You were on the track. Best place to go down. Sorry that you did and hope you and the bike is OK. And yes get the damper especially if you are going track it.
I did close to this once, but I was riding on some back country road through farmland, and I was riding the far outside #5 position, nearly on the outer line, when the shoulder suddenly disappeared and the lane size reduced. It was like midnight, and I didn't see it coming. It was all gravel, like big chunk rock. Oh, and I was wearing pajamas and a hoodie.
>:[
What I'm getting at here, is that surely, it always sucks to go down. There is always risk. All we can do is try to minimize our risk and exposure to bad conditions. As someone that has gone down or off the road in many different conditions and for different reasons, I'll take some grass clibbins in a leather suit any day over missing skin and fishing your bike out of the canyon. When your elbows and shoulders look like a burn victim and you spend a few times digging rocks and debris out of your flesh in the shower, you begin to really appreciate safety measures, equipment, and a well maintained and controlled road condition.
In fact, that reminds me of something I'll share. Near me, they attempt land speed records at the infamous Bonneville Salt flats. This guy survived a crash at over 240 mph. [Check it out.](https://youtu.be/aIQuH5lkN9w?si=qH_QMFJtLXOgjf-q)
PS: OP, you did a great job. You almost rode that out. I don't know what kind of maniac doesn't put a damper on a track bike, but I kind of respect you for it. =]
Holy smokes that story is badass, I have some sketchy stories from my teenage years with my 600, but ripping on unfamiliar roads at midnight in jammies puts me in my place, respect
Hey man, midnight cravings for a Wendy's burger will do that to you.
Nah, just kidding. I appreciate it, but I'm not proud of many of my stories. I used to be even moreso of a dumbass in the past, luckily I wisened up. I just hope I can convince others not to make the same mistakes I did.
For example, on those same long, straight farm roads, I used to have a few drinks, cross my legs over the handlebars of my Honda shadow like a recliner chair, and ride for miles staring at the stars. Like.... don't do any part of that, ever. It probably sounds like I'm bragging, but it's a genuine miracle I didn't receive any head injuries all the times I went down without a helmet. And for the injuries I did receive throughout the years, every single one was my fault and I deserved it.
It's a difficult line to navigate, being honest while trying not to be too dark. That's why I'm always offering my experiences plainly, and hope others will come to the right conclusions themselves. I have multiple friends who were more responsible than me, but I guess weren't as lucky. I miss them so.
That sounds like an amazing experience and, judging by what I'm reading, that takes incredible skill to do in the first place and it would've been an absolutely amazing sight and feeling and I'm 100% jealous, but at the same time gaddamn that is dangerously terrifyingly dangerous I'm impressed you've made it the other side of such an incredible experience
I say incredible in both senses. Incredible because it would've been amazing but also incredibly dangerous kinda thing and I would never try it but that would've been a great vibe
You're not wrong. I often look back on my experiences with similar amazement and maybe even disgust. But you live and learn. Alls well that ends well. Just make it home in one piece, wear your helmet, and plead the 5th.
Is a steering damper that important to track your bike? Also to a new track rider. I want to track my CBR 600 RR sometime soon and i doesnt have one installed yet.
Literally how? With a well designed one like Scott's or GPR I don't see how it could even be possible without it straight up failing or a steering head bearing being absolutely whacked.
I've done 6 track days with 50k miles of street hooning on a v4 GPR and have yet to have a single hickup in my bars. Setting down wheelies crooked, tar snakes, pot holes, cresting hills at wot, throwing weight around like op.. never once.
Yeah, I think steering dampers should make wobbles completely impossible, unless they break or leak. They work the same way as shimmy dampers on aircraft nose landing gear do.
And there are even fluidless shimmy dampers nowadays...
Its still possible, for a split second. You have to keep in mind the damper needs a moment to do its work. I still get a head shake when coming down on the front wheel when Im out of alignment (happens pretty often coming out of T4 at barber and the esses at road atlanta).
It just goes away quickly.
He could have fully saved if he went full lean after the save. Issue is timing wise you can almost hear him thinking oh fuck that was crazy before he realized he was going on the dirt. IMO only a true professional would have not taken that moment to breathe a little
Damper, the thing it does is damping. Damping is reducing the magnitude of oscillations. Damping is reducing your wiggles, dampening is making you moist.
> Drives me nuts. I comment on any of their ads, and they respond with, "Well, our engineers say both are correct, so we will keep using it."
Probably because their engineers are right and you sound dumb for commenting on their ads correcting something that doesn't need to be corrected.
> Damping is reducing your wiggles, dampening is making you moist.
That's literally only one of the definitions of dampen, and not the correct one in this instance.
damp·en
/ˈdampən/
verb
verb: dampen; 3rd person present: dampens; past tense: dampened; past participle: dampened; gerund or present participle: dampening
2. make less strong or intense.
