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I Made A Good Bike Do A Bad Thing In The Wilds Of West Virginia


gogogusgus

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Look at my avatar and you'll understand why I invite your analysis to help me understand my big-bin.

 

I want to square this with TW2 where:

(scrape of hard parts) + (a throttle chop) ==> (a bad thing)

Facts Pertinent To The Case:

August 29th, 2009, Session #2, Lap #2, Summit Point Shenandoah Circuit ,West Virginia

 

before

  1. Bessie, BMW R1100S, analog, boxer, big-boned
  2. scrubbed in tires
  3. 2nd session of the morning
  4. did not have a session-by-session script or plan especially given that it was the first track day ot year for me
  5. followed 2 faster riders on inline-4s towards The Pistol Grip
  6. did not commit to body position as hung-off as usual

during

  1. felt I was leaned over too far for Bessie's liking
  2. felt her hindquarters chatter (slide? not sure)
  3. thought I saw the tank oscillating out the corner of my right eye
  4. experienced no SRs
  5. did not brake
  6. whacked, not cracked the throttle
  7. did not land all ninja, nor cat-like, with maximum surface area at impact zone

after

  1. uh, ouch (see avatar)
  2. liquid diet
  3. morph pump

x

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So let me see if I got this - you followed "faster" riders into a turn, did not quite commit your body position, leaned it over really far, then whacked on the gas.

 

Leaning it over really far and then whacking on the gas (assuming that by "whacking" you mean rolling on hard and abruptly) is enough to overload your rear tire and is the classic cause of "highside" crashes, especially on high-horsepower bikes. So it sounds like you already know the mechanics of what happened, and recognize the specific error. But, it is always a good idea to take a look at what happened BEFORE that, leading UP to the error!

 

So of course I have to ask a couple of questions to get more details:

1) did following the faster riders in to a turn cause you to make a big increase in your entry speed, compared to prior laps?

2) You said you didn't fully commit to your usual body position. Was there an SR effect (as in: oh sh_t I am coming in really fast..), were you trying to sit up to see the other riders, were you not quite locked on...? What specifically do you remember about entering that turn that made you NOT get into your normal position?

3) What made you feel you were leaned over too far, was there some specific feedback from your bike or your body that communicated that idea to you, before you felt the rear tire chatter?

 

And hey - someone help me out here, I can't see that little avatar picture well enough to tell what is going on, and I've noticed that on some other avatars, too (like Fossil's!) - is there a way to zoom in on an avatar thumbnail or look at it in a larger view?

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Hotfoot

 

Thank you for these insightful questions. I've sat here at my desk and drafted a response.

 

Right now though, I'm going to the dogpark :) where I'll toss the tennis ball endlessly while your questions and Cobie's work under the hood. Then I'll fine-tune my reply and send it on.

 

Thanks, again

 

Gus

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So, the rear was already chattering and THEN you wacked open the gas? I wonder if hanging off more (to get more grip) while holding steady on the throttle (to let the bike scrub off speed and correct itself) might have worked better. The "Twist Video" covers going in too hot in a very nice sequence.

 

Were you actually dragging any hard parts? Those boxer twins have more ground clearance than one might expect.

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... you followed "faster" riders into a turn, did not quite commit your body position, leaned it over really far, then whacked on the gas.

 

Leaning it over really far and then whacking on the gas (assuming that by "whacking" you mean rolling on hard and abruptly) is enough to overload your rear tire and is the classic cause of "highside" crashes, ... always a good idea to take a look at what happened BEFORE that, leading UP to the error!

 

 

Hotfoot

Yes ... in my bliss I did grab a haybale's worth of throttle. I'd been doing house rehab and this was my first day out all summer.

Gus

 

=======================================

 

1) did following the faster riders in to a turn cause you to make a big increase in your entry speed, compared to prior laps?

 

 

not sure I'd say a big increase in speed, but I

  1. Saw a red-mist
  2. Got exuberant

2) You said you didn't fully commit to your usual body position. Was there an SR effect (as in: oh sh_t I am coming in really fast..), were you trying to sit up to see the other riders, were you not quite locked on...? What specifically do you remember about entering that turn that made you NOT get into your normal position?

 

 

There was no osh_t moment just a childlike thrill. Wierdly, I never felt scared ... I literally thought to myself, verbatim,

"This is fkkkkkkkkkkkkkg great! I see what's happening ... I know what to do about this."

3) What made you feel you were leaned over too far, was there some specific feedback from your bike or your body that communicated that idea to you, before you felt the rear tire chatter?

 

 

I guess I felt closer to the pavement than usual, like I was running more lean angle instead of hanging off. Seems like it felt like I had both knees on the tank.

bessie_trailer.jpg

 

bessie3.jpg

 

bessie.jpg

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Got it, high side. A bit of throttle and then a chop causing the highside?

CF

 

Yep, pretty high so they tell me -- but no chop.

 

Though I thought I should dial up the throttle, I hit the lightswitch on instead of using the dimmer up. I whacked the throttle open with extreme prejudice and exuberance.

 

Formula Ford friend told me last night over IPA* that Corner #5 trends off-camber.

 

*not at the dogpark

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