Author Topic: how do you recover from a tank slapper? (Read 13477 times)

MCRider · « **Reply #25 on:** July 05, 2011, 09:29:59 AM »

Bottom line: tank slappers can be caused by a variety of issues: mechanical, road surface, rider input/action,; can originate from the front or rear; and there is no single solution for recovery.

Sometimes accelerating, sometimes decelerating, sometimes the bars will be ripped from your hands so quick and so violently that your only reaction can be to find a soft place to land, cuz there ain't no recovery.

In my tank slapper caused by bottoming the front end in a hole at speed, the bars went left first, and my pinky broke the clutch lever off at the pivot, which in turn broke my finger, then slapped right and the next thing I knew was i was on the pavement running for the edge.

I didn't know my finger was broken till I ran back to drag the bike off the road and looked down at my hand and in the glove the pinkie was sticking uup at a ver stranges angle.

Just imagine, lay your pinky on the desk, then hit it with a clutch lever hard enough to break the finger and the lever. Nasty break, took 2 pins, very painful.

I had a helmet, which was trashed, and full riding suit, also trashed. But other than the finger i was OK.

xsmooth69x · « **Reply #26 on:** July 05, 2011, 09:41:14 AM »

bought these

http://www.rideicon.com/product_details.jsp?category=3431&id=12261

hopefully i can keep my fingers in these

i got mine in white it has kangaroo skin

xsmooth69x · « **Reply #27 on:** July 05, 2011, 09:47:14 AM »

also i live next to a motorcycle bone yard and there are a lot of steering dampeners laying around sooo can i just grab any dampeners and fit it to my bike?

MCRider · « **Reply #28 on:** July 05, 2011, 09:53:53 AM »

Gloves: I had the HondaLine Road racer gloves, with the ribs down the length of the finger. Who knows without them might have broke 2 fingers.

Damper: Assuming everything else on the bike is up to snuff, sure, fit one on.

jneuf · « **Reply #29 on:** July 05, 2011, 10:10:19 AM »

Not to sound like a broken record, but my advice is to still avoid using that bent frame....

Getting on your bike and knowing it has issues like that is a recipe for disaster...you're putting yourself, and others in danger, especially seeing as this is the first bike you've ever ridden.

Instead of spending your money now on helmets, gloves, dampers, etc., etc. spend the $100 and get the straight, titled frame....You can buy everything else when your bike is safe and ready to ride.

WarwickE36 · « **Reply #30 on:** July 05, 2011, 10:46:51 AM »

+1 for a good frame...

I had my rear hub slightly misaligned and it shook at 50+mph, I went right back to the shop and fixed it, there's no excuse for cutting corners on a bike.

Get a good frame or you'll be worrying about it the whole time you're riding, and if you aren't worried, you #$%*ing should be.

paulages · « **Reply #31 on:** July 05, 2011, 11:31:44 AM »

this is why you wear a full face helmet...

xsmooth69x · « **Reply #32 on:** July 05, 2011, 11:53:10 AM »

Quote from: paulages on July 05, 2011, 11:31:44 AM

this is why you wear a full face helmet...

CafeDawg · « **Reply #33 on:** July 05, 2011, 11:57:13 AM »

You seem bound and determined to get hurt and your kangaroo gloves and Great Gazoo helmet aren't going to save you if your not willing to do anything to save yourself. You sir are a train wreck and an accident waiting to happen. I'll wait for your post about crashing and nominate you for the Darwin Awards. You just don't get it! You've never ridden a f*in bike and all you know is what you've read in books. Pain is a great teacher!!!
CD

Lostboy Steve · « **Reply #34 on:** July 05, 2011, 11:57:43 AM »

Thats bad ass.

so did your face scrap the ground?

because i bought this helmet... its not a full one or a half one but its an open face
[/quote]

Lostboy Steve · « **Reply #35 on:** July 05, 2011, 12:03:32 PM »

My Buell shakes like a paint mixer anywhere over 65. I'm talking serious death wobble. I've been on other Buell's that do the same thing. Its the angle of the fork, they tried selling races and bearings that corrected it by raking out the front a few mm. Not quite a tank slapper but if you weren't expecting it you'd almost piss your pants. All my friends do when they ride it. My experience with death wobble is to hold on tight and keep twisting the throttle. As soon as my cb550 is done I'm lighting my Buell on fire and sending the ashes to Erik, but that's a story for another time.

pablo78cb550 · « **Reply #36 on:** July 05, 2011, 12:27:09 PM »

grab some throttle.
it lightens the front end.
makes counter steering easyier.

its what i did when i had one.
as i was told by vintage riders and racers.

xsmooth69x · « **Reply #37 on:** July 05, 2011, 12:34:45 PM »

