My first real tank-slapper!!

[Krayy]

Well it's taken a couple of days for my hands to stop shaking enough to be able to type proper-like.

So there we were at the top of Old North Rd on 16 and turning right onto Peak Rd for the run to Kaukapakapa. madDuck shoots off, I let Crashe go ahead of me and then follow. Come round the first left hander (a downhill) and start to accelerate. Pass Crashe (and lets face it, who doesn't :blip: ) and into the first sweeping right. Now anyone who knows this corner knows that the seal is as rough as guts here and best taken with a wide line to stay away from the lumps in the center of the corner.

So what did I do? Well I was pretty much next to center line after passing Crashe and stayed there when turning in. A word of advice to anyone going down this road....don't take this line!!!

Mid way through the corner with a good lean on, the front wheel hit the tarseal "moguls" and after a second or so of seriously violent sawing from the handlebars, I was through the rough patch and off down the road with an extra 30 or so BPM on the pump and sweaty palms.

Think I'll take it slower there next time :doh:

[Fishy]

Oh how I miss a good slapper!. Damn new Honda Electronic Steering Damper, can't even get a little head shake any more.

[crashe]

Yep mate that short section of road sure is as rough as guts aye...

I always slow down (ok slow to a snails speed) at that section of road.


Twas interesting following you around that bit... I thought you would hit the brakes to slow down, but no you fly throu it... or should I say bounce your way throu it....

[Finn]

Fun isn't it? And thanks for the explanation of what a tank slapper is. Here I was thinking all you guys we're dirty bastards.

Thankfully, Honda have engineered this problem out with the electronic steering dampner. It works perfectly - sort of. I rode a Duc 999 on the weekend and the front end felt as light as a push bike.

[Finn]

Oh how I miss a good slapper!. Damn new Honda Electronic Steering Damper, can't even get a little head shake any more.

Hey Fish, do you find the ESD doesn't turn in as sharp as those other less engineered bikes?

[Fishy]

Yep certainly do. Its a bloody good dampner eh!. Wonder what Honda are gonna come up with next? cruise control? ABS? Coffee machine? haha

[Zed]

...Now anyone who knows this corner knows that the seal is as rough as guts here and best taken with a wide line to stay away from the lumps in the center of the corner.Yep i know that corner very well and have had 1 or 2 moments there in the past. There is a fast line you can take through that section around the bumps and ripped up seal, i think it's to the left side of the lane.

Glad to read it didn't end up worse, those scary moments are all part & parcel of the motorcycling experience!! :ride:

[kiwifruit]

ooh yeh!
gotta love a little comminication with the front wheel

[Sniper]

A good old slapper aye. Well done for coming out on top.

[Patrick]

I thought a tank slapper was a disreputable chick lying on the tank... ride for a ride type girl...:eek5:

[Keystone19]

Yep, know that section of road well and have had a similar experience. I think it was on my VTR too. :eek5: .

Agree with Zed though, there is a smooth fast line that avoids the bumps and yes, it is to take a very wide left hand line into the corner.

Umm, best to try that line slowly the first time I found!

[ManDownUnder]

You survived, you learned and you had the shit scared out of you for a bit... all good things.

[Arven]

The front end felt as light as a push bike.

Sounds like my R1. it loves to shake when powering out of corners. I really need a Dampner on it. :no:

[DMNTD]

Oooo someone say slapper? :blip:



I thought a tank slapper was a disreputable chick lying on the tank... ride for a ride type girl...:eek5:
Same but you got to watch 'em cuffs on the paint mate!

After owning TL's I know what you're on about as they are the true slappers from hell! :shutup: Just one of those things we must endure I'm afraid

[sugilite]

Slapper? That sounds more like a patty cake!
Come back to us when the handle bars went from lock to lock with your front wheel twisting so badly in your forks it opened up the front brake pads forcing you to pump the front brakes back up before the next corner, now thats a tank slapper!
Good on you for riding through it though! It is very disconcerting the 1st few times:eek5:

[Troll]

tanks slappers are what TL's are famous for, they sort the men from the boys what are you complaining about?

if you wan't a soft bike you would have bought the later and slower v twins currently turned out

[DMNTD]

tanks slappers are what TL's are famous for, they sort the men from the boys what are you complaining about?
if you wan't a soft bike you would have bought the later and slower v twins currently turned out

Not complaining just stating. Tank slapping at 200 odd isn't fun in anyones game though either. Yep I bought '97 TL's for the animal effect and they certainly delivered!! The bike shop that I traded my last one in at don't want to sell it as they take it home for their weekend riding! :2thumbsup
My missus(Duc-Gurl) has a '99 TL and certainly is milder/kinder to ride...no bite but smooth 'n quick. :yawn:

[Mr Skid]

Are you sure it was the road?

