What's your scariest moment on a bike | Page 3 | GTAMotorcycle.com

What's your scariest moment on a bike

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Update for those who are interested:

I filed a warranty claim with Michelin. They wanted me to take the tire back into the shop that saw it originally (not necessarily the shop that sold it). I took it back in and the guys there who hadn't seen it the first time were just as shocked. No one has any idea how this could have happened.

Ordered a new rear and Michelin is going to cover it. As far as I know they still haven't actually seen the tire (even photos of it). I'm hoping when they do they will be willing to cover a replacement front. There is no way I will ever have confidence riding on it, so it's getting replaced as well. It was bought at the same shop, at the same time, and has a similar date stamp.

I don't think that's unreasonable. Given how lucky I was, a set of tires is them getting off easy.
 
spray____ said:
Update for those who are interested:

I filed a warranty claim with Michelin. They wanted me to take the tire back into the shop that saw it originally (not necessarily the shop that sold it). I took it back in and the guys there who hadn't seen it the first time were just as shocked. No one has any idea how this could have happened.

Ordered a new rear and Michelin is going to cover it. As far as I know they still haven't actually seen the tire (even photos of it). I'm hoping when they do they will be willing to cover a replacement front. There is no way I will ever have confidence riding on it, so it's getting replaced as well. It was bought at the same shop, at the same time, and has a similar date stamp.

I don't think that's unreasonable. Given how lucky I was, a set of tires is them getting off easy.
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I'd expect more than just a free rear replacement. If you got seriously injured or killed they would likely be paying a lot more in legal fees.
 
I would have a hard time trusting the same make and model of tire on my bike given what you experienced. I'd move to Pirelli or something...
 
Blackfin said:
I would have a hard time trusting the same make and model of tire on my bike given what you experienced. I'd move to Pirelli or something...
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My thoughts exactly when I read the OP was getting a replacement. My thought was oh hell no. Try to kill me once shame on you, you don't get a second try..lol
 
Sell the replacement and go with a Pirelli or maybe Dunlop tyre?
 
what was your rear pressure the last time you took it?
What tires?

I have had so many scary moments racing that I can't really pin point a specific one, on the street my scariest moment was stopping and waiting for a group I was leading in Pennsylvania only to realize someone had crashed BADLY behind me, the 10 min ride back to the accident scene was the scariest moment.
spray____ said:
Mine was Sunday night.

Was up north this weekend and didn't head south again until after dinner time. Traffic is always moving pretty good then, and I was keeping up with everyone in the left lane. I rode around with a buddy earlier in the day and my bike felt great. Then, just as I was coming out of a gentle right hander, I suddenly felt like the rear end wasn't tracking properly. I cut the end of the corner a bit, and stood it up. I played with the bars a little bit to see if I could feel anything and the back end was all over the place. I knew something was really wrong, so I pulled in the clutch, tapped my front brake to flash the people behind me, and headed for the left shoulder. Thats when things got really scary.

It felt like using even gentle front brake was throwing the back end out to either side. I had to shift my body weight to gently steer, touching the bars only changed which side the back end swung to. At one point it went so far out to the left, I knew if it didn't come back right away I was going to get chucked off. To my right was 2 active lanes of traffic, and to my left was a rumble stip, about 6 feet of pavement, then a row of reflective sign posts and deep sand. It felt like forever, but I managed to keep it on the shoulder and eventually it stopped. Thank god I was out of the corner and on a straight stretch, because I was going straight whether I liked it or not. I jumped on the back and this is what I found.

blown_tire_1.jpg

blown_tire_2.jpg


I spent the next 2 hours on the side of the road, waiting for my wife with her CAA card and a tow truck to show up. It gave me lots of time to think about how much worse this could have been, and all the corners I went through over the weekend where this would have led to an ambulance.

Both tires are new last September. They have probably about 2000km on them and are well under 5 years since manufacturing date. I've been checking the pressure regularly, most recently on Friday right before I left. Nothing on my bike seems like it could have caused any damage to them. It seems to me like a warranty issue, and everyone I've spoken with so far seems to agree. I got in touch with Michelin today and we'll see what they say.
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Roadghost said:
I have done that to a Bridgestone tire before by overinflating it. I think the air expanded in the hot sun and tore my binding, which eventually led the tire to fail..
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This is what I am thinking, the tire was over inflated and it expanded even more due to the hot weather we had and a spirited ride.

But it that is the case it had to Really be over inflated, most likely failure

Edit: Get a different model tire
 
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RockerGuy said:
That explains this lines in the middle of those tires
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Thin lines in the middle section of the tread running around the circumference of the tire's mid section is a design feature found on Michelin tires to help control static electricity build-up/discharge IIRC.
 
