Tank Slappers

[DavieSV]

What causes them?

How do you get out of them?

Had an err....interesting moment this morning, S bend, right then left, accelerated out of the left and over took a car, just started to straighten up with the throttle still to the stop and on it came...

I've had them before and thought they were bad but this was b*tch.

I was still slightly leant over and the bars just shook.
They didn't increase gradually with amplitude, as they have done before, they just went straight from stop to stop.
then the wobble went into the bike, I had no control over the bike and was heading at an accute angle towards the kerb...

I didn't want to shut the throttle off because I didn't want to plant the front wheel into the tarmac at full lock, I tried to really relax on the bars and let them do what they wanted, which was hard given the violent shake, and slowly let the throttle off.

It did sort itself out, but took along time and covered a hell of a distance.

What is the best way of reining the bike back in?

(apart from not ham fisting it out of bends to start with)

this sort of thing makes me wonder if i should be fitting a steering damper :S but have been told in the past that there's no point on the sv ?

not ham fisting it out of the bend to start with...

i heard from someone that the best way to get out of one is to keep the power on so it keeps the weight off the front, not sure if this the best way? i know whatever happens a new pair of pants are required! lol

[Bri w]

If its a proper slapper open the throttle to shift the weight onto the rear. This will take some of the force off the bars and give you a chance to 'get a grip.' If you hit the brakes you'll make the slapper worse, and probably highside.

Don't forget to check your shorts afterwards - carefully.

[Nobbylad]

Ride very slowly, EVERYWHERE....job jobbed

Prevention is better that cure. Over zealous countersteering with a light front end is the usual culprit! and a few bumps.

So don't do that

I'm not sure if moving the weight back is actually the way to go on this. I recon putting more weigh on the front will slow down the occilations. But i'm off to youtube to look at body positions in tank slappers to find out.

C

[dizzyblonde]

well Bambi vs SV said to let go slightly off throttle and let it slow down a little, I think if I'd have gone any faster than the 60mph I was doing and throttled on, I'd have landed in a fence.

But that was in a straight line, so no idea on twists.

[DavieSV]

Originally Posted by Whitehouse

i heard from someone that the best way to get out of one is to keep the power on

Originally Posted by Bri w

If its a proper slapper open the throttle to shift the weight onto the rear

I was on full chat so couldn't raise the front more

Originally Posted by Berlin

Prevention is better that cure. Over zealous countersteering with a light front end is the usual culprit! and a few bumps.

So don't do that
C

That's what I did

[DavieSV]

But the again...

I was round the corner and the car so was straightening up

unless I was pushing the right bar to stand it up again.

Also I don't know if I had just changed gear or not