The Honda PCX / Forza / ADV150 / SH Forums

Two days ago a youtube rider puts up something incredible. Absolutely astonishing and very humbling. I might install a dampener on the Buell this summer. These wobble incidents are not funny anymore. I'd rather have some dignity in a crash, my fault, a deer's fault, hell an act of GOD falling from the sky out of nowhere... anything but going off to see the Jesus from a stupid wobble

https://youtu.be/ezf5oeP3eRE

Not really the kind of vid you want to stumble upon in the midst of a fork seal job. Maybe divine inspiration to double check my work

Wow!! I guess it wasn't his time to die yet! Talk about lucky!

I wouldn't be going 75-80 mph with all those semi trucks around. Too many cross winds. Plus the cement wall that bounces the winds back, causing a lot of turbulence. Not good for bikes. I would have stayed in the outside lane until my speed was stable or traffic had slowed.

That is seriously scary! The guy does not appear to be a newbie, so this wobble thing could happen to anybody? Can anybody explain what causes this phenomenon?

I saw a video in which the rider was trying to break a speed record but lost control when the "death wobble" started. Yes, that wobble is a real thing.

It's the equivalent of "chine walking" on a power boat with too much horsepower.

I've been out with an idiot driving a 15 foot runabout fitted with a 200hp outboard, it's no fun.

Yep that homie was pumped up. What a great lesson for people thinking a steering damper is not needed. Kind of thing you never tell your mother happened... like the time I fell off the train trestle. In hindsight I probably could have straighten out my subluxations at the time and not waited 30 years.

I will be looking into something like this....

Incredible video. . .the concrete Jersey Barriers make riding a bike like being an animal herded into a cattle chute.

Nice bike stand. Nothing but the best for that Buell I see.

PCX150Rider wrote:Incredible video. . .the concrete Jersey Barriers make riding a bike like being an animal herded into a cattle chute.

Nice bike stand. Nothing but the best for that Buell I see.

I actually prefer the expressway, gladly pay the toll and enjoy everyone going in the same direction between barriers at a steady velocity. I feel like i've more room for error and a chance to slide off without hitting anything at a 90 degree. We like to imagine we would have the adrenaline too get up and run before one became a road pizza like this fellow. Lots of comments from other riders and you can't help but admire his actions and reaction to the incident. More a hero for all of us rather than a gut wrenching snuff video... it's why I put it up sorry if it disturbs anyone.

https://j.gifs.com/JZGGV2.gif

Somebody wrote this, might help understand what causes wabble.

1. The “tankslapper” is a very frightening experience. Usually occuring when accelerating hard over bumpy pavement, a tankslapper ensues when the front tyre becomes airborne, then regains traction outside the rear tyre’s alignment. The resulting deflection bounces the tyre off to one side, followed by another bounce in the opposite direction as it contacts the pavement again. Unless the bike’s steering geometry is able to damp out the deflections quickly, the resulting oscillations from the front tyre as it bounces back and forth will swiftly gain in strength, causing the bars to swap from side to side with increasing ferocity. The oscillations can be violent enough to rip the bars out of your hands, and fling your feet off the pegs. You can guess what happens next.

2. The easy cure for this problem is a steering damper. Many sports bikes now come stock with one, as the radical steering geometry needed for quick handling can otherwise cause some instability in certain situations. While a steering damper is an easy fix, it shouldn’t be a cure-all; if you’re forced to adjust the steering damper’s stiffness (if available) until you can barely turn the bars in order to keep the bike’s handling stable, there is a problem somewhere in your chassis setup. A too-stiff steering damper can also cause handling problems by itself; if your steering damper is adjustable, and you find that your bike won’t hold a line (especially in slower corners), or gets into a small wobble or oscillation in high speed corners, try backing off the stiffness a little and see if it helps.

