Tank-slapper!!!

On my way home today after overtaking a car I accelerlated (maybe a bit too hard) back to the other side of the open road. I must have caught a catseye or something but the bike just went bezerk. I've have headshakes before but nothing like this, my right wrist smacked into the tank so hard its started to swell up, seemed to last for ages. Luckily I managed to straighten it out after what seemed like an eternity of it trying to spit me off, went to slow down with a bit of front brake and it went back to the bar without braking at all , thought I had broke something. Couple of squeezes and they were working again.

Looks like i'll be investing in a steering damper whether I keep the bike for another year or not. I can safely say that was something that I never want to experience again.

Glad to hear nothing came of your experience matey!

Glad youre ok!! Ive heard of a few that have come a cropper in the same situation

A-Jay, I had the same experience last year on my Honda. What caused mine were the raised white lines in the middle of the road. Sent the whole bike bouncing into the air, which caused the bars to flap. I managed to control it by backing off and putting my feet down & dragging them on the ground.

Scared the hell out of the elderly couple in the Citroen Berlingo I was overtaking

Yeah the brake thing is normal I think.

My bike headshakes all the time, in fact it is renowned for it. Now I am so used to it that it doesn't bother me at all. Had it happen once whilst going between two cars on a dual carriageway and didn't bat an eyelid. But I do wonder what is stopping it from going into a full on tank slapper and worry that one day it will?!

At the time the headshaker happens so fast it doesn't bother me as there is no time to think about it and then it is over plus I usually have it pinned on full throttle so the front is lifting off the ground again and this solves the problem. Wonder what would happen if I shut the throttle....?

So what is it that pushes the bike over the edge from a harmless shaker to a slapper?

What bikes do you guys have?

Originally Posted by robchester

What bikes do you guys have?

Not bad for a thread in which everyone lists their bike in their sig.

Originally Posted by mac99

Not bad for a thread in which everyone lists their bike in their sig.

I was gonna post a sarky comment about it but he could have sigs turned off in his profile. Or he doesn't pay attention to sigs.

The pistons do tend to recess during a tank slapper … its always good practice to pump the front brakes back after!! Else the next time u want to use them in earnest there’ll be nothing there!!

Real men don’t use dampers …

Well done for saving it! I had a head shaker overtaking a car in 4th. Hit a cat's eye on the side (bevelled edge), and it started a shake. I just pinned it open and it smoothened out. Nowhere near as bad as yours, though.
Jon