Quote from: CafeDawg on July 05, 2011, 11:57:13 AM

You seem bound and determined to get hurt and your kangaroo gloves and Great Gazoo helmet aren't going to save you if your not willing to do anything to save yourself. You sir are a train wreck and an accident waiting to happen. I'll wait for your post about crashing and nominate you for the Darwin Awards. You just don't get it! You've never ridden a f*in bike and all you know is what you've read in books. Pain is a great teacher!!!
CD

hey gotta prepare for the worst and hope for the best

i dont think im totally off base with every new bike rider. i will learn and probably spill my bike then fix it and ride it again etc.

i just like to get the as much insight on everything before i actually do it. learning from other peoples mistakes are the best way to help prevent history repeating onto myself

xsmooth69x · « **Reply #38 on:** July 05, 2011, 12:36:54 PM »

Quote from: twistedengineering on July 05, 2011, 12:03:32 PM

My Buell shakes like a paint mixer anywhere over 65. I'm talking serious death wobble. I've been on other Buell's that do the same thing. Its the angle of the fork, they tried selling races and bearings that corrected it by raking out the front a few mm. Not quite a tank slapper but if you weren't expecting it you'd almost piss your pants. All my friends do when they ride it. My experience with death wobble is to hold on tight and keep twisting the throttle. As soon as my cb550 is done I'm lighting my Buell on fire and sending the ashes to Erik, but that's a story for another time.

you bought a buel.... lawl

coldwave007 · « **Reply #39 on:** July 05, 2011, 12:46:54 PM »

For what its worth I'm a new rider - I've only been riding for less than a year total and I have yet to encounter a tank slapper. I pray I never do. Riding a motorcycle is risky, no do doubt, but its our responsibility as riders to MITIGATE that risk. If I know something's wrong with my bike that could cause a failure and/or increase my risks, then it doesn't leave my house, period. I figure out whatever the problem is and I get it fixed.

I find it horrifying that you would even want to put all the time into a build, but still use a know damaged frame and try to hide the issue with a damper. That's like going rock climbing with a bad hip and saying, "It's okay, I've got these awesome shoes!" You're just hiding the issue and the fundamental problems is still there. These bikes are already 30+ years old with all the potential problems that brings. Why willingly add one more when it can be fixed for just $100? And then you KNOW you've got a sound platform to build on.

My $0.02.

xsmooth69x · « **Reply #40 on:** July 05, 2011, 12:56:41 PM »

Quote from: coldwave007 on July 05, 2011, 12:46:54 PM

For what its worth I'm a new rider - I've only been riding for less than a year total and I have yet to encounter a tank slapper. I pray I never do. Riding a motorcycle is risky, no do doubt, but its our responsibility as riders to MITIGATE that risk. If I know something's wrong with my bike that could cause a failure and/or increase my risks, then it doesn't leave my house, period. I figure out whatever the problem is and I get it fixed.

I find it horrifying that you would even want to put all the time into a build, but still use a know damaged frame and try to hide the issue with a damper. That's like going rock climbing with a bad hip and saying, "It's okay, I've got these awesome shoes!" You're just hiding the issue. These bikes are already 30+ years old with all the potential problems that brings. Why willingly add one more when it can be fixed for just $100?

My $0.02.

wow wow lets not jump to conclusions

1) i posted this thread just to know. ive read a lot of threads about tank slappers just not a lot about recovering from them. regardless of my frame situation its good to know

2) i was not trying to hide anything with a dampener. regardless of my situation i wanted to know about them. there is a similar thread going on right now about them

3) i am aware of my problem and im trouble shooting it. for all i know my PO maybe wanted a shorter rack on this bike and had it bent. if the bike is square and the rack is just pushed in then i can live with it. thats why i want to bring it to a professional to have it looked over. if not i do have a spare frame that i can get a title for and thous i started another thread about how to check over frame completely, and this info would be great for when i have to get another frame if both my frames are bunk

people wreck bikes and fix them, they build custom frames, cut and weld. you cant tell me every bike that gets into any kind of wreck is scrapped because of a tweaked frame. frames are metal, metal can be moved and re shaped. so im going to get it looked at by a harley shop and some chopper shops

4) i think my kangaroo gloves are sweet

xsmooth69x · « **Reply #41 on:** July 05, 2011, 01:43:13 PM »

Quote from: jneuf on July 05, 2011, 01:04:57 PM

Quote
i just like to get the as much insight on everything before i actually do it. learning from other peoples mistakes are the best way to help prevent history repeating onto myself

I'll agree with you, learning from people's mistakes is a great way to prevent problems for yourself in the future. That being said, you haven't listened to any of the advice that others have given you regarding your bent frame.

