First bin ever (riding since 1984)

[discotex]

Yep, i'd also say that you have hit a patch of something slippery on the road. Glad you have'nt done too much damage to the Tiger so i guess it's only your pride that has taken a knock. Could have happened to any of us.
Cheers

A 600cc+ bike will easily overwhelm a cold rear tyre without any help from the road surface once there's a little lean angle in the mix.

Why would you assume it was the road before the tyres?

[HungusMaximist]

I recommend you have a read at my thread. It happened middle of last year.

Had the exact thing happen, except I was riding straight through a roundabout.

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/sh...ad.php?t=75384

[YellowDog]

A 600cc+ bike will easily overwhelm a cold rear tyre without any help from the road surface once there's a little lean angle in the mix.

Why would you assume it was the road before the tyres?

Happy to accept 'Pilot Error' on this however I don't believe that the characteristics of my riding at the time would warrant such a without warning instantaneous bin. My expectation of my first bin would be to first loose control in someway, which has happened once or twice before, but I have always managed to regain control (with warm tyres).

As a rule I have always made a point of riding as smoothly as possible without excessive revs until the bike warms up fully. I have always done this for the bikes sake and not for my own. I guess I should now also consider this for my own safety. Also, the air temperature has dropped a couple of degrees over the past few weeks, which can’t have helped.

I revisited the roundabout this morning and walked over to where I went down. I went there by car as my neck isn’t turning so well. The tar was very sticky and it looks like I rode over a particularly bad patch.

‘c’est la vie’ - Still learning.

BTW: Thanks to all from some great comments.

[PrincessBandit]

Good to hear you are ok and not too badly injured. I came off my bike on the motorway a fortnight ago with similar damage to bike and body (except I got a broken collarbone thrown in for good measure).
Mine was rider error, bad decision made in a split second - one moment I was upright on bike next I was braking and the bike slid along the road with me following. Next think I knew I was standing in the middle of the lane with 2 lovely strangers lifting my bike up for me and wheeling it to the side of the verge. The speed it happened at was what stunned me; from upright on bike to standing watching others helping me would have only been a matter of seconds. My reason for posting is to say I agree wholeheartedly with the "gear" issue. I wasn't wearing my leather pants and only ended up with a massive bruise on left thigh where my jeans ripped open, but all the rest of my gear did the job amazingly (and shows the signs of it!) I'd hate to think what the results would have been to me had I not been wearing it, and I don't honestly comprehend how people consider the risk of skimping on wearing proper kit worth it.
Cheers
Dawn

[beyond]

One bin in that time is pretty darn good going mate!
No one wants to bin but unfortunately there is a good chance that in your motorcycling life you will bin. Some are very lucky never to have a bin in their life but that is rare.

You words on the tar was my thoughts exactly. Cold tyre, bit of tar is all it takes. Even hardened tar will do it on an angle. It's been hot the last few days, enough still for tar to go off and get slippery on you.

I reckon you have ridden long enough to know how hard to push your bike on cold tyres
and bet you have cornered as hard with the same acceleration in the past as you did when you came off.

So, these are the main reasons why people spin off:
1. As has been mentioned.. cold tyres..too much throttle... too much lean. I think you have been around long enough for it not to have been that.
2. Wet or dry tar patch on cold tyres... most likely.
3. Banana skin.... don't laugh... it happens.
5. Tin can, or food wrapping of some sort... don't laugh.. it happens.
6. Diesel, oil, antifreeze or brake fluid. This stuff doesn't mix well with cold or hot tyres when cornering. Great spinups when in a straight line though

Yep, wearing all the gear all the time is the best motto. A small off without the clobber can lead to nasty wounds, abrasions and breaks.

Now, I bet it's going to take a couple of weeks or months before you get all the confidence back again, especially on right handers and roundabouts.
It will take time for most but don't sweat it.

Cheers
Pleased you aint to bad under the cirumstances

[YellowDog]

Anyone fancy a race around some twisty bends? Not for me thanks!

Yes my super high indestructable confidence has taken a bit of a dent. Fortunately the bike is rideable and I will be down at Holeshot tomorrow replacing minor parts.

What has impressed me is how well the bike can take a bin. Between the rear peg mounts and the bar end weights, the bike is pretty well protected. Even the indicators survived (though one bulb blew). I just need to buy a new Bar End Weight, a replacement bulb, and get a single plastic panel prepared repainted. I will happily live without the scuffed 'Tiger 1050' transfer which I never liked.

The other bit of positive news is that the bars were a few degrees out from true. They are now spot on!

[Robbo]

A 600cc+ bike will easily overwhelm a cold rear tyre without any help from the road surface once there's a little lean angle in the mix.

Why would you assume it was the road before the tyres?

