Wrecked my Road King - Questions

[Scarletride]

Jack and Smitty are both right. Get your speed and gear right before you enter the turn and roll on the throttle as you go through. Remember to look through the curve not at the curve. See where you want the bike to end up not where it's at. Like Smitty said, watch for sand or gravel in those corners, that will bite you quick. A course, whether it's the beginner, or advanced riders course is a good thing. It definately can't hurt. Ride safe and keep the rubber side down.

Thanks Smitty and tramp 60. I think I realized I need to get the speed right BEFORE i enter any turn and lean the bike. I ride with riders of all kinds of bikes, but mine is one of the few 800 pounders so I should not expect to enter and exit turns at the same speed they do.

Your advice on the advanced course is well taken and something I am going to do as I know my inexperience was probalby the main factor here.

Fortunately my wife went from "thats it, its over, get rid of it" to understanding that stuff happens.

Try one of the flexible air gauges from Matco or Snap On:s or this one Tire Gauge with Flex Hose

thanks I will do that

Are you riding in the center of the lane?Lot of oil sits there.Glad your OK :small3d026:That's a big bike to trail ride with.

That is exactly what went through my mind after I safely crossed the other lane without getting hit. Up until that point I was hoping that if a car was coming in the other direction it would be a Smart car.

My opinion from what I saw is it had to do with weight transfer.......when you set up for a turn and start to lean you can't upset things abruptly or transfer of weight can cause you to lose traction.

BTW he was riding a Road King as well.

I can say I have never had this problem because I drive slow on the curves......HD's are cruisers not racers![/QUOTE]

Thanks. I think you are right about 800 pounds being a bit much to screw around with while negotiating a curve whether going on or off the brake. I always knew not to put the brake on but had been entering turns with the rear brake lightly on on the initiation of the turn many times, then come off the brake as I lean. Maybe Ive just been lucky up till now. Thanks again for your response. i will change how I ride because I love riding and I love living

 

[MC-tramp]

I,ve read through al the replies and a lot of sound advice and answers were given

I have two thoughts on this
one , you havent mentioned tire brand or model .
there is quite a variance in rubber compounds from hard and slick to soft and sticky.

second, what are you cleaning your tires with ??? armor-all and the likes are a definate no no

 

[Mad Dog Jim]

What caught my eye was your sequence that you descibed. Off front brake, then off back brake. My guess is that you were still "on" the back brake when the skid started, you just didn't realize it. When you did realize it, it was too late.

Weight transfer is key to turning. Optimally you want even weight or slightly more weight on the front than on the back. Problem is that when you load up the front tire, that's weight coming off the back tire. If the brakes are still touching the rotor, it's going to want to stop spinning and start sliding. Then, as with ANY vehicle, the skidding tire wants to lead. So the bike starts coming around.

Whatever happened, I would really focus on not riding that back brake after you release the front.

 

[ZZroadking]

Scarletride, glad all ok. I see one of your other instances of rear tire slippage you had stated you were, down shifting to get out of the curve. My experience is that I get into a proper ruduced speed and gear (always lower gear)before my curves/turns. I always accelerate out from the turns/curves and only shift up when on the straight part. Starting in a lower gear gives me plenty of time/rmp to get through the curves 99% of the time. I am fearful of loosing the rear if I down shift on a lean. It sounds that you may be down shifting at or in your curves and producing slippage from de-compression in the motor and perhaps not realizing it.
Ride safe..

 

[lorne]

Thanks, I check my tire pressure every week as it needs acouple of pounds of air every 4 to 6 weeks. I did not check before this ride. It is such a pain to check the tire pressure on the RKC with the brake disc and spokes in the way that I do not check it every ride. I will from now on though.

Anyone have an easier way to check tire pressure on the rear wheel of the RKC? The ball type connector seems to be the easiest to use. I have tried 4 connectors with not much improvement from one to the other.

i have a rkp 05 and a 98 softail. the gauge i bought first works great on the 98 but is useless on the RK,. payed the extra 9$ and bought one for the RK now it fits and works great. all in the shape of the gauge. the only thing betweenus and the hard stuff is 2 wheels so we need to make sure they are right.
think i heard that here, and it is right!

