April 16th, 2014, 08:52 PM | #1 |
ninjette.org sage
Name: Travis
Location: Washington, DC
Join Date: Sep 2012 Motorcycle(s): Suzuki GSX650F! Past: Kawasaki Ninja 300 (Sold); Triumph Street Triple (Sold); Kawasaki Ninja 250 (Sold) Posts: 664
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Craziest ride of my life...
I got stuck at work during a pretty major rainstorm, and so I rode home in the wet, on the interstate, during rush hour, HOV, 55mph (not ideal conditions). While I'm checking my mirrors, the idiot in front of me slams on his brakes. I look up and have to emergency break. The following happens in probably 3-5 seconds.
My front tire locks, squirms, starts to tuck. I'm crashing. I've crashed before, so my body recognizes the feeling. But this will be bad. Interstate, rush hour bad. So I let off the brake. The tire starts to untuck, shimmies, and the bike tries to buck me off. Bike straightens itself, but now I'm not slowing down. So I grab the binders again. Front wheel tucks immediately. So I release more slowly. Starts to untuck, shimmy, tries to buck me off again. It shakes me back and forth like crazy. But straightens out. But I'm really not slowing down enough. Car in front of me is stopped. So I have to pull the brakes again. At this point, I have totally resigned myself to crashing. Aim to the side. Bike squirms like crazy. My feet are down, kicking the pavement as the bike bucks and shimmies. But the front wheel doesn't tuck, so I keep on the brakes, modulating them according to the violence of the bucking. A few more times where I'm sure I'm going down, and my body prepares for impact. But then I'm slowing down, in a controlled shimmy, and I stab the brakes hard at the last second. I stop about 12 inches from the bumper. JESUS. I've never been so scared in my life. I was SURE I was going to crash, on the interstate, in rush hour traffic. I will, from this day forward, always invest in ABS if I can. I also have ZERO desire to ride in the rain now. Must have been one hell of a show for the guy behind me! |
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April 16th, 2014, 08:56 PM | #2 |
ninjette.org member
Name: Vadim
Location: Seattle Area
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Wow that's crazy man. Glad everything turned out well, you can never trust your tires in the rain no matter what you ride or drive. Nice job saving yourself and the bike!
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April 16th, 2014, 08:57 PM | #3 |
ninjette.org certified postwhore
Name: Rebecca
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Glad you're ok. Riding more conservatively in the rain, like leaving more space than normal, will help.
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April 16th, 2014, 09:01 PM | #4 | ||
ninjette.org sage
Name: Travis
Location: Washington, DC
Join Date: Sep 2012 Motorcycle(s): Suzuki GSX650F! Past: Kawasaki Ninja 300 (Sold); Triumph Street Triple (Sold); Kawasaki Ninja 250 (Sold) Posts: 664
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This was also my first major rain ride on my GSX650, which is a 500lb bike. I'm thinking that I also hadn't properly accounted for the difference that being on a heavy bike makes. |
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April 16th, 2014, 09:03 PM | #5 |
Private Joker
Name: Ben
Location: Towson, MD
Join Date: Nov 2012 Motorcycle(s): '99/'01 Ninja 250 "sketchy", '13 Ninja 300 "yoshi", '03 GSXR 600 "merlin" Posts: A lot.
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situations like that are why I invested in abs and tires with good grip in the wet. I can only imagine the reaction of the driver behind you though |
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April 16th, 2014, 09:56 PM | #6 |
wat
Name: wat
Location: tustin/long beach
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congratulations sir! kiss your wife if you've got one, and maybe pat your balls if they're still there.
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April 16th, 2014, 09:59 PM | #7 | |
Private Joker
Name: Ben
Location: Towson, MD
Join Date: Nov 2012 Motorcycle(s): '99/'01 Ninja 250 "sketchy", '13 Ninja 300 "yoshi", '03 GSXR 600 "merlin" Posts: A lot.
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btw @tnr4 you should hit up the MD/VA/DC group ride thread sometime maybe you can make it out for a ride or two sometime since most of the rides seem to be around the DC area. |
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April 17th, 2014, 05:17 AM | #8 |
The Corner Whisperer
Name: Chris (aka Reactor)
Location: Northern KY
Join Date: May 2011 Motorcycle(s): 2010 250 (track), 1992 250, 2006 R6 (street/track), 2008 R6 (track) Posts: Too much.
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Goal: Shake A Million Hands | Look through the corners | Track Day Prep | Closest track? | The Mid-Ohio School |
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April 17th, 2014, 05:32 AM | #9 | ||
ninjette.org sage
Name: Travis
Location: Washington, DC
Join Date: Sep 2012 Motorcycle(s): Suzuki GSX650F! Past: Kawasaki Ninja 300 (Sold); Triumph Street Triple (Sold); Kawasaki Ninja 250 (Sold) Posts: 664
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Yeah, I used to be more involved in the subforum until the arrival of aforementioned Baby Girl. I *am* anxious to get out some, so I'll keep an eye out for sure. |
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April 17th, 2014, 06:29 AM | #10 |
I'm crazy,your excuse is?
