It's good to hear people put their hand up and take responsibility for their actions or inactions that cause a consequence, too many are looking to put the blame elsewhere and in so doing miss the learning opportunity.
This may be a bit off topic but I absolutely love that Mike said that he was wearing full gear and came away from the wreck with only a sprained ankle. My wife gets very upset and worries about me whenever she hears on the news about another rider dying in a wreck. It bothers me that the news reporters don't give you any other details. Was the rider drinking? Wearing a helmet? Riding recklessly? I understand gear and riding responsibly doesn't make you invincible but as Mike's story shows, it certainly helps. Thanks Mike for your story and Kevin for another great video.
I could only imagine the heart stopping feeling of a death wobble at 70+ mph. I'm glad Micheal had limited injury and seems to be doing well. You don't anticipate getting into a situation on an HD top touring model but it can happen to any type of bike.
So you were ok Mike! Thanks for sharing your experience. When I got my first bike the dealer took me to meet all the departments. The service manager said the most important thing apart from obvious issues is tyres. Keep them the right pressure and make sure they are OK. It's all you have to touch the road, so simple isn't it. Riding gear is a not optional, I plan to come home from every ride
Once again, another great job Kevin keeping us informed and safe!! We lost fellow CMA member here in Houston this past week in an motorcycle accident. A fairly new rider on a new much faster scooter after riding a slower lighter scooter for a year or so. I do not believe she had much experience riding the freeways here in town, and showed limited motorcycle skills by the few times we had seen her ride, but yet she was killed on the freeway at the beginning of rush hour traffic. One of my biggest regrets is not to have at least mentioned to her you RU-vid presentations.... maybe she could have learned additional skills that would have allowed her to be alive today. Stay safe and keep up the great job, and see you on the road!!
Thanks champ, your videos helped me avoid a head-on collision with an idiot overtaking motorist on a country road a few weeks back. Being fully aware and alert of the types of danger on the road certainly has helped me be a safer motorcyclist. Many thanks!
That ride in Scotland and Ireland sure looks awesome! Thanks for all the safety information! Thanks for expanding our opportunities for new adventures.
Wow, thank you Mike. Thank God and your investment in safety gear, so that you came out of that only slightly injured. And that's a good reminder to always preflight your ride!
Yes, totally agree. I’m 71, been riding legally on the road since I was 15 1/2 in Cali. I currently own a 2012 Goldwing , a 2018 Z900 RS, a 2008 B King, a 97 Valkyrie and I Check my tires and pressure before every ride as I have had the same experience of finding objects in my tires on a few occasions. It is worth the extra time it takes TO CHECK YOUR TIRES BEFORE EVERY RIDE!!
Thanks Mike and Kevin....such a good reminder. I believe in AGATT. I sweated a bit more than my fellow riders last July while riding in Oklahoma, but I knew that drinking more water and Gatorade was more comfortable and cheaper than a trip to the hospital. Stay Safe!!
I also found one of your wobbles - at 120mph on an unrestricted Autobahn with a full load of luggage. I met another rider on the Eurotunnel who also had a Triumph Explorer XRt and who had the same problem riding with luggage. The handbook says don’t go over 80mph with luggage on - it really means it! Both of us realised what was happening and lost speed without braking - no incidents, but a timely warning!
I'm big on checking my tire pressure. I've always said this, the wheels and tires have to work right above all else. Always look for leaks, leaky brake will not be a good surprise if it fails but not as big as tires and wheels (wheel bearings to be exact) also tighten your spokes if you have spokes along with making sure the wheel are true.
I have learned over the years to check your tires,oil level and lights. Just a simple look over before I ride. If I'm traveling I do a little closer inspection every day. It's just easier to inspect before I ride then have problems on the road.
Thanks for your vids Kevin! The information and the calm demeanor in which you deliver it are priceless. Between Dan Dan, fast Eddie at motojitsu, and yourself there's such a wealth of knowledge out there to sharpen our awareness and road skills and I'm more than positive you guys are saving lives everyday
It happened to me in Arizona. My advice is do not panic , stay calm let off the throttle and lightly tap on the foot brake. I hope this helps ! I was able to save my bike and a trip to the emergency room.
