Craziest ride of my life...

[tnr4]

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!

[Vad18]

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!

[tfkrocks]

Glad you're ok. Riding more conservatively in the rain, like leaving more space than normal, will help.

[tnr4]

Originally Posted by Vad18

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!

Originally Posted by tfkrocks

Glad you're ok. Riding more conservatively in the rain, like leaving more space than normal, will help.

Thanks for the well wishes. Rebecca, you're exactly right. It was definitely a wake-up call to remember the basics. I put in so many commuting miles for so many years, I just got too comfortable. Every once in a while, we all just need to be reminded that there's nothing comfortable about doing what we do.

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.

[Sirref]

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

[alex.s]

congratulations sir! kiss your wife if you've got one, and maybe pat your balls if they're still there.

[Sirref]

Originally Posted by alex.s

congratulations sir! kiss your wife if you've got one, and maybe pat your balls if they're still there.

dude's got a wife and a kid too if I remember right.

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.

[csmith12]

[tnr4]

Originally Posted by alex.s

congratulations sir! kiss your wife if you've got one, and maybe pat your balls if they're still there.

Done and done.

Originally Posted by Sirref

dude's got a wife and a kid too if I remember right.

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.

Yup, kissed Baby Girl too!

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.

Originally Posted by csmith12

[crazymadbastard]

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.

[fishdip]

Nice work on keeping it up. Did you down shift and use the back brake I ask because you say with feet hanging off.

[tnr4]

Originally Posted by crazymadbastard

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.

Yeah, I usually avoid the morning one; harder to avoid the evening one. Most importantly, I hadn't left enough space. Hard lesson to remember sometimes, but an important one. I won't forget again soon.

Originally Posted by fishdip

Nice work on keeping it up. Did you down shift and use the back brake I ask because you say with feet hanging off.

Nope. The initial tug on the front brake took me so close to the edge, that my feet were already down, kicking off the pavement as I shuddered back and forth. At the end, I must have regained some composure, because I didn't stall it and was in 1st in order to get moving again; so although I don't remember it, I must have downshifted once I got to the 'controlled shimmy' stage.

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?

[fishdip]

Originally Posted by tnr4

Yeah, I usually avoid the morning one; harder to avoid the evening one. Most importantly, I hadn't left enough space. Hard lesson to remember sometimes, but an important one. I won't forget again soon.



Nope. The initial tug on the front brake took me so close to the edge, that my feet were already down, kicking off the pavement as I shuddered back and forth. At the end, I must have regained some composure, because I didn't stall it and was in 1st in order to get moving again; so although I don't remember it, I must have downshifted once I got to the 'controlled shimmy' stage.

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?

this is one of the times my sig holds true.

[burningscooter]

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.

[csmith12]

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".

[tnr4]

Originally Posted by burningscooter

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.

Originally Posted by csmith12

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".

Dudes. I'm so terrified of riding track in the rain. I've got a few days scheduled this season already, so maybe it'll happen. But I always assumed I'd just pack up and cut my losses if that track got wet, lol. Man that whole 'not having traction' thing felt terrible!

Oh, and you know I ALMOST had to lay 'er down!!!

[kdogg2077]

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.

[ajcadoo]

The only reason ABS would be worth the premium is for this thread alone. Nice job!

[Motofool]

Originally Posted by tnr4

.........I also have ZERO desire to ride in the rain now...........

Just in case you must, reducing both tires' pressure is a good preventive measure before starting any wet ride (water will keep the rubber from over-heating).

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 !!!

[Whiskey]

Originally Posted by Motofool

Just in case you must, reducing both tires' pressure is a good preventive measure before starting any wet ride (water will keep the rubber from over-heating).

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 !!!

+1 on pretty much all of this, I've never let the tyres down to deal with rain, but then I live in a country where it rains every 3 days or so throughout the year, pressures would be up and down like a whores knickers.

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

[tnr4]

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!

[greenmachine]

Thats crazy that you kept focus during all that. I would have just split past him and avoided the whole thing...

[Motofool]

Originally Posted by tnr4

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 Florida's summer, I have had to commute back home around 15 miles of Interstate (65~75 mph traffic) under heavy storms almost every evening.

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):

Link to original page on YouTube.

[tnr4]

Originally Posted by Motofool

In Florida's summer, I have had to commute back home around 15 miles of Interstate (65~75 mph traffic) under heavy storms almost every evening.

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):

Link to original page on YouTube.

Very cool! This is helping to get my confidence back for the next rain ride. And man oh man, those Gymkhana dudes are epic. WOW.

[alex.s]

Originally Posted by Motofool

Link to original page on YouTube.

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

[Sirref]

^ 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.

[Motofool]

Originally Posted by Sirref

.........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.

4. Competition Rules
4.1. Basic rules
..........
f) Putting either foot down unless marked as “Foot OK” on the map will earn a penalty.