Simply by reading and analyzing the original post

1) The rider is obviously experienced so overcooking the throttle is unlikely

2) Unless the said roundabout is located at his front gate then the tyres would have sufficient heat in them

3) Forty plus years of road riding have given me experience with most tricky scenarios and a problem on the road surface would best match this situation, whether it be oil or bleeding tar

[stevedee]

Mate for what its worth, it could have been a tiny bit of oil or antifreeze. I fell off 1978 almost instantly, riding a DT125 on the road, it had nobblies. I had just taken off from an intersection into a very nice right hand turn. It happened so fast I doubt anyone could have recovered. It is instant and I remember it well. It was sump oil. Not much either, I guess I timed one of my nobbly tread bits exactly with the oil. ..............I tend to look for the oil etc now at the places where cars may stop, another place is in gas stations where you can "preload" your tyres with oil or diesel as you leave.

Dont worry bro I aint fallen off on the road since, but I had a few years off for the inbetweens you know.

Take it easy.

spd:-)

[newbould]

Anyone like to comment on the possibility of tyre pressure as part of binnning during acceleration?

Also very interested in any further comment on how long it takes tyres to come up to operating temperature. I have some very nice corners inthe first 5 km of riding to work - when can I unclench?

If I get to 25 years without binnning I'll be 73 with metal hips!

[tigertim20]

Cant personally say I would agre with 4 bins a year being the norm!!!
As for the bin, bugger, but sounds as though you are alright, good, cos nobody on here wants one of our online community getting hurt! The bike ok too??

Does suck not knowing wjat happened, I got hit by a car running red lights last year at a 5 way intersection and had a head on, nearly died, was fuckin awful, really nothin I could have done, and it does take a while to get your ride confidence back. Im still not back up to 100% riding confidence yet after that one!! Take your time though and youll be sweet.

As for trying to figure out what went wong, good onya mate, too many people out there (on two wheels as well as four) coma out of a crash or near miss andjust say fuckit, Im ok, no need to sweat it and carry on. Bad idea.

Glad your ok though dude, and heres to ya goin another 25+ years before ya do it again!!

[Buckets4Me]

My first good bin I broke my collarbone (on a race track)

was tipping the bike from left to right and it just keeped going over till I landed on my sholder

was a mix of cold tires over confidence and damp track (I had been threw that corner many times and it was starting to dry up should have been fine )

well any way it was a big nock for my confidence and i found it took some time to come right I was so bad I couldn't stop the bike without falling off ???. I found it hard to trust the bike or tires after that (sold the tires and got some new ones. worked for me). Working out how and why you went down helps get back to it (if you cant work it out how can you ever trust the bike again) was it you'r fault or the tires or road ????.

I say replace the tires, you cant do anything with the road and you arn't bad at riding. Then get back on the horse and flog it silly

since I have fallen off several times more and re broken my collarbone but have been more confident because I new what was going on and why (not 4 times a year and I havent fallen off for 10 months now)

[YellowDog]

An update:

I believe I have managed to get my head around this. I am certainly riding with full confidence. I am however a lot more wary of the road surface.

The route I take/took would usually put me on the motorway after about 500 metres. Even after such a short distance my tyres would usually get some heat/grip. On this particular day there was a long queue of traffic and I basically moved at walking pace all of the way, so I guess the tyres were as close to stone cold as they could be. In saying that I didn't exactly boot it on to the roundabout. I am certain that there was something slippery on that point of the corner causing both wheels to slip simultaneously. The very point has since been completely smooth and clear.

So I am happy that there was more than one factor in this and the likely hood of it reoccurring is very small. I suspect that if on the exact same day I had ridden to said roundabout in the same manner as usual and hit a slippery patch, the bike would have swerved and at the <30kph speed, I may well have been able to regain control and this would have been just another of many close shaves us bikers have to endure as part of our daily hazards.

For me the lesson I have learnt is: never assume that your tried and tested safe method cannot be compromised. One small change to the situation can affect other characteristics making the 'safe', 'unsafe'.

So far as the bike goes, well I spent an hour or so straightening bits and pieces as well as sanding road damage to be smooth. It cost me $2.50 for a new bolt that I couldn't sufficiently straighten and $80 to have a panel I had to remove resprayed. So for $82.50, it all looks like new again!

The only personal physical damage I still have is from whilst trying to straighten bar end the bolt. I managed to sweeze skin from the palm of my hand in the mole grips. Ooooooch!

[discotex]

[DarkLord]

Apparently less than 4 bins a year is pretty good going?

Who told you that? If I was having 3 bins a year, I would be asking myself some very serious questions!

I expect to have no bins a year. There are always plenty of times you can come off, you just need to decide in your mind that it's not going to happen.

From what you've said with your off it just sounds like pure bad luck, but unless you've got some real bad karma after you I wouldn't expect that sort of thing to happen very often at all.

[Capinure]

to beyond , you forgot dead possums.