It finally happened to me

[billhook]

Well, due to pressure from witnesses to the incident, I am requesting my CDA #. I've had my 2005 C-10 for 3 years and nearly 30,000 miles and never dropped it. No small feat, considering my 29 inch inseam. Anyway the story - I was leading a group of 5 bikes from our Cincinnati Area Camp and Ride to meet up with the Kentucky COG contingent for lunch about 25 miles S.W. of Lexington, KY when I pulled the group into a gas station/greasy spoon for a rest break. There were also nasty looking clouds headed our way. Just as we pulled in, the wind picked up and Greg DeCola headed for the downwind side of the gas station building. That side of the lot was gravel. I made a relatively wide arching u-turn through the lot to park my bike and hit the front brakes too hard and the front wheel slid in the gravel and she went down on her right side. I managed to jump clear of her and landed on my right side, too. It seemed like I hadn't even hit the ground and Greg was at my bike turning it off and starting to lift it up. We got it back and surveyed the damage and found a few nicks in the mirror, a scuffed bag, and a scraped up light bar. Riding it after the storm didn't feel too unusual, but while sitting at a red light, Greg noticed the footpeg was bent forward. Upon closer inspection, the peg lowerer was bent. We believe the light bar kept the bike from sustaining any worse damage. Ironically, I have been planning on removing my light bar, because I have discovered that it's rubbing against my Fenda Extenda and after only a few rides, one bulb has succumbed to the bikes vibes. I guess it's a good thing I hadn't removed it, yet. Lesson learned - I need to work on using the rear brake more for slow speed maneuvering. Also, gravel scares the bejeezers out of me and this is exactly why. As a side note to the story, I almost dropped it again about an hour later when we pulled into a closed bank's drive through to take shelter from some heavy rain. The lesson there is that the oil slick in a bank drive through is as slippery as ice. As I braked, the front wheel skidded slightly to the left and I thought it was going down again, but I managed to get some traction with my boot and kept it up. It left a neat 4 foot skid mark though. Bill Hookman Columbus, OH COG #6893, Ohio AAD The twistier and hillier the road, the bigger the smile.

 

[ghabel]

Bill - CDA0278 That's quite a long time without dropping. Seems most drops occur within the first year of ownership. Less are later but still happen. All that top heaviness is tricky when we experience traction problems. A very slow turn caught me off guard the other day and I put a dragging foot down to save her. Never had that happen before but looking back I think I should have been leaning on the outside to prevent. Welcome to the CDA club! Display that number with pride! Greg COG # 7010/7010a (Tracey) CDA 0120 Connie Droppers Anonymous Awards Dude (CDAAD) 99 Connie "Herrin Christabelle". 05 Ninja 250

 

[smithr]

I had another bike about 11 years with no drops and managed to go about 3 years I think without dropping the Connie. I then managed to do it twice last year and once this year. Is that what I get for turning 50? ---------------------------------- I will answer any question. It is up to you to figure out if I should have.

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