Pucker factor

[Fudd]

Last night on I-10 in Baton Rouge, I got to really test the binders.  A pickup truck changed lanes in front of me and immediately locked his brakes and got sideways.  I could see cars scattering left and right to try to avoid a pile up.

I clamped down as hard as could have been done without locking up or doing a 2-up stoppie.  The passengers weight helped keep some pressure on the rear and the car tire gripped very well.

I've wondered if prolonged dripping of fork oil on to the brake had compromised its effectiveness, but this was a 75 mph to zero test done a lot more agressively than I would have done, electively.

Once I had a good feel that I wasn't going to smack the back of something, I started worring about who was going to rear end me (all this in a split second).  I eased up the brakes and did a California split lane manuever, leaving someone else with more metal to catch the lick if it came.

Amazingly, nobody actually hit anything, but the look I got from everyone, we all knew we were lucky.

[BigAl]

on the rear and the car tire gripped very well.

How well did the motorcycle tire on the front do?

For every guy running a car tire on the rear of a bike, there is motorcycle  front tire pointing it straight down the road.

Should it not be half dark side, with only one car tire on the bike.

Kinda like our Prez, only half dark side.

[Willow]

I'm glad it worked out for you.  Emergency braking is certainly one area in which the flat bottomed tire will earn its keep.

[Fudd]

How well did the motorcycle tire on the front do?

The 14k mi. E-3 gripped very well.  I don't usually have nice things to say about E-3's, but this one prevented a collision.

I very glad that the roads were dry, (isolated t-storms had just passed through the area missing that section of road) and I wasn't pulling a heavily loaded trailer, as I'm known to do.

[MacDragon]

Glad to hear that it was just a rude scare and not disaster... good for you and your wits...

[Daniel Meyer]

Yeah, I can attest that fork oil is pretty much irrelevant to the effectiveness of the fronts...

My seals last 50,000 miles even if BY GAWD I have to ignore the durn leak for 10,000 of it!

[Fudd]

I've read posts from other members saying their brake pads had the "consistancy of over cooked brownies" after prolonged fork leaks.  Others say their brakes "hissed" or sounded like an air hose leak when the brakes were applied.

I endured a fork leak for about 15k miles before getting around to changing the seal.  I'm guessing the only difference as to why my pads are still ok, is that I ride everyday, basically without exception.  Maybe that kept the oil burned off, it without "soaking" in.

I've owned airplanes that I was convinced had a "protective spirit force" in them.  However, I'm begining to believe this bike has one also.  Could be the brakes worked so well because the Valkyrie got scared, too.

[hubcapsc]

 * Last night on I-10 in Baton Rouge, I got to really test the binders.  A pickup truck changed lanes in front of me and immediately
 * locked his brakes and got sideways.  I could see cars scattering left and right to try to avoid a pile up.

Similar thing happened to me on the way to Gettysburg on I-40... the bad thing actually was miles ahead, but the
locked brakes and screeching-to-a-halt cars and transfer trucks sounds familiar...

 * Once I had a good feel that I wasn't going to smack the back of something, I started worring about who was going to rear end me

I was in the left lane when everyone's brakes went on full blast... when I realized I wasn't going to rear end
the guy in front of me, I headed for the median... but I could tell the guy behind me was paying attention
so I didn't have to go off the road... after a while (the bad thing, whatever it was, closed I-40 for hours) we all turned
around and went the other way...



-Mike