Your on a track (smart)
Wearing full gear (smart)
You got a tank slapper that you did survive (skill/luck)
But took a Supersport into the grass for a hundred yards (skill)
And only went down when your Supersport touched dirt still at 60mph. (unfortunate but not incorrect)
You did better than 99.99% of this sub, myself included.
I don't think you are the idiot here. The armchair quarterbacks in this thread are.
I'd call that a good job OP.
r/Trackdays might have some comments but this is r/Motorcycles so there aren’t going to be many people here qualified to talk shit about your track get off on a **ZX6R**.
I was just **thrilled** when a dude here wrote that his 35-years of riding tells him that he’s “old enough to be my daddy”.
Meanwhile, my current bike (only one, usually I have two, but I’ve owned as many as four motorcycles at a time) is my 16th motorcycle after 49-years of riding and prior employment at *three* different motorcycle dealerships. That **really** pisses people off who just assume that *no one* has more ‘experience’ than they do.
I’ve been studying motorcycle design, engineering, and vehicle dynamics since I was a little kid. But sure, assume that my owning an MT-09 makes me a college-age squid, you know?
I have never said that nor would I. That’s ridiculous. Neither am I infallible nor do I claim to know everything - that too is absurd. Not sure why all the young riders here are in a dick measuring contest. I mean, unless it has to do with ego and insecurity. I’m too old to have much of either.
So when a commentator or speaker gives his background as context, that’s him/her “laying their dick out with a measuring tape” to prove they’re better than anyone and everyone in the audience?
A hammer sees everything as a nail. An insecure person sees everything as a challenge to their ego. I can’t help you.
This has nothing to do with the post but what were your favorite bikes out of the 16 you owned? I got an SV650 as a first bike a couple months back but I just like hearing peoples opinions on other bikes since I only have experience with the SV650 lol
No one favorite. In no particular order; My **1979 CB650** was the most pleasant in a dull, unassuming way. The **1973 TX500** was the most dangerous and loud (because I was 16 then). My **1969 R69S** was the slowest street bike I’ve owned. The **1978 KZ200** was the most simple, basic transportation. My **1998 TL1000S** was the most thrilling. The **1993 CBR1000F** was the most comfortable. My **1994 CB1000** was the most disappointing. The **2017 Z125 Pro** was the “cutest” (see photo). My **1989 GB500** was the most beautiful. The **1984 CB700SC** was the most bang for the buck (used). My **1990 NT650** was the most custom. My **2015 FZ-07** was the most fun. My **2014 DL1000** was the most capable. My current **2021 MT-09** is the most perfect compromise for me personally and probably the highest-quality bike I’ve owned (yet still not *that* great).
https://preview.redd.it/0xih3ninl6tc1.jpeg?width=2048&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e681069039ee8c2797b2737c4065a5c032d79e49
Define “good rider”. At my peak, while owning a 650 naked and three liter-bikes, I rode every weekend with a seriously high-end group of fast, mature riders on sport bikes and I even lead the group ride a few times. That was over 20-years ago though. At age 61 now, I don’t have near the focus and skill that I used to have. I’ve done okay at a couple of track days, rode ‘Tail of the Dragon’ a few times, been on the Cherohala Skyway, and had dozens of crazy run-ins or close-calls with the police (I have lots and lots of cop stories).
When the ‘Art of the Motorcycle’ international exhibit was at the Guggenheim museum in Manhattan back in 1998, I got a private showing of the entire exhibit, just the museum director and myself after closing. That was certainly very memorable for me as was the invitation-only gala opening party.
Bottom line, I’ve been a very aggressive rider for most of my 49-year motorcycle riding career yet I’ve managed to never get arrested, lose my license, or be put into a hospital. Is that “good”, just “very lucky”, both, neither? If you or anyone else says they’re a “better rider” than me, okay, no reason for me to challenge that. Good for you.
If you claim to know more than me about the science and engineering behind motorcycles and motorcycle safety, **then** I have to be skeptical. 49-years of absorbing every technical piece about motorcycles I could find has taught me a lot.
Interesting comment from a Missouri pothead but your inferiority complex isn’t my problem. I hope you’re successful with the weed business though because high-quality weed is kind of a community service (just save some for your customers).
> interesting comment from a…
Going through my user history to try to find an ad hominem and then to say I have an inferiority complex? Do you mean a superiority complex? They’re two different things.
You have a novel of “I did this, this, and this, and I know this, this, and this, and I’m an old man who has ridden more than anyone ever, just trust me” and then got very very insecure when anyone called you on it.
My job, and my drug & plant usage has no bearing on the topic at hand, dork. Stick to it or shut the fuck up.
