too all the fellow bike riders......
ever have your back wheel spin when going into 6th gear on the highway?
all I'll say is "Rain Sucks!"
too all the fellow bike riders......
ever have your back wheel spin when going into 6th gear on the highway?
all I'll say is "Rain Sucks!"
Not going into 6th (cruising in 6th, yes), but hydroplaning on a bike in general is no fun at all. Get better tires, you won't regret it.
Bryce
Agreed. Especially in the wet, tires make the difference between pucker and smooth sailing.
I have Dunlop D616s on my TL. They're supposedly patterned after road racing rain tires with a different compound. And although I haven't had them on the track yet, I love 'em. They're extremely communicative at the limit. So much so that it took me a while to trust them - I'm not used to that much feedback on a bike. They feel like they wiggle and squirm in the rain when it's cranked over, but they're not really slipping, just talking. And they're straight line adhesion is utterly superb.
Highly recommended hoops.
ACarlson, if you're in the market for 616s, next time around you may want to try out some Pirelli Scorpion Syncs. I had 616s on my Uly and went to Syncs. They're nearly identical all around except they feel a bit more stable at high speed. This also jives with Buell's selection, going from 616s on the first year of the Uly then to Syncs on future model years.
Personally, on a TL I'd prefer a stickier tire...my Uly sees unpaved roads so it's got to be a bit more all-around. With a TL I'd want something catered more toward super sticky street tire. It all depends on how you ride and how much you ride. If you only ride 2,000 miles a year, it's easy to justify super sticky tires, but it's a different story if you ride 20,000 miles a year. :)
Bryce
The 616s (and I assume the Syncs) are plenty sticky for my mainly city riding, and since I Iike to run alleys and the roads less traveled downtown here where it's not uncommon to find the old cobblestones poking through the pavement, I like a slightly beefier tire. And they're great in the rain. Decent mileage, too, for a bike as powerful as the TL.
I considered the Syncs specifically because of the Buell usage, but I could get the 616s a helluvalot cheaper through my catalogs at the shop.
Anyway, since it's stripped and streetfightered, I like to think of my TL as a big, psychopathic dirtbike on meth, so the dual sport tires seem to fit its personality.
Son you ain't puckered til your FRONT tire steps out on ya! 
914Driver wrote: Son you ain't puckered til your FRONT tire steps out on ya!
Did that during my riding exam... sweeping curve.. front wheel probably slid 8-10 inches
Not wet weather related, but the worst pucker I ever had was my first experience on a shaft drive sportbike. I rolled into a long left hander which allowed plenty of acceleration time after entry, then rolled on the throttle. Trivia: on hard acceleration, if you are slid all the way forward on the seat the rear of a chain drive bike will squat. The rear of a shafty will climb. This really screws up the center of gravity.
What's this sixth gear you speak of? 
I've yet to really test the limits of the Harley-badged Dunflops on my Sportster. And I plan to keep it that way.
914Driver wrote: Son you ain't puckered til your FRONT tire steps out on ya!
Or had a rear tire blow out on a 1972 Honda CB500 ( One week old ) ...IN morning rush hour traffic .. On I -90 , Cleveland Ohio .. in April cold!
Tank slapping Fun! Yee haw..
ACarlson wrote: ...They're extremely communicative at the limit...
Something about this statement scares the hell out of me (although I have to say I am sure it is a very good thing)
Once talked to a guy (briefly obviously) who was certain using only his front brake to stop on the freeway (and everywhere else I assume) because (I am not kidding) he says he would not want the rear end skidding around!!! He figured his Goldwing does most of the braking with the front tire, so that was the way to go. Not much you can say to a guy like that, eventually they figure it out on there own of course (if they live).
Stories like that are why some bikes have linked braking hydraulics (even if you use only front or only rear lever, the other brake is still used some as well). Some people are funny that way and not understanding their equipment, so the engineers take the ability away from the sensible people to use them independently to protect the ignorant.
Bryce
CrackMonkey wrote: What's this sixth gear you speak of?
Put Metzlers on your sportster. Best thing I've done to mine.
Nashco wrote: Stories like that are why some bikes have linked braking hydraulics...
I was wondering about this just yesterday. I saw a guy on a (well you can guess) riding down a faster/wider residential street with his feet up on road pegs!! There is no way he is going to get his foot down fast enough to do any effective fast braking. I was thinking there must be some kind of interconnect on these bike, otherwise you find a lot more of them flopped over on the road.
