Feck me !!

[Davy F]

I wonder if Touratech know that their crashbars might be just that.

Either that, or I'm a riding god.

I thought it was just the undercarriage having a nibble at the tarmac until I got home and checked for damage. So that's SW Motech bars (on the right) and now TT's (both sides) I've decked. I've the rear suspension wound up all the way and at 15 stone, not the fattest tosser to squash the suspension. Looks like a change in riding style might be the order of the day.

 

[John Armstrong]

Clean the bike to showroom condition after each ride?

 

[Davy F]

Clean the bike to showroom condition after each ride?

More or less......

 

[Schtum]

Either that, or I'm a riding god.

My hero......

 

[shuck raider]

You did that with a belt sander, didn't you?

 

[alimey4u2]

There is a Gentleman on Advrider that I have had the privlege to ride with, who is a motorcycle rider trainer by profession. He just left me in a shower of sparks & dust, the sides of the lowers of his bike look like you took an angle grinder to them.
It was then I realised these bikes can go very quickly (on tarmac) in the hands of an expert ...

 

[Malcvtr]

Isn't it a tad dangerous to drag crashbars though? It's bloody skilful admittedly but the thing is they don't hinge up like footrests. So if, while you're dragging them through a bend, they encounter a rise (bump) in the road surface, they could quite possibly lift both wheels off the deck

Still wish I had the confidence to get that far over though

 

[Davy F]

I wonder if Touratech know that their crashbars might be just that.

Isn't it a tad dangerous to drag crashbars though?

Which was the point I was trying to make in my opening statement.

 

[Malcvtr]

Understood mate

 

[littleredrooster]

I took my crashbars off for exactly that reason. If you get a bit 'enthusiastic', they touch down, dig in, and lift the front wheel. Recipe for disaster, IMO

 

[Peak Rider]

In 2005 (while working at Blue Bell) a customer lowsided his Adventure at a nearby roundabout at about 30 mph. A lowside crash usually results in scrapes and damage on one side only and mostly to the protruding cylinder head cover and handlebars ends. It appeared that in this case the crash bars (an aftermarket brand) kept the bike up at enough of an angle that the bike then sat up a bit and the wheels dug in causing the bike to flip right over. Instead of relatively minor repairs to one side only the net result was extensive damage and the bike was a virtual write-off.

When bits like toes touch down or footrests and centrestands start to drag then it's time to back off or head for the safety of a track day at a closed circuit. Several years ago a mate of mine, a competent club racer, lost his life by levering the wheels of a touring bike off the tarmac due to excessive lean angle and unyielding chassis bits. He was well-liked but at his funeral there was no celebration of his heroism.

 

[AndyW]

Not referring to you guys or pretending to be an expert myself but......keeping the bike as upright as possible gives a greater tyre contact patch and better stability, so lean the bike less and shift your body weight into the corner. You don't have to get your knee down (I can't!.......and don't try!!) but it's good practice to shift your weight, safer (less lean angle) and 'promotes' unconcious counter steering.

Too many riders seem to have a hang up about lean angles (size/lack of 'chicken strips').......it's funny to follow some riders and see them leaning the bike down but actually leaning more upright themselves. Hands up, I have a photo of me on my first track day doing exactly that!

 

[Rushy]

It appeared that in this case the crash bars (an aftermarket brand) kept the bike up at enough of an angle that the bike then sat up a bit and the wheels dug in causing the bike to flip right over. Instead of relatively minor repairs to one side only the net result was extensive damage and the bike was a virtual write-off.

A mate did the same to his Electraglide Sport confused . A fairly low speed off trashed both sides of the bike and the insurers wrote it off. He kept the bike as it was still totally rideable and took some cash off 'em.