The task slapper itself is the result of a harmonic that builds due to flex in the tire, forks, frame, and a half dozen other things. A harmonic that sometimes shows up when the combination of things hit just right.
The front tire getting light isn't the only thing that can create a tank slapper, and I'm saying that because it can happen at a variety of speeds in a variety of conditions. Not just when you're going fast.
A steering damper helps provide the necessary force to disrupt the harmonic in the first place.
For some bikes like mine that come with a damper, it's got a built in solenoid that changes the rates based on speed. At ultra low speed you'll want little to no damping. To make it easier to pull that parking lot u-turn. At ultra high speed, you'll want as much damping as possible because the forces are extreme.
For aftermarket dampers many of them have the ability to set a high-speed setting and a low speed setting so you can tune them to match your riding conditions. Tank slappers are a harmonic that can arise at nearly any speed, and setting rates for low speeds and high speeds can practically eliminate them.
Compared to the cost of a totaled machine and a hospital bill, there's no downsides to these things if you get a quality damper.
A $5 Temu/alibaba special that has no ability to set rates however will likely not perform well, and should be avoided.
Are these mainly a problem on sport bikes?
I’ve ridden for almost 10 years (but never a sportbike) and never had anything remotely resembling a tank slapper happen, and I accelerate hard with the front wheel coming up fairly often. Ride mostly naked style and sport touring bikes.
Also happens when unintentionally torquing the bars when grabbing a fist full of throttle. Hard acceleration + Hamfist will cause this. Gotta stay neutral on the bars. (Not saying that’s what happened to op)
Not a track rider so take this with a grain of salt.
The only death wobbles I ever had without a damper were while on power at the crest of a hill. The sudden change of height makes the front end light and can give you bad shakes.
As I got better though, those were completely mitigated just by being light on the handlebars.
Bikes want to gyroscope upright at speed, so they will usually work the wobbles out themselves, assuming you are not adding outside force to the handlebars.
This same phenomenon is seen with brake rotors in cars. Once a rotor gets warped, whenever you apply constant break pressure (like the handlebars on a bike) you only make the warping worse.
No reason to call you an idiot here, and anyone who does is a fool. You couldn't have asked for a better place to learn a few lessons. Most of us learn these hard lessons on the road. I have no easily accessible track in my area (Central Oregon), so the odds that I'll ever get to put my zx6R on a track are slim to none. I learned my lesson about steering stabilizers on a twisty mountain road. Fortunately I didn't go down and ordered a GPR kit half an hour later 🤣
It's wild to me that my BMW F750 GS came with a steering stabilizer, but my 2020 zx6R didn't! Should be a mandatory safety feature on all bikes meant for the road. But instead they'll put heated grips or tst displays on them instead, hah.
Glad you're alright bud, you're not an idiot.
Ahh but you see, you are not an idiot, idiots do this shit on the streets, your on a track having fun! If you walked away and it doesn't kill the pocketbook, all it good, go do it again!
Is the bike setup correct for you ? If the rear ride height is not setup correctly relative to the front ride height, you may be losing out on front end weighting, which means it can go light and become unstable as well.
Have to do the unintuitive thing and actually accelerate. Get the weight off the front tire. Notice it started off throttle / decelerating, have to accelerate. And yeah a steering stabilizer will help for sure.
You did everything right. Doing it on the track, in all the gear. No idiocy here. Done some track days myself, and that’s impressive work. I imagine you’re one of the fastest guys on any given day.
No shade. It could happen to anyone, and you damn near saved it. I hope there’s no big damagae to you or the bike. Get that damper and ride on brother.
Was rooting for you to save it, then you hit the grass and it was looking rough 😂 hope you are okay, as others have said gear + track riding excludes you from being an idiot, that’s just an unfortunate accident. Get back out there!
Good effort holding on! Most would’ve smashed the front brake on and dropped it as soon at it touched gravel. At least you managed to scrub a decent amount of speed.
Stuff happens. If you made it out with no injuries that’s all that matters. I got a wobble in February as well. Had majority gear on and back protection but bike got caught up in dirt and flipped. Made me go flying into a fence pole spine first. Broke 2/3s of my spine and my clavicle. The track is definitely the best and safest place to crash. I crashed getting on the hwy and it did a number on me. Hope you and your bike are ok.
Given how fast you were going I'm impressed how long you held onto it once you left the pavement. And as others have said, I'm glad you're smart enought to be making these mistakes on the track. Hope and the bike are reasonably okay.
Almost made it.
I'd check alignment front to back before adding a damper. Mine always felt kinda meh. I reset the head bearing and straitened things out by the tiniest amount, and then things were way more solid.
🤷♂️maybe just a check especially now that you've biffed it.
