Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[TNCarters]

Ashamed to admit I turned my RGU over yesterday. Coming north out of Chattanooga a couple of us decided to not take interstate and turned the gps to avoid highway.  The gps proceeded to guide us up the worst switchback road I've ever seen. One lane 180 degree switchbacks with steep elevation change. At the next to last switchback I cut the corner a little too tight and turned her over while setting almost still. No bodily harm other than my pride.  Looks like the rear guard and front highway peg got scraped a bit and there's also a bit of scrape on the bottom edge of the painted lower fairing. Guess two main lessons learned, don't blindly follow the factory gps without checking out the road on a better map and secondly swing wider on tight switchbacks when traffic is clear.  It did not help any that one of our group was a new rider and we were trying to lookout for them. They were already shaken by the road and when I turned over it did not help at all.  This road made the Dragon, Devils Triangle and Hwy 30 in Spencer Tn look like child's play.

[262 CVO 16]

Pride,  Paint and Chrome aside- I'm glad you and everyone with you is safe and able to talk about it. After 30+ years on two wheels, I still constantly learn. Glad youre safe.

[JoeVibe]

Glad you didn't get hurt and it sounds like the bike took a minimal hit. Could have been much worse. We had two bikes on the ground on yesterdays chapter ride. Same kind of thing, tight slow speed U-turn got both of them.

[FLH91]

Sounds like you are lucky that you only have a little bit of bike damage. 

Now, can you tell me what road you were on so I can investigate it myself??

Dave

[JoeVibe]

Sounds like you are lucky that you only have a little bit of bike damage. 

Now, can you tell me what road you were on so I can investigate it myself??

Dave

I didn't want to seem insensitive but since Dave brought it up, I'd like to know too! 

[FLSTFI Dave]

Ron,

Glad your ok and did not get hurt.  Scrapes can be be fixed. 

30 near Spencer all the way to Decatur is a great road.  Like the others you mention also.

Curious as to where this road near Chattanooga is. 

[TNCarters]

This was a little road headed up the side of Signal Mountain north of the aquarium which google calls "W Road".  I was surprised the number of cars going through it.  They could go two wide in the straights but had to stop and go through the turns single file. There are not but about half a dozen hairpins on it but 2-3 are 1st gear and need to swing wide into the outer side of the turn.  When you find it on google zoom into the street view of the upper 3 hairpins.  If I had seen the entire road on my GPS before going through the first set of turns I'd have turned around as we had a new young lady with us on her first CVO Street Glide.  We had just run Hwy 30 at Spencer the day before with no problems.

[TNCarters]

I'm more upset with scratching the paint on the lower than the rear guard getting scratched.  The rear guard is easily replaced.  It was a slow lay down so didn't feel in any danger of getting my legs under the bike. To be honest I was surprised the front guard and peg did not protect the fairing lower.  The lower has a slight flair on the edge that touches down at the same time as the guard.

Joe and Dave, I know yall probably like a challenge but there is nothing fun about this road.

[CVODON]

Sorry to hear about the bike and I am glad no injuries to you, but how did the GPS even enter into this? You chose a non-interstate route and it took you on one, sounds like it did it's non-human job.

[TNCarters]

The curve that got me was one of the upper curves trying to go from inside of hairpin to iinside past the turn with cars waiting to go through the turn. In hindsight I should not have tried it watching out for a new rider and should have waited for traffic to clear so I could swing into the outer side of the hairpin.

[JCZ]

Sounds like you are lucky that you only have a little bit of bike damage. 

Now, can you tell me what road you were on so I can investigate it myself??

Dave

I'm with you guys.......if I were back east I'd have to go with you two.     Fortunately (unfortuneately for some) California has a number of those complete switchbacks that feels like they're riding on top of your head.  The Million Dollar Hwy. in Colorado has several of those, as well.

[TNCarters]

JCZ, Joe and Dave,  Not a good pic but attached is a Street View of the turn that got me trying to avoid swinging into the waiting cars. 

[Twolanerider]

Oh gawd, that ^ just sucks.  What a lousy road to ruin a nice spring day.  Don't sweat it.  We all have or all will someday drop one. 

[GregKhougaz]

Glad you're OK.  Sounds very repairable.  Curious though, how did the new rider do? 

[JCZ]

Nobody's judging you Tn.  I agree, we've all dropped them.....we just don't tell anybody.     By the way, the next time you're around a motorcycle rally, make it a point to look at the bottom edge of crash bars and the bottom corner/edges of the leg fairings.  If you're looking for it, you'll see a lot more barely noticable road rash than you realized.

At least you didn't fall over sitting at a red light.     And we're happy for you that no serious, major damage or injury.  Although sometimes that self pride can hurt more than physical injury. 

But I'll be the first to admit.....I like those roads that are interesting, challenging, different.....at my age, that's about the only thing that still gets me excited.   

[DesertHOG]

TN, glad you are all good. Metal and paint can be fixed. This sounds like what happened to me on one of the MGV GTGs. I think I came in hotter than what you did. Check the engine guard real close. Mine seemed find until I noticed my toe shifter was difficult to work. After looking at it, the engine guard had actually bent or deflected by a good inch or so. The crew at Ashville HD put a come-a-long on a beam and pulled it back into shape to get him home comfortably.

