BiffBird Down

**Zed** · 24th March 2005, 12:39

Originally Posted by Biff Baff

It's true

Ruapuna HRC development track day. I decided to see what kind of speed I'd get up to down the straight, so I nailed it out of the corner before the home straight and kept it pretty much nailed the whole way down the straight, only coming of the gas just before the left hander at the end of it. Down a cog, banked the bike over, over some more, more, counter steering like fork, peg scraping (remembering R1Aaron's impressive 'off' in the same spot last week because his peg grinding unloaded the back wheel), I couldn't turn any faster and was heading off the track fast, and side ways. So I straightened up ready for a bit of off roading. Sweet - no problem thought I. Nice bit of grass and eventually gravel to slow me down. Forget did I about the Bird's combined braking system (press the front brake the back comes on as well), back wheel begins overtaking the front, off the brakes, too late, high side (ouch), somersault (ouch) and the bike does exactly the same, at least twice.

Damage to bike - all the bikes fairings, including the rear end smashed or cracked, indicators smashed front and back, clutch lever snapped, rear wheel possibly crooked (chassis?) etc etc

Damage to rider - Bruises, hip is sore, knee is stiff on both sides resulting in my walking like John Wayne after a stretch on a gay porn film shoot, and a thumping headache (bang to the head somewhere along the line). Ego in pieces.

My bikes insurance company rep was there, saw it all, and promptly shat his pants.

In case you're wondering - 243 kph last time I looked at the speedo.

Manuboy has before/after photos. Hope to get them posted soon, if for no other reason than to prove that Honda's are better than Yamaha's, even when they crash!

That really sucks man, believe me I know!

I hope you have a speedy recovery and get the bike sorted out and back on the road in due time!

My sincere sympathies Biff Baff!

Zed

**Biff** · 24th March 2005, 12:48

In response to the one or two slightly poisonous comments posted here, allow me to present you some facts:

1. It was obviously all my fault. I went too fast, braked too late, the Dual Combined Braking System worked as it was designed to do and scrubbed off loads of speed until I was on the grass, then they may or may not have contributed to the eventual off.

2. DCBS is a brilliant system in my book. Fantastic stopping power, particularly in the wet. Now I have a bike with them I'll possibly never go back to standard brakes.

3. I took the same line as the Honda Racing Team's bike, but I've learnt they lean over more (fkin long hero blobs as per me recent post) than a stock sports tourer. A bike obviously not designed to be raced on a track.

4. I have 18 years of road riding experience, and have never had an accident (other than being side swiped). I know where I am on a road, I've done months of advanced riding courses over the years and as such consider myself a relatively competent & safe rider. A track is a new experience for me (other than one brief afternoon on an advanced riding course), and yes (as previously stated) I was over confident and thought I could take the same lines as shown to me by the pros, albeit they were riding racing bikes.

5. I know how to suck eggs. 1 up to you. There, feel better now do you?

Dangerous - I'm a bit sore today and struggling to walk due to a rather interesting lump to my pelvic region. Thanks for asking.

Manu - Thanks for the photos mate. The bike doesn't look so bad in them. After visiting the bike this morning the photos don't do the damage justice (as is normal with photos). The jury is still out as the whether or not the chassis is bent.

I will be back, as will the Biff Bird. But I'll stick to what I do best - road riding, with a little bit of safe and calculated speed thrown in from time to time, and the odd - cautious bit of track work in order to better appreciate both the rider and bikes limitations.

Oh and I’ve learnt not to race sports bikes, especially on the track!

Apologies if I appear a little grumpy this morning. But I am.

Thanks again for all the kind words

**White trash** · 24th March 2005, 13:23

Grumpy guts.

I know how you feel, although I had some pretty good healing after I came off. Now my grazes are itching like fuck and the cankle goes and comes depending on how stupid I'm being.

Couldn't get my boot off after the track on Friday, it was that swollen.

**TonyB** · 24th March 2005, 13:50

Gotta say Biff, holding the taps open until you got to the kink must have taken some BALLS- might not have been a cunning idea in hindsight, but it was gutsy all the same.
After watching the NZGP out there a couple of years ago I can say that only the 125's actually get to the kink before shutting off- some even go around it before doing so. The 1000's are shutting off well before the kink. I know this because the kids were there with me- they didn't like the noise of the bikes at full steam, so we moved just past where the 1000's were shutting down- quite a way before the kink. Then the 125's came out and we had to move heaps further.

**Riff Raff** · 24th March 2005, 13:54

Originally Posted by White trash

But you spent the whol weekend telling me you wanted this?!

That has got to be the fugliest bike ever. It offends me every time I see it. I demand that you remove it from your shop and throw it over the nearest cliff. However, it would be a test of your sales skills if you can find a sucker to buy that monstrosity! I'll buy you

if you are successful.

**Wolf** · 24th March 2005, 15:33

Originally Posted by Biff Baff

I'm even thinking of a totally new look for the BB, jet black, with K5 decals - sweet.

What? No more Blue Whale? Gutted.

Glad to hear you made it out alive, Biff - good to hear the bike's covered, too. Not a thing can be done for the shattered ego, except time.

Great write-up, too.