Name: Winston
Location: Connecticut
Join Date: May 2013 Motorcycle(s): 250 2007 ninja Posts: A lot.
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Good save! I know its hard to keep a safe distance during rush hour, best bet is to avoid the rush, can you get in early/late and leave early late? Some can most cant.
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April 17th, 2014, 06:51 AM | #11 |
ninjette.org certified postwhore
Name: Fish
Location: co
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Nice work on keeping it up. Did you down shift and use the back brake I ask because you say with feet hanging off.
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Hey Unregistered never go faster than your brakes can be applied... |
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April 17th, 2014, 07:09 AM | #12 | ||
ninjette.org sage
Name: Travis
Location: Washington, DC
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So what would have been the right instinct to have, here? I certainly wasn't doing any thinking, so this was autopilot. But would it have helped to be on the back brakes as well? In the wet like this, the rear tire would have squirmed almost immediately, so I wonder if that would have made it harder for the bike to right itself. Or would the advantage of putting more braking power to the ground have been worth it? |
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April 17th, 2014, 07:21 AM | #13 | |
ninjette.org certified postwhore
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Hey Unregistered never go faster than your brakes can be applied... |
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April 17th, 2014, 08:56 AM | #14 |
clutch
Name: nameless
Location: Maryland
Join Date: Jul 2011 Motorcycle(s): L1 GSXR600 Posts: 543
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BRO! You should have came out to VIR in the RAIN! It was nice.
With that being said, Ive only had one experience on the highway where I almost tucked the front. My dumbass decided to let off the left handle bar to check behind me, went to look forward and as my head turns, the big rig in front of me is essentially stopped. I grab the brakes with only one hand and thought I was donezo. |
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April 17th, 2014, 09:13 AM | #15 |
The Corner Whisperer
Name: Chris (aka Reactor)
Location: Northern KY
Join Date: May 2011 Motorcycle(s): 2010 250 (track), 1992 250, 2006 R6 (street/track), 2008 R6 (track) Posts: Too much.
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This is exactly the reason why I say everyone should do a track day in the wet. NOTHING.... and I MEAN nothing will be more beneficial for the street than to know your brakes (and you the rider) in the wet well enough to go from 130mph to 45mph. If you can do that, you can go from 55mph to 0mph without much fuss.
Question for you though, how much additional braking did your feet add? jk.. Yo, props for not freaking out and "had to lay er down".
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Goal: Shake A Million Hands | Look through the corners | Track Day Prep | Closest track? | The Mid-Ohio School |
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April 17th, 2014, 11:31 AM | #16 | ||
ninjette.org sage
Name: Travis
Location: Washington, DC
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Oh, and you know I ALMOST had to lay 'er down!!! |
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April 17th, 2014, 05:57 PM | #17 |
ninjette.org sage
Name: Alex
Location: Ebensburg, PA
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Glad it turned out OK. At least you have the satisfaction of knowing you can handle an emergency when it happens.
I'm definitely getting ABS on my next bike if the option is there.
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April 17th, 2014, 08:11 PM | #18 |
Towster ['__'`,-,
Name: Josh
Location: San Diego, CA
Join Date: Jan 2012 Motorcycle(s): 2010 Green Ninja 250 SE Posts: 379
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The only reason ABS would be worth the premium is for this thread alone. Nice job!
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April 17th, 2014, 08:38 PM | #19 | |
Daily Ninjette rider
Name: Hernan
Location: Florida
Join Date: Mar 2011 Motorcycle(s): 2007 Ninja 250 Posts: A lot.
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Pull over if the rain catches you; let the dust and oils be washed away from the road for at least 20 minutes of decent precipitation, ...... more time if not as decent. Leaving space is good, but count on somebody to steal it from you at the worst moment, specially in rainy interstate rush hour. Scan for at least one escape path way before a situation deteriorates (many give you some clues ahead of time if you look attentively). Consider swerving over emergency braking, because panic swerving always puts less load on the tires (less chance to skid/slide) than hard panic braking. Good save, Travis !!!