The Metzlers on the Sporty are really nice. My wife has them on hers. I've run Metzler Mezlazers (now called Lazertecs, I think) on my dresser, but they don't last me too long. They really grip well, though and it's almost worth it. I'm due for a new tire, and I think I'll go with another Dunlop. I got about 12K out of the last one, and that's a record for me.
aircooled wrote: I was wondering about this just yesterday. I saw a guy on a (well you can guess) riding down a faster/wider residential street with his feet up on road pegs!! There is no way he is going to get his foot down fast enough to do any effective fast braking. I was thinking there must be some kind of interconnect on these bike, otherwise you find a lot more of them flopped over on the road.
I don't think any of the H-Ds have linked brakes, at least the XL, Dyna, and Softail lines do not.
in 1991 I went home from Keelser AFB in Biloxi Mississippi to Atlanta to get my 250 Ninja. Little did I know as I left on Sunday after lunch that the entire state of Alabama was under tornado watch.
Semi's are pulling over as I trundle along with my front wheel under about three inches of water. It finally lets up hours later when I reach Mobile. I had one hour to get to Keesler, or my superiors would find out I left the local area with permission.
So I grabbed a handful and buzzed down I-10 as fast as my shivering body could stand. Then I crossed the first metal expansion join on a bridge over the gulf. The rear tire stepped out at better than freeway speed and I tank slapped it all the way across until I got to pavement and the bike ssettled down. I'd love to say it was skill, but the reality is Death looked at me and decided I was too stupid to die.
I decided to be late and just come up with a good story for being out after curfew. I ended up with two bing bruises on my thigh and a nice case of the sniffles for a few days, but considering the alternative, I was lucky.
SoloSonett wrote:914Driver wrote: Son you ain't puckered til your FRONT tire steps out on ya!Or had a rear tire blow out on a 1972 Honda CB500 ( One week old ) ...IN morning rush hour traffic .. On I -90 , Cleveland Ohio .. in April cold! Tank slapping Fun! Yee haw..
82 CB450 here (still have the bike). Rear tire blew, in a curve, with a passenger.
I have ridden a couple of those 'linked brake' bikes (Hondas from the late '80's/early '90's) and I did NOT like them. They just do not feel right. Maybe it's due to my dirt bike background where the front brake does the most stopping and the rear brake is dead weight unless you want to slide the rear tire off line for some reason, usually for a real sharp turn.
The front brake is your best friend on a bike- unless it's used wrong.
aircooled wrote:ACarlson wrote: ...They're extremely communicative at the limit...Something about this statement scares the hell out of me (although I have to say I am sure it is a very good thing)
I should clarify: they're extremely communicative approaching the limit. They squirm and wiggle and act up, which is highly unnerving at first, but when you learn to trust them, you realize what's up. I've never met a tire like that, but it's surprisingly nice. This all might change, of course, when I get them on the track. But for the street, I'm sold.
aircooled wrote: Once talked to a guy (briefly obviously) who was certain using only his front brake to stop on the freeway (and everywhere else I assume) because (I am not kidding) he says he would not want the rear end skidding around!!! He figured his Goldwing does most of the braking with the front tire, so that was the way to go. Not much you can say to a guy like that, eventually they figure it out on there own of course (if they live).
There's a good amount of truth to that. Between 80% to 100% of a motorcycle's braking force is done by the front wheel. With modern brakes on a light-ish bike, it's very easy to lift the back wheel under braking, meaning 100% of your braking is coming from the front. And up to the point of lifting that wheel, the rear is obviously becoming lighter. If you're on the back brake while the rear is coming up, there will be some skidding.
Now, with a heavy bike like a 'Wing or a Harley, there's something to be said for the back brake. And in most situations, including panic stops, it's best to use both brakes. But if the back end starts to slide, there are two choices: get the berkeley off it right away before it steps to the side, or stay the berkeley on it, hard, and ride through the skid.
If the front end starts to go - well, then you know you're having fun.
But your 'Wing riding buddy wasn't too far off in his thinking. (Depending on the year of the bike, he may have had linked brakes anyway.)
SoloSonett wrote: Or had a rear tire blow out on a 1972 Honda CB500 ( One week old ) ...IN morning rush hour traffic .. On I -90 , Cleveland Ohio .. in April cold! Tank slapping Fun! Yee haw..
Or a front tire on a GS550 Suzuki turn into random black particles at 90+mph. I've ridden down a blown rear tire as well, and it's no comparison.
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