**gav** · 24th March 2005, 18:24

Originally Posted by TonyB

Gotta say Biff, holding the taps open until you got to the kink must have taken some BALLS- might not have been a cunning idea in hindsight, but it was gutsy all the same.
After watching the NZGP out there a couple of years ago I can say that only the 125's actually get to the kink before shutting off- some even go around it before doing so. The 1000's are shutting off well before the kink. I know this because the kids were there with me- they didn't like the noise of the bikes at full steam, so we moved just past where the 1000's were shutting down- quite a way before the kink. Then the 125's came out and we had to move heaps further.

Umm, think he needed to know this before now....

**dangerous** · 24th March 2005, 18:28

Originally Posted by White trash

Couldn't get my boot off after the track on Friday, it was that swollen.

Cant let this one slide by.................. thought that was ya helmet mate

Originally Posted by Biff Baff

3. I took the same line as the Honda Racing Team's bike, but I've learnt they lean over more (fkin long hero blobs as per me recent post) than a stock sports tourer. A bike obviously not designed to be raced on a track.

emmmmmmmmmm............ Biff, as I posted elswere I rode the baff bird last Friday out at Ruapuna. Now while it took a couple of laps to get the feel of it I did manage to sort out how to ride it.
Because it touched down very easy and on both sides then I relised that ya have to get off it to corner at speed..... but the fairing gets in the way and stops ya from sliding down the side of the tank..... soooo.... I found that you need to pull your self as far forward as pos, and slid the leg down the side of the fairing....... I ended up rounding the sweeper as fast as I do on the VTR... if not faster, but the left hand bar end was damn near sticking into my brains via my ear... thats how far forward I was...... but it can be done.
Ummmm.... believe it or not it was a lot like the Guzzi to ride at those speeds, just that it takes a bit more effort to do so.

As I said to you that day.... I was very happy with the way it rode, have a look at the pic that Manu posted of you in the dipper...... you arnt hanging of it any were as much as you need to, (in fact I'd say not at all... look how low the cans ar and we know they dont touch, so the pegs cant be far off) do ya see where I trying to take this...... you know ya getting a shit load of crap here for my two cents worth

**SPman** · 24th March 2005, 18:35

Originally Posted by Krusti

See what happens when bike designers take drugs

And we wont even mention their current crop of ...cars

**TonyB** · 24th March 2005, 20:27

Originally Posted by dangerous

...... you arnt hanging of it any were as much as you need to, (in fact I'd say not at all... look how low the cans ar and we know they dont touch, so the pegs cant be far off) do ya see where I trying to take this......

In Biffs defence, hanging off doesn't come naturally to everyone (me included) and Ruapuna is quite a busy and technical track. Lots to think about, sometimes hanging off becomes one too many things to worry about...

**Biff** · 24th March 2005, 20:35

Originally Posted by dangerous

Because it touched down very easy and on both sides then I relised that ya have to get off it to corner at speed..... but the fairing gets in the way and stops ya from sliding down the side of the tank..... soooo.... I found that you need to pull your self as far forward as pos, and slid the leg down the side of the fairing....... I ended up rounding the sweeper as fast as I do on the VTR... if not faster, but the left hand bar end was damn near sticking into my brains via my ear... thats how far forward I was...... but it can be done.

If you recall D - while you were telling me the best way you found to hang off my bike I was nodding my head and agreeing with you, cos that's the way I do it as well, as difficult as it is with the pokie out upper fairing bit.

As for the photo - I think you'll find that 10 yards behind me was Jimmy on his spanking new CBR600RR, just off his restricted, and he'd asked me take things real slow in order to help him understand the lines (yeah I know I'm not the best person to ask, but if you saw the lines he was taking you'd understand), so I must have been going at somewhere near half pace in the photo.

But believe you me, on this occasion, on the corner I binned, I was hanging off as if my life depended on it, but when the hero blob touched down I had a flash back to the previous weekend when Aaron did the same an unloaded his back end. I kept counter steering and hanging off until I ran out of space and made the executive decision to quit and right the bike before I hit the grass side-on.

You know the kind of decision I'm talking about D - over cook a corner and decide to head for the safety of the grass. If I remember correctly didn't a certain Storm rider make the same decision after forking up a corner at the track the previous week, ending up off-roading for a short while before the marshals turned up with a new set of underpants? Did you hang off?

**Biff** · 24th March 2005, 21:00

Insurance update.

I made a phone call to my house contents insurance this avo', and to cut a long story short I now have $$$$$'s sitting in my bank account, courtsey of my household insurance company, (well tomorrow am) to spend on a new lid and leathers!!!

The conversation went a bit like this:

Him: How much did your bits cost?
Me: About this much
Him: Will you accept this much
Me: Shall I suck your dick now or later?

All $$$'d up and ready for my trip to Asia next week. Here's to bargain hunting

Premier Insurance - Highly recomended.

**dangerous** · 24th March 2005, 21:10

Originally Posted by Biff Baff

As for the photo........................

Biff..... hell I'm not having a go at you or expecting you to explain your self with my last post, shit no.... I was just working throught it for ya like getting away from the linked thing, just another angle to look at it from, please dont take offence.
Your bike took a lot of effort to get it moving through the corners, and you know it better than I do

ps: my small off track experanice was due to watching you on the back straight instead of looking were I was going... 1st for every thing aye, besides.... dident relise you saw that