Dropped my bike - now what?

Seismic said:

Ok guys - I need to vent a bit of frustration here, so please bare with me for the long post. I was parking my 1199S the other day in the basement and pushed down the side-stand on my bike. Unfortunately, I can not have done it correctly and I believe the side-stand might therefore have gone back up. Unaware of the fact that the side-stand was not down, I lean over to the left to park the bike, and the bike simply continue all the way to the floor with me on top.

As I (was lucky and) had one leg between the floor and the fairing, the obvious damage was limited to a broken mirror, scratched bar end, scratched clutch lever and scratched gear changer. No damage to me except a few superficial scratches.

Now, - here comes the issue..........I have lost confidence in my bike! What I mean by that is that even though I have changed the mirror, will change bar ends, levers and might change the gear changer, - I have this idea/concern in the back of my mind that other parts could have been structurally damaged as well when the bike hit the floor. I am contemplating changing the handle bar and will also bring the bike to a mechanic for a full check-up in order to minimise the risk of hidden damages.

However, even when the bike comes back from the shop and all damaged parts have been replaced, I know I will still not trust the bike. The concept of riding around on a bike that has been dropped makes me concerned (or paranoid - feel free to call me that ) and I am actually so discontent with the thought of riding the bike after this incident that I am considering selling the bike when it has been fully fixed. The main reason for the paranoia is most likely rooted in lack of trust in the local mechanics (including Ducati dealership) and lack of own knowledge and mechanical/technical capabilities to access and evaluate potential damages and risks after the drop.

Before I decide on whether to sell it off, I would like to hear from fellow riders how you deal with this kind of issue. I am for sure not the type of rider who will just ride a bike as long as it starts, but much more of the super-detailed, semi-paranoid, detail-fixated, perfectionist kind of type who wants everything to be in a perfect state and who is now in deep sh#t because this incident of throwing my bike to the floor has resulted in an overall dissatisfaction with the bike. Needless to say I am super pissed at myself and have an urgent need to hear some thoughts of fellow Ducati riders.

Thanks for reading through all this and sorry for all the frustration.

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kismetcapitan said:

dropping a bike while stationary really, really can't hurt anything significant. fix the scratches and it will literally be just as good as it was.

what I'm wondering is why you didn't throw yourself under the bike. I've dropped bikes several times in exactly the same situation (forgetting about the sidestand or only partially deploying it). EVERY time, I reflexively threw myself between the bike and ground - human body is softer than the ground! Yeah, it cost me bruises every time and once a couple broken ribs, but it's my bike yo.[/QUOTE

One time (slightly oiled and at night) I put my side stand down (or not)and tipped the Dragon Lady over on the stand to open the gate. There was no stand, but I was still holding on to both handle bars. I swore a great deal, but I did not drop her. I picked her up and made sure I put out the side stand and then put her down on the stand. My heart was in my throat as I realised I nearly did some structural damage to the Dragon Lady that would have forced me to sell her, but realised she was still fine. .... that was close!

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Gecko said:

How old are you?

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lamb00j said:

You should take this as the perfect opportunity to upgrade! Go ahead and get yourself new rear sets (well worth it), get some new bar ends (take some vibrations out), if you think your clip on may be damaged, get some sweet after market clip ons, you will want to eventually upgrade those in the future. As for the mirror, I believe some after market mirror makers are nice but I like factory... So you can always buy one off a member here who has created a track bike out of their new bikes.

Look at the silver lining, UPGRADES are in your future!

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Phl said:

My comment only came because I dropped mine on both sides.

First time after a few weeks also because of kickstand stupidity, and 2nd at
The tail of the dragon- while standing/sitting on it. Buddy approached me and I leaned, slipped and fell.

Panigales drop quite well. Check your steering stop (guess that has also been mentioned)

Cheers,


Phil

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Phl said:

Drop it on the other side.


Then it's even.

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fireman1251 said:

The forum has become too polite as of late, this thread is very reassuring. Where's Frosty when you need him?

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BadBoyBeltran said:

Get it checked out. Get it fixed.

Then depending on your financials, either sell it now or wait a little it then sell it. I dropped and scratched new cars and bikes after I bought them before. I was lucky to sell the bike and the scratches on the car rubbed away with some scratch-off.

It's only material, and there are a lot of worst things that could have happened to your bike and yourself. Unless you are going to place it in a glass case, it will wear. Regardless of what you do, it will age and will be replaced by a subsequent model.

What kind of responses are you looking for to make you feel better?

Good luck.

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wilkson said:

Back to this . What did you damage again ?
My bike goes better than it did when it was new .

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