Tank slapper - again... getting pretty ****** off now..

  • Thread starter Thread starter Deleted member 40275
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I had something similar on my rc51 and we found that the belt in the front tire had started to pull away from the actual tire carcass. New tire and all was good once again.
 
inreb said:
That's harsh. New head bearings could have been installed by noobish mechanic and immediately taken for safety check. Sometimes you think the races are set but, no, they pound in deeper with riding. That can cause a lot of slop eventually, something the certifying mechanic wouldn't see initially.
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I did say I felt the bike was okay on delivery, but even so, "harsh"? I'm not sure. If the OP had crashed because some mechanic did pass his bike in that bad of a condition with a bad result, what would be harsher? I feel the bike was okay when delivered because if it was in the condition the OP describes, I would be amazed. Not that I haven't been before, but really, the bike was as bad as this on delivery?

e90 said:
...We found the cause of my tankslappers... there was an INCREDIBLE amount of play in the front end.. the wheel could be rocked back and forth while the bike was on a lift. So we spent a good deal of time tightening the hell out of it...
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Sure the OP is a noob and didn't known any better, but how much of a noob or worse of a mechanic must one be not to at least grab and rock the forks to check for head set play?

The type that needs to be out of the business IMO. Not harsh considering the consequences. Kevin Ash was killed on a model of bike that was known to have loose triple clamps from the factory, and he was an expert rider. Not saying that was the cause of his crash, just that there's a strong association.
 
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twinswin said:
At some point the bike must have been right during your ownership period, as it passed a safety inspection, and if the wheel/front end was as loose as you say, then the inspecting mechanic should lose his license. Chances are it came lose and you didn't notice it until the head shake. That's why so many people above mentioned regular maintenance/inspections.
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twinswin said:
I did say I felt the bike was okay on delivery, but even so, "harsh"? I'm not sure. If the OP had crashed because some mechanic did pass his bike in that bad of a condition with a bad result, what would be harsher? I feel the bike was okay when delivered because if it was in the condition the OP describes, I would be amazed. Not that I haven't been before, but really, the bike was as bad as this on delivery?



Sure the OP is a noob and didn't known any better, but how much of a noob or worse of a mechanic must one be not to at least grab and rock the forks to check for head set play?

The type that needs to be out of the business IMO. Not harsh considering the consequences. Kevin Ash was killed on a model of bike that was known to have loose triple clamps from the factory, and he was an expert rider. Not saying that was the cause of his crash, just that there's a strong association.
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You're calling for the inspecting mechanic to lose his licence when it's entirely possible and probably likely that the headset was tight when he checked it. That's how I'm understanding it. What am I missing? Do you have insider knowledge?
 
inreb said:
You're calling for the inspecting mechanic to lose his licence when it's entirely possible and probably likely that the headset was tight when he checked it. That's how I'm understanding it. What am I missing? Do you have insider knowledge?
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Let me reiterate: If the bike was indeed delieverd as described, I say the shop/mechanic should lose their/his/her license. I have said it before and now again, I feel it was okay when he took delivery, because only an unimaginably, egregiously, incompetent mechanic/shop would release a bike in that condition, not that they don't exist, and that it came loose as he was riding it, but he's too noob to known the diff.

Is that clear enough?
 
twinswin said:
At some point the bike must have been right during your ownership period, as it passed a safety inspection, and if the wheel/front end was as loose as you say, then the inspecting mechanic should lose his license. Chances are it came lose and you didn't notice it until the head shake. That's why so many people above mentioned regular maintenance/inspections.
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twinswin said:
Let me reiterate: If the bike was indeed delieverd as described, I say the shop/mechanic should lose their/his/her license. I have said it before and now again, I feel it was okay when he took delivery, because only an unimaginably, egregiously, incompetent mechanic/shop would release a bike in that condition, not that they don't exist, and that it came loose as he was riding it, but he's too noob to known the diff.