Damn op.. looks like the tire got caught in the sprocket!!!!

Oh and scariest moment... lost the rear on corner entry on my buddy's Monster 1100 EVO, while chasing him on MY R6. Thank god it hooked back up before it was too late.
 
My rear tower blew yesterday on the way to work. I was riding on the 407 and heard a pop. The bike had a hell of time steering and pulled over. Sure enough a flat on the rear... The tire did not look as scary as the OPs pic but a flat nonetheless. I did not have CAA+++ only basic so no motorcycle towing coverage. $202 for the tow, and waiting a couple of days for the tire to come in. ARGGGGGGGGGGGGG
 
Wasn't there a guy that got PR3s or PR4s (I forget which) right after they came out and he caught the rear melting, went back to the dealer and got it replaced, and then the front melted and blew up while he was riding home after that, resulting in a terrible crash into his own car (his wife was driving and he was following her home)?
 
That's pretty awesome that you kept it upright.

My moments:
* Car clipped me making a left turn, frame slider tore into his rear turn light, I was fine. Bike stayed upright. Cop cited him for careless driving, he paid for a replacement fairing.
* Ate **** trying to pass two trucks on gravel in Vietnam. Tore up my entire left side pretty good (no gear except for a full face DOT helmet I packed, thank god)
* Two rear tire punctures in one week, back got squirrely on the highway. Similar to yours but not nearly as explosive. Damn son.
 
Those pictures are horrifying. My scariest moment was also a blown rear - two up + gear in 2010 going 120. The reason mine blew, I believe, is that I was using the psi outlined in my bikes manual (32 psi) rather than what the tire was rated at (40 psi). So with all the weight that particular day it burst at the sidewall I presume. Very scary stuff. Took me a long time to get my confidence back.
 
Buddhacide said:
Those pictures are horrifying. My scariest moment was also a blown rear - two up + gear in 2010 going 120. The reason mine blew, I believe, is that I was using the psi outlined in my bikes manual (32 psi) rather than what the tire was rated at (40 psi). So with all the weight that particular day it burst at the sidewall I presume. Very scary stuff. Took me a long time to get my confidence back.
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Always go by the manual or sticker on your car. You should never go by the number on the tire. The scary moment to me is that people don't know that. :p
 
I had a rear blow, it was the second scariest. The scariest was somewhere up north. I was behind an ATV doing about 80KM/h. He started veering to the right, I assumed he wanted to make a right and I gunned it by him on his left. He made a very sudden left turn. He was very close to clipping me. Obviously he did not have any signals. I done a lot of fast paced riding, many call me nuts, but that one close call always hunts me because I was with my GF in the back. I never do stupid things with a passenger. I should heave predicted that.
 
unL33T said:
Always go by the manual or sticker on your car. You should never go by the number on the tire. The scary moment to me is that people don't know that. :p
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Yeah, I believe it even says on the Michelin website that 42 PSI is what it's rated to, but to check your vehicle's manual for the pressure the tire should actually be set at.

One thing I find funny is my R6 manual says the rear should be 36 PSI up to 198lbs, and 42 PSI for 199lbs and up. I can understand how 150lbs and 400lbs would have a different rear tire pressure, but I would have thought it would be a more gradual increase as the load increases. Theoretically if I weigh 195lbs with gear I should be at 36PSI. If I go inside and grab my backpack, I need to add 6 PSI to the rear?
 
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spray____ said:
Yeah, I believe it even says on the Michelin website that 42 PSI is what it's rated to, but to check the manual your vehicle's manual for the pressure the tire should actually be set at.

One thing I find funny is my R6 manual says the rear should be 36 PSI up to 198lbs, and 42 PSI for 199lbs and up. I can understand how 150lbs and 400lbs would have a different rear tire pressure, but I would have thought it would be a more gradual increase as the load increases. Theoretically if I weight 195lbs with gear I should be at 36PSI. If I go inside and grab my backpack, I need to add 6 PSI to the rear?
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In theory, yes.

You're supposed to adjust your suspension for passengers, too.

Cars also have different recommended pressures depending on load.

Most people don't bother with either tire or suspension adjustments. It's a pain on a lot of bikes. On the 650R I had it was easy since the shock is right there on the side and you just use the special wrench to go up a notch or two. I still never bothered.
 
wow. that's pretty scary. I run PP3s.. I once crossed the centre line failing to take a turn correctly.. vowed never to let that happen again.. that was scary, then there was that thing from last weekend... :rolleyes:
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