Hi Mr Mcrider and your fellow Lemonrockers. I live in Scotland and love riding all over our lovely country. You will notice the lack of traffic and motorways up our way and yes some of the roads are very technical. BENDY. You will have a great time over here and with our fellow Celts in Ireland. Hope I see you during your trip. P s be prepared to use sign language as you will not understand the local accents.
My Prorider/motor cop trainer tells us... if it happens, lighten up on the bar, fighting it makes it worse and get low, put your chest on the tank. YES.. tire pressures before every ride
He could have picked up that nail in his tire seconds,minutes, or hours before the wobble happened. In that case Tclocks wouldn't have prevented this accident. Tclocks is still a must before you ride. One can still discover other problems before the ride, but not trouble that can happen during the ride like an object imbedding in a tire. It will never really be known wether he picked up the mail before or during his ride unfortunately. I'm just glad he wasn't hurt anymore than he was. I think the point of his story is, to me is, always wear as much protective gear as possible. I just think Tclocks wouldn't have prevented a scenario such as his in this case. But it is possible.
Jeff, I completely agree, I pickup a bolt on a mountain road going 50 mph in windy section in my rear tire. Light rear brakes and a power down shifting session got me to walking speed by the time the tire was on the rim. And it was wobbling the whole time. I had no clue what was caused the feeling but my brain told me to slowdown as fast as possible to check it out. The gray matter between your ears is your biggest asset! Practice emergency slow downs and stopping in various methods not just the standard emergency braking techniques.
I experienced an entirely different form of tank slapper back in '91whilst following a friend down a long gentle decline at about 130kmh. His bike went into an progressively violent wobble which ultimately threw him off. Thankfully he was fully protected and only suffered bruising. What I found interesting was that in braking myself to avoid him and his bike, my bike went into a tank slapper as well! Tyre pressures were optimal and my old SR500 was in well maintained condition. What happened gradually became apparent afterwards as we assessed the situation and the road. There was a series of low corrugations in the bitumen which somehow triggered the first bike's tank slapper (the '83 VF750 with 16" front was prone to this apparently) but it was my vigorous front brake application, thereby steepening the head angle and shortening the bike's front geometry, combined with the tarmac ripples that set off my bike's wobble. I was able to release the front brake and the bike fully regained it's composure, but not before my right shoulder had come into violent contact with the mirror and severely bent the stalk! Clearly there can be many combinations of circumstances that can initiate a tank slapper and it is always best to ensure the bike is well maintained and serviced as routine. I have ridden many different bikes over forty five years and have never been thrown off, touch wood...
Imagine going for the rear brake on a rainy night on the highway and having it not move. Solid as a rock. I had neglected to notice that one of the highway footpegs was lose on my VStar and the footpeg fell and got lodged between the floorboard and the rear brake. It could have been like that for over an hour before I actually needed to use the brake. I was extremely lucky that nothing bad happened. As I former pilot I should know better and apply the safety check walkaround before you fly on my bike as well! I have a picture of it but it seems I can't upload it in the comments.
Thanks for addressing this. So glad this rider was ok! No doubt his gear made a difference in his injuries. I'm looking at buying my first bike and the forums say that it has some wobble. There's even a video review of the bike and the RU-vidr demonstrates it. One cure is to change from ball bearings in the head and replacing them with tapered roller bearings. That makes total sense. Early Chevy's had them in the front wheels and I think the same cure was applied to them. Others have replaced the front tire to a different brand. As far as tires go, did you know they can go bad without ever seeing a mile of road service? The compound in the rubber can degrade over time because of heat and sun damage. I've had two sets on my car, a 2013 Fusion with only 44,000 miles on it because the rubber deteriorated. I don't have a shaded place to park my car, don't drive much because I'm disabled and the extreme heat of the road surface can reach 170 degrees F or more.
Mile marker 49 on I-81 in VA doing 75mph in the hammer lane with the old lady and 60 lbs of luggage on a 2002 Goldwing. The rear started fishtailing, and the tire delaminated. I came off the throttle and let it slow while trying to change lanes to the right. I remember looking at the spedo showing 30mph thinking, "Man, I still can't outrun this thang." LOL! I got it stopped in the breakdown lane. This story is a knee-knocker, not a tank slapper. That's exactly what my knees were doing. My fault. It's a pain to lay down and check the tire pressure on a goldwing. Got lazy, and almost paid a big price. Live and learn.