Perhaps Colemans set your suspension up too hard?
Or was it those horrible stock D220's?

May I recommend a M1/Z6 combination? :yeah:

[In The Breeze]

Have ridden it to,a bloody shocker aint it. As Zed said :innocent:

[sugilite]

After owning TL's I know what you're on about as they are the true slappers from hell! :shutup: Just one of those things we must endure I'm afraid

I'd agree with that, I have done only 30 mins on TL1000's.
WGTN Mcycles offered me a test ride on the 1st model to arrive, pre steering dampener type.
I took it up Mt Vic. It had a very light fuel load too. I pulled out to pass a bus load of Asian tourists and the thing just went berserk, It tank slapped the length of the bus and gave them a birds eye view of a mean MF tank slapper!!
I had to pump the brakes up big time after that.
I knew a steering dampener would tame it, so did not hold it against the TL in my opinion of it.
I loooooved the character of the TL. Esp out of the corners, the sound matched with the style of acceleration, simply divine!:love:

[Teflon]

Oooo someone say slapper? :blip:
After owning TL's I know what you're on about as they are the true slappers from hell! :shutup: Just one of those things we must endure I'm afraid

Agree, and those steering dampers must be there for show because they don't seem to work very well, and thats coming from somone who rides the tlr like a nana.. must be the 60 series tyre on the front, which is missing a chunk of rubber from the last slapper attack.

[DingDong]

Losing the front is just a taste of a tank-slapper, Ive been thrown around the handlebars and been run over by the front wheel... one moment I was opening the gas... next thing I was under a bike:( , mind you... you have to push pretty hard lose it that bad:scooter:

[Toast]

You want a tank slapper? Or one out of every corner and over every bit of rough seal? An '03 636 with the front forks set to full hard compression and rebound (presumably for a 300kg plus gorilla, not my more moderately sized ass), will give you the latter. Bonus being that it can turn in so fast that you need stuff all lean to get through any corner.

[quickbuck]

Slapper? That sounds more like a patty cake!
Come back to us when the handle bars went from lock to lock with your front wheel twisting so badly in your forks it opened up the front brake pads forcing you to pump the front brakes back up before the next corner, now thats a tank slapper!
Good on you for riding through it though! It is very disconcerting the 1st few times:eek5:
Not to mention the cracked front mud guard, and the associates black marks down the road. (CBR 400 Aero, after launching it off the top of a hill).

I know the early VT's were prone to slapping, or maybe that was one particular rider who binned 3 of them doing it.

[DirtMad]

i did a tank slapper search and couldnt find much info.
newB :innocent: what brings on a tank slapper, and how can you avoid it ?

[Rhino]

Yep certainly do. Its a bloody good dampner eh!. Wonder what Honda are gonna come up with next? cruise control? ABS? Coffee machine? haha
I hate to tell you Fishslayer, but Goldwings have had cruise control since the introduction of the GL1500 (1998.):woohoo:

[quickbuck]

i did a tank slapper search and couldnt find much info.
newB :innocent: what brings on a tank slapper, and how can you avoid it ?
A few things.

Mine was brought on by the fact that the front and rear wheel were not aligned as I come back to earth.

Most are brought on by big bikes when their head gets reat light under power, and front wheel starts to wag in the breeze, then as it gains traction while wagging it tends to affect the rest of the bike. The rear things it is a fun game and joins in in the attempt to biff the rider over the handle bars.

[DirtMad]

thanks, and i guess the only remedy is to try "ride it out" :whistle:

[quickbuck]

thanks, and i guess the only remedy is to try "ride it out" :whistle:
Yep, but I did have visions of "The Greatest American Hero" when I did mine. Thankfully it settled.