Yes you read correct my Wife totaled the bike on 6/19..

We were going through a left hand turn between 40 and 50 mph when it went into a tank slapper.. :confused: She could not get it under control and eventually went down pretty hard. :(
She slid on the asphalt about 40 or 50 feet before coming to a stop on the gravel shoulder..

The only injuries she sustained were road rash on both arms do to not wearing her jacket.. Helmet took major damage.. Boots took damage.. The gear she was wearing did it's job.. If she would have had on her jacket she probably would have walked away..

Bike suffered badly.. The riders behind her that seen it all verified the tank slapper and said it shook so bad that her left foot fell off the peg causing her to fall off.. The bike then went down on the lh side sliding about 50 or 60 feet and then hitting the ditch flipping over..

Insurance has already picked up the totaled bike.. Bent rear subframe, forks were tweaked pretty bad and most of the plastics were trashed..

Insurance paid us $4186.00 for the bike..

here's a couple pics..
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v196/DR1300R/2009%20Ninja%20250R/randompics019.jpghttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v196/DR1300R/2009%20Ninja%20250R/randompics020.jpghttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v196/DR1300R/2009%20Ninja%20250R/randompics018.jpg

Oh no! So sorry to hear that. :( Glad to hear your wife had relatively few injuries (wear your gear, peeps!) as that is WAY more important than the bike. Do you think she'll ride again or is she done with motorcycles?

Oh no! So sorry to hear that. :( Glad to hear your wife had relatively few injuries (wear your gear, peeps!) as that is WAY more important than the bike. Do you think she'll ride again or is she done with motorcycles?

Yes she will ride again, but we probably will not replace the Ninja until next spring.. :cool:

Wow, that really stinks. I hope her road rash heals quickly. Will you be purchasing another 250 for her with the insurance money, or will she be staying away from bikes for a while?

edit: whoops, that's what I get for typing this message so slowly. Glad to hear she'll be riding again :thumbup:

Wow, that really stinks. I hope her road rash heals quickly. Will you be purchasing another 250 for her with the insurance money, or will she be staying away from bikes for a while?

No problem.. I am slow on the keyboard as well.. :thumbup:

Wow. Sorry to hear about the crash, but glad to hear she's relatively ok. Any reason she wasn't wearing her jacket? Like was it a short trip around the corner to the store? At least the insurance gave you enough for almost a new bike.

Not the plum ninja! D:
Glad the wifey is alright.

Wow. Sorry to hear about the crash, but glad to hear she's relatively ok. Any reason she wasn't wearing her jacket? Like was it a short trip around the corner to the store? At least the insurance gave you enough for almost a new bike.

If I were in that situation, I would purchase a used bike in good condition for around $2500-$2700 then save the rest. :2cents:

Wow. Sorry to hear about the crash, but glad to hear she's relatively ok. Any reason she wasn't wearing her jacket? Like was it a short trip around the corner to the store? At least the insurance gave you enough for almost a new bike.

Reason for not wearing a jacket, None.. :( It was going to be a long 200 plus mile ride and we were only about 70 miles into it.. :(

How did she get into that situation? Brake in the turn?


We are not sure.. I looked over the bike and checked everything I could think of before the insurance company picked it up.. I found nothing that would have caused it to shake.. :confused:

Not the plum ninja! D:
Glad the wifey is alright.

Yes the plum crazy Ninja is gone to the bone yard.. :(

Thank you we as a family are also glad Mary was not hurt worse than she was.. :cool:

Reason for not wearing a jacket, None.. :( It was going to be a long 200 plus mile ride and we were only about 70 miles into it.. :(

At least she's able to live & learn. I hope she recovers quickly. :thumbup:

It could have been loose gravel / debris. I've gone around a sharp corner and hit a fallen tree branch which threw my front tire about 1ft to the left and easily could have caused a tank slapper if I wasn't prepared for it.

If I were in that situation, I would purchase a used bike in good condition for around $2500-$2700 then save the rest. :2cents:

We are not going to buy anything until next spring.. No decision on new or used yet..

I will tell you one thing though it will be plum crazy purple again.. :thumbup:

haha, I like your thinking. :)

At least she's able to live & learn. I hope she recovers quickly. :thumbup:

Thank you for no lectures.. ;)

It could have been loose gravel / debris. I've gone around a sharp corner and hit a fallen tree branch which threw my front tire about 1ft to the left and easily could have caused a tank slapper if I wasn't prepared for it.

