What sets it off and how might rider have recovered before he was thrown off?
Heed be in a right mess too, no protective gear apart from helmet.
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It's caused by the front end going light. The cure as far as I know is to open the throttle and power your way out, it's something you see GP riders do all the time when they lift the front wheel on their way out of a slow corner when under maximum acceleration. On the road however, that is not always possible because of other traffic.
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That had to hurt ! The distance he slid down the road in a T shirt... Yuk !
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>> That had to hurt ! The distance he slid down the road in a T
>> shirt... Yuk !
>>
If I had to choose between leathers and a helmet it would be the leathers every time. The times I came off a bike I never put a scratch on a crash helmet but every time the rest of me managed a decent length slide down the road. I'm not knocking helmets, BTW.
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Why did you keep falling off?
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I only ever had one. 2002 on my BMW R series in Hull just before the ferry terminal. Only going slowly, the biker in front of me braked for an amber light and I thought he would go through. I did a crash stop from about 10 mph, the bars got the wobbles and I hit his o/s pannier gently and fell off. I couldn't move my foot and thought that my trip to Bavaria was off until I saw the Clio next to me was stopped on my foot. All ok but I knocked an indicator off the bike and moved the screen a bit.
Never had a bad ' off ' in over 50 yrs of biking. I usually fall off when I'm stationary. The last was on a muddy track in mid-Wales where my right leg slipped away. As I landed on my back I felt my helmet crunch against a rock. Could have been me bonce. I would never ride without full protection..kevlar is my choice.
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That's why Harley riders never wave. Daren't let go of the handlebars. :S
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Always full leathers or textiles and Knox gloves with the scaphoid protection. Proper boots. I have a pair of very nice Alt Berg Clubmans at present. Proper boots.
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>> Why did you keep falling off?
>>
I didn't. But I have done.
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I confess to being 'topsided' on a Mobylette.
I took it off a mate it for a fiver and used it for my two mile commute (wouldn't you?). One May morning I found a patch of frost on a corner I normally took at full throttle. I was OK until I came off the icy bit and found the handlebars at full lock (I couldn't de-clutch, as it was auto). I remembered my RAC/ACU training from (mumble) years ago and got on my back. As I slid down the road, I could see the driver of the Sprinter van behind me swinging his wheel from side to side, as he found the frosty bit, without any effect. He managed to stop.
Between us we lifted the little moped and sat on the curb with a fag each.
I had no injuries and even my coat was almost unmarked.
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No winter tyres...Tommy ?
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Many years ago....
I had a 1937 Triumph Tiger 90. That's the 500cc single cylinder girder forked model that preceded the Tiger 100.
It was called the Tiger 90 because that's how fast it was supposed to go, however I couldn't get it over 85. On one of my attempts on the A316, I had forgotten to screw down the steering damper. At 85 I into a proper 'tank slapper' - the handlebars go into a speed wobble and oscillate from lock to lock. I threw me off and I slid down the road for quite some distance in my ex RAF sheepskin flying jacket. I can remember thinking as I slid along the road that I should be o.k. as long as my head doesn't hit the curb.
The only damage to me was a gash on my leg from the spare sparking plug in my trouser pocket.
My older brother was told and he turned up to take me to hospital on his Vincent Rapide - a 1000cc v twin bike which he insisted that I rode to West Middlesex hospital, with him on the pillion. No lasting harm to me. A cracked gearbox cover on the Triumph.
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Without having the faintest idea what the expression tank-slapper meant, I did a BBD and assumed it must mean a female of doubtful reputation in a short dress riding pillion.
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>> Without having the faintest idea what the expression tank-slapper meant, I did a BBD and
>> assumed it must mean a female of doubtful reputation in a short dress riding pillion.
>>
That's not a tank slapper Cliff, that's a fantasy.
And at your age, too...
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I thought it meant patting a Volvo...
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Mine too. Most disappointing thread today....:-)
Incidentally I recall that my late father, a motor cycle enthusiast, had to drop his bike on its side over the years on three or four occasions to avoid hitting a vehicle that had unlawfully pulled out in front of him at junctions or turned right without stopping when approaching.
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I do recall having to put the bike down once. About 15 yrs ago, I was on the Velocette coming home in the dark from a bike club meeting. It was Winter and me mate and I were riding gingerly, all urban, built up areas.
10 to 15 MPH, feet sliding on any bends, suddenly I was on my back in the middle of the road and the poor Velo was on it's side, facing back the way we'd come with the engine ticking over. It made a huge racket as it hit the tarmac, bringing people out of their homes. No major damage, a scuffed pannier...no mirror to maim on that side and a small rip to my trousers. Picked it up, swore at the road and rode home even more carefully.
Black ice...still haven't told SWM !
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My last drop was one of those embarrassing car park incidents. The surface was heavily cambered and I put the wrong foot down as I stopped, tipping the bike beyond the point of balance. Naturally it was on a warm summers day outside a popular eatery so there were about two thousand witnesses to hand.
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Ever wondered What Bikers Mean By A "Tank Slapper" - Bromptonaut
