Author Topic: i wouldnt know what to do!!! (Read 1234 times)

volkswagendan · « **on:** March 16, 2009, 06:03:20 PM »

hey everyone.
i gotta strange question for some of you.
...so i was on the jersey turnpike today going north on my 77 750 cafe.
the flow of traffic was about 75 to 85 mph. there where tractor trailers, suv's, cars, and buses everywhere.
i was wrapped in my new kevlar jacket and full face helmet. no i-pod. just the sweet sound of my 750 roaring with the flow. ...then a thought entered my mind... "what if i blew a tire right now?" would some kind of jedi power take over and apply the perfect amount of brake or down-shift? should i try to ditch into the grass divider hoping to avoid traffic?
if so then what? tuck and roll? the thought alone had me sweating in my helmet on a 50 degree day.
so now i ask, has anyone lost a tire at 80mph? is there a trick to making it the shoulder in one piece?
...or am i better off on the backroads?

Retro Rocket · « **Reply #1 on:** March 16, 2009, 06:10:52 PM »

I think you are better off without a flat tyre....

The appropriate course of action differs depending what you are doing at the time. In a straight line i would just ride it to the shoulder and stop, in a corner you should notice a bit of instability before it goes all the way down, it would feel less stable. In my experience i have never seen a complete blow out {instantaneous loss of air} and unless you were in a straight line when this happened, you wouldn't have much time to think......scary stuff......

Mick

Sam Green Racing · « **Reply #2 on:** March 16, 2009, 06:11:38 PM »

Take up drag racing danny, it's safer

Sam.

Shenanigans · « **Reply #3 on:** March 16, 2009, 06:23:10 PM »

I lost my rear tire going around 85. It lost all its air pretty much instantly, your back end will wander back and forth a couple inches but you should be able to control it enough to get to the side of the road. Just don't slam on the rear brakes and don't try to turn too sharp as the tire will fold over to one side making the rear end hop between the side of the tread and the center. At least that how it happened to me.

HavocTurbo · « **Reply #4 on:** March 16, 2009, 07:11:43 PM »

Lost a rear at about 70 on a Harley. As long as you aren't in a turn you should be ok. It also depends on how much your total spring weight is, cornering speed, you know...... physics.

Truth is it can be a crap shoot. Sometimes you'll make it. Sometimes you won't.

Duke McDukiedook · « **Reply #5 on:** March 16, 2009, 08:15:53 PM »

If you have a tubeless like a spitfire with tubes the sidewalls will give you a little support to bring it to a safe stop.

tsflstb · « **Reply #6 on:** March 16, 2009, 08:39:42 PM »

I had the rear wheel stop spinning at about 70 mph due to a transmission bearing failure. Every and I mean EVERY time I'm on the freeway in traffic I think about that and always try to have an escape plan. That's probably why I don't ride on the street much anymore.

You actually still have pretty good control if the rear end goes. If you blow a front tire, just try to go limp.

tramp · « **Reply #7 on:** March 17, 2009, 04:22:30 AM »

either way i'm staying with the bike because my butt cheeks would not let go of the seat

azuredesign · « **Reply #8 on:** March 17, 2009, 05:37:42 AM »

Harsh thinking, but perhaps smart to think about. When I used to fly cross country low and slow, my friend Jim and I would always, in the back of our minds, be scouting places for an emergency landing, and periodically we'd practice at grass strips, just in case. I wonder what you can do to practice a response "just in case" on a bike, at least mentally. I haven't had a high speed flat yet, and replacing tires when needed and checking pressure, especially for me, at the beginning of the season is kind of key. I also check for crap on my tires before riding, an old habit derived from too many long distance bicycle flats.
Maybe that and a lot of luck will help!

volkswagendan · « **Reply #9 on:** March 17, 2009, 07:30:46 AM »

hhhmmmm...some good advice here. i like the idea of the thick sidewall of the spitfires WITH tubes. wish i knew that before i spent my money on the pair of avons. might have to buy em' anyhow just for the piece of mind.
shenanigans, i forgot about you loosing a rear tire on your road trip. (that was such a great read by the way.)
thank you for the detailed description of what happens and how to handle it.
the thought of this situation really creeps me out.
has anyone lost a front tire going straight at 75mph or faster. my guess is use the back brake and transfer my body weight as far back as i can. but thats just a guess. it would be comforting to educate myself on these scenarios seing how i ride from the jersey shore to philly almost every weekend.

Frankenkit · « **Reply #10 on:** March 17, 2009, 08:58:39 AM »

yeah I think in theory, do the 1000-yd stare straight ahead to keep going in a straight line (gentle off to the edge where you can stop) in general, brake where you have good rubber (rear in that case) and let the front end wander gently like on rain grooves or steel grated bridges. Don't fight with it too hard.