It was clean smooth blacktop.. :confused:

five of us riding and all experienced riders.. No reason for a tank slapper to occur at all.. Left us all scratching our heads..

haha, I like your thinking. :)

:thumbup:

Youch, that's really too bad.

stock IRC tires? :rolleyes:

sorry to hear about the bike. glad the wife is (relatively) okay. tend to her, first.

stock IRC tires? :rolleyes:

sorry to hear about the bike. glad the wife is (relatively) okay. tend to her, first.

Yes stock tires..

Yes she is on the mend.. Thank you. ;)

Youch, that's really too bad.

Thanks Alex.. Yes it does suck.. :(

Well glad she isn't permanently hurt... Good luck!

Yes she will be fine.. slowly on the mend.. Thank you.. :)

Wishing her a speedy recovery!!:)

Yep, tell her best wishes and heal quick :thumbup:

We are not going to buy anything until next spring.. No decision on new or used yet..

I will tell you one thing though it will be plum crazy purple again.. :thumbup:

You should keep the hugger then and not sell it.

That's how I found out about Plum Crazy going down. I seen the parts for sale and thought, oh no, it went down. I immediately did a search for Plum Crazy and found this thread. So sorry to hear Mary went down, but so glad to hear she came out with minimal injuries.

Best wishes for your wife. :thumbup: Hope she rides again soon. Hits home since I am trying to talk my wife into riding.

Shame about the bike too. Mods, paint and all was still pretty new right?

It's a relief to hear she is going to be a okay! :thumbup: I'm sorry the same cannot be said for Plum :(

how does one recover from a tank slapper?

how does one recover from a tank slapper?

More throttle.. un-weigh the front end.

Sorry to hear about your wife's accident. Fortunately she wasn't hurt more seriously...
Wishing your wife a speedy recovery.....

how does one recover from a tank slapper?

On the ninjette? Grab the bars and hold them straight. On a larger bike with a steeper rake and heavier front end, the advice to add throttle isn't a bad idea.

I've let the decel wobble get almost to lock-to-lock while playing with it on the ninjette, and even at speed, the front end is light enough to grab the bars firmly and stabilize them.

yikes! glad your ok - was a sick paint job- best wishes.

That sucks but it's good that she walked away. Road rash pictures?

Sorry to hear that,glad the she was (relatively) OK, wishing her a quick recovery.

Very sorry to hear, glad she's ok.

Wishing her a speedy recovery!!:)

Thank you.. :)

Yep, tell her best wishes and heal quick :thumbup:

Will do thanks Rock..

You should keep the hugger then and not sell it.

That's how I found out about Plum Crazy going down. I seen the parts for sale and thought, oh no, it went down. I immediately did a search for Plum Crazy and found this thread. So sorry to hear Mary went down, but so glad to hear she came out with minimal injuries.

Thanks Natalie but I didn't say the new bike would be another 250r.. ;)

Hugger is for sale.. :)

Best wishes for your wife. :thumbup: Hope she rides again soon. Hits home since I am trying to talk my wife into riding.

Shame about the bike too. Mods, paint and all was still pretty new right?

Yes the Ninja only had about 3200 miles on her.. :(

Don't let your Wife see this thread.. :D Mary will be fine and will get back on 2 wheels again.. :thumbup:

It's a relief to hear she is going to be a okay! :thumbup: I'm sorry the same cannot be said for Plum :(

Thank you for the kind words.. Plum Crazy is resting in Ninja heaven.. :D

Sorry to hear about your wife's accident. Fortunately she wasn't hurt more seriously...
Wishing your wife a speedy recovery.....

Thank you Phil.. ;)

yikes! glad your ok - was a sick paint job- best wishes.

Thank you and was is the key word there.. thank goodness I have pictures to remember it by.. ;)

Sorry to hear that,glad the she was (relatively) OK, wishing her a quick recovery.

Thanks Jonathon..

Very sorry to hear, glad she's ok.

Thanks James..

I am very glad she is ok bikes can be replaced and the plum crazy will be back in action I am sure. I get it scared the holy crap out of you as well! If Sharon ever went down I am sure I would nutter all up.

A good reminder to wear gear for all of us here.

Tend to Mary well and we all look forward to the return of plum.

I am very glad she is ok bikes can be replaced and the plum crazy will be back in action I am sure. I get it scared the holy crap out of you as well! If Sharon ever went down I am sure I would nutter all up.

A good reminder to wear gear for all of us here.

Tend to Mary well and we all look forward to the return of plum.

