Wrecked my Road King - Questions

[fin_676]

Glad to hear that you are ok everything else is easier to fix
If the road was clean and dry with nothing getting in the way of traction then the temperature may be an issue as with some tyre compounds grip is reduced as the temperature reduces

Brian

 

[cool breeze]

you might want to check to a doran tire/air monitor i installed one on my electraglide an love it push a button to chk air pressure still chk it the old way once in awhile

 

[gator508]

Glad to hear you were able to walk away from it. You said this had happened twice before, does make me think your riding techique may need some work. May I suggest a riding course, it may help. Cheers!

 

[FLST]

I rode for ten years before I took the basic riders course. I had been taking corners the hard way all that time and did not realize it. After learning the proper technique it took a while to relearn how to corner. After nearly an entire summer on a Honda (I know) I finally got the lesson programed into long term memory and now it is automatic. I feel safer on turns and much more confident in my abilities. This is after ten years of riding. The course is worth every cent and minute. Can't wait to do some corners on the Harley this spring.

 

[Mad Dog Jim]

Some training is well worth it! In the 80s I had an awesome opportunity to take a two day course "unofficially" with a few WSP motor guys. Learned a ton, and I thought at the time I had it nailed and didn't need anything. Turns out that there are some dynamics that would take you a life time to stumble onto on your own.

Still learning I hope...

 

[flh canuck]

Glad to hear you are ok.

Sounds to me like your rear brake is the culprit seeing as how you stated the back end has kicked out on you a few times going into corners.

Harley rear brakes are very sensitive and will lock up easily. Especially as already stated, when you are slowing for a corner and much of the weight has transferred to the front wheel. As soon as that rear tire breaks traction, the rear kicks out toward the outside of the corner and things suddenly get very exciting...

Keep your right foot well away from that brake pedal when going into turns. It wont slow you down and will only get you into trouble. The only exception to that rule is low speed turns in parking lots etc. In that case, use rear brake only and avoid front brake (at slow speed, rear brake will tend to stand the bike up, front brake will dump you on your side like a rock).

I would agree with previous posters that you would benefit from an advanced riders course. Even riders with many years experience can pick up a few good tips and techniques from these courses. Sometimes that little tip or technique can make the difference between a close call and disaster.

In any case, you survived to tell the tale and are now officially a motorcyclist. Welcome to the club.

 

[bobalu]

Glad to hear you are o.k., and I hope your RK is fixed up soon.

Many good comments here. I can share what I learned through a MC safety riding course and a racing course I took several years ago (when I was a squid). Much of it has already been mentioned here already.

All of your braking needs to be done before you enter your turn. Any speed change in the turn, whether its braking or accelerating will cause the bike to stand upright (even lightly dragging the rear brake), which is exactly what you don't want when you're leaning through the turn. This "upset" in weight transfer will compromise your traction (sliding out or high siding). This is why gradually accelerating out of a turn is the most efficient, fastest way through as the bike will be coming upright as you exit the turn under some acceleration. This is a matter of physics and holds true for all types of motorcycles (racing, customs, cruisers, scooters etc.). All the other comments here about road conditions are valid as well, just to add to the mix!

Obviously, this is something you need to practice in the real world. A riding/safety course is worth every penny in this respect.

 

[billnapabill]

Glad to hear all that's broken is the bike........Here's a couple of things to consider, prefaced with the following, Never ride over your skill level, statistacally most motorcycle accidents are either by new riders or old riders on new or different bikes.
It sounds like there was some breaking issues, anytime you break (either front or rear) you shift weight forward causing the rear of the bike to get lighter which reduces the amount of traction the rear tire has on the road. If your reduce throttle you also shift weight forward, if you pull the clutch in (God forbid) in a corner you will lose inertia which will allow the bike to stand up straight and go wherever gravitey tells it to go, usually off the shoulder of the road or into oncomming traffic.
So, set your corner up by breaking to a safe speed before the corner, apexing or finding the safest shortest, straightest path throught the corner. Pushing or accelerating slightly in the corner, staying under power (Harleys are great cornering bikes because they are still belt driven so they load the rear of the bike under power, the new shaft drive bikes unload the rear under power, did you ever notice that you will change 2 rear tires on your Harley for every 1 front, on a shafty it's just the opposet, 2 fronts for every rear) and finaly finish the turn by setting up the next turn. Practice when it's safe and always pre-ride check your tires, lights, breaks and fluids.
Hope your bike gets back to ya soon and don't let this stop ya from ridin, your gonna be a safer rider because of it.

 

[wv2wheel]

as others have suggested. all braking is done BEFORE the turn not at the start of it, not in it. Same is true of any shifting up or down. Do that before the turn so you can gently power through (gently is the key). Now for your issue with the slide out, heck that could be weight transfer as you got off the brakes, that you have a particularly hard rear tire compound (or old tire), some slickum on the road like oil or just a little sand or grit....stuff can happen fast on two wheels cant it:shock ? Glad you are OK, the bike can be fixed or replaced. Reall try to smooth out all your actions when turning. Your goal is to preserve as much of your traction as you can so you can deal with potential issues in the turn (tighter radius than planned, car or deer or whatever jumping out, that bit of sand or what in your chosen line of travel that needs you change your line) and smooth is the key...Traction is always at a premium on two wheels.

Phil

 

[Scarletride]

Thank you to everyone for your thoughtful replies. The more I read the more I realize some of the mistakes I have made that I should have known better about, and learned some new things.
I ride with guys who are on smaller, lighter bikes most of the time with much more experience than I have. I have been trying to ride like them not realizing that my bike is very different. the RKC handles so well overall, and I have leaned it over pretty far in turns without any loss of confidence in the bike that I developed a riding style that is not appropriate for a touring bike. I do not speed thru turns and I do not brake in the middle of turns, but I have not judged my speed well enough in the past, and probably in this situation where I had my rear brake on during the initiation of the turn.

Here is what I've learned from this incident:

Coming off that brake after initiating the turn probably shifted weight off that rear tire causing me to lose traction.
I have got to get my speed right before initating the turn
Downshifting in the middle of a turn, even if not to reduce speed is not a good idea on a bike like mine
I need to take an advanced course to improve my riding skills further

Most of all:
Never tell your wife you will not ride again immediately after an accident. It makes it that much harder to get back on the bike again.
Frames and painted parts from Harley take a long time on order, so dont break them

THANK YOU EVERYONE! I appreciate your help and I appreciate this forum.