It's becoming apparent that you don't realize the consequences of riding an unsafe motorcycle. And if you think that a steering damper, your flashy helmet and kangaroo gloves are going to compensate for your bent frame, you shouldn't be anywhere near a motorcycle, and I don't think I'm being out of line by saying that.

god i hate defending myself on forums

but does anyone listen to what im saying

1) im running the bent frame to get my bike together and get everything working (my bikes motor is running, my carbs are rebuilt and good, i have a fresh battery on it but i havent even ridden it to go through the gears so for all i know i still might have to tear into the engine) im not going on the highway doing 100 mph+ im not going onto some motogp track

2) im going to get it checked out by some experts regarding frames and custom frame building. i dont know what they are going to say regarding the frame thats why im taking it to them. for all i know they could say "ya everything is square just your rack is moved in 1 inch" or they might say its "its completely F'd" or they might say its "an easy fix and that they will fix it" who knows!! i will also take my spare frame too to get it checked.

i know the frame is not perfect knowing that obviously one would be more cautious with the bike.

3) i have the money and the resources to get new frames. im just genuinely curious on what those experts will say. taking down the bike and putting it on another frame is a couple hours work big deal. seriously friday ill go strip a bike down and buy another frame and let it sit there pending use even though my 2 frames could still be potentially still be good.

im not restoring my bike to museum quality i dont need the length angles and all that jazz to be in factory specifications. if the bike is square and the frame is good then the rack being moved in 1" dosnt bother me. but like i said i will be taking it to experts.

i cant imagine no one here hasn't cut or modified their frames.

dave500 · « **Reply #42 on:** July 05, 2011, 01:45:02 PM »

why have a harley shop look at an old honda?because you think they know them inside out?its bent,they will tell you that also,depending on the chopper shop they might say to heat the bent area cherry red and bend it back(dont let them do that),if you think the po bent the frame to alter the rake thats even more reason to not use that frame,get a full face man!

xsmooth69x · « **Reply #43 on:** July 05, 2011, 01:52:41 PM »

Quote from: dave500 on July 05, 2011, 01:45:02 PM

why have a harley shop look at an old honda?because you think they know them inside out?its bent,they will tell you that also,depending on the chopper shop they might say to heat the bent area cherry red and bend it back(dont let them do that),if you think the po bent the frame to alter the rake thats even more reason to not use that frame,get a full face man!

idk ive seen some harley bikes that have been chopped and reshaped all day long so i though maybe they might know things.

but since you said so ill ditch the frame.

what do you think about the second frame dave?

and damn it ill return the helmet and get a full face one then.... that bell 500 soul is so sick though....damn it my sunglasses and a bandanna wouldve looked awesome i even opted for this helment for more protection i was thinking about geting a half helmet

dave500 · « **Reply #44 on:** July 05, 2011, 01:57:02 PM »

what do you think of the second frame?compare it to the junked one,looking cool with a bandana is one thing on stage,its not like in the movies.

coldwave007 · « **Reply #45 on:** July 05, 2011, 02:11:54 PM »

Fair enough. Just didn't want to see you end up a splatter on the road - so sorry if I overreacted. I too will likely put a damper on my bike eventually - I just plan for it to be the "last fix" after I've finished modernizing the rest of the suspension.

xsmooth69x · « **Reply #46 on:** July 05, 2011, 02:17:55 PM »

Quote from: dave500 on July 05, 2011, 01:57:02 PM

what do you think of the second frame?compare it to the junked one,looking cool with a bandana is one thing on stage,its not like in the movies.

is the second frame bunk too because of those knotches..... i posted a bent frame thread check it out

haggeo · « **Reply #47 on:** July 05, 2011, 07:32:28 PM »

easy, do this...

Insane Tankslap Recovery

CafeDawg · « **Reply #48 on:** July 05, 2011, 09:39:14 PM »

Look man I shouldn't have gotten personal. The helmet is fine (not as good as full face) but if that's what u want to rock, bandanna and all go for it. What is frustrating the #$%* out of me is the danger you are putting yourself in. Your right people crash bikes, and they end up in salvage yards like yours. If you bend forks or frames, you replace them you don't roll on them, or bend them back into shape. You kept saying you were going to ride this frame to check out the other parts/systems, this is a #$%*e idea. You came to this site for advice, just like the rest of us, but you're not listing to the message. All the experts are telling you not to use this frame and your response is always oh it's only off an inch or oh I'll only be doing 35 mph. Hence my verbal #$%* slap, hoping to get through to you. Guys are talking about wheel balance, tire pressure, swing arm bushings, minor things when compared to a bent frame causing tank slappers, head wobble etc. I think your coming around but I'll say it one last time just to be sure< Don't use the F*in bent frame!!!
Respect!
CD

xsmooth69x · « **Reply #49 on:** July 05, 2011, 11:06:40 PM »

Quote from: haggeo on July 05, 2011, 07:32:28 PM

easy, do this...

Insane Tankslap Recovery

so are these guys like strapped onto there handle bars lol

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Author Topic: how do you recover from a tank slapper? (Read 13477 times)