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Brittany-Ferries gorilla with ratchet straps VS Aprilia Falco

Sadly Falco loses - it must take a lot to bend 15mm of steel rod but they did it.

Eventually the weld failed - after I had gone up to the lounge but before we'd left Le Havre.

Stupid thing is I watched him strap it down but didn't see the suspension compressing as he wound it down - thought it seemed odd but being British said nothing as there were three other gorillas watching him do it.

So new stand needed urgently, plus new cans (one of them has a nice dent in it) plus the left clip-on is bent - all courtesy of Brittany-Ferries.

Pics to follow and a viscous social media campaign if they try "the stand was clearly at fault"

Grrrrr

i believe that something similar has happened before - and that case ended in court - or close to it....

was it a standard side stand?

what exhaust is it?

present them with the bill....

When I sailed to Santander in 2011 they strapped the bike so hard it went forward off the stand-as I realised when they released the strap and my VFR rolled forward into a water cistern. I managed to catch it but the front quarter fairing was damaged. And it didn't end there. Couldn't restart the bike in Jaca, due to the underseat alarm sensor being broken and luckily waiting in the battery tray for me to repair it. Good luck mate.

All of these incidents demonstrate that their system for securing bikes isn't fit for purpose.
No sidestand is designed to have that sort of load on it so strapping it down like that is not appropriate.
They need to install a proper clamping system that doesn't load parts of bikes that are not meant to be overloaded.

Maybe there needs to be some campaign to approach the ferry companies to suggest that they protect themselves from claims for this damage by installing a proper fixing system - pointing out that if they do so and advertise it, then they will benefit by a lot more trade coming their way.

Hence why I won't be ferrying to Spain, but taking the Eurotunnel and bashing down through France and across the Pyrenees.

I 'm not sure if it's an OE stand - I imagine not as it's never been close to blowing over. Maybe someone can tell me when I put the pics up.

They are Scorpion S/S cans.

It would help if they put the ratchet on the opposite side of the stand that way the pressure is absorbed by the suspension rather than focused on the stand but yes - they should have a better system. My seat is also knackered from 7 crossings. Imagine if this had been a fancy BMW - they'd be liable for £1000s.

When the RAC had to recover me once (grit in one of the camchain tensioners) and put the bike on the flatbed they used two straps through the frame tubes.

They used to be meant to use airbags but tgemomen never had enough we always used to put gloves and extra bits of clothing under the ratchet strap to stop it being fully compressed and to protect the paint

I say used to because now and for quite a while I have used the tunnel and its great

So what stand is this?

KitchenSync wrote:So what stand is this?

..... a broken one !





















(looks as though it was a standard one)

Portsmouth to St Malo on my ZZR1200 last year

that's definitely a standard falco stand.

I'd have thought something like this would be much better than ratchet strapping down...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_1NkHRn4rA

Strange, that definitely looks standard yet when I had it, I fitted a GSX-R stand ( think it was gixxer, may have been blade). Why anyone would revert to standard is beyond me! Hope you get it sorted.

Dalemac wrote:that's definitely a standard falco stand.

I'd have thought something like this would be much better than ratchet strapping down...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_1NkHRn4rA

Clearly doesn't work - he keeps having to buy another bike!

Just nabbed a Firestorm stand on fleabay for £30....

Meanwhile that RSV engine is going in tomorrow... *gulp*

and before the stand arrives it's off to CMC just up the road from me to get a quote for:

**** edited that out - they may be watching *****