Thanks Jeff.. The Plum Crazy is gone to Ninja heaven..

Mary is healing fine, still pretty sore but getting better everyday.. :thumbup:

Thanks Jeff.. The Plum Crazy is gone to Ninja heaven..

Mary is healing fine, still pretty sore but getting better everyday.. :thumbup:

I was talking about Plum crazy the reboot version next spring :)

sorry to hear! hope for a speedy recovery. the rash will heal, the memories wont. hope she gets back on the horse asap.

I was talking about Plum crazy the reboot version next spring :)

The reboot version.. very cool.. :thumbup:

sorry to hear! hope for a speedy recovery. the rash will heal, the memories wont. hope she gets back on the horse asap.

Probably won't get on another until next spring.. :thumbup:

Thanks for the kind words.. ;)

Noooo! It was really cool to watch the Plum Ninja re-birth. It made me seriously consider going with a Chili Red paint job to match our Cooper S.

No! Plum Crazy Ninja!

Hope your wife recovers quick. Sorry, about the bike.

Thanks guys Mary is healing nice.. looking better everyday.. :thumbup:

its crazy we have never met but i feel like were all family, so sorry to hear about the accident. I was just admiring the great work you guys put into that bike a couple of weeks ago. Hope the wife heals okay and be safe out on the road

its crazy we have never met but i feel like were all family, so sorry to hear about the accident. I was just admiring the great work you guys put into that bike a couple of weeks ago. Hope the wife heals okay and be safe out on the road

Thanks for the kind words.. There WILL be another Plum Crazy.. :thumbup:

So glad to hear your wife is alright. Too bad about the bike.

I was *just* showing your bike to a friend of mine who was looking to do purple, and bam :/

I'm sorry to hear about it all, but I'm glad the wife is alright. Phew :/

Did you ever figure out the cause of the accident? You said the road was dry and clear. Were the tires OK or dried out? Taking a sharp turn at 50 mph seems a bit fast to me.

In the 80's, they had a problem with a new asphalt formula turning to grease on hot dry days. My understanding was that they don't use that type of asphalt any more. But that intersection might be a leftover. Maybe go back on another hot dry day and slam on the brakes while straight to test its slipperiness.

If it is too slippery, then maybe its time to talk to a lawyer.

I was *just* showing your bike to a friend of mine who was looking to do purple, and bam :/

I'm sorry to hear about it all, but I'm glad the wife is alright. Phew :/

Yes it sux.. mary is getting better everyday though.. :thumbup:

Glad your wife is still with us! Bikes come and go, but the people who ride them don't. Stay safe!

Glad your wife is still with us! Bikes come and go, but the people who ride them don't. Stay safe!

Thank you.. ;)

Did you ever figure out the cause of the accident? You said the road was dry and clear. Were the tires OK or dried out? Taking a sharp turn at 50 mph seems a bit fast to me.

In the 80's, they had a problem with a new asphalt formula turning to grease on hot dry days. My understanding was that they don't use that type of asphalt any more. But that intersection might be a leftover. Maybe go back on another hot dry day and slam on the brakes while straight to test its slipperiness.

If it is too slippery, then maybe its time to talk to a lawyer.


I never said it was a sharp corner, it was fairly new paved smooth blktop and no we will probably never know...
Here's a link I wish we would have seen/read earlier.. [should maybe be a sticky]

http://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=13288&highlight=front+end+wobbles

Sorry to hear of the crash and that she wasn't wearing her jacket :headshake: but at least she is okay for the most part and is willing to ride again... I'm sure that was a scary thing for her to endure. Here's to a speedy recovery :thumbup:

Ok...what in the world is a tank slapper?

Btw glad to hear your wife made it out with minor injuries,I hope she gets well soon!

Ok...what in the world is a tank slapper?

Btw glad to hear your wife made it out with minor injuries,I hope she gets well soon!

A really freaky situation where your front wheel isn't happy with the road, then violently jacks back and forth, throwing you out of control. Usually resulting in a highside :/

Doesn't happen as often at higher speeds either.

Did you get the bike painted purple? I've never heard of a stock purple. I'm glad to hear she was relatively okay as it could of been much worse

A really freaky situation where your front wheel isn't happy with the road, then violently jacks back and forth, throwing you out of control. Usually resulting in a highside :/

Doesn't happen as often at higher speeds either.

Could certain types of tires and/or unseen grooves/lumps in the road cause that?

I noticed that when I get on a road with grooves, the bike wants to follow the grooves. Going over a bridge with a grate can also be unnerving.