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Motofool .................................Never ride faster than your guardian angel can fly "Mankind is composed of two sorts of men — those who love and create, and those who hate and destroy. Love is the bond between men, the way to teach and the center of the world." - José Martí |
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April 18th, 2014, 04:38 AM | #20 | |
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Always have an eye out for your escape route, you're far more mobile than the car in front so look at the traffic will ahead to anticipate upcoming problems & just because the idiot in front slams on doesn't mean you have to. If everything is jammed up in both lanes split & use the extra distance to brake smoothly. Practice your rear braking, if you jump on it it'll cause you a problem, just like snatching the front will, if you press it smoothly it'll add stability too. No harsh inputs in the wet |
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April 18th, 2014, 06:55 AM | #21 |
ninjette.org sage
Name: Travis
Location: Washington, DC
Join Date: Sep 2012 Motorcycle(s): Suzuki GSX650F! Past: Kawasaki Ninja 300 (Sold); Triumph Street Triple (Sold); Kawasaki Ninja 250 (Sold) Posts: 664
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Thanks for the well-wishes and advice, all. I'm especially interested to hear Hernan's suggestion on air pressure. I wondered that, and so the day after, I checked pressure, and I was at near maximum (40/40, max is 42/42). On these tires, I have experimented with as low as 34/36. So Hernan: when you say drop the tire pressure, how much are you thinking? Just that normal, experimental bit? Or even more?
In the two days since the event, I've focused on seeing the breakdown lane as my escape route; whenever traffic has slowed, even though I had plenty of time to brake, I've begun aiming the bike at the breakdown lane to get in the habit. Here in DC, the breakdown lane is actually pretty scary (gravel, metal, all sorts of sh*t), but it would definitely beat rear-ending someone at speed! |
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April 18th, 2014, 07:08 PM | #22 |
ninjette.org member
Name: mitch
Location: corona
Join Date: Jul 2013 Motorcycle(s): Green Ninja 250 2008!!!! Posts: 202
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Thats crazy that you kept focus during all that. I would have just split past him and avoided the whole thing...
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April 18th, 2014, 09:40 PM | #23 | |
Daily Ninjette rider
Name: Hernan
Location: Florida
Join Date: Mar 2011 Motorcycle(s): 2007 Ninja 250 Posts: A lot.
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Inspired in the Japanese Moto Gymkhana's technique of reducing tire's pressures by about 30% from the manufacturers recommended settings, I began experimenting with pressure reduction, starting from the 28 psi front / 32 psi rear recommended for my pre-gen. I did it little by little, always monitoring the temperature (by hand) and (very important) increasing pressure in the morning for the dry commute. I reached around 24 psi (cold) front and 27 psi (cold) rear; lower than that for a heavy downpour and they got hot very quickly. I could have been mental, but I felt better traction when braking in bad situations. http://faq.ninja250.org/wiki/What_ti...hould_I_use%3F Those values will not be good for your heavier GSX650. If you decide experimenting, go little by little and never allow the rubber become too hot for naked hand touch. Practice emergency braking on wet parking lots, but don't roll faster than 20 mph. Good deceleration (0.8~0.9 G) will feel the same to you and to your tires-suspension from 20 to 0 mph than from 70 to 50 mph. Keep those knees firmly clamped to the tank and your sight high and far. This video shows what partially deflated street-sport tires (only type allowed by Moto Gymkhana rules) can do in the rain (note the right foot, the right index finger and the turns of the head):
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Motofool .................................Never ride faster than your guardian angel can fly "Mankind is composed of two sorts of men — those who love and create, and those who hate and destroy. Love is the bond between men, the way to teach and the center of the world." - José Martí |
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April 19th, 2014, 10:38 AM | #24 | |
ninjette.org sage
Name: Travis
Location: Washington, DC
Join Date: Sep 2012 Motorcycle(s): Suzuki GSX650F! Past: Kawasaki Ninja 300 (Sold); Triumph Street Triple (Sold); Kawasaki Ninja 250 (Sold) Posts: 664
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April 19th, 2014, 11:40 AM | #25 | |
wat
Name: wat
Location: tustin/long beach
Join Date: Sep 2009 Motorcycle(s): wat Posts: Too much.
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this is truly monumental skill right here. notice how much he is sliding around but how smoothly he handles it at such low speed. locking up both tires in different spots and even both at the same time in some. the sliding 180 with the foot down had to be a bit sketchy even for him. he handles front slides extremely well. doing things like this at higher speeds is not nearly as hard to remain stable but with such low gyro forces going that slow, it is mostly up to his own skill to properly maintain the bike
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April 19th, 2014, 11:46 AM | #26 |
Private Joker
Name: Ben
Location: Towson, MD
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^ goddamn, you can tell how good that guy is by how easy he makes riding like that look. motogymkhana is some of the most difficult riding you could reasonably do and he makes it look like it's a casual stroll to him. I agree that the 180 slide had to have been sketchy for him since it looked like he overshot his mark a little bit, not enough to lose the rear completely but enough to disrupt the smoothness he had going everywhere else.
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April 19th, 2014, 12:02 PM | #27 | |
Daily Ninjette rider
Name: Hernan
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4.1. Basic rules .......... f) Putting either foot down unless marked as “Foot OK” on the map will earn a penalty.
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Motofool .................................Never ride faster than your guardian angel can fly "Mankind is composed of two sorts of men — those who love and create, and those who hate and destroy. Love is the bond between men, the way to teach and the center of the world." - José Martí |
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