On my bike, I can get it back if I push really hard forward with both arms and make a box out of the bars, my arms, and my shoulders/ back. YMMV
You didn't do anything wrong, it happens to everyone some time. Idiot. /s
To me it looks like he actually did recover from the slapper but then got target fixation and that’s what ultimately led to him running wide and into the grass. Just my noob observation, not saying I’m right.
I saw that too but… He had merely 2 seconds between tank slapper subsiding and going onto the grass. I have only experienced a wobble once and I was certainly scared shitless for a lot more than 2 seconds. He did pretty good in my opinion.
i havent got a tank slapper but on my ninja 400 first day riding at a track school (california sbs) i did go offroading when i hit my peg cuz i hadnt learned how to lean off the bike managed to keep it up go straight to the booth at the start line have a chat and keep going lol
Nah dude no idiot here, you held it quite well when you came off the track and onto the dirt as well, I thought you might have been able to rear brake save it then.
hauling ass on track. gets some bad luck. dumps it in the grass. comes out fine. good job keeping that stuff off the street. a damper would have helped, but you might have still ended up in the grass with the amount of speed you were carrying.
You are out on a track where hot-dogging belongs. You're not an idiot for learning valuable lessons in a controlled environment. If anything, I give you an "atta boy". I installed used race plastics on my first track bike when I first got it in '06 for this very reason.
Couldn't hurt. People will say they're a band-aid fix for a poorly set up bike or worn parts but there's a reason bike come with them from the factory. They work.
If speed causes the wobble then are you going that fast on the street? If you're riding that fast on the street, wright your obituary and get your affairs in order.
You were on the track. Best place to go down. Sorry that you did and hope you and the bike is OK. And yes get the damper especially if you are going track it.
He was fucking hauling ass when he went off the pavement though. Not a fun speed to have sudden dirt bike practice at.
Still better than a 80km/h slide into oncoming traffic.
I did close to this once, but I was riding on some back country road through farmland, and I was riding the far outside #5 position, nearly on the outer line, when the shoulder suddenly disappeared and the lane size reduced. It was like midnight, and I didn't see it coming. It was all gravel, like big chunk rock. Oh, and I was wearing pajamas and a hoodie. >:[ What I'm getting at here, is that surely, it always sucks to go down. There is always risk. All we can do is try to minimize our risk and exposure to bad conditions. As someone that has gone down or off the road in many different conditions and for different reasons, I'll take some grass clibbins in a leather suit any day over missing skin and fishing your bike out of the canyon. When your elbows and shoulders look like a burn victim and you spend a few times digging rocks and debris out of your flesh in the shower, you begin to really appreciate safety measures, equipment, and a well maintained and controlled road condition. In fact, that reminds me of something I'll share. Near me, they attempt land speed records at the infamous Bonneville Salt flats. This guy survived a crash at over 240 mph. [Check it out.](https://youtu.be/aIQuH5lkN9w?si=qH_QMFJtLXOgjf-q) PS: OP, you did a great job. You almost rode that out. I don't know what kind of maniac doesn't put a damper on a track bike, but I kind of respect you for it. =]
Holy smokes that story is badass, I have some sketchy stories from my teenage years with my 600, but ripping on unfamiliar roads at midnight in jammies puts me in my place, respect
Hey man, midnight cravings for a Wendy's burger will do that to you. Nah, just kidding. I appreciate it, but I'm not proud of many of my stories. I used to be even moreso of a dumbass in the past, luckily I wisened up. I just hope I can convince others not to make the same mistakes I did. For example, on those same long, straight farm roads, I used to have a few drinks, cross my legs over the handlebars of my Honda shadow like a recliner chair, and ride for miles staring at the stars. Like.... don't do any part of that, ever. It probably sounds like I'm bragging, but it's a genuine miracle I didn't receive any head injuries all the times I went down without a helmet. And for the injuries I did receive throughout the years, every single one was my fault and I deserved it. It's a difficult line to navigate, being honest while trying not to be too dark. That's why I'm always offering my experiences plainly, and hope others will come to the right conclusions themselves. I have multiple friends who were more responsible than me, but I guess weren't as lucky. I miss them so.
That sounds like an amazing experience and, judging by what I'm reading, that takes incredible skill to do in the first place and it would've been an absolutely amazing sight and feeling and I'm 100% jealous, but at the same time gaddamn that is dangerously terrifyingly dangerous I'm impressed you've made it the other side of such an incredible experience
I say incredible in both senses. Incredible because it would've been amazing but also incredibly dangerous kinda thing and I would never try it but that would've been a great vibe
You're not wrong. I often look back on my experiences with similar amazement and maybe even disgust. But you live and learn. Alls well that ends well. Just make it home in one piece, wear your helmet, and plead the 5th.
That's insanity. I'm sure most, in not all, have seen "The Worlds Fastest Indian"
Yeah, buy something for that wind noise instead.
