| Author | Message | ||
     Acav80 |
Thought I'd just share the experience. I was riding up to Chattanooga TN from Roswell GA Friday after work to visit a friend, and decided to take some backroads for a little twisty fun on the Uly.  Highway 52 from Ellijay to Dalton is SWEET! I was riding along and feeling really good, catching some nice leans and carrying solid speed (for a loaded ds bike). Let me back up and explain that right now I've got a D616 on the front that is fairly cupped, and a D208 on the back which is nice and round (and sticky). The 208 came on a recent road trip when I needed a new tire and the dealership I stopped at only had that one in my size. (bummer, it's good for about 2,000 miles.) So anyway, I had been carving UP the mountain and enjoying the sticky rear tire, then I topped the mountain and started down. I caught a few nice downhill turns, feeling good. Then I caught a lefter that was particularly tight, leaned it way over, and for and instant I thought I was going down! I could feel the D616 up front starting to give, and man I thought that was it! I was able to soften my line and stay upright, but it ruined the rest of the twisties for the day. My nerves were shot. I came damn close to low-siding at probably 55...would not have been pretty. The moral(s): 1- I'll run matching tires unless it's just not possible from now on. 2- I also need to work on my throttle control in downhill turns so I'm not putting too much pressure on the front traction. 3- It's more fun to ride at moderate speeds safely than to push and feel like you're about to bite it. 4- No more D616's for me. I know I'll probably get flamed over this for any number of reasons. | ||
| Tipsymcstagger |
I was riding along and feeling really good, catching some nice leans and carrying solid speed (for a loaded ds bike). I know I'll probably get flamed over this for any number of reasons. You're damn right you'll get flamed! Everyone knows Dual Sport bikes don't have 17" front wheels! They have 19" or 21" front wheels!  Seriously though, glad you came out unscathed. Everyday is a learning experience. Tipsy | ||
| Bienhoabob |
Add to your moral(s): 5- will not ride aggressively on 'fairly cupped' front tire. Good to hear you didn't go down. | ||
| Miamiuly |
Yesterday I came so close that the feeler on the end of my peg got a good grind. Had been riding off road, lots of highway after and forgot about the mud. Left turn Clyde and next I know I am parallel to the ground, big scrape, slap MX booted foot to ground and apply throttle and bike picked itself up. My buddy was in his pick up behind me and was sure I could not save it when he saw it happen. It was so close that I could start to feel the pain.     | ||
| Froggy |
Pff! If your pegs are still on the bike, you didn't lean far enough! | ||
| Miamiuly |
I wasn't going very fast, it just slipped out all at once when it got to the muddy part of the tire. Notice the picture of the front tire where I went past the edge of it. And we have no curves, this was just a left turn. | ||
| Acav80 |
Wow, man! That section of clean edge on your front tire is something else! After the ride friday I have tiny little chicken strips on the back but the front still was never that close to the edge. Maybe I wasn't as leaned out as I thought since I didn't hit the peg feeler, but I know what it feels like when the front end starts to go, and it was about to go on the turn I described above. Glad we both made it out with only rubber (and a little peg) on the pavement! I gotta concede though, you win the close call award here! | ||
| Acav80 |
Oh and nice mud job. My favorite custom look for the Uly! | ||
| Bosh |
"I could feel the D616 up front starting to give, and man I thought that was it! I was able to soften my line and stay upright, but it ruined the rest of the twisties for the day" The little scare was probably a good wake up call for you. Going through the turns at a good clip is great fun, and to me is what a Buell is all about. But you have to leave room in reserve for the un-expected. We can't treat the road like a race track, especially on a worn tire. I have a friend that liked to race the back roads. He went down; his leg hit a fence post and flew down the canyon without him. He now walks around on a pretty cool prosthetic with a programmable knee. Something to think about. P.S. You can push ANY front tire. I wouldn't blame it on the 616's. | ||
| Acav80 |
I hear you Bosh. It was for sure a wakeup call. I do my best to keep my mental game under control on the road, and for the most part I'm pretty good there. I don't push like I've seen some other riders push. Still, it's amazing how quickly things can go badly even when you're playing it safe on a tight windy road. The worn tire was a part of the issue, for sure. The combo of a sticky rear and a harder front was a big factor too. The limits of the D208 had me feeling a little too confident after hitting the uphill turns, and the limits of the harder tire up front almost got me once I started down. You're right, not the fault of the D616 really. I'm debating street tires, though. | ||
| Muppet |
Why would you run a stickier rear tyre than front? You need more grip up front, you should never run with a stickier rear, for the very reason you found out about and thankfully didn't have a nasty off. | ||
| New12r |
I got no chicken strip on the front or back... The Uly will go if the tires will stick, http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/142 838/389179.html we all posted pics of our pegs being ground down. | ||
| Acav80 |
The stickier tire on back came when my new wife and I were on our 3,000+ mile honeymoon trip. We cooked through the rear D616 pretty quick and by the time we were passing through Wichita it was done. The H-D/Buell shop we stopped at only had the D208 in my size. It sucked, but what can you do, you know? I've got Syncs in the mail (front and back). | ||
| Miamiuly |
we all posted pics of our pegs being ground down. those are some cool pics. I "scraped" my peg at 15 or 20 mph though due to leaning too far and finding the mud left on my tires. It slipped out all at once, both tires. Not the bike's fault and I am still amazed that the bike allowed me to recover even with my instant reaction. | ||
| Sanchez |
> Roswell GA You aren't too far from me. Here's where the Atlanta area Buellers hang out: http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/37/ 47796.html |
