Highway/crash bars and tyres

[corvar]

Thanks for the helpful replies. I've got the virago back on the road for now, and of course being a bit used to the warrior it feels a bit like a 125! I think part of the problem with the warrior is that the previous owner put narrower bars on it. This I think means that if it does start to tip, there's less leverage to pull on to keep it up. The warrior only needs to go over a little and you really feel all 295kg very quickly, trust me! I have the original bars and will swap back I think.

The roads around Brighton in south UK where I live are especially bad anyway. Potholes, wiggly tarmac patches, you know, the kind where it's been put down then melted and not fixed, and lots of white lines of course. Being the UK there's also lots of corners and tight mini roundabouts, and it was one of those I was exiting when I felt a wiggle, foolishly though 'I wonder if the tyres gone a bit flat', leant over to look at the back wheel, and as we know, the bike follows the head, in my case, a gentle tip onto the kerb - doh!

I'll have a really good look at the tyres soon anyway, and consider a set of those recommended above.

Cheers all...

[wadave]

I don't know how much riding experience you have but, have you considered taking a motorcycle safety course? Please take this in the spirit it is intended. I don't mean to be insulting but the Warrior is a different animal than the Virago.

It is like driving your driving test in a Mack truck vs a '96 Toyota Tacoma. Well, maybe not THAT extreme but you get my point.

You just need to get more comfortable with the Warrior. Once you do, there's no turning back!

[corvar]

Hi Wadave, yes in short I have and am seriously considering further training sometime soon. Oddly, I rode the bike around 350 miles last spring visiting family and by the end of it was wizzing along the motorways and normal roads just fine. I do love the bike, just need more practise, a bit of training, and plenty of confidence.

[corvar]

Quick update - saw an ENT consultant recently and it turns out I most likely have virus damage to not only my hearing on the left side, but also the balance mechanism. Would explain falling off while standing still! So, though it's not good news, at least it was unlikely to be my fault at least directly. Still looking to see if there's an alternative to the MC enterprise version of crash bars, they don't look all that cool to me.

[LeaderDuece]

You can use a Lindy, but you have to cut the top and weld in a section. Another member did it. If you're interested, I can find the link to his write-up.

[evilrider]

Originally Posted by joeyalessi

Dude, if you're dropping the bike standing still it's not the tires!

agreed. i think the crash bars are a great idea permanently or at least until you get used to the weight distribution. if you have a wobble in turns than you might have a tire issue as well. check your tires to make sure they are in good shape and install your crash bars then go out and enjoy your sled.

dude just saw the post about the virus. sorry to hear it dude.