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swinging the V around on its sidestand...

5K views 28 replies 23 participants last post by  fasteddiecopeman 
#1 ·
Some time ago I read a post with attached video showing how to turn your Versys around, in the garage, so it's facing out for your next departure. I thought it looked pretty "trick", and started doing it. Seemed like a VERY handy thing to do.

At least it did, until I turned my V around on the 29th July. :badidea:

What happened, was the rear wheel contacted something (it'd happened before) as I was half-way round and I pushed the bike forward slightly - STILL LEANED ONTO THE SIDESTAND... an EXTREMELY STUPID thing to do!!! (The other times I'd straightened it up, then forward, then back onto the stand, and turned again.) I suppose I was under the miss-apprehension that I could hold up 450 pounds of Versys leaned towards me.... :thumbdown:

In an incredibly quick movement the 'stand folded back, the Versys fell towards and onto me knocking me backward SUPER-FAST! :(

I wasn't knocked unconscious, but the back of my head hurt like hell as I pushed the Green Hornet off my right foot (thank God for my S-W crash bars! ), and as I stood up I saw blood splashing onto it. Not good.

So - STUPID #2 - I tried to pick it up and wrenched my back immediately, blood now everywhere. I hobbled over to the door, called for my wife - "Help!" and grabbed a clean shop rag and put it over the top of my scalp.

She came in, turned white - guess I looked pretty awful..., and took me to Emergency at our hospital. The nurse observed - "Looks like you scalped yourself!" then got me set-up for the doctor, who, saying it ...MIGHT hurt... re-attached it with a staple. YUP- it hurt :censored: !

Once we got home I hobbled out to survey the "scene of the crime". When I fell backwards my head hit the bottom 'shelf' on my workbench which is 1/2" plywood, about 9" above the floor which has a carpet remnant there. The hit was a 'glancing' hit, probably only overlapping the shelf by half to 3/4 of an inch, and a lot of the force of my fall was absorbed as my head crushed the plywood over about 3" width, 3/4" of depth, and peeled back the back of my scalp. :eek:

After thinking over my accident, I have to say that I believe I was VERY LUCKY. :goodluck: Had my head hit the shelf further from the front edge, with 9" to the floor and 450# of V on me, I may have broken my neck. :badidea:

Had I totally MISSED that edge, at the speed I fell I think I might have fractured my skull when I hit the concrete (even with the rug...).

Some may wonder why I'm telling this gruesome story, but there are several reasons. In the original thread someone mentioned that their sidestand nut was almost totally backed-out, so this could have happened to HIM; and I still have trouble with HOW FAST I fell backwards, my Versys ramming me back onto my head instantly, and I've now stopped spinning it around because of this. :goodidea:

I was STUPID, but also VERY LUCKY! YOU might NOT be...! :goodluck:

The pictures show where I hit the bench, and what the top of my head looked like a week later. Incidentally - it STILL looks pretty much the same, and when I ride I put a face-cloth on my head under the helmet to absorb my "leakage".
:sorry:
 

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#3 ·
Ouch & Oh S.H.I.T. Your right it could have been alot worse. Remember you talking about your accident but the photos really stress the point how easily something so routine can easily turn tragic. I saw a guy spin his KTM like that about the same time the video was posted here. I just didn't get a warm fuzzy feeling about trying it and glad i never did.The GF's son does his GSXR 750 like that. Guess i'll show him your photo. Did the doctor prescribe Rogaine for ya....
 
#18 ·
...Did the doctor prescribe Rogaine for ya....
Joseph - I kinda figure that it's WAY TOO LATE for that stuff...!
:cool:

...I imagine you'll have a rather impressive scar. You'll have to tell folks it's old dueling wound - received while defending the honor of your noble house. :thumb: ...
Arion - ONLY problem with your idea is that it then becomes VERY obvious that I was "ducking" instead of defending, by where the scar is...!
:huh:

...Would also guess that spinning the Versys around is a procedure that won't be seen in your garage for some time to come. Hell, I have enough trouble walking it around to it's launch position much less trying to spin it. I don't understand why things get heavier the older I become. ;)
I HAVE spun it two or three times since the accident, but I was FAR from comfortable, so I have 'deleted' this procedure from my SOPs.