3. Not all sports bikes need a steering damper, however. Many have steering geometry setups that offer quick handling, while still providing the necessary stability to damp out any front-end oscillations. In most cases, one of the biggest contributors to a tankslapper is your body positioning and grip on the bars. Some people ride in a more upright position when carving corners, but when accelerating over bumpy pavement, that upright body position puts even more weight transfer to the rear, which causes the front end to get lighter. Also, the more upright torso means that your grip on the bars is tighter in order to stabilize your upper body. That firmer grip feeds more input into the front end, something it doesn’t need while it’s busy trying to damp out the inputs from the bouncing front tyre. It actually forms a vicious circle: you grip the bars tighter because they’re starting to flap back and forth, but that only feeds more input into the front end, compounding the problem further.

4. The easiest way to avoid tankslappers while accelerating over bumpy pavement is to—believe it or not—keep a relaxed grip on the bars. Relaxing your grip on the bars means you must lean forward in order to assist in keeping your torso stabilized. This helps put more weight on the front end, which keeps the front tyre on the pavement. Since you’re not using your arms to stabilize your upper body, get your weight onto the footpegs so that you can get your body as far forward as possible; this also allows you to grip the tank with your knees for more stability.

If you do get into a tankslapper, keep your weight forward and—as hard as this sounds—maintain a relaxed grip on the bars. Let the motorcycle’s chassis deal with damping out the oscillations. Don’t try to be a human steering damper; you’ll only make the problem worse. Tankslappers can definitely soil your undies; but if you’re able to deal with them correctly, you’ll usually ride through them before you know it.

Whoa...The Wobble, just when I put it out of sight, out of mind - Reality Check!
Alls good homie cause this shite happens! Bet your buns that watching this thumps my heart. You gotta be past numb if it didn't scare ya.
Thanks for the quote, the idea/lesson on the possibility of controlling "wobble."
I ain't convinced...dampener or no dampener!

Dang homie, that dude was in shock.
"Heh, see that? I went under a semi-truck! Add, a hahaha



"Your Buell" looks powerful, nakid or dressed. With respect

All bikes wobble to a greater or lesser extent, best not to think about it too much.
As well as relaxing the grip, shutting the throttle helps.

All bikes wobble to a greater or lesser extent, best not to think about it too much.
As well as relaxing the grip, shutting the throttle helps.

Knock on wood I've never had a high speed wobble get the better of me (although did scare me into getting the shakes for a bit on a few occasions) and now I'm old enough to know it's just not a good idea to tempt fate. It's like tapping into a keg full of a predetermined amount of luck and no sense using up the rest in a hurry.

That being said I've had people tell me that giving it some throttle can help to pull out of a wobble by placing more force on the rear suspension and lightening up the front. . .momentarily of course. I'm not sure. . .I think it's a good debate topic. Or maybe someone out there has a "I remember the time when" story.

A new “the sky is falling”

Weld up your steering head bearings. It’s the only way to be sure.

homie wrote:
https://youtu.be/ezf5oeP3eRE

What a dipsh1t

You think they would be too embarrassed to post on YouTube

you you wrote:A new “the sky is falling”

Dangit 2yous... you know how that makes me laugh! So dumb, yet so funny! Simple stuff

PCX150Rider wrote:

I've had people tell me that giving it some throttle can help to pull out of a wobble by placing more force on the rear suspension and lightening up the front. . .momentarily of course. I'm not sure. . .I think it's a good debate topic. Or maybe someone out there has a "I remember the time when" story.

You've got to have some big balls to hit the gas in a situation like that however it does make sense... pull the front off the ground and no more wobble.

homie wrote:

PCX150Rider wrote:

I've had people tell me that giving it some throttle can help to pull out of a wobble by placing more force on the rear suspension and lightening up the front. . .momentarily of course. I'm not sure. . .I think it's a good debate topic. Or maybe someone out there has a "I remember the time when" story.

You've got to have some big balls to hit the gas in a situation like that however it does make sense... pull the front off the ground and no more wobble.

Errr. I wouldn't.

homie wrote:Two days ago a youtube rider puts up something incredible. Absolutely astonishing and very humbling. I might install a dampener on the Buell this summer. These wobble incidents are not funny anymore. I'd rather have some dignity in a crash, my fault, a deer's fault, hell an act of GOD falling from the sky out of nowhere... anything but going off to see the Jesus from a stupid wobble

https://youtu.be/ezf5oeP3eRE

I’d have to wash the seat after a wobble