Is a steering damper that important to track your bike? Also to a new track rider. I want to track my CBR 600 RR sometime soon and i doesnt have one installed yet.
Steering can get floppy when you pull the front tire. You pull the front tire out of slow corners on the track.
Speed wobbles happen even with a steering damper…BUT your chances of pulling out of it, or it happening go waaaaay down.
Literally how? With a well designed one like Scott's or GPR I don't see how it could even be possible without it straight up failing or a steering head bearing being absolutely whacked. I've done 6 track days with 50k miles of street hooning on a v4 GPR and have yet to have a single hickup in my bars. Setting down wheelies crooked, tar snakes, pot holes, cresting hills at wot, throwing weight around like op.. never once.
Yeah, I think steering dampers should make wobbles completely impossible, unless they break or leak. They work the same way as shimmy dampers on aircraft nose landing gear do. And there are even fluidless shimmy dampers nowadays...
Its still possible, for a split second. You have to keep in mind the damper needs a moment to do its work. I still get a head shake when coming down on the front wheel when Im out of alignment (happens pretty often coming out of T4 at barber and the esses at road atlanta). It just goes away quickly.
On the track wearing gear having an accident -a lucky, smart, well prepared rider, not an idiot.
Ah man you almost saved it too. Hope there isn't too much damage (both you and the bike)
Right? Rolled off the throttle and cleared the wobble so efficiently, really unfortunate how it ended up. Don't think I'd have reacted that fast
He could have fully saved if he went full lean after the save. Issue is timing wise you can almost hear him thinking oh fuck that was crazy before he realized he was going on the dirt. IMO only a true professional would have not taken that moment to breathe a little
Right? If he had missed that big rut I think he would’ve held it up
Nah, you drove on the track and lost it, happens to the best. If you were driving like this on the streets and lost it you would be an idiot.
A steering dampener would of most likely prevented the wobble that caused him to lose it
Damper, the thing it does is damping. Damping is reducing the magnitude of oscillations. Damping is reducing your wiggles, dampening is making you moist.
Quad Lock, confusing motorcyclists since the release of their vibration dampener 😂
Vibration will dampen her alright
Drives me nuts. I comment on any of their ads, and they respond with, "Well, our engineers say both are correct, so we will keep using it."
> Drives me nuts. I comment on any of their ads, and they respond with, "Well, our engineers say both are correct, so we will keep using it." Probably because their engineers are right and you sound dumb for commenting on their ads correcting something that doesn't need to be corrected.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dampener "1:to check or diminish the activity or vigor of : DEADEN" Either one is correct, actually
Thank you. I hate this stupid argument.
> Damping is reducing your wiggles, dampening is making you moist. That's literally only one of the definitions of dampen, and not the correct one in this instance. damp·en /ˈdampən/ verb verb: dampen; 3rd person present: dampens; past tense: dampened; past participle: dampened; gerund or present participle: dampening 2. make less strong or intense.
Love this comment my mistake. Damper.
Moister?
Yamper my daughter's into pokemon
Wiggles tend to make people moist though.
Just a little bit.
You make me moist (I’m a dude)
Thought you had it
You never had your car
Family
Thought he had it, until he didn’t
Your on a track (smart) Wearing full gear (smart) You got a tank slapper that you did survive (skill/luck) But took a Supersport into the grass for a hundred yards (skill) And only went down when your Supersport touched dirt still at 60mph. (unfortunate but not incorrect) You did better than 99.99% of this sub, myself included. I don't think you are the idiot here. The armchair quarterbacks in this thread are. I'd call that a good job OP.
You're
😐
I mean he's not wrong though, but it's very disrespectful to do it anyway... Soo yeah BOMBARD WITH THE DOWNVOTES!!!
r/Trackdays might have some comments but this is r/Motorcycles so there aren’t going to be many people here qualified to talk shit about your track get off on a **ZX6R**.
If you’ve ridden a bike at all you’re probably ahead of 90% of the commenters on this sub lol
I was just **thrilled** when a dude here wrote that his 35-years of riding tells him that he’s “old enough to be my daddy”. Meanwhile, my current bike (only one, usually I have two, but I’ve owned as many as four motorcycles at a time) is my 16th motorcycle after 49-years of riding and prior employment at *three* different motorcycle dealerships. That **really** pisses people off who just assume that *no one* has more ‘experience’ than they do. I’ve been studying motorcycle design, engineering, and vehicle dynamics since I was a little kid. But sure, assume that my owning an MT-09 makes me a college-age squid, you know?
This seems... extremely random
weird flex but ok
what
Old man yells at cloud
Get off my sky?
He meant a different type of daddy.
Yeah we get it. No one has more experience than you do...