Wear a helmet when pulling such stunts. :goodidea:.. Good thing it was a wood chip board edge that absorbed some of the impact. :thumb:
I feel that, had I been wearing a helmet (which extends your head in ALL directions...), I might have overlapped the board enough to break my neck.

I'm glad, from all your responses, that you understand that I posted this as a warning, NOT a call for sympathy. It took me awhile to become 'comfortable' with spinning... and just a MICRO-SECOND to get uncomfortable with it!
:badidea:
 
#4 ·
I second that Ouch! I was doing the kick stand pivot for a while (i may have even started that thread!) but once I nearly over balanced and took a hit in the most sensitive area between my legs. That was enough to convince me that it is a trick worth knowing but best saved for use when it is absolutely necessary.
 
#7 ·
Holy sh*t! Very glad you weren't hurt worse than you were, although it looks like it's going to take a while to heal. If you're like me, my head is the thickest part of my body and the hardest to damage - or so my wife tells me. :D

I imagine you'll have a rather impressive scar. You'll have to tell folks it's old dueling wound - received while defending the honor of your noble house. :thumb:

Would also guess that spinning the Versys around is a procedure that won't be seen in your garage for some time to come. Hell, I have enough trouble walking it around to it's launch position much less trying to spin it. I don't understand why things get heavier the older I become. ;)
 
#14 ·
Looks like your head is almost as hard as mine.
When I saw the thread on spinning it struck me as something I shouldn't try, really scary to me seeing how much the side stand wobbles in "normal" use.
Standing the bike up by yourself requires a little thought (done more than thought about it).

Always remember...gravity is more than a good idea, it's the law
try not to scratch your head when you think & don't stand up too fast for a while
 
#25 ·
...Always remember...gravity is more than a good idea, it's the law
try not to scratch your head when you think & don't stand up too fast for a while
EVEN now, 3 1/2 years later, the 'scalped' part has NO color (white, no tan), and hurts if I scratch my scalp (...what's LEFT...!) there.

It hurts now, but it's gonna itch like an SOB later.....
Never itched, but hurts now and then!
 
#15 ·
Thanks for the "Heads Up".......

I can always learn from misfortunes, I appreciate you sharing your story.

I've put my ZX14 on the rear Pit Bull stand numerous times by myself and just recently it got away from me, wasn't a cheap fix either.

Sometimes it's just plain old smart to not cut corners and think things through.

:thanx:
Dan
 
#17 ·
That's nasty!
Thanks for posting your embarrassing story, and glad it wasn't worse.
So, I just read a story saying that sugar can promote healing with a wound like that. 3 parts confectioner's sugar to 1 part cooking oil. Richard Knutson is an ortho surgeon using the therapy.
 
#19 ·
Ouch!

I've always pushed and pulled the bike where and when necessary, even if it's troublesome. No swinging the bike on its stand for me.
 
#22 ·
It IS a "tad" sensitive in spots, and itchy in others. I do NOT scratch, however, just gently 'tap' that spot with a finger.

Tried a ride this AM WITHOUT putting a cloth between my head and helmet, and didn't really see much "seepage" onto the liner. :goodluck:

BTW, I put the wrong date in the first post - it happened FIVE weeks ago today, on 22nd July. And it AIN'T pretty yet....
 
#23 ·
Your mis-adventure has got me thinking about a kick stand lock. Some simple bar latch thingy that will hold the stand from folding during maintenance (or spinning it around). I have had a couple moments where the bike shifted a little and the stand started to move just tying things down to the tail bag.
 
#24 ·
I watched my friend do that spin thing on his CBR 600 and thought it was pretty cool. So I tried it on my V and found it to be an awkward and hard to do. So my friend tried it on my V and also had a hard time. Apparently the V's higher center of gravity makes it more difficult for this type of trickery and coolness. But he still cant and won't ride down the roads I take so the V still wins in the end.
 
#26 ·
nerve damage from major trauma

maybe you could get them to grow a skin graft from your own cells so it wouldn't be white and would be less sensitive.

if it bothers you enough you could consult a plastic surgeon about option.

otherwise, glad you made it though that ordeal.
 
#28 ·
:clap::clap::clap::clap:
 
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