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I dropped the bike taking it off the centerstand. It fell to the right because I had pulled the left hand grip toward me while rolling it off.! wasn't paying attention.
The result was a flooding of oil into the cylinder causing "Hydro lock'. Oil had to be poured out of the spark plug hole.
anybody have the same experience?
Peter
You sure it was oil? Was it running when it tipped over?
My 94 RS has endured two, running, low-side events onto the RH cylinder. In both cases the bike laid on its RH side, still running. Once I picked ut up it after shutting it off it started and ran just fine.
Years ago I came out of the office at work, a very hot July day, to find my bike laying on its RH side after the centerstand sunk into the asphault. It tipped when the foot tang grounded and the bike continued over to the right. Again, after I picked it up it started just fine, maybe just a wee puff of smoke.
Even earlier in our lives together I dumped my RS in a ditch after sliding off the mud covered road. My RS laid on its LH side (the side the crankcase breather goes into the airbox) for some time. Yet started fine after getting it righted.
My RS now has fairly high miles on it and no engine issues.
Yes. I couldn't get it started had it towed to the dealer. It wasn't running when I moved it off the center stand and it never laid down completely; Came to rest on right side against a post in the garage at a steep angle. dealer had a problem with other Beemers I've owned. They informed me about what they called 'hydro-lock'.
I know that the bike will smoke if left on the side stand for a long period. I think that's the same problem. I dropped an R80ST when I closed the saddlebag cover and she statred right up.
Peter
Its take a little getting used to and this thread has a common theme....if you are struggling you are not doing it correctly, and when you get it...you will know and be able to correct if thing start going wrong...
One other thing I do...leave the side stand down....it help me once catch my falling concours....
i'd tend to recommend against leaving the sidestand down while taking it off c-stand. strong likelihood to have the bike bounce back up off the sidestand and fall away from you.
if all ya'll are having such issues taking your bikes off the c-stand... why do you bother to put it up there to begin with? :dunno
This rider, with only 12 posts, actually USED the search function (I presume) to revive a thread over 2.75 years after the last post on the thread. Well done! I think many of us (for sure, me) should learn from him. Better to revive an old post with lots of info than start a new one when the topic never dies. While the "standard" way of putting a bike on a center stand works for many with many bikes, it clearly doesn't work for all. Nor does the various ways of taking a bike off the center stand. Here are my offerings on the topic:
1. ALWAYS put down the side stand before you dismount. If there is the SLIGHTEST suggestion of a downward incline, have the bike in first gear and roll it forward after you have turned off the ignition before you deploy the side stand.
2. ONLY use the center stand on a surface which is totally flat and will remain so. (Heated asphalt and grass fields are probably the two most common center stand bike dumpers.)
3. If you are concerned about leaving a trail of smoke after parking your bike on the side stand (early K bikes are notorious, but there may well be others,) shut off the ignition then lean the bike a little to the right for 15 seconds before you lean it to the left onto the side stand. You should be able to leave smoke free.
4. If your bike's home is a shed with a plywood floor, get a piece of 1/4 inch plywood large enough to accept both the side stand and the center stand and maybe nail it in place. Those center stand feet can really gouge up plywood. Better to have some sacrificial wood.
5. IF you can push or rock the bike off the center stand while in the saddle, that is the way to go. Clutch in and fingers on the front break. DO remember to kick up the side stand! In my bike shed I do it from the side, left hand on the grip and right hand on the lift handle, side stand down, bike in neutral. I have a length of 2X4 nailed to the floor which keeps the windscreen from hitting the shelving just ahead of it.
6. Some say that pushing a bike off the center stand while the bike is in gear could eventually damage parts. No idea if they are right. A good alternative might be to do just that with the clutch pulled in then ease out the clutch so it can't roll far.
7. I believe ALL "tipover" accidents are preventable. Develope and practice habits which work for YOU with your bike, especially at your home.
Sorry to keep such an old thread going, but I was so glad to read this. After a lifetime of wanting a Beemer, and 30 years off motorcycles, I finally got my dream bike (different strokes remember) an '89 R100 GS last August. I could get it onto the center stand, but it seemed much more difficult than it should be. Sometimes it would take me a few tries, and I was really concerned about how I would ever do it with the bike loaded for touring.
As the Fall progressed, I noticed that my 23 year old stock rear shock was quickly emptying all of its oil onto the swing arm. When the funds were available, I replaced it with a Wilber's. Unfortunately, a week prior to receiving my new shock, we got our first serious snow and sub-zero temperatures. I installed the shock anyway, even though I won't get to ride it for a while.
