| Author | Message | ||
     Krt9r |
Hi there, New to BadWeB and as the title says, first post about a crash...  It happened in Spa (Belgium, where I live) at the end of the famous (?) "eau rouge" corner. The tankslapping went on for a few seconds before it finally threw me off my XB9R. The bike then slid on to the tyre barrier and hit it with the back, completely bending the rear subframe. I escaped with a simple broken ankle, and considering the shape of my helmet and the bruises I got, it must be about as good as it could get. I am willing to repair the bike, the only additional damage to a "standard" lowside is apparently the bent rear subframe. Is there any possibility that the main frame be bent (I have the Buell pucks glued on)? How to check this properly? Any piece of advise about what to do / where to buy / etc... is warmly welcome. Oh, and how do I stop people telling me a Buell is no track day toy and I'd better buy a Ducati?!?  clipart{swink} Thanx, Olivier | ||
| Jlnance |
Welcome to Badweb. Sorry to hear about your crash. | ||
| Slaughter |
Pics of my racebike as is currently being raced. I've crashed it low-side on the right side, and a pretty violent high-side on the left side. These bikes crash much better than people give them credit for. Check the straightness of the forks, check there's no looseness in the steering or any "feel" of head bearing damage. Other than that, RACE IT!   | ||
| Slaughter |
If you look at #507 in the background, Jeff Ecklund came off in turn 8 at Willow Springs (that's the fastest spot on the track) - and the bike tumbled end over end and finished looking like the pic below. It was fixed by replacing the triple clamps, replacing the subframe, some controls and the bodywork. Was race-ready in 3 weeks (took that long to order some parts) You won't hear me tell you not to run your bike on the track! Welcome to the madness!!!   (Message edited by slaughter on May 09, 2006) | ||
| Gentleman_jon |
Olivier, I wonder if you were using a steering damper on you bike when you crashed. If not, you might think about getting one. There are good models made for the Buell by LSL in Germany, and Hyperpro in Holland, I believe. Side mounted units from Storz and Ohlins can also be used. Ohlins has supplied a steering head model for the Buell XBRR, but I don't know if that is available on the market yet, I am sure that will be a good choice if and when it is ready for sale. | ||
| Krt9r |
Thanks gents, so apparently there is no reason my frame would not be straight anymore...  Thanks to the pucks I only have a couple of very small dents on the left side. I did not have a steering damper, it was the third time I brought my bike on track, and I did not think I would ever be fast enough to need one... I work a few miles away from the LSL factory, so I think I will pay them a small visit as soon as I can walk properly again. Olivier | ||
| Dmextreme |
glad to see your doing better. Cheers!  | ||
| Jajarm |
Olivier sorry to hear about the wreck I dropped mine at the ring last year, since you are in Spa that is just down the road from Hillbilly-Motors you might want to contact Jens I'm sure he can get you back on the road. | ||
| Slaughter |
Yes indeed, get the damper. It's not so much the speed but the input into the front end - input on the bars AND from the road. Can happen when you come down over a rise into a turn as you compress the forks. I've had them as "slow" as about 60-70 mph. Also I got headshake in same areas on my SV racebike too - it's not just the XB. By the way, I use the Storz steering damper. I recommend LSL or similar. You will bend the Storz every time you tip over. | ||
| Diablobrian |
Welcome to badweb. I think the guys already covered all the high points except for one. We have a company here in the states that goes to a lot of the larger races called GMD computrac. They do 3d modeling of your bike and can verify how straight it really is, and make adjustments if needed. If there is a place like that near you it might be a good idea for peace of mind. However, as they said before Buells "crash well" and are pretty cheap to fix! Hope you heal well and quickly! | ||
| Krt9r |
to all! I think I was doing 60-70mph indeed (don't really have time to look at the speedo there!), and at that point you switch from right to left on full throttle just over a crest. I could feel for a few laps the handle bars shaking very slightly, and then I touched the kerb and got the tankslapping. So yes it must have been a combination of rider input, unloading of the front wheel and disturbance from riding over the kerb. I have been to the 'ring but only with the car, and every time I go there I see 2 or 3 motorbikes on the ground... Too dangerous for me, the barriers are too close and the track too bumpy. Where did drop it? Cheers, Olivier | ||
| Snackbar64 |
What is a Tank Slapper? | ||
| Diablobrian |
high speed oscillation of the handlebars. Sometimes going lock to lock. It only gets worse if you hit the brakes, or try to muscle it into control. | ||
| Chadhargis |
You don't want to know! But if you do, click below: http://www.rka-luggage.com/pages/34videos/crashbw.mpg | ||
| Jackbequick |
If you watch the bike racing on TV, you'll see the start of tank slappers all the time as the bikes accelerate hard out of the corners. It usually happens when the fully compressed (i.e., shorter and stiffer) front forks become extended on acceleration and become longer and have less lateral stiffness. Sometimes surface irregularities are a factor. They change or relax the tire/road contact patch grip and that can cause some unintended steering changes. It happens fast and is hard to anticipate and deal with but the best solution, generally speaking, is to stay on the gas, relax your grip on the bars, and let the centrifugal forces in the front wheel stabilize things. It seems it is when you roll off the gas and fight them or try to catch up with them that they get worse and can turn into the literal lock to lock tank slapper. Tank slappers are one of the leading causes of damage to underwear and seat covers. :>  Jack | ||
| Snackbar64 |
Thanks guys. Now I know. | ||
| Gentleman_jon |
What the GP pros do in the case of an imminent tank slapper is to do a small wheelie, get the front wheel off the deck for a second, and stop the cycle. Not that I am recommending it, but I did see an old racing movie where Kenny Roberts made it look easy. For the mere mortals in the group, fitting a steering damper for racing, and relaxing pressure on the bars, as mentioned above, is about all you can reasonably do. | ||
| Xbrad9r |
jack... the underwear and seat covers line was one of the best laughs i've had in a while, thanks |