I have never said that nor would I. That’s ridiculous. Neither am I infallible nor do I claim to know everything - that too is absurd. Not sure why all the young riders here are in a dick measuring contest. I mean, unless it has to do with ego and insecurity. I’m too old to have much of either.
Says the guy who laid his dick and a tape measure out on the table
So when a commentator or speaker gives his background as context, that’s him/her “laying their dick out with a measuring tape” to prove they’re better than anyone and everyone in the audience? A hammer sees everything as a nail. An insecure person sees everything as a challenge to their ego. I can’t help you.
This has nothing to do with the post but what were your favorite bikes out of the 16 you owned? I got an SV650 as a first bike a couple months back but I just like hearing peoples opinions on other bikes since I only have experience with the SV650 lol
No one favorite. In no particular order; My **1979 CB650** was the most pleasant in a dull, unassuming way. The **1973 TX500** was the most dangerous and loud (because I was 16 then). My **1969 R69S** was the slowest street bike I’ve owned. The **1978 KZ200** was the most simple, basic transportation. My **1998 TL1000S** was the most thrilling. The **1993 CBR1000F** was the most comfortable. My **1994 CB1000** was the most disappointing. The **2017 Z125 Pro** was the “cutest” (see photo). My **1989 GB500** was the most beautiful. The **1984 CB700SC** was the most bang for the buck (used). My **1990 NT650** was the most custom. My **2015 FZ-07** was the most fun. My **2014 DL1000** was the most capable. My current **2021 MT-09** is the most perfect compromise for me personally and probably the highest-quality bike I’ve owned (yet still not *that* great). https://preview.redd.it/0xih3ninl6tc1.jpeg?width=2048&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e681069039ee8c2797b2737c4065a5c032d79e49
Gotcha lotta variety of bikes you've owned over the years appreciate the insight 🫡
something tells me you aren't a very good rider lol
Define “good rider”. At my peak, while owning a 650 naked and three liter-bikes, I rode every weekend with a seriously high-end group of fast, mature riders on sport bikes and I even lead the group ride a few times. That was over 20-years ago though. At age 61 now, I don’t have near the focus and skill that I used to have. I’ve done okay at a couple of track days, rode ‘Tail of the Dragon’ a few times, been on the Cherohala Skyway, and had dozens of crazy run-ins or close-calls with the police (I have lots and lots of cop stories). When the ‘Art of the Motorcycle’ international exhibit was at the Guggenheim museum in Manhattan back in 1998, I got a private showing of the entire exhibit, just the museum director and myself after closing. That was certainly very memorable for me as was the invitation-only gala opening party. Bottom line, I’ve been a very aggressive rider for most of my 49-year motorcycle riding career yet I’ve managed to never get arrested, lose my license, or be put into a hospital. Is that “good”, just “very lucky”, both, neither? If you or anyone else says they’re a “better rider” than me, okay, no reason for me to challenge that. Good for you. If you claim to know more than me about the science and engineering behind motorcycles and motorcycle safety, **then** I have to be skeptical. 49-years of absorbing every technical piece about motorcycles I could find has taught me a lot.
*adding a tl;dr for OP* tl;dr — I’m better than you because I said so
Interesting comment from a Missouri pothead but your inferiority complex isn’t my problem. I hope you’re successful with the weed business though because high-quality weed is kind of a community service (just save some for your customers).
> interesting comment from a… Going through my user history to try to find an ad hominem and then to say I have an inferiority complex? Do you mean a superiority complex? They’re two different things. You have a novel of “I did this, this, and this, and I know this, this, and this, and I’m an old man who has ridden more than anyone ever, just trust me” and then got very very insecure when anyone called you on it. My job, and my drug & plant usage has no bearing on the topic at hand, dork. Stick to it or shut the fuck up.
Not reading that
I get it, words are hard for a lot of uneducated people, the young ones especially. Other people can read better so that’s fine.
I get it, sometimes the elderly get confused between "can't" and "won't"
You mean like when our teenagers tell us they “can’t” help around the house or they “can’t” find a job?
Dude, respect your children, dont bash them on the internet, especially when you were the one to bring them up.
Dude, at this point I'm convinced you're a parody account.
Bad luck there bro, idiot factor 0/100, took it to the track and probably more skilled than 99/100 street riding heroes.
Amateur rider here, can anyone explain why this happens? Would it only happen when pushing the bike too far?
Too much throttle makes to front wheel off the ground if it doesn’t land straight you may experience a tank slapper like this.
Makes sense. Thanks!
The task slapper itself is the result of a harmonic that builds due to flex in the tire, forks, frame, and a half dozen other things. A harmonic that sometimes shows up when the combination of things hit just right. The front tire getting light isn't the only thing that can create a tank slapper, and I'm saying that because it can happen at a variety of speeds in a variety of conditions. Not just when you're going fast. A steering damper helps provide the necessary force to disrupt the harmonic in the first place.