Just speculating.

Glad the wife is doing better. I hope she can get back in the saddle soon. I hope that this rare negative experience doesn't cause her to hate bikes.

how does one recover from a tank slapper?

Stay completely loose on the bars. Let the bike "do its thang", and it will many times correct itself. Easier said than done.

So glad she's ok for the most part. I, too, totaled my first Lil' Ninj by losing traction in a corner and low-siding. I was in full leathers so luckily didn't even have a scratch, but can't say the same about my '08 baby. I'm so sorry about such a beautiful bike being totaled, but I'm glad to hear it will be reborn! :)

Stay completely loose on the bars. Let the bike "do its thang", and it will many times correct itself. Easier said than done.

I agree with this guidance in general for tankslappers on motorcycles, but I think our ninjettes are a special case. The front end is so light (both in weight and steering effort), that it may be easier to calm the bike down by actively trying to stop the bars. At high speeds and with bikes with steeper steering geometry, this can backfire with the bar input causing things to get even worse.

But on our bikes, I've found that I can stop almost a lock-to-lock wobble by just choosing to (letting a decel wobble get out of hand at 45 mph). I'd likely do the same if the wobble was triggered any other way on the 250. YMMV! :thumbup:

I'll keep her in my prayers. glad shes relatively ok. accidents can be a lot worse than road rash.

I didn't read this until just now when i saw that you were selling stuff from this bike and thought oh no!! Just as long as there will be another purple one i'll be happy. I rather like the purple

Thank you all.. Mary,s road rash is getting better everyday. :)

Agree, purple is a awesome color. It is one of my favorite bikes. for the color alone. I also though the bra was a very nice touch against the rest of the bike. Some polished aluminum, and it wouldn't need anything else.

Something to be said for clean and simple.

Looking forward to seeing the plum crazy reboot.

Agree, purple is a awesome color. It is one of my favorite bikes. for the color alone. I also though the bra was a very nice touch against the rest of the bike. Some polished aluminum, and it wouldn't need anything else.

Something to be said for clean and simple.

Looking forward to seeing the plum crazy reboot.


Thank You.. :thumbup:

I've been riding my friend's bright purple cbr 600 since he's out of town and asked me to keep it running. I'll post up a picture one of these days as an inspiration of what her new bike can look like, seeing as you said it wouldn't necessarily be a 250 :thumbup:

I agree with this guidance in general for tankslappers on motorcycles, but I think our ninjettes are a special case. The front end is so light (both in weight and steering effort), that it may be easier to calm the bike down by actively trying to stop the bars.

But on our bikes, I've found that I can stop almost a lock-to-lock wobble by just choosing to (letting a decel wobble get out of hand at 45 mph).

Really? I've never read that anywhere, but lord knows you have years and years and miles and miles of experience more than I do! I don't think I want to test this out myself though! :D I do wonder, however, if I'd know exactly "how" to "stop it" because I think my instinct would tell me to let the bike work its own issues out and I would grip the bike with my legs rather than holding on tightly to the bars. I think stopping a wobble myself would require tensing the upper body and I've drilled it so often into my head and my daily riding that a tense upper body is a no-no in nearly any situation. :confused:

So a few questions if you don't mind.

1. How common is the wobble/tank slapper on a ninja?

2. What factors are known to instigate the condition? Road conditions? Bent triple tree?

3. It sounds like some people are saying to let go of the handle bars until the wobble stops. But what should I do about the brakes? Hit the rears or not? Just letting go of the throttle is going to cause some engine braking by itself.

4. If the front wheel is misbehaving, would popping a wheelie correct it?

I found these videos in my bike directory and don't remember where I got them. I think they may be what you guys are talking about.

1. In my experience, they are uncommon. I've had one happen in a corner when my front tire ran over a stick at nearly full lean. Scary one there, but I stayed totally loose and the bike fixed itself in a matter of microseconds. There have been a few others in my 2 year riding history, but I can't specifically remember the cause.
3. Staying loose is different from letting go. I personally wouldn't actually let go of the bars, but relax my arms and let the bars do the work while my arms go on a ride with them. However, Alex knows his stuff, and it sounds like he's had more experience correcting a wobble himself. I don't know the answer to your braking question for sure, but I can speculate based on the knowledge I have of traction. Feel free to correct me if I misspeak, anyone! It's a cardinal rule to never swerve and brake at the same time because you'll run out of available traction much more quickly than just doing one or the other. Therefore, I'd say not to brake, however, there are likely exceptions when others may suggest brakes are necessary. I'm eager to hear others' thoughts.

