My first proper crash

**BangyKnight** · 5th January 2007, 05:05

Hi everyone,
This may have no bearing on your situation Static, but then again who knows.

About 20 years ago I was riding with a buddy he on a Triumph, me on a Kawasaki, Anyway we were pulling out of a service station when his rear tire locked up and he went down hard. After picking him and his bike we couldn’t find any obvious cause. We continued back to his home cautiously. When he turned into his driveway it locked up again.

It turned out that his chain was loose and when he would make a turn and the rear shock was under load the geometry changed enough that the links wouldn’t mesh with the rear sprocket. But when he got off the bike the rear end would unload allowing the links to mesh correctly.

So I guess what I am asking is, how long has it been since the chain was adjusted?

**Static** · 5th January 2007, 13:34

hmm i do admit it had been a while since i had tightened it and it was on the looser side of things but it was nowhere as loose as it was when i got it and i had been riding for about 30 mins before i crashed so, i dunno i guess it could possible

**rookie** · 6th January 2007, 13:36

sounds like BK is a bit of a genius...u mentioned in the first post that you locked it up going around a corner, just like BK's mate...sounds like a similar situation.

Unless you braked hard round the corner or changed down while cornering...which you've already said you werent in previous posts.

hmm...perhaps you were conering so hard that the centrifugal force acting on the bike caused the inside pads to make contact with the disc and therefore activate the brakes without you touching the lever?!?!...im just putting it out there

**Monsterbishi** · 9th January 2007, 09:23

Originally Posted by rookie

hmm...perhaps you were conering so hard that the centrifugal force acting on the bike caused the inside pads to make contact with the disc and therefore activate the brakes without you touching the lever?!?!...im just putting it out there

Only objects subject to rotational motion will be under the effect of centrifugal force, the brake pads are stationary in respect, and at a right angle, so nope, no chance of this working as an excuse...

**Static** · 9th January 2007, 15:50

Originally Posted by Monsterbishi

Only objects subject to rotational motion will be under the effect of centrifugal force, the brake pads are stationary in respect, and at a right angle, so nope, no chance of this working as an excuse...

who the hell said im lookin for an excuse im just nervous cuz i dont know y this happened. if i thought it was my fauld id just laugh and not let it happen again but i dont know why therfore i cant avoid the same situation

**rookie** · 9th January 2007, 22:28

Originally Posted by Monsterbishi

Only objects subject to rotational motion will be under the effect of centrifugal force, the brake pads are stationary in respect, and at a right angle, so nope, no chance of this working as an excuse...

A motorbike travelling quickly around a corner could be simplified as an object undergoing rotaional motion...although as the pads are mounted rigidly to the calipers, this means their velocity remains zero relative to the motorbike...so yea you're right.

**BangyKnight** · 7th February 2007, 08:49

Hey Rookie, Thanks for the compliment. I have been accused of genius in the past. Something I categorically deny.

I found another forum that is a closer mach for what I ride. (www.chinariders.net) Because I ride a Zongshen in the States. But you folks have been so helpful and encouraging I want to make it a point to keep checking in. please feel free to come visit the chinariders forum. The cool thing is we choose to ride 200’s as opposed to being mandated by the government. I feel for you. But there are times I wish we would do the same thing here.

I don’t mean to take this thread off track, I guess the only thing to do Static is to try to reproduce the event in as controlled an environment as you can. Or maybe get a mate that is young and therefore invulnerable; try to get it to do it again.

I wish you the best of luck.

**Atomic** · 7th February 2007, 12:57

Dont ride it unless you know its straight! I had a low speed washout when a car pulled out in front of me, the bike hit the car at maybe 20kph while sliding on its side. I fixed it up a little bit and thought it would be fine.... later discovered that it was a tank slapping beast, any half decent bump while cornering would give it a major wobble, I am surprised I continued to ride it! Went for a ride down through Thames, had the little FZR250 pulling around 150kph around a corner that turned into a bridge with a little bump in it and it provoked a mighty tank slapper that highsided me.

Bike was destroyed, rear sub frame folded down under wheel, no fairings in sight, front wheel bent back into frame, bike had a 10° off straight bend down the middle and I spent 3 days in hospital.

Tank slappers are scary as hell and high sides are deadly.

Dont ride a bent bike EVER!