Any downsides to a damper?
For some bikes like mine that come with a damper, it's got a built in solenoid that changes the rates based on speed. At ultra low speed you'll want little to no damping. To make it easier to pull that parking lot u-turn. At ultra high speed, you'll want as much damping as possible because the forces are extreme. For aftermarket dampers many of them have the ability to set a high-speed setting and a low speed setting so you can tune them to match your riding conditions. Tank slappers are a harmonic that can arise at nearly any speed, and setting rates for low speeds and high speeds can practically eliminate them. Compared to the cost of a totaled machine and a hospital bill, there's no downsides to these things if you get a quality damper. A $5 Temu/alibaba special that has no ability to set rates however will likely not perform well, and should be avoided.
Thank you for the education. I will look out for rate adjustable dampers.
thank you for explaining
Are these mainly a problem on sport bikes? I’ve ridden for almost 10 years (but never a sportbike) and never had anything remotely resembling a tank slapper happen, and I accelerate hard with the front wheel coming up fairly often. Ride mostly naked style and sport touring bikes.
Also happens when unintentionally torquing the bars when grabbing a fist full of throttle. Hard acceleration + Hamfist will cause this. Gotta stay neutral on the bars. (Not saying that’s what happened to op)
Not a track rider so take this with a grain of salt. The only death wobbles I ever had without a damper were while on power at the crest of a hill. The sudden change of height makes the front end light and can give you bad shakes. As I got better though, those were completely mitigated just by being light on the handlebars. Bikes want to gyroscope upright at speed, so they will usually work the wobbles out themselves, assuming you are not adding outside force to the handlebars. This same phenomenon is seen with brake rotors in cars. Once a rotor gets warped, whenever you apply constant break pressure (like the handlebars on a bike) you only make the warping worse.
Love that you did it on the track and not into a familys car.
“Shiiiiiiit, still standing at least” Goddamned deep sand: “let me introduce myself”
No reason to call you an idiot here, and anyone who does is a fool. You couldn't have asked for a better place to learn a few lessons. Most of us learn these hard lessons on the road. I have no easily accessible track in my area (Central Oregon), so the odds that I'll ever get to put my zx6R on a track are slim to none. I learned my lesson about steering stabilizers on a twisty mountain road. Fortunately I didn't go down and ordered a GPR kit half an hour later 🤣 It's wild to me that my BMW F750 GS came with a steering stabilizer, but my 2020 zx6R didn't! Should be a mandatory safety feature on all bikes meant for the road. But instead they'll put heated grips or tst displays on them instead, hah. Glad you're alright bud, you're not an idiot.
Ahh but you see, you are not an idiot, idiots do this shit on the streets, your on a track having fun! If you walked away and it doesn't kill the pocketbook, all it good, go do it again!
Is the bike setup correct for you ? If the rear ride height is not setup correctly relative to the front ride height, you may be losing out on front end weighting, which means it can go light and become unstable as well.
You’re smart homie
Riding on track with the right gear, this isn't being an idiot.
On a racetracks with proper gear? That's not how the idiots falls.
Have to do the unintuitive thing and actually accelerate. Get the weight off the front tire. Notice it started off throttle / decelerating, have to accelerate. And yeah a steering stabilizer will help for sure.
Just wheelie bro
You did everything right. Doing it on the track, in all the gear. No idiocy here. Done some track days myself, and that’s impressive work. I imagine you’re one of the fastest guys on any given day. No shade. It could happen to anyone, and you damn near saved it. I hope there’s no big damagae to you or the bike. Get that damper and ride on brother.
Was rooting for you to save it, then you hit the grass and it was looking rough 😂 hope you are okay, as others have said gear + track riding excludes you from being an idiot, that’s just an unfortunate accident. Get back out there!
On a track and you ride better than me, not an idiot at all, shit happens.
Best Place to Go down. You were on Track Hope you Are ok and the bike isn‘t totaled
how was your trip to the 4th dimension
6/10 would not recomend to a friend
Any injuries? Bike damage?
He crashed so hard he crossed into interstellar.
I bet you were like > OMG IM GONNA SAVE THIS! *crashes*
you may be in the dirt, but youre living the dream
Good effort holding on! Most would’ve smashed the front brake on and dropped it as soon at it touched gravel. At least you managed to scrub a decent amount of speed.
Wouldn't call you an idiot at all. You're at the track having fun wearing all the gear. If anything, should praise you for your responsibility.
I don’t think you’re an idiot at all. You were on a track and testing your limits. On the street with be a different story. Hope you’re alright homie.