The OP said that his wife's wobble happened in a curve too. That would seem to be the worst possible time to have one. I just can't imagine recovering from that if it was a bad one.

I hate sticks too. I hit one the other day while I was riding around the yard (in line with the bike). It rolled and threw the bike off kilter a little bit, but although it was unnerving, it didn't cause me to go down thankfully. It wasn't on a curve, but it was on a slope. I'm not sure if it was a wobble though.

So I'm wondering if someone hit something like a pencil in a high speed turn if that would cause this. That is something I will watch out for from now on.

I'm definitely thankful for this thread as I'm learning a lot.

Really? I've never read that anywhere, but lord knows you have years and years and miles and miles of experience more than I do! I don't think I want to test this out myself though! :D I do wonder, however, if I'd know exactly "how" to "stop it" because I think my instinct would tell me to let the bike work its own issues out and I would grip the bike with my legs rather than holding on tightly to the bars. I think stopping a wobble myself would require tensing the upper body and I've drilled it so often into my head and my daily riding that a tense upper body is a no-no in nearly any situation. :confused:

Hi Ally - I've read the same thing, and experienced the same thing a few times on the road. I had one "stay still and pray" experience on a new R6 without a damper when accelerating hard on some bumpy roads triggered a full-lock slapper with some curves coming up. Holding onto the tank and waiting for it to settle was enough to bring it back inline. And I put on a damper the following week; wouldn't ride a supersport bike with that steep geometry without one again. It's criminal that Yamaha still doesn't sell those bikes with one as standard equipment.

But - I've never been able to get a 250 to do anything that violent. Even when it does go all wobbly, it can be stabilized pretty easily. Take a peek at this mongo thread (http://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=13288) where folks have been able to trigger severe wobbles, and I've played with them for awhile on this bike.

So a few questions if you don't mind.

1. How common is the wobble/tank slapper on a ninja?

2. What factors are known to instigate the condition? Road conditions? Bent triple tree?

3. It sounds like some people are saying to let go of the handle bars until the wobble stops. But what should I do about the brakes? Hit the rears or not? Just letting go of the throttle is going to cause some engine braking by itself.

4. If the front wheel is misbehaving, would popping a wheelie correct it

1. Wobbles are very common, especially on decel with the throttle off. Uncontrollable tankslappers seem more rare. We've (unfortunately) had many accident reports on this board over the past few years, and this thread is the first one I can remember where someone points to a wobble as even a partial cause.

2. Any of those could be factors, but I think tire condition (both wear and air pressure) would be a prime factor as well.

3. I wouldn't let go of the bars on a ninjette that was wobbling, but don't take that as gospel. I wouldn't hit the rear brake. Decel can exacerbate a wobble. If at all possible, you want to lighten the front end rather than put more weight on it.

4. If possible, absolutely. Easier to say than do on a 250, though. :)

But - I've never been able to get a 250 to do anything that violent. Even when it does go all wobbly, it can be stabilized pretty easily. Take a peek at this mongo thread (http://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=13288) where folks have been able to trigger severe wobbles, and I've played with them for awhile on this bike.


Thanks Alex. Makes sense that with more power, it would easier for things to turn more violent pretty quickly.
Funny, after my initial post, I did a search and read through that same thread you linked to. :thumbup:

I'm surprised you were able to get that much from the insurance company. Was that all due to the paint job?

I agree with this guidance in general for tankslappers on motorcycles, but I think our ninjettes are a special case. The front end is so light (both in weight and steering effort), that it may be easier to calm the bike down by actively trying to stop the bars. At high speeds and with bikes with steeper steering geometry, this can backfire with the bar input causing things to get even worse.

But on our bikes, I've found that I can stop almost a lock-to-lock wobble by just choosing to (letting a decel wobble get out of hand at 45 mph). I'd likely do the same if the wobble was triggered any other way on the 250. YMMV! :thumbup:

I recovered from locking my front tire at ~70MPH. The bars snapped left and the bike started to go over to my left before the tire regained traction and they snapped back to center and tossed me and the bike back upright.

I'm surprised you were able to get that much from the insurance company. Was that all due to the paint job?


Yep the paint and also the aftermarket goodies.. :thumbup:

whats a tank slapper?

It is when something disturbs the front wheel causing it to go into a rapid, side to side oscillation. It can be so bad that the front end moves to the full extent of its travel hitting the steering stops, or lacking them, slapping the bars on the tank.

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