I inspect and check my tire pressure prior to each ride. If it's off by even 1 pound I air them up. It doesn't take but just a minute and can extend your life and the life of the tires.
I experienced a death wobble in my '71 honda cl350 on the highway in 2014. It was one of the first times I had taken that old bike out on an open freeway, and traffic was fairly light, so I decided to see what she could do. I got her up to 85mph plus and very suddenly, the rear end began to whip back and forth. If it were not for the training I had recieves at the MAC basic riders course, I probably would have yanked on the brakes and crashed. Instead, I loosened up and slowly rolling back the throttle until I stabilized.
Last year I was getting on of my 14 Ultras 15k service. I was told the rear tire was in need of replacement. I was going to wait and do it through another non Harley shop. Something kept bothering me and called back and asked if it was late to change it. It wa b sn’t. The tire had a nail that was broke if and sanded in. 😎😎
Great video. All the gear all the time is the only way to go and this is a great example of basically walking (limping) away from what could have been a terrible accident. I wonder if it was a slow leak that reached the tipping point?
Excellent video and thank God your guest is okay and was wearing good protective gear and the level of riding experience he has. The fact that he stayed off the brakes and slowly reduced his speed is a riding strategy that may have saved his life. I’d like to know if he’s still riding, and if so, what bike did he replace his HD with. Gold Wing? 👍😘
Pilots do a pre-flight inspection of their airplanes everyone should do a pre-ride inspection of their bike. Truckers use a tire billy to give their tires a quick thump to see if they are flat. It won't tell the exact pressure but will tell you if they are extremely low.
The ONLY motorcycle related channel where you don't hear poop and beginners-talk from 25y.o. boy's with, according their mentality, 30 years experiance. 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
I had the death wobble on my Roadstar 1700 . I have taken my front wheel to my local shop and they checked the bearings and discovered the wheel was way out of balance. Who ever mounted and balanced it, they did it incorrectly and had it way out of balance.
From what Mike said it got me thinking about a mate of mine on a weekend trip with wife on a large custom cruiser and fully loaded up with camping equipment etc. Really they admit now that they overloaded their bike and that can make it difficult to ride. They hit what they say was a small pothole in the road nothing to worry about when not loaded but it demolished their front wheel which was a spoked wheel. Several spokes bent and the wheel after the initial wobble collapsed. I wonder if mike overloaded and dependent on where that load was situated it can a have detrimental effect on the stability of the bike. ie not in the known weight triangle. Too much overload on the back end , rear of the rider and perhaps hanging or unbalanced can affect suspension and cause a lightening of the front wheel in contact with the pavement etc. Then the tyre could have gone down at any time but perhaps slowly and undetectably during the ride and that causes the wobble effect but what he said next disturbed me.. He was obviously in a wobble but couldn't apply the rear brakes because he said he had none ? and didn't hit or attempt to slow with the front brakes as that would have caused a high side.? both to me seem peculiar. That's all.
With the following information from others I think that we have put matters right that a slow puncture can lead to a wheel wobble.There are other reasons why a tyre deflates other than having a puncture or broken valve. We should all be aware that tyre pressure alters when the ambient temperature and pavement alters the hotter it gets the greater the pressure becomes and the colder it gets the lower the tyre pressure will be. On a hot day if one rides out of the sunlight or rides through water the tyre temps can fall rather dramatically and that can have an effect on the general steering and balance of the bike. We all know that track riders know that cold tyres can kill and that's why they try to keep them up to temp. But if one rides out all morning in dry hot sunlight and the pavement is hot also then after a break for lunch the tyres are cooler and then one sets off like a bat out of hell, failing to know that the tyres are a lot cooler now and off we come on the first or second bend.
So, which tire was the nail in? Low pressure increases slip angles of any tire. Changing slip angles of any tire cause some weird things to happen on four wheels, and even weirder things on two.
Kevin, What are your thoughts ref the Klockwerks windshield helping to prevent high speed wobble due to that windshield providing the downward pressure on the front forks?