After torquing the bolts, I went to put the bike back on the center stand for winter. I almost threw it through the wall behind me! It went up SO easily. I wasn't sure if I had just done something right, or if the new shock made that much difference. As I thought about it, I was more and more convinced that the geometry change due to the new rear shock was the reason. Now, I see that it was. Excellent! I can't wait to see what it does for little things like jeep roads and cornering.
Oh, I see this was my first post. Hi all, love the site, thanks for all the great info, been lurking for quite some time now.:)
with a new shock, the weight of the bike is not as settled onto the suspension, thus the bike sits higher, and the c-stand requires left effort/distance to raise the rear wheel of the ground.
Number 1 trick: My knee fits under my right hand's knuckles when its on the hand lever and the ball of my foot is on the centerstand's pry bar. My calf does almost all the work.
Number 2 trick: I put anti slip tape from an RV camper store on the centerstand's foot pry bar from time to time so my foot never slips off at exactly the wrong time.
Number 3, grease the centerstand fitting's every few years as it helps the bike rock up better.
[QUOTE=BCKRIDER;844392]
1. ALWAYS put down the side stand before you dismount. If there is the SLIGHTEST suggestion of a downward incline, have the bike in first gear and roll it forward after you have turned off the ignition before you deploy the side stand.
2. ONLY use the center stand on a surface which is totally flat and will remain so. (Heated asphalt and grass fields are probably the two most common center stand bike dumpers.)
[/QUOTE]
This is good advice if you don't have an airhead. I have been trying for two years to figure out hour to put down the sidestand on my 86 without getting off first. I have big feet and still can't get the damn thing far enough forward to work. If I dismount and deploy the sidestand, the first gentle breeze, gentle touch from a passerby or sparrow landing on the right handlebar would unweight the sidestand enough so that the useless piece of junk would self retract. If it weren't for the center stand, I'd have to lean the bike against a tree when I parked it.
I have fond memories of the well designed side stand on my 85 K100.
Re using the centerstand only for maintenance...
Yes, BUT
There are way too many BMW models with sidestands too short and feet way too small. So always look before you adopt that practice- on soft tar or dirt many of these things (some actually marketed for use on dirt such as FS and GS models) will fall right over- they put way too much weight on too small an area.
I'm getting tired of automatically having to fix the sidestand of every BMW I ride. All need a larger foot, some need both extension and a larger foot. It would cost nothing except a liittle attention to detail to get this right in manufacture.
Re using the centerstand only for maintenance...
Yes, BUT
There are way too many BMW models withsidestands too short and feet way too small. So always look before you adopt that practice- on soft tar or dirt many of these things (some actually marketed for use on dirt such as FS and GS models) will fall right over- they put way too much weight on too small an area.
I'm getting tired of automatically having to fix the sidestand of every BMW I ride. All need a larger foot, some need both extension and a larger foot.
I am glad I came across this thread as I have been having issues with getting my 1200rt on the center stand. My RT is standard suspension and I Have no problem putting it on the center stand with the luggage off the rear and sides, but when I am carrying any weight of consequence, like a few items for an overnighter or briefcase and a change of clothes in the trunk, I struggle with it. I believe that I am balancing it properly on the center stand and I can apply my full weight on the peg(185) and it will just sit there...
I had thought about a 2x6 under the rear tire to help out, but that doesn't really solve the issue for me when I am out and about. I will practice my technique a bit more to be certain that I am doing things with proper form as described in this thread.
Can anyone comment on putting a 2012 1200rt on the side stand or center stand for fueling? Can you fill the tank to capacity either way or is one way preferred over the other?
Cheers...
[QUOTE=bikerfish1100;542418]with BMWs, it's really more a matter of pushing the centerstand down into the ground than it is pulling the bike up above it. PUSH the c-stand down with your foot.[/QUOTE]
Put bike in neutral, run engine at fast idle, keep both feet firmly on the ground, hold bike vertical, hold the power centerstand button down, and feel smug that you have a K1200 LT.
[QUOTE=Oink;862598]Put bike in neutral, run engine at fast idle, keep both feet firmly on the ground, hold bike vertical, hold the power centerstand button down, and feel smug that you have a K1200 LT.[/QUOTE]
BMW did not label them Light Truck without good reason. :whistle