[RGlideKid]

The main thing is that you guys are OK.  The bike can be fixed, but it sounds like it was more of a drop than a scrape.  We've all done it before, Ron.  These things are beasts, and gravity is always working against us.  I know it bugs the heck out of you, but treat it as a cheap lesson learned.
I had a very similar incident to yours years ago, and like you, I was lucky and was barely moving.  My wife could see how bad I felt about it, and was gracious to me, and it all worked out.

Really glad you guys are ok, man!

[TNCarters]

Greg, the new rider probably realized she was into a road she was not up for and pulled to the shoulder and stopped. Me and another rider took her bike to the top for her. We were only a couple hundred yards from the top.  She's not totally new as been riding a Dyna class Harley for a couple of years but just moved up to the street glide. I felt really bad even allowing her to try this road but we could not see the tighter hairpins at top of hill on the gps when we started up.  She handles the switchbacks that have some turn radius ok but this one was just too tight.

[ultrarider123]

W road is a pain in the butt, Ron.  It's a wonder there aren't more accidents since it's still a well used, daily road up Signal.  Still, chrome and paint are much easier to repair than skin and bone.  Glad for y'all it was the former and not the latter and you still made it home safe.

At least it looks much better today than when it was first cut into the side of the mountain....(photo from WRCB photo archives circa 1914)

[TNCarters]

Nice photo Haird. Didn't want to make a big deal of turning over but thought this might help someone navigate this type tight hairpin. Also thought it might be good to let the Rushmore CVO owners know there is an edge of their lowers that the guard does not protect.

[Jbbrown73]

There are 2 types of riders in the world...... Those that have dropped a bike, and those that will!!!

[RonandJanet]

I am glad you are Ok and the bike is basically fine.  I have had several drops over the years.

Someone mentioned at least it didn't fall at a red light!  Well, my wife and I were lined up at a light and she lost her footing. She was still learning to ride and was riding a scooter. When it started tipping she ended up giving it throttle and she went down right into me which promptly sent me down. My son luckily was behind us so he didn't get knocked over. I got up and she was basically Ok but her leg had been a little caught under the bike. Thinking back I am sure it was a funny picture with two bikes laid over right at the light. I got her bike up and then got mine up and we were all OK except a few scrapes on us and the bikes.   

Funny thing right after this happened we have the lane blocked with two bikes down and a cop crosses right in front of us and doesn't even slow down just drives by!  That was the worst of it!

[coloradotom]

A lot of folks underestimate what riding real switchbacks takes. I see it out here all the time. Folks enter too fast,  grabbing some brakes, and gravity wins every time.

If you want real fun, try the Moki Dugway. Switchbacks and fun, but its dirt.

[DesertHOG]

A lot of folks underestimate what riding real switchbacks takes. I see it out here all the time. Folks enter too fast,  grabbing some brakes, and gravity wins every time.

If you want real fun, try the Moki Dugway. Switchbacks and fun, but its dirt.

Other than watching for sand in the dirt road, I thought the Moki was pretty tame and far from what I imagined it would be. However, I can tell you that NC, TN, MO, NM, CO have got some pretty hairy and tight switchbacks.

I remember when Bubba took me up Mt Nebo just outside of Russellville, AK. Now that had some real tight uphill switchbacks. What was difficult/aggressive about them was the steepness in the turns.

[Jbbrown73]

I come rolling in the garage one afternoon, had a good song playing on the radio. I turned the engine off and listened to the rest of my song. When it was over I stepped off. Anyone care to guess what went wrong?!!!

[DesertHOG]

I come rolling in the garage one afternoon, had a good song playing on the radio. I turned the engine off and listened to the rest of my song. When it was over I stepped off. Anyone care to guess what went wrong?!!!

Failure to deploy kickstand, SIR!

[Jbbrown73]

Failure to deploy kickstand, SIR!

Yep!!!! 

[phato1]

Nice photo Haird. Didn't want to make a big deal of turning over but thought this might help someone navigate this type tight hairpin. Also thought it might be good to let the Rushmore CVO owners know there is an edge of their lowers that the guard does not protect.

Glad your O.K. Ron.  --- And it's not just the Rushmore bikes......Look real close next time you see mine....

[Baja]

Glad your ok does look like a nasty road.
https://m.

[68 XLCH]

Those switch backs look rather treacherous.  Steep, tight, angled road.

Challenging to say the least.  Like a class  4 or 5 rapid.

[ak]

 Cake walk for the folks I ride with including some of our lady riders just saying....

[sadunbar]

The first switchback is reminiscent of Needles Highway in Custer National Park.  Only there are about 20 of them both uphill and downhill.  Or coming down Douglass Pass on Rt. 139 towards Grand Junction in Colorado...

[TNCarters]

The lower section is nothing special.  Its the upper 3 that require most bikes and cars to swing wide to make the turn.  To be honest if you get traffic out of the way and swing into the oncoming lane they are not that bad either.  After I started this thread I happened to recall a friend of mine grew up on Signal Mtn so I asked them about this road.  Their response was that it was basically expected that the upper 3 hairpins are one way turns and everyone takes the entire roadway width.