Owen Posted October 1, 2008 Share #1 Posted October 1, 2008 Houston Texas, Tuesday morning, rush hour traffic, Beltway 8 toll road and I am heading to South Houston for new tires and 8k service. I attempt to change lanes but the bike does not want to steer! What the #@$!. I realize the front tire is going down. Staying off the brakes, I manage to muscle it over two lanes, looking for a spot to stop. There is no where to get out of the traffic lane for another 50 yards. Speed now down to about 45 from 70. Trying to be as smooth and gradual as possible and timing my stop to hit the small triangular area between an entrance ramp and the main lanes, I apply a little rear brake, the bike starts to slow until about 25 mph. At that point the 'tank slapping' started in violent fashion. I was sure I was about to field test the ballistic nylon in my riding jacket and eat some concrete. Fortunately, I managed to control the bike, keep it upright and hit my stopping point. No harm, no foul, no sad ending. 45 seconds and 150 yards from start to finish except for the heart pounding that lasted an hour or so. My son was following me in my truck to bring me back from the dealer. Scared him badly also. On a lighter note, I had ordered new Avons for front and rear and was really only concerned about the rear because it was already worn flat. The front was in good shape and had lots of mile left in it, but I was determined to replace both at the same time. Glad I had ordered both. They really make the bike 'feel' lighter and more nimble. All in all, what could have been a really bad day turned out fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
friesman Posted October 1, 2008 Share #2 Posted October 1, 2008 Glad you and your scoot are fine, good driving Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gunboat Posted October 1, 2008 Share #3 Posted October 1, 2008 hi owen hate to hear about the " tank slapping " but glad you made it ok. best reguards don c. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krome rose Posted October 1, 2008 Share #4 Posted October 1, 2008 Good job! I hope I am as cool-headed if/when I get in that positon. Brandy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest weirdbeard Posted October 1, 2008 Share #5 Posted October 1, 2008 What is "Tank slapping"? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mariner Fan Posted October 1, 2008 Share #6 Posted October 1, 2008 Wow, close call! Glad you were able to keep it upright. Bet you never forget that one! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flb_78 Posted October 2, 2008 Share #7 Posted October 2, 2008 What is "Tank slapping"? That's when the bars flop from lock to lock and one cannot control the motion. It's quite the horrifying experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flb_78 Posted October 2, 2008 Share #8 Posted October 2, 2008 The best way to remedy that situation is to pull the clutch in, redline the engine, pop the clutch and pull the front end in the air. Then proceed to your local friendly dealer to have a new tire installed. It's a rather simple fix. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mavrick Posted October 2, 2008 Share #9 Posted October 2, 2008 Hey Owen, Glad you pulled it off without getting hurt. Hang in there....You will love the Avons. Mavrick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest weirdbeard Posted October 2, 2008 Share #10 Posted October 2, 2008 That's when the bars flop from lock to lock and one cannot control the motion. It's quite the horrifying experience. Thats no good at all! Can't wait to have that happen to me.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mariner Fan Posted October 2, 2008 Share #11 Posted October 2, 2008 Curious how tires wear out quicker for some than others. My bike has 9,000 miles on it and the tires still look good. Can't be the wonderful roads here in Indiana! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jburrell Posted October 2, 2008 Share #12 Posted October 2, 2008 Glad to hear you are ok. Good job of getting it out of traffic. Which Avons did you get and how does it ride different. I am considering Avons for my next tires. I am adding Rideon to current tires in the hope I dont have to go through what you just experienced. Have a great week/end Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Posted October 2, 2008 Author Share #13 Posted October 2, 2008 Glad to hear you are ok. Good job of getting it out of traffic. Which Avons did you get and how does it ride different. I am considering Avons for my next tires. I am adding Rideon to current tires in the hope I dont have to go through what you just experienced. Have a great week/end I went with stock size equivalents. The bike now has a bit of a sport bike feel. I will have to learn to adjust a little but I really like it. It feels about a hundred pounds lighter at slow speeds. On the freeway it feels a little less stable but not bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Posted October 2, 2008 Author Share #14 Posted October 2, 2008 hi owen hate to hear about the " tank slapping " but glad you made it ok. best reguards don c. This was a first for me. Never experienced it before. I'm just a little guy, 5'8", 150lbs, but 50 push ups is no problem but there was no stopping the wobble... No time to think at all, just react. I was lucky! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Posted October 2, 2008 Author Share #15 Posted October 2, 2008 The best way to remedy that situation is to pull the clutch in, redline the engine, pop the clutch and pull the front end in the air. Then proceed to your local friendly dealer to have a new tire installed. It's a rather simple fix. That could be why I only got 8k out of the rear Brickstone... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monsta Posted October 2, 2008 Share #16 Posted October 2, 2008 Wow, glad you're okay! Hopefully you put your emergency flashers on as soon as things started to get weird. Did you find out what caused the front tire to lose air? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoadKill Posted October 2, 2008 Share #17 Posted October 2, 2008 Houston Texas, Tuesday morning, rush hour traffic, Beltway 8 toll road and I am heading to South Houston for new tires and 8k service. I attempt to change lanes but the bike does not want to steer! What the #@$!. I realize the front tire is going down. Staying off the brakes, I manage to muscle it over two lanes, looking for a spot to stop. There is no where to get out of the traffic lane for another 50 yards. Speed now down to about 45 from 70. Trying to be as smooth and gradual as possible and timing my stop to hit the small triangular area between an entrance ramp and the main lanes, I apply a little rear brake, the bike starts to slow until about 25 mph. At that point the 'tank slapping' started in violent fashion. I was sure I was about to field test the ballistic nylon in my riding jacket and eat some concrete. Fortunately, I managed to control the bike, keep it upright and hit my stopping point. No harm, no foul, no sad ending. 45 seconds and 150 yards from start to finish except for the heart pounding that lasted an hour or so. My son was following me in my truck to bring me back from the dealer. Scared him badly also. On a lighter note, I had ordered new Avons for front and rear and was really only concerned about the rear because it was already worn flat. The front was in good shape and had lots of mile left in it, but I was determined to replace both at the same time. Glad I had ordered both. They really make the bike 'feel' lighter and more nimble. All in all, what could have been a really bad day turned out fine. How did you get the bike on to the dealer? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Posted October 2, 2008 Author Share #18 Posted October 2, 2008 Wow, glad you're okay! Hopefully you put your emergency flashers on as soon as things started to get weird. Did you find out what caused the front tire to lose air? I did turn on the flashers but I don't remember doing it... 1/2" lag bolt, there is so much debris everywhere from Ike it will take months to get it cleared. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Posted October 2, 2008 Author Share #19 Posted October 2, 2008 How did you get the bike on to the dealer? Flat bed wrecker, I had to strap it myself using my own straps. The driver was friendly, but had not a clue... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kregerdoodle Posted October 2, 2008 Share #20 Posted October 2, 2008 Owen, glad you pulled through that... bet that left a pucker in the seat!! Kreg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monsta Posted October 3, 2008 Share #21 Posted October 3, 2008 1.5" lag bolt! Ouch! I ran over a large straight razor from a carpet knife. Rear tire and in town at 20mph though. I had my 8 year old daughter on back. Here's my gift to you...I think you may need some new ones. http://z.about.com/d/couponing/1/0/6/s/ns_boxers52.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lone Eagle Posted October 3, 2008 Share #22 Posted October 3, 2008 Hey, Ken - now that is funny. Owen, thanks (maybe not) for sharing that story as I had just gone through the same situation last month on our ride to Venture West IV. Mine was a cracked valve stem - I had put a right angle (don't ever do that) stem on the front tire - and somehow it developed a small crack at the base where it goes into the rim. Also, I had my bike towed as well - and the guy cinched down the front so hard I now have a blown seal in the front air forks - going to need to get those replaced over the winter under warranty. I was stupid - we thought we had "fixed" the crack in the stem when I finally got the bike off the road the first time, with some of that fix it flat stuff (and duck tape - no air seemd to escape), I got two miles down the road and it blew again - so I got a two "tank slapping rides" for one experience - LOL. I've never had a flat in a vehicle - let alone a bike - so to say that that is an experience I never want to have again, is a true statement. Glad it all worked out for ya. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now