Good morning! I live in Carrollton and participated in theCollin CountyTeddy Bear run this past year and everything was fine. I got home and planned to meet my brother n law in Arlington later that day. Well got on to George Bush and the rear end started to feel funny. The rear tire blew out and I was able to get the bike stopped without laying it down. I'd love to share with you how I did that and what I would do differently and also the same. I'd also be interested on your thoughts about what happened and also what if the front tire ever goes and some what ifs in group riding. I am new to the channel and really enjoy your tips. Thanks! Paul
Good point, Kevin! Because of Mike's tire failure on the road that day, the other three of us on the trip bought FOBO Tire Pressure Monitoring. We check pressures every day and even at gas stops. AND, the FOBO communicates with our Bluetooth headsets to let us know if a tire is deflating quickly or more slowly. I highly recommend the FOBO2 which I put on my new Ultra Limited as soon as I bought it. NOTE: The rubber air stems are not good for stem-mounted TPMS. Have them changed out to metal ones. I didn't do that and became one of the many riders that had to suffer through a rapid deflation of my rear tire on a trip. The stem broke, just like many others have experienced. BUT, the FOBO told me that I was losing air. I pulled over and stopped before anything bad happened.
Hi I know from experience how important it is to wear the proper gear when we are out on our bikes, Kevin has said many times about the importance of having the right gear on ! why then are there so many videos of riders tearing around on their bikes with hardly any gear on at all !! I do think there is a good shout at banning videos that show riders without proper gear on and only show videos that showcase riders fully geared up. Vince (uk rider)
4 года назад
Hi, Could you please explain parking a motorcycle on hilldown. Also on a off road road. Some times the parking stand will lean motorcycle too much (I fall once) or it will straith the bike and feels like it will fall to the oposide (right) side. The same problem is on some sloped roads. An other question is getting on a bike from the right side. Once a car has parked too close to my bike and i couldnt get on my bike from left, so i pushed it out from the park and get on it.
I see a big difference between a flat tire and a death wobble like I had on my 2008 Ultra Classic although very similar in ways but cause and effect not the same at all but me, fully loaded at 65 mph tires monitored and fine and the rear starts swaying back and forth out of control. This wobble and especially on Harley Davidson motorcycles has killed a few riders. I know what it's like to experience both and hope I never ever have to again as recovery time as you get older sucks 😞🙃....
I did mention that fully loaded if that loading is not within the loading triangle or has more weight on one side than the other its bound to affect the stability of the bike especially at higher speeds with wind assist as well. Our police motorcyclists had one particular bike that when fully loaded and at speeds started to wobble and so those bikes were no longer used for police work,
Thanks for the testimony, Tom. Kevin, I am trying to order a couple of MCRider tees but the teespring site won't let me add anything to my cart. Any suggestions?
Great reminder, and I note that he even has shortie gloves on when doing pylons in Parking lot ... bought a pair for buddy who said "too hot to wear gloves" Ask anyone who has gone down on a bike, first instinct is to put your palms out = Road Rash ... or stumps for hands. Thanks Kevin
I like to coast down my driveway with the engine off and listen for objects in a tire, brake/chain noise, rattles etc. Your bike will talk to you if you listen...
I was riding my little 250 Honda Nighthawk in full gear, open face helmet, sunglasses, jacket, gloves, boots, with a safety reflective vest. Nerdy as any Pee Wee Herman, or Steve Urkel! This Loooong Harley chopper pulls up next to me at a stoplight. The rider was was was shirtless, wearing ratty jeans, sunglasses, boots, and a red bandanna do-rag on his head. As he stopped his bike, he looked at me, I looked at him, and he chuckled while saying, “I think I’m OVER dressed!” I said to him, “Yeah and if you’re going to wear that thing on your head, you’re going to have to go make me some pancakes!” 🤣
Your skills can't help you with not overloading your bike with camping gear, touring bikes are overloaded with 2 people and a weeks clothes. Just to add some clarity, here is the definition of GVWR: The gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR), or gross vehicle mass (GVM) is the maximum operating weight/mass of a vehicle as specified by the manufacturer including the vehicle's chassis, body, engine, engine fluids, fuel, accessories, driver, passengers and cargo but excluding that of any trailers. That means that the weight for all the riders and any gear you take with you will be around 417 pounds. I have exceeded this gross additional weight combination a number of times. Well, actually every time I put my leg over my motorcycle.