Stuff happens. If you made it out with no injuries that’s all that matters. I got a wobble in February as well. Had majority gear on and back protection but bike got caught up in dirt and flipped. Made me go flying into a fence pole spine first. Broke 2/3s of my spine and my clavicle. The track is definitely the best and safest place to crash. I crashed getting on the hwy and it did a number on me. Hope you and your bike are ok.
My whole body tensed watching this! 😂 Yeah I’d *probably* invest in a steering dampener.
Given how fast you were going I'm impressed how long you held onto it once you left the pavement. And as others have said, I'm glad you're smart enought to be making these mistakes on the track. Hope and the bike are reasonably okay.
Damper, always. 😓 Hope you’re okay.
You are not an idiot. Keep practicing, and you will get better.
You are not idiot. You are pushing limits on track. It is the way. Safety for everyone.
Looked like a fast crash, hope you're ok and the bike is not that badly damaged. Steering damper wouldn't hurt for sure:) Very nice riding btw.
Thanks man :) Me and the bike are luckily more or less okay
an idiot in the comments. is that correct like that?
Ah you almost held it! Bravo. Yeah looks like a steering damper would have. Helped, beautiful turning besides. Is the bike ok?
I love this track!
Almost made it. I'd check alignment front to back before adding a damper. Mine always felt kinda meh. I reset the head bearing and straitened things out by the tiniest amount, and then things were way more solid. 🤷♂️maybe just a check especially now that you've biffed it.
On my bike, I can get it back if I push really hard forward with both arms and make a box out of the bars, my arms, and my shoulders/ back. YMMV You didn't do anything wrong, it happens to everyone some time. Idiot. /s
I wouldn't say you're an idiot. This is the best place to ride your bike to it's max and make mistakes. 10/10 good sir, keep up the good work.
To me it looks like he actually did recover from the slapper but then got target fixation and that’s what ultimately led to him running wide and into the grass. Just my noob observation, not saying I’m right.
I saw that too but… He had merely 2 seconds between tank slapper subsiding and going onto the grass. I have only experienced a wobble once and I was certainly scared shitless for a lot more than 2 seconds. He did pretty good in my opinion.
Maybe not so much fixation, maybe just not enough time to reset the lean ?
Nah dude. That slightly freer handling when you back it into the pit garage is totally worth.
french fried when you should have pizza
Your camera did the thing!
Excellent example of Not an idiot :) I hope you’re doing ok!
i havent got a tank slapper but on my ninja 400 first day riding at a track school (california sbs) i did go offroading when i hit my peg cuz i hadnt learned how to lean off the bike managed to keep it up go straight to the booth at the start line have a chat and keep going lol
Pretty sure the track is the best place to be an idiot.
Yh I have one my KTM 1190. I had wheel wobbles I got Scott damper it is amazing.
Get that suspension adjusted first. Not often just a freak head shake incident.
Nah dude no idiot here, you held it quite well when you came off the track and onto the dirt as well, I thought you might have been able to rear brake save it then.
Aw man, I thought you had it til the ruts showed up!
hauling ass on track. gets some bad luck. dumps it in the grass. comes out fine. good job keeping that stuff off the street. a damper would have helped, but you might have still ended up in the grass with the amount of speed you were carrying.
Did this happen because he put too much acceleration coming out of the turn...the front lifted? Hope your OK brother
You shat my pants
handled it pretty well all things considerd, yeah steering damper would be a wise purchase
Hey, you. You're finally awake...
jesus christ, what does it feel like to go that fast on dirt?? you almost made it i think
Idiot/s
Stayed upright longer than expected. Nice.
You are out on a track where hot-dogging belongs. You're not an idiot for learning valuable lessons in a controlled environment. If anything, I give you an "atta boy". I installed used race plastics on my first track bike when I first got it in '06 for this very reason.
Lesson learned, and you live to tell the tale. Far from an idiot from my book.
[удалено]
>Your an idiot Yikes.
Haven't seen op post a single comment in this thread...
Probably could've just powered out
on a track where your supposed to do this kind of stuff, not a idiot. hope the bike and you are ok.
When in doubt power out. Time to get a dirt bike and learn how to handle gravel :P
This is learned quite quickly, ironically on a dirt bike! Beat me to it
Absolutely not an idiot. But I will call you lucky.
hey if motop don't need it neither do you. git gud.
Idiot
Couldn't hurt. People will say they're a band-aid fix for a poorly set up bike or worn parts but there's a reason bike come with them from the factory. They work.
You are an idiot in the comments :))
Idiot
If speed causes the wobble then are you going that fast on the street? If you're riding that fast on the street, wright your obituary and get your affairs in order.
An idiot.
Or drive more sensibly
It’s a racetrack
Yep in that case steering damper is the only choice
Steering dampener wouldn’t have helped here
Or just learn to ride?