So my brand-new Fatty is burbling away in my garage and I'm punching numbers on my laptop sending a map to my Power Commander. I'm highside to the bike and I catch a movement out of the corner of my eye. I look over and my scoot is taking a sloooow roll to the lowside like the freakin' Titanic. []

I rush over to the low side (it's gone totally up on the Derby cover by now - both wheels off the floor) and try to pick it up (yeah right) and there's about half a cup of beautiful yellow oil on the concrete. Which, of course, I've stepped in [:-]

Luckily my neighbours wife sees this happen and yells for her husband (riding buddy). He comes galloping over (she thought I was under it) and helps me right it, we move it from the oil and put the stand back down. I'm thinking, "I know I put the freaking stand down", because it moves way more on the stand than my Sporty ever did and I'm paranoid about it. We figure I must have screwed up somehow and start to inspect my baby.[&o]

Now for the good news (I still can't believe it!!!) not a freakin' mark [sm=bounceybounce.gif]

I kid you not, no nicks on the chrome, nothing on the mirror, turn signal, paint (thank god for that) nothing. Only damage was to the heel shifter peg where the floorboard folded up and tore the extra bit of rubber off the end. I have one left over from the peg upgrade I did on my Sporty so that was swapped out pretty quick.

We figured out that the bike went down on the floorboard, it arrested the fall and then folded up very slowly (it's really tight) and basically lowered the bike down on the floor. The edge of the stock seat took the brunt on the concrete and the weight distribution kept most of the weight off the front end so the bars barely kissed the floor (or maybe I got to it about that time - don't really know it was a blur).

Now to the Exxon Valdez part. Where the hell did the oil come from? With the bike back upright it appeared to be coming from under the oil tank, across the top of the primary and running down to the floor. Happened when the bike went flat so there must be something "open" under there somewhere we thought. We looked but couldn't find anything, I guess (thinking about it now) it could have leaked out the filler cap, run across the top of the oil tank, down the back, and comeout underneath when the bike finished its roll. Wiped it up, checked the oil, its down a little but not enough to need topping up.

Talking to some other buddies they said Softails are well-known for "walking off the sidestand when idling". If that's true, THIS IS YOUR WARNING!!!

Any thoughts, experiences, hypothesies about the oil?

I need a hug!

 

If it didn't leak out the filler in the oil tank or the case breather, could it have actually come from the primary and leaked through the starter motor or clutch cable. Where it was on the floor in relation to the engine and bike might give a better clue.

 

good to hear your bike didnt suffer any damage from the fall.

have no idea about the valdeze oil spill you found. it seems you should be able to have noticed oil though around the filler cap of the oil tank which is where my first guess it would have came from.

i thought the stands spring on my 06 was not that sturdy the first time i put it down so i kinda limit my distance from it when idleing and im not on it.

 

Never heard of any Big Twin walking off the stand, unless the stand was messed up. Strange. Glad there wasn't any damage. Oil probably came out the tranny vent.

 

I know there was something else I forgot.

 

I am always weary about my ride on the jiffy stand I have a very short one because of the air ride when its lowered you need a shorter stand I often leave it in gear when parked so it wont go any where. I had almost always left mine in neutral just so I would not forget Yea I know if the clutch is in you cannot go wrong. A few times I got on and like an *** forget it was in gear and put on a bronco show like cowboy coming out of the shoot at a rodeo makes you feel like an A hole. If you have ever done this you know what I am talking about.

 

YUP!!! Been there done that. Felt like an ***.

 

SCARY!

Glad to read you had no damage though!

 

If you look at my scoot there is a flat "ledge" above the derby cover, sloping slightly from front to rear, it came out from under the oil tank and "down" the center of that ledge (bear in mind the bike was on its side at that time). It was single stream about the width of a pencil. I will get the seat off again tonight and see what I can see around the rear of the oil tank.

 

Thanks everyone. I thought the stand was all the way forward, like I said, it seems to "rock" more than my Sportster did on the stand (not by itself, but you can see it swing a little if you push the bike forward). I used to wheel it out of the garage and leave it warming up while I shut the door and put my gear on, well not anymore. I looked at the tab and it locks in OK. Oh well, I guess I'll never know whether it was my screw up or not.

Thanks for the advice on the vent line....didn't know there was one. I will check that out (learning all the time).

Ride safe everyone [sm=thanx.gif]