Is that clear enough?
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Oh, is that what that meant? ok,......sounds like you said first it must have been right and later it was loose and then blaming it on the inspector for not catching it. That did sound a little off. Your reiteration is appreciated:cool:
 
Wow, has this thread taken a turn from tank slapper to poor safety check. Let's get back to tank slapper - tank slapper is caused by the rake/trail of the bike. Talk to some track day guys and they will tell you to quicken the steering on your bike loosen the triple clamps and rase the forks and bring the rake in. This WILL make the bike steer quicker, BUT you WILL need a steering damper. Want to reduce a tank slapper, rake out the forks. (How many cruiser have tank slappers?). Tank slappers are NOT caused by tires, chains, engine mods or aftermarket pipes. Likewise loose bolts are caused by vibration. They will simply "shake" loose. If the factory did not torque the bolts "properly" this may cause the bolts to loosen with vibration, or "if" someone raised the forks (also has an effect of lowering the bike) then this is where some problems may have come from. Now it seams you tighten the "hell" out of some bolts - poor practice. Owner's manuels will have a torque value for everything - use it, follow it. You could be causing more damage. However you are new to motorcycle and have lots to learn.
 
Trackday said:
Wow, has this thread taken a turn from tank slapper to poor safety check. Let's get back to tank slapper - tank slapper is caused by the rake/trail of the bike. Talk to some track day guys and they will tell you to quicken the steering on your bike loosen the triple clamps and rase the forks and bring the rake in. This WILL make the bike steer quicker, BUT you WILL need a steering damper. Want to reduce a tank slapper, rake out the forks. (How many cruiser have tank slappers?). Tank slappers are NOT caused by tires, chains, engine mods or aftermarket pipes. Likewise loose bolts are caused by vibration. They will simply "shake" loose. If the factory did not torque the bolts "properly" this may cause the bolts to loosen with vibration, or "if" someone raised the forks (also has an effect of lowering the bike) then this is where some problems may have come from.
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Some of what you say is somewhat true. In any event the bike in question definitely needs to be assessed by an expert.
 
e90 said:
So I took a ride down to Milton today to chill out with Adrian at Ace Moto Tech - he looked the bike up and down and found a variety of issues - issues at the triple tree, random fairing bolts falling off loose, issues with the chain - it was pretty much dragging on the ground and needed MAJOR adjustment, evidence that the front suspension was tampered with etc.

Adrian's gonna set it all straight this week when I swap in my Pirelli's. Thanks for all the advice... turns out I'm not just another stupid noob and that I've just been nursing a bike with a major set-up issue.... still a stupid noob though...
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How do you even ride a bike like that, WOT, etc ? Didn't the MSF course teach you anything?
 
Trackday said:
Wow, has this thread taken a turn from tank slapper to poor safety check. Let's get back to tank slapper - tank slapper is caused by the rake/trail of the bike. Talk to some track day guys and they will tell you to quicken the steering on your bike loosen the triple clamps and rase the forks and bring the rake in. This WILL make the bike steer quicker, BUT you WILL need a steering damper. Want to reduce a tank slapper, rake out the forks. (How many cruiser have tank slappers?). Tank slappers are NOT caused by tires, chains, engine mods or aftermarket pipes. Likewise loose bolts are caused by vibration. They will simply "shake" loose. If the factory did not torque the bolts "properly" this may cause the bolts to loosen with vibration, or "if" someone raised the forks (also has an effect of lowering the bike) then this is where some problems may have come from. Now it seams you tighten the "hell" out of some bolts - poor practice. Owner's manuels will have a torque value for everything - use it, follow it. You could be causing more damage. However you are new to motorcycle and have lots to learn.
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There are many possible causes of a tank slapper. Worn swing arm bearings, incorrectly adjusted steering stem bearings, mis-matched or under inflated tires to name a few. "Captain America" of Easy Rider fame was heavily raked and yet the steering was so unstable that it was almost impossible to ride at speeds of over 35 mph. Check out the movie, you will not see that bike riding fast.
 
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