Kawasaki Sportsbike Riders Club - Australia - Online Forum

Well groovers I've done it again!!! Yes it was only a matter of time before I did something incredibly stupid...

I got a new tyre put on yesterday arvo - took it 2 kawasaki here on the coast where Big Dave sorted me out on a great deal new Bridgie Battleaxe BT014 fitted 4 250. Upon leaving EVERYONE reminds me 2 take it easy cos the tyre is greasy... yep yep tis sorted!! I managed to get home no probs, shower, all the jazz... ridden off happily to my fella's place.

Gotten there said... lets go a ridin' baby gotta take all that greasy shit off... sweet all jacketed up and gloved got to the end of the driveway... seen a break in the traffic... taken off...

Now here's where my fella and I have come up with several different scenarios but I feel my interpretation is far more accurate than his seeing how he says he didn't actually see, just saw the aftermath of my destruction...

I've taken off and the new tyre has decided to start slipping on the bicycle lane white line... just brilliant I think as I try straighten her up. Next thing rear tyre decides it will grip after all but grips so fantastically that it flips and throws me off.
And I'm flying thru the air... nice view... head hits road... lucky I was wearing my previously scratched lid... no worries... shoulders hit the road and something makes a snap crackle n pop sound... that hurt... legs follow closely behind.

Now I realise that the poor bike is lyin on her left side revving her poor guts out so I go to hit the kill switch but cant move my right arm.... FINE be freakin difficult why dont u!!
The fella pulls up finally... which is weird because its all happened within 10 metres of the driveway. Are u ok?? Yeah I think so... car drives past and something goes crunch... fuck!!! Did that guy just run over sum bits off my bike??? Go look dammit!!! Fella comes back holding reminants of my crash knob... And he said they were gay!!! That crash knob gave its life to save me a grand of fairing damage...

Bikes fine just e few scratches that can be coloured in with texta... me ...
one broken clevicle (collarbone) some skin the size of a small doillie missing from my right hip and sum minor abrasions 2 knees and right arm... 4 weeks I'm meant 2 not work but if I dont they might fire my arse... better ask 4 light duties...

Cheers to the staff at the GC hostible... once again they've tolerated my really whacked out sense of humour... this bandage is not waterproof... thats ok, I had my bath this week I'll be fine...

BUGGER lanie if you have done a collarbone it will be 3 months and you will feel it tomorrow, one of lifes sillier experiances was falling off a pushbike 4 times one night trying to ride it home whilst pissed and broke a collerbone on the 3rd attempt.

Was buggered for 6 weeks and took 12 weeks to come good.

glad to hear the bikes ok though, have you considered draggins jeans?

Not good at all. Glad your still with us telling the story though. As for those "gay" crash knobs done their job so that's good.

Sorry to hear of the off, happened to many a person on a tyre not scrubbed in yet I reckon... Good to hear crash knob done it's bit.

Barrabob wrote:falling off a pushbike 4 times one night trying to ride it home whilst pissed and broke a collerbone on the 3rd attempt.

Was buggered for 6 weeks and took 12 weeks to come good.

glad to hear the bikes ok though, have you considered draggins jeans?

why after the 3rd time falling off and braking the bone did u think hey lets have a 4th go - mad man ?

well because i wanted to get home of course.

next day getting out of bed hung over took quite a bit of doing and then there was geting the jeans off.

poor wench.

no good at all

Thats a real bummer....

Lesson learned...

Sorry to hear that Munkee

I still don't know why people use grease to fit in new tyres. Water and soap will do just fine.

Some will say it's the wax they use during casting of the tyre. But closer inspection showed that's quite a minor thing. Grease was not.

I always wash new tyres with generous amount of water and soap and seems to never having problems with slippery new tyre.

javaman wrote:Sorry to hear that Munkee

I still don't know why people use grease to fit in new tyres. Water and soap will do just fine.

Some will say it's the wax they use during casting of the tyre. But closer inspection showed that's quite a minor thing. Grease was not.

