Today I dropped my bike for the first time.
There I was, cruising on I-35 at 65 mph or so, and all of the sudden my front tire blows. I felt an immediate loss of control and had the presence of mind to drop my feet, using them to both stabilize the bike and to slow myself down a little bit. I kept it in gear but since both feet were down, was unable to downshift or brake- it was wobbling so much, I didn't dare lift my feet. I managed to ride her to about 30 mph, but the wobble was too much and I laid her down on the highway.
Immediately, I had a couple of people pick me up, make sure I was OK, and move my bike to the shoulder. I had a little road rash but was otherwise unharmed. The bike took a bit of cosmetic damage, mainly the front fender, headlight assembly, foot peg, and rear turn signal. My riding gear also took some scrapes.
I thankfully had just put Roadside Assistance on my policy 10 days ago, so I had a tow to my house in about an hour. At least 10 people stopped to make sure I was OK, almost all of them old bikers. I was offered everything from a tow to some flares to a beer. Bikers are good people.
I had an extra tube on hand, and when I got home I changed my tire and cleaner her up the best I could- bent things back in place and so forth. I had filled up my tires about two weeks ago, so I was curious as to what the tube would tell me. I've got stock tires with about 6K miles on them and plenty of tread left. She was handling fine during a 15 mile morning ride and for the first 10 miles before my accident- the tires weren't soft at all. When I pulled off the Avon, there was about 50% circumferential tear of the stem at its attachment to the Dunlop tube. All of the stem screws were in place.
I've been keeping my pressures at 19 psi and 29 psi, front and back, as recommended by others in the forum. I wonder if the front psi was too little. I think I'll probably go up just to be sure. I'd really like to hear others opinions about tire pressure in light of this story.
Lessons learned:
1. Know how to handle a front tire blow-out. Don't panic, don't touch the front brake, ride her out, and hope for the best.
2. Consider roadside assistance. Mine was $10 a year- so far, it's the best $10 I've spent on my Enfield.
3. Wear your gear. The right gear significantly improves your ability to walk away from an accident. Had I not been suited up, this story may be a bit different. You can't prevent all accidents, but you can prepare yourself for them- make sure you're prepared.
4. Ride safe. I am a physician who works at a Level 1 trauma center; I regularly see motorcycle collisions on my CT in the ER. The vast majority of seriously injured bikers were riding drunk, high, speeding, or some combination of the three. Don't be one of them.
All in all, a pretty good day. I experience one of the most dreaded events possible on a motorcycle, I walked away, and so far it looks like I be out around $150 to get her looking pretty again. Not bad.
Topic: Front tire blow out (Read 6598 times)