Can someone shed some light for me, yesterday morning rode up the Black Rock stretch of the A465 Heads of the Valleys road on my 02 GS, bike road beautifully as always.
2.30pm in the afternoon got caught in a torrential downpour coming back down the same stretch of road, rain knocks 20mph off my speed, I get really uncomfortable riding in wet conditions so luckily that means I'm only travelling at 30 t0 35mph (those who know this road know it's a killer and you treat it with respect).
Anyway to the point.. my back wheel fell off, I mean completely off, damaging the rear brake caliper, pads, and scratching the disc. The symptoms immediately before were as follows, While braking very lightly to keep my speed constant I felt the GS start to 'move' beneath me in the same way as a flat tyre would cause it to do, I stop check tyres they are both fine, I move off again this time very slowly, twist the throttle and the front of the bike starts to wobble from side to side, because the movement is being transferred to me via the front I stop again and carefully inspect the front and only give the back a cursory look I can't see anything wrong (I'm looking in the wrong place!) I put the hazards on and try to move off again very very slowly, the front of the bike feels like the suspension assembly//steering is about to just fall apart, at this point I'm just walking the bike hoping I can get to a layby and safety when the back wheel just comes completely adrift, all 4 wheel studs have completely undone and I pick them off the road.
February I fitted a new tyre and put wheel back on using a socket and bar to tighten the studs (didn't torque them but they were on securely), since that time the GS had had a 12k BMW service and was also MOT'd last month. I'm assumming on both occassions the wheels would have been checked but I wasn't present.
Luckily a good mate happened to pass in his HEAT TEAM van about ten minutes later and with help I removed the caliper, managed to get the wheel back on held by 2 studs and crept 2 miles home with my mate covering the rear for me and didn't get killed by anyof the F'ing A holes that overtook my mate and I over the solid double whites.
2.30pm in the afternoon got caught in a torrential downpour coming back down the same stretch of road, rain knocks 20mph off my speed, I get really uncomfortable riding in wet conditions so luckily that means I'm only travelling at 30 t0 35mph (those who know this road know it's a killer and you treat it with respect).
Anyway to the point.. my back wheel fell off, I mean completely off, damaging the rear brake caliper, pads, and scratching the disc. The symptoms immediately before were as follows, While braking very lightly to keep my speed constant I felt the GS start to 'move' beneath me in the same way as a flat tyre would cause it to do, I stop check tyres they are both fine, I move off again this time very slowly, twist the throttle and the front of the bike starts to wobble from side to side, because the movement is being transferred to me via the front I stop again and carefully inspect the front and only give the back a cursory look I can't see anything wrong (I'm looking in the wrong place!) I put the hazards on and try to move off again very very slowly, the front of the bike feels like the suspension assembly//steering is about to just fall apart, at this point I'm just walking the bike hoping I can get to a layby and safety when the back wheel just comes completely adrift, all 4 wheel studs have completely undone and I pick them off the road.
February I fitted a new tyre and put wheel back on using a socket and bar to tighten the studs (didn't torque them but they were on securely), since that time the GS had had a 12k BMW service and was also MOT'd last month. I'm assumming on both occassions the wheels would have been checked but I wasn't present.
Luckily a good mate happened to pass in his HEAT TEAM van about ten minutes later and with help I removed the caliper, managed to get the wheel back on held by 2 studs and crept 2 miles home with my mate covering the rear for me and didn't get killed by anyof the F'ing A holes that overtook my mate and I over the solid double whites.



