Tired Of Falling Over

[Mountain Road Madness]

Does anyone else have this problem with the L. Trail riding it is a great bike, but if you have to stop on uneven ground over she goes. LOL. By the time my foot is on the ground the bike is coming over. I know someone is going to say don't stop but I get into some rough stuff it slows you down. I bought a lowering link and haven't installed it yet. I thought about moving the fork tubes up in the clamps some hoping that might help. Hellllllp that ground is hard on an old man. ??

[BigBoreRacing]

Don't lower your tubes in the triple clamps ? ...(Now the smart ass answer) If you can't touch the ground....buy a shorter bike ?

[Dual_Dog]

Probably more troubling is the L's mass, meaning it's heavy in all the wrong places, especially up high. Try and remove as much bike weight as possible through the standard and more complex mods, i.e.; aftermarket tail/brake light combo, plastic tank, removing the buddy pegs, different handlebars that give the rider better positioning, etc. Still it's not going to do a lot, but anything is better than nothing.

Tires and tire pressure play an important role also for off-roading. DOT knobs are going to be better for dirt but are noisy and somewhat sketchy on pavement. Also, increasing the rear sag can be helpful when stopped.

I'm 5'-10" & about 210 lbs. fully geared up. My L has had the rear shock modified to lower the rear end by an inch and I raised the fork tubes about 5/8" in the triples. When my (taller) XRL riding friends sit on my bike they are amazed how "small" it feels compared to theirs that haven't been lowered.

Good luck.

[Mountain Road Madness]

Thanks guys. ??

[Gixxer_VT]

get a smaller bike

[kelleyseiler]

I had the same trouble so I lowered the forks in the triple tree and put a lowering link on and it has helped ALOT! ?

[wr450fyamaha]

I'm 6' 190lbs and I dont seem to have any problem with falling over. I can easily plant both heals on the ground while I'm on it. Ive laid her about 10 times now 7 or 8 of which I was goin 15+mph. Ive got my rear suspension very stiff because I dont like the saggy feeling, it sags maybe an inch when I sit on her. The best way to keep from falling is good balance, when im in the dirt I can come to a complete stop and sit for 5 or more seconds before she starts to tip.

[dstark]

How tall are you? I'm 6'1" and barely stand flat footed on my 650L. I agree its a beast in tight spots but I'm also not a big fan of lowering bikes. If its too much bike buy one that better fits you. You have more fun when you have more control.

[gnarly sprockets]

I love my lowered 650R just for this reason. I don't fall over as often hence I'm not picking it up as much either. These are the only changes I've noticed since lowering the bike. Oh yeah, it slides better too.

[Max Power]

Happens to the best of us.

[wheelnut46]

I'm in the same boat. Going to buy a lowering link and plastic tank. Last weekend I was riding in some woods and came to a dead end / dumping spot. Big old rusty tractor in the way, deserted a couple of decades ago, ground was a mess with trash and scrap metal, no where to go but over. Trying to turn it around while straddling it is tough too using only my toes. I think it will be a lot easier to control off road if I can touch the ground.

[ghoti]

I raised the seat on my L. ? It's not the falling over that bothers me, it's the picking the monster up. ?

[BIGGITY]

Happens to the best of us.

Awesome pic! ?

[TahomaTom]

Nice pic.

I wish I was there right now.

[Mountain Road Madness]

Happens to the best of us.

Nice Pic Max Power ? , I know the feeling LOL. I would say that was a job getting the Beast back upright. ?

[XR_mad]

if that was me id turn the fuel off and flip the wheels over the other side then stand it up, breaking a few plastics is better than breaking your back

[knutestoner]

This is the reason I purchased a older 85' xl600r. I can understand the serious dirt biker needing all that suspension travel but I found the 97' xr650l I test drove to be too tall for me as I'm into slow trailriding. I'm 5'11" and and found the 33.8 inch (versus 37 inches of the 650) seat height of the xl600r much more comfortable along with being about 30 pounds lighter then the 650. Kick starting isn't too bad as it starts on the first or second kick for now. ? I just wish I wouldn't have had to go so far back in years to get the bike I wanted.

[rokklym]

I tell ya, I've dropped my L hunders of times I bet. Heck, I did it once today!

Today I stopped on uneven ground and when I went to take off, I had the bars turned and went a couple inches and hit a bump and didn't have momentum to go over it. My weight shifted and I started to go over downhill. By the time my foot got to the ground it was too late to save. I was on super soft ground and the bars went into the ground all the way up to the base of the mirror! It was tough to get picked back up!!

Thats is the only bad thing about the height of the L. I sure love all the ground clearance and if ya keep moving your doing fine.

[JoeBlow Kokomo]

Happens to the best of us.

That's freaking incredible! You bastard!! (I'm jealous) ?

[LotsOfBikes]

My 2 cents:

I have the acerbis 6.0 gallon tank. My 650L tips the scales at over 370 lbs wet.

I Make a concerted effort to stop the bike in such a way so not as to dump it on the downhill side. I mastered this on my 1995 650L when I only weighed 135 lbs and was racing. I'm only 5'8" short. I haven't dumped my 650L over on the downhill side in probably 8+ years.

I considered lowering it at one time, but was discouraged from doing it because I use every bit of its suspension travel.

I know where you are coming from though. I still dread the thought of having to pick that pig up if I dump it bar side down.