I always wash new tyres with generous amount of water and soap and seems to never having problems with slippery new tyre.

If it's a rear I tend to fang it in a straight line, getting heat in is the most important thing. Fronts are not so easy, gently, gradually etc.

Unlucky munleygurl, hope the bone heals quick and bike comes good. I can highly recomment T-Cut colour restorer, worked onmy scratches.

javaman wrote:Sorry to hear that Munkee

I still don't know why people use grease to fit in new tyres. Water and soap will do just fine.

Some will say it's the wax they use during casting of the tyre. But closer inspection showed that's quite a minor thing. Grease was not.

I always wash new tyres with generous amount of water and soap and seems to never having problems with slippery new tyre.

Munkey girl that is really really bad luck!!! Glad to hear your sense of humour has remained intact!
Be careful with collarbones, they can be a real nusance to heal. I just scream at the doctors until they pin or screw and plate it these days. Heals twice as quick, and you can be back on the bike in two weeks!

Java- I have never seen or even heard of a bike or tyre shop using "grease" to fit a new tyre Are you sure you just didn't mix it up with the soap they use????? It comes in a bucket rather than a bottle of liquid or a bar of household soap. And they use a brush and a little water to apply it, therefore the bucket of goo can sometimes look like grease.

Scrubbing in tyres is not the fearful job people make it into. I would put the highside down to a couple of things, a new tyre being possibly the last. It sounds more like to me that it was a combination of cold tyre, and white line the did it.

Racers will disagree with a lot of the tyre shop reccommendations of 200klms before you get into a new tyre. When racing back in the mid 90's i was team "got no money and no tyre warmers". I would put on a new set of bags, and they would be scrubbed in by the end of the first lap. I would often put new tyres on before a race and use the sighting lap to scrub them in. And we are talking road legal rubber here too, not slicks.

On the road, I usually fit a tyre and ride straight to the boulevard, or the nearest set of twisties or on and off ramps, and my tyres are scrubbed by about turn 10!

I don't rock the bike side to side as some do, personally i reckon this loads the tyre more than you initially need to. I just start slowly, gradually increasing my lean angel on each subsequent corner. The Yarra Boulervard for those who don't know it, is a twisty city scenic road here in Melbourne which winds it's way alongside the Yarra Mud Slide errr.....sorry Yarra River.......... It is only 3-4 k's end to end. I do one run from the city to skyline at the other end to ensure plods not around. U-turn and pick up the pace on the return run and Voila!!!!! Scrubbed tyres.

I have been riding since 1978 and have probably had 60 tyres fitted to my machines in that time. Not exactly a novice. Late 2005 I got a new bridgestone on the Moto Guzzi and promptly highsided turning out of the carpark of the tyre joint. Slip Grip Off.
Be careful peoples the mould release crap they leave on is lethal.

Bugger munkee....not again.....heal fast

Strika wrote:

javaman wrote:Sorry to hear that Munkee

I still don't know why people use grease to fit in new tyres. Water and soap will do just fine.

Some will say it's the wax they use during casting of the tyre. But closer inspection showed that's quite a minor thing. Grease was not.

I always wash new tyres with generous amount of water and soap and seems to never having problems with slippery new tyre.

Java- I have never seen or even heard of a bike or tyre shop using "grease" to fit a new tyre Are you sure you just didn't mix it up with the soap they use????? It comes in a bucket rather than a bottle of liquid or a bar of household soap. And they use a brush and a little water to apply it, therefore the bucket of goo can sometimes look like grease.

It took me the longest of time to believe that was grease allright ... In saying that, my last tyre change did not have a similiar stuff, plus they put in new valve, bleed the brake etc. without me asking. Good service.

But yeah I would always get home pronto and wash a new tyre. Never had the need to 'scrub' in...

Bugger and ouch..... I nearly did that on my ZRX 1100 in the rain (not that I make it a habit of riding in the rain... even tho I am in Melbourne).

Take it easy, heal up well and remember this lesson.

Cheers, Tex