the Bike too.
If the wheel is turned at slow speed best to have that foot on the rear brake. Just the other day I went to make a right turn and was leaning over and thought I had given the bike enough gas, but the engine conked out in the turn. Needed to rev alittle higher for the faster takeoff. Needless to say I had to yank the wheel to the left and the first thought is to hit the front brake. I didn't and applied the rear brake. Almost still dumped to the right side though. I was embarassed and on the shoulder having to restart the Bike.
I learned the hard way on the VTX.....
Its not a problem to use the front brake at low speeds as long as the front wheel is straight
Thanks to everyone who responded. Now I don't feel like the only one. I'm getting my feet down at every potential stop and keeping the bike straight. You can get pretty sloppy with a Sportster and be OK, but this bike will teach you not to. I'm staying away from traffic until I get a lot more miles under my belt. I'm in the DFW area and the only thing safe around here is a Hummer.
Rocketman
Registered
Just one more throw down on stuff like this... be careful with disc lock... like a Kryptonite lock. If you don't have something to remind you it's on, and you start to move... the same kind of thing can happen.
The bike will stop dead and lurch to the side to dissapate the movement energy and go down on its side. Just a warning. it's embarrassing and does nasty work to your fairing and low end components.
Have fun!
The bike will stop dead and lurch to the side to dissapate the movement energy and go down on its side. Just a warning. it's embarrassing and does nasty work to your fairing and low end components.
Have fun!
ive seen this happen to a guy in my parking lot. he was all excited about a hotty in a bakini and reved her up and bwamm down he went. bent the rotor and seriuosly warped his pride. fawker got a date with the girl, played the injured role and scored anyway.
dont sweet it just get back on...............good choice in bikes bra
FL Knifemaker
Registered
Be carefull not to take too much off becuase they are hollow inside! That's what makes them soft, along with the ridges.
If I wore shoes with any tread on them, the same thing would probably happent to me!!! I have a very screwed up left knee. The left foot peg is just at my max range of motion. I'm eventually going to lower the pegs about an inch but I haven't had time to do it yet. If I wear anything but my FLAT Vans leather sneakers, It's very hard to manage the left footpeg. (I wear a WIDE size 13 and have never found riding shoes or boots to fit)
dont worry about!
the first day i had mine i took it out for a ride and wanted to turn around so i make a real slow u-turn in the street and stalled the engine, bike went down soooo slowly as i was trying to keep her up...i had to just put her on the ground real slow and then got off and picked it back up, reall embarrising since it was in the middle of the street and traffic, wich wasnt there when i decided to make the u-turn , had to wait for me, after it was funny as hell
the first day i had mine i took it out for a ride and wanted to turn around so i make a real slow u-turn in the street and stalled the engine, bike went down soooo slowly as i was trying to keep her up...i had to just put her on the ground real slow and then got off and picked it back up, reall embarrising since it was in the middle of the street and traffic, wich wasnt there when i decided to make the u-turn , had to wait for me, after it was funny as hell
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