Car tire saved our Inzane trip..IMO

[fantsybikr]

For our trip to Inzane 13, I went Darkside on our IS. I have been riding darkside since 07 on my standard. We just bought the IS last summer and I used up what was left of the rear tire and then went darkside with her. I put about 80 miles on it before we left for La Crosse. I have a GYTT on standard but went to the Falken Ziex 512 for the IS and I really like the difference between the two, favoring the Falken.
Well anyway back to the real story, as it worked out the wife and I rode a couple day rides by ourselves while at Inzane. On our second day ride we rode north of La Crosse, just a nice big circle, hot of course, we stopped for a drink and to cool off. While sitting and enjoying a cold drink a friendly local guy came up and started talking to me, seemed he was missing a piece or two, but was nice. While taking he asked me if I had seen any deer, hinting around about deer on the roads. I thought to myself, "ya dip, why would you want to talk about deer to someone on a motorcycle?" but later I was glad with what at first struck me as a possible jinx, turned into bringing the thought of deer danger to the forefront of my mind.
We got back into the saddle and down the road we went, after a few minutes I lost all conscious thought of the deer conversation and was enjoying the ride. We soon turned onto a fairly straight road with woods around that at points came close to the road but mostly open, no houses around, sorta in the sticks area. Open road in front and a car behind and not very close, I dropped my eyes to check the map on my tank bag for a few seconds..then as I looked up WOW! a nice sized doe jumped onto the road in front of us, she came from the left side and had a bambi following her. It was pure reflex, emergency stop NOW! (With the IS I welcomed the intercom and being able to warn the wife to hang on, and when this happened, it was all so fast I didn't think to shout out anything!!)
My reflex was grab clutch, get on front brake some and grab the rear, I am aware the stomping the rear brake can be trouble and motorcycle tires on the back slide good. But having been riding darkside for quite awhile I am sorta use to getting onto back brake hard and on dry pavement it takes some stomp to slide that big tire..well, I really stomped the rear brake with a panic I guess..she went into a bit of slide, the rear went right just enough to feel it going. i let up on the rear she straightened up and I just applied both brakes with a continuing pressure. she was really digging in and I just kept adding pressure to both brakes. We were cruising about 55-57 and I'm thinking we probably stopped about as fast as the big gal can at that speed. As soon as I realized we probably weren't going to crash into the deer I checked my mirror and hoped dip behind me wasn't running over us, and ya know he was awful close, not as close that he was going to get us, but I wasn't happy with him..but after I came down from the rush and things got back to "normal" I thought I guess I did stop in a hell of a hurry, so he probably had a rush too.
My take is that the car tire helped me maintain control and gave me as much traction as I could have in stopping. I feel that if I had been running a MC tire on the back went I stomped the rear brake we would have been into a real trouble slide that may have been disaster.
I do not claim to be a great motorcycle rider and I will totally admit that we were lucky, the deer wasn't right on top of us when she jumped out, the road was dry and clean, actually the pavement up there seemed a bit rough everywhere and that sure didn't hurt in the traction area.
I know the debate about car tires and motorcycles will never end, but in my mind the car tire saved our vacation and the front of our IS.
There seemed to have been some troubles at this Inzane with mishaps and the wife and I are very lucky we were not among them.

[..]

Be very very careful letting off the rear brake if the wheel is locked up and sliding.

That's how high side get offs happen. As you let off the rear brake the tire bites and pushs the bike in the direction the rear wheel is facing. Generally the front wheel is pointing in a different direction and the bike spits you off up in the air.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highsider

[art]

Read my post on july 7th -this succa can stop.I do believe in the darkside.

[Former BMW Guy]

Congratulations!!!

JP

[fantsybikr]

Be very very careful letting off the rear brake if the wheel is locked up and sliding.

That's how high side get offs happen. As you let off the rear brake the tire bites and pushs the bike in the direction the rear wheel is facing. Generally the front wheel is pointing in a different direction and the bike spits you off up in the air.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highsider

I understand, she didnt slide out very far, just enough to let me know thats where it was going and the correction was mild just a little back to straight up

[Mr Whiskey]

Jus' had a CT episode last weekend. Goofy broad in a Toyota TRD cut left across my lane into the gas station. I panicked (I admit) & stomped the rear binders. Lord was lookin' out for me, Sugar wasn't with me, & I'd just done a triple disc brake job, the day before!
If that'd been a MT, I'd a been in that truck bed, no doubt in my mind!
Left 'bout 8 feet of rubber on the road, & needed every inch that 205/55/16 would give me to get her woed up. That's why I run a "sticker" CT.
Wont be goin' back to MT, ever.
Glad ya made it!
Peace, Whiskey.

[fantsybikr]

 

Jus' had a CT episode last weekend. Goofy broad in a Toyota TRD cut left across my lane into the gas station. I panicked (I admit) & stomped the rear binders. Lord was lookin' out for me, Sugar wasn't with me, & I'd just done a triple disc brake job, the day before!
If that'd been a MT, I'd a been in that truck bed, no doubt in my mind!
Left 'bout 8 feet of rubber on the road, & needed every inch that 205/55/16 would give me to get her woed up. That's why I run a "sticker" CT.
Wont be goin' back to MT, ever.
Glad ya made it!
Peace, Whiskey.