The most treacherous Tank slapper I ever did was on a Honda CB-100 on wet grass is did some tank to tank slappers and saved it .. My Yamaha FZ-07 only has 24.5 degree fork rake .. I really can't take my hands off from both hand grips like you can on most bikes such as on an HD with 31 Degree fork rake.. My FZ-07 gets mild tank slappers at about 90 MPH and beyond.. Spring of 2019 My FZ-07 was not handling very well .. I was suspicious of low air pressure in the front tire. I swear I checked my air pressure in the Spring but I had forgotten to do it .. Any time I walk around my car / coming for going from a store parking lot ext .. I look at the tires.. I always spot cars with low air pressure tires and warn the owner.. I don't really check my motorcycle tires.. If I was suspicious of low air pressure I might feel how warm the tire is when I stop at a gas station .. You can kick or squeeze a motorcycle tire too .. These cars with very low profile tires are harder to see when they are soft.. Commercial Truck drivers carry a miniature baseball bat.. you can hit each tire and feel by how the bat bounces back and hear a different sound with correct pressure or too low of Pressure.. the correct Pressure is about 100 PSI .. I have a trailer with low profile tires that I keep 125 PSI Cold in it .. I have to add more air to all truck tires in the fall as they loose a lot of pressure when it's cold out.. Nitrogen does not migrate through a tire much larger molecules and does not change pressure nearly as much when hot or cool .. Many Truck fleets use Nitrogen as does NASAR Tubeless tires can get a slow leak from a nail , but tube tires will almost always got flat in seconds. For me keeping track of two tires is not an issue.. As I was driving a truck with 40 tires.. When I mount my own truck tires there are a few tricks to avoid slow leaks .. Clean the rim bead mounting surfaces with a while wheel and use Freelube Rim and bead grease.. Make sure your valve cores have a new rugger gasket and a good valve core in them and the valve stems made from brass have not been damaged and distorted.. happens often when running duals and Dayton hubs..
Kevin, don't get me wrong, i love your channel, but how many of us common folk do you really think will be able to afford in time and money to tour in Scotland and/or Ireland. You couldn't hook up with a tour company here in the good ol' U,S A.?
@@gaknskk It is a tire puncture repair for motorcycles. If you Google "Ride-ON motorcycle sealant" , and watch the video. It shows a bike running over hundreds of nails. the tires never goes flat,or looses air pressure much. It says once you find a nail in your tire check your air pressure and then pull the nail out and then go for a three mile ride. AS soon as you pull the nail out the hole will be plugged by the ride-on. And it keeps your tires balanced for the life of the tire. I can honestly say that Ride-On has saved my LIFE!!!! MCRider has made a video on Ride-On, I think about two years back...
Had a tank slapper a few years ago. Bought 86 goldwing, ran great although it had high miles 130k. Tires good. Everything worked. Was riding a road with down hill slope. A slight slope. Down shifted into 3rd and all heel was in my handlebars. Just started jerking back and forth. And you cannot muscle it either. Used all my might but did not stop the bars from slapping. I never knew that this could happen. Never heard of tank slapper. Scared the hell out of me. It will actually make you ponder if you want to ride again. I researched it, and kept on riding. Hopefully never happens again.
I was 10 years old my cousin had a newish 750 honda I think it was a 75. Anyway he left the key in it, I got on it,started it and ran it hard into the neighbors garage. Needless to say he was pissed and taught me to ride on that bike. I dont remember what made me want to get on it but I've been on one ever since. So it stuck. Ps still not a gear guy.i mean I dont wear shorts an flip flops but I'm not a condom guy either. I always figured if your that scared you shouldn't do it. Cars are much safer. 35 × more. You could always do that.
@@STho205 - We're leaving Thursday afternoon and probably going to make Tallahassee that evening, so Interstate, then probably some back roads getting into Daytona on Friday. We're returning on Monday since he has to work Tuesday, so it'll be an Interstate ride all the way home - 8+ hours. I like Interstate when my time is limited. Riding a 2018 Yamaha Eluder.
