So I come out of my apartment this morning only to have my doorman tell me that at around 3am last night a dump truck knocked my bike over. I'm envisioning the bike falling into the back of the truck and getting spit out as a cube or something but it actually wasn't that bad. On close inspection the right handgrip and throttle tube was a bit crushed and the throttle wouldn't snap back, no biggie. Cracked mirror and bent brake lever, no biggie. Scuffed front axle slider and a few small scratches on my right fork leg, again no real biggie... I can still ride to work... right... Unlocked the handlebar lock and started up the motor, everything's fine. Got all suited up and ready to go... damn near fell over when I found out that the handlebars are now permanently locked... well they can no longer turn to the right. WTF! The bike looks more-a-less fine but it will only go in circles. So has anyone heard of a similar problem or had to remove the handlebar lock? is this something I can just do simply or am I going to have to disassemble the entire steering head mechanism? damnit
Sorry to hear about that. Not sure I can help with the steering lock. I've never tried to use mine since I've heard horror stories of people who couldn't get theirs to unlock. So, am curious, will the city have the damage fixed for you or was it a private sanitation truck from Jersey?
three rights make a left Seriously though you might want to disassemble the triple clamps / steer tube and make sure there is no damage there. If there is it will make changing bearings a bitch down the road and also might be structurally compromised.
Going from memory; it seems like you could get in there with a sawzall and cut the lock off if that's all that is keeping you from riding. http://www.curbly.com/uploads/photos/0000/0001/1440/sawzall_large.jpg .
Jiggle, jiggle, slam, turn, push. Wiggle, wiggle, push, turn, slam. Try it all with the key in the lock unit. Other than that I think you could drill it out with a good drill bit, No?
get it out, you dont want to find it locking up when turning at speed and cant straighten up again ! and also, thats a pretty crappy act to go and leave it lying there..
it's more than crappy, its hit and run. And it sounds like you have a witness, so if it were me I'd file a police report and go after whomever owns the truck for the cost of a repair.
Hey guys, thanks for the feedback. Yeah, it was a private company from Jersey (wise guys). If I can get them to pay for it I'm just gonna let the local dealer pull the whole thing apart and take a look, I don't really have the space to pull it apart myself (NYC). I would post pics but they are really anti-climactic, like I said, no real appearance of much damage. Bent lever here, cracked mirror there, torn grip and throttle tube, that's about it. I'll keep you guys up to date
NASCAR? Seriously, though, that's a total bummer about the hit-and-run thing. I hope they come clean and help you out with this issue. I've used my steering lock since day one and have had no problems with it whatsoever. Yeah, it's a little clunky and not very user-friendly, but it beats having my bike rolled off to who-knows-where. WoodsChick
I've used my steering lock 1 time when it was new and wanted to test it. I thought the bars locked in the right direction? Clearly I need to go test but cannot find the key.
Dean, Now that is funny. The steering locks to a left turn. Key is the same as ignition, unless you don't have an ignition. Now go find that key.
Just wheelie it all the way to work!! My lock key is different from my ing. key. But its a 96. Good luck getting it fixed from the trash company.
Trash Company Ins. Hey, it takes time and phone calls, but it can be done. I had the trash company run into my shed on my property, took a year to get any money out of them but I did get paid. Got an estimate for $730.00 bucks from a local handyman and they paid after I took it to the Adjusters Supervisor. Gave my 16yo son $350.00 to fix it as I already had all the material around the house.
