I Knew It Was Coming...
 

I can now tell you from experience that a 2015 Road King is a super PITA to get right`side up when the parking lot is full of fine loose gravel.

How it happened:

As is my habit, I dedicate a small portion of my daily ride to low speed drills in an almost always empty county park parking lot by the house. Today, where I normally drop my red solo cups with rocks in them (redneck parking cones), there were 2 vehicles parked, so I went to the other side of the lot.

I had successfully completed 20 or so u-turns and slightly dyslexic figure 8s and thought I'd try tightening it up and slowing it down. I positively suck at right hand u-turns, but the only way to learn is to do it.

Well, I didn't master the turn I wanted at idle speed, but I did learn that I still have cat-like reflexes as far as getting the hell out of the way. I do NOT remember the bike going down. One second I was at full lock halfway through the turn, and it started to lean, and the next I was standing beside it as it was on the ground cocked up at an odd angle. It was as if I had teleported and my ride had drank a few too many and fallen over.

Not a mark on the rear saddle bag bars, but my highway peg got shoved up on the front highway bar and scratched the hell out of it. I guess it had worked it's way just loose enough over the last 1,000 miles. Better scratches there than a broken leg if the bars weren't there and I was slower getting off.

After several unsuccessful attempts at righting it the way I was taught due to the loose gravel making me slip and slide, I went around to the right side of the bike where I was able to plant my feet in grass and pulled it up successfully by rearing back and using my 290 pounds as a counterweight.

I didn't want to end practice on a bad note, so I mounted up and started again. I got back on, fired it up and did another half dozen successful turns before calling it a day, as it was starting to rain, and I was a tad sore.

I got home, unbolted both highway pegs and checked the damage. None other noted. While I was doing this, my Pro-Guards showed up via mailman.

I'll hit it again tomorrow. If you get thrown, get back up if you can and get back on. No fear, just a keen awareness that I need to work more on low speed things. I WILL master full lock turns both ways without having to put a foot down. I see even experienced riders doing it, and I know I can get good enough not to. I just wish that I had video running so I could see how it happened, and exactly the moment I went wrong.


:::sigh::: back to the drawing boards.

I Knew It Was Coming...
 

Good back and leg session huh? Lol glad bike and you're ok. I saw a lot of videos on how to lift dropped bike where yore sitting on it and push up.

you are hard core and perfect.
I admire you muchly. Keep it up.Thx for the post..
It is ppl like you that affirms my world view: we are not afraid of mistakes and fails =/ failure.
And we only end sessions on success .
We learn

Practice makes perfect, new to be doing the same thing myself.

I need you around when I drop my RK.My skinny arse can't upright it no matter how many times I study the How to do it video.

You don't want to make u-turns at idle and with clutch engaged.
You want engine speed up and clutch slipping in the gray area. Drag the rear brake and feather the clutch to keep from falling during full lock u-turns.
Keep your eyes up and look behind you while turning. If you look at the ground, you go down.
Zip-tie split heater hoses to your crash bars so you don't scratch them.

You are 100% correct. I should have said I was at slow walking speed...feathering the rear brake and slipping the clutch in the friction zone. My balance going to the right is abysmal at low speed. I'll start wide ones tomorrow and try to work myself down tighter and tighter to full lock. I don't want to be that guy who can't handle his bike at low speed and resorts to foot dragging to compensate for lack of skill.

LOL, yeah, it was one of those times that my weight has really bailed me out recently. The RK is a heavy girl. Grabbing hold and leaning back like a seesaw had it up quickly.

After the watching the video over at proguards.net, I feel a little better about tomorrow's practice if the worst should occur.

Man, sorry to hear that! I also have a noticeably harder time doing right-hand turns for some reason. Left turns are very natural and easy, but right turns are awkward and poorly executed. I've only been riding a little over a month, so I'm not too upset about it, but it is weird to me that there such a difference. And from what I hear from others, it's not uncommon.

Me thinks inability to turn one way or the other with equal ease has something do with our neurological makeup. It's how our inner ear was wired to our brain at birth
Just something you have to learn to overcome.
MD's care to comment?

That's not it..hint: ask someone where traffIc flow is opposite of usa