 

[btsom]

hey one easy tip someone showed me, when entering curve and it 's sharper than you expected, if your leaning left push your left hand down on handle bar grip, it'll help you turn sharper, same on right hand curve , push down with right hand,,lack of experience will send you through the woods if your not careful, roadkings are top heavy, not like a softail, or other models, stay safe!!

__________________



This is standard "counter steer" technique and I thought everyone on the big bikes knew about this. The bigger the machine, the more gyroscopic force from the wheels and tires, the more important it is to be able to "push" the bike where you want it. If no one taught you this, go very easy at first and use it all the time until it becomes automatic. Once you develop a little confidence, you'll be amazed at how easy it is to put the machine where you want it. However, it will be of absolutely no use once you ask more from your tires than they are capable of delivering, a skid is still a skid.

 

[billyd1]

What I've found very helpful is the realization that our Road Kings FEEL and handle like they are much lighter than they really are! There isn't much rubber touching the road holding that dynamic 1000+ pounder (including us) in control! keeping it in check for me is often a mental exercise She handles so well and both takes off and stops so quick and effortlessly. I've found those limits more than I'll admit!! It's a heavy cruiser not a sport bike..... Repeat that to self often ..... Glad you nor anyone else got hurt! We all love those cheap lessons even though they're priceless. Stay safe!

 

[NEWHD74FAN]

Sorry to hear about your accident Scarletride. There are many reasons for the most common "solo accident tip over with no other vehicle involvement" The key is to make sure your equipment is sound...1.) Pre-"flight" inspection is a must, if you even suspect the tires are low check it (if you do not immediately remember when you did so, do it now). 2.) Weekly or Bi-weekly home inspection (includes critical fasteners and fluids level check. 3.) Personal fitness/skills check and practice tight left and right turns in large empty lot...using "friction zone" with rear brake and keeping your eyes and head in the direction beyond the turn, especially during the start of the riding season (1 hour sessions for at least 3 or 4 weeks prior to). 4.) On the road in a high speed turn, adjust your cornering speed early, keep throttle to gear shift transitions smooth, to assure frame/suspension balance. 5.) Never "jump" on the brakes, the lever should be at least 1/2" from bar when pressed hard...if proper setup, a firm two fingered squeeze, balanced with steady, hard rear brake should be able to howl the bike to a stop cleanly. The key again is to be smooth and consistent...and practice a lot!

 

[dbmg]

Glad you are ok. My thought is how close to the double yellow line, and is it possible that the way you entered turn and how hard you were opening up the throttle you may have been on the yellow line which can make a tire slip?

 

[karlsbike]

I'm glad you're ok.
On a bike, you brake/slow down before the turn, then throttle up thru' the turn. To me, it sounds like you're doing the same mistake as many others (Harley riders in particular):
The rear brake is only there to assist the front. When applying either brake/brakes, the weight is transferred forward - compressing the front and 'lifting' the rear. The result is that rear brake efficiency is 20-30%, with the rest up front, meaning that if you brake hard the rear slips very easily. For you (and all novice riders) I'd recommend three things:
1. Practise riding for a while without using the rear brake. When you get your body used to using the front brakes properly (it will not slip), you can start using the rear.
2. Like another poster mentioned; counter-steering. This is the quickest way to turn your bike, but it should not only be used for emergency steering. Practise using it in every turn. When you would normally lean into the turn, touch the inside handlebar end instead. This will immediately lean the bike in, but it needs to be practised. Be careful in the beginning - you'll be surprised by how quickly you can get that sled to turn... I use it for all turns
3. As mentioned before - look where you want to go, not at the obstacle/where you don't want to go. This is extremely important, in particular if a danger suddenly comes in your way, or you're entering a turn too fast. It is not easy to do, as your natural reflexes says to look at where you could crash. It takes practise, and I re-practise this every spring (been riding jap & Harley for 27 years)...