...then again, this is all I've *heard* but I know none of this first hand.

74cb750 · « **Reply #11 on:** March 17, 2009, 09:03:44 AM »

The only flat tire I ever had was when I stepped out o fthe restuarant in Waterloo, NY and noticed the bike was low in the back, with a large nail sticking out.

Would not want it to happen while riding. Yikes!

Really? · « **Reply #12 on:** March 17, 2009, 09:40:05 AM »

Lost a back tire on one of the CB750's i have owned in the past. Doing about 60 on the 405 in So Cal. It lost the air perty quick. It flung side to side a few times and I could hear the tire rolling over itself. It finally got to one side and held there and we (bike and I) went for the large cement traffic/construction barrier. We bounced off and I scooted on my hind end back to wall as I was watching cars coming at me. A couple cars got close.

After things settled down, I, with help, put the bike over that wall so I could get it later. I came back and it was gone. I got mail from the city saying I owe them like $500. I never saw that bike again.

I had just has a new 16" rim laced with new tube and tire at a Harley shop not even two weeks prior.

Basically, the bike did what it wanted to do. I just rode with it. This was over 20 years ago.

I hope I did not mess your mind up, lol.

martino1972 · « **Reply #13 on:** March 17, 2009, 09:40:06 AM »

Quote from: volkswagendan on March 17, 2009, 07:30:46 AM

has anyone lost a front tire going straight at 75mph or faster.

They did ,but they can't type back to ya about it........

Dude,it's simple.....every time you step on your bike,you know your taking a risk.....I think getting a blow out is the least of your worries as long as you keep your tires up to date.......
getting side swiped,cut off,pushed off the road etc.. are factors us bikers have to live with....
it just gives ya a little higher risk of getting hurt on a bike versus sitting in a car...
but we all accept that,and the ones that can't accept that risk should sell the bike.....

getting to the blow out,a rear can be handled with some luck ... a front blow out..

better be damn lucky.....

Demon67 · « **Reply #14 on:** March 17, 2009, 09:52:11 AM »

Azure words to live by always. I think that one way to practice is grab a small bike and go play in the snow and ice if you can, it gives you a perspective that you can't get on wet or dry pavement, or maybe mud, anything that's slippery, if you start slow and then increase speed you should be able to control it and it will give your body signals that it may remember in an emergency.
Bill the demon.

volkswagendan · « **Reply #15 on:** March 17, 2009, 09:58:57 AM »

I am well aware of the risks of riding. i find the highways safer than the back roads in this state. even had a deer jump out in front of me last week. i'm just looking for some tips that could save my life.

martino1972 · « **Reply #16 on:** March 17, 2009, 10:06:00 AM »

my honest opinion is that when the rear blows you should be able to come to a stop,just don't hit the rear brake and let her roll out....
the front tire going bad on ya,i really couldnt tell ya what to do.....with luck maybe you make it,but i think it's almost a certain wipe out.....wear leathers,gloves etc... and when it happens on a highway in between cars and trucks,try to aim for the ditch if you can....

i blew a rear tire on a chevy dually once,the inner rear exploded while doing 130km/hr. the flap of tire that stayed on the rim made the truck go all over the place,scared the crap out of me.saved the truck,but barely......

azuredesign · « **Reply #17 on:** March 17, 2009, 11:53:52 AM »

Quote from: Demon67 on March 17, 2009, 09:52:11 AM

Azure words to live by always. I think that one way to practice is grab a small bike and go play in the snow and ice if you can, it gives you a perspective that you can't get on wet or dry pavement, or maybe mud, anything that's slippery, if you start slow and then increase speed you should be able to control it and it will give your body signals that it may remember in an emergency.
Bill the demon.

That's good advice Bill, and also a good ploy to go look for another bike!
Thanks,
Ben

volkswagendan · « **Reply #18 on:** March 17, 2009, 05:43:22 PM »

almost like hydro-planing. hhmmmm...
i know mud's a little tricky from my dirt bike days.
i dont think we're getting any more snow so i wont be trying that way anytime soon. (i hope.)
thanks everyone for your tips and experiences. ...and hopefully none of us will ever have to deal with this scenario.

super pasty white guy · « **Reply #19 on:** March 17, 2009, 05:59:52 PM »

I've had these thoughts myself and this is one of the reasons that I tend to stick to one of the outside lanes. Fewer "targets" to keep track of and a ready escape if needed. Course... that's not always an option.

spwg

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Author Topic: i wouldnt know what to do!!! (Read 1234 times)