Almost R.I.P.ed

3954 Views 18 Replies 11 Participants Last post by R3-D3, Oct 7, 2015

R3-D3

Discussion Starter · Oct 4, 2015

I was riding home on the freeway during rush hour, lane splitting when I should not have. Cars were going in and out of lanes; I guess all these tired people wanted to go home, relax and eat dinner. I saw a fellow rider with a R1 yellow livery (beautiful color) and we rode together past couple of exits. He ended up in front of me while lane splitting when a driver thought it was a great idea to switch lanes without a signal. R1 rider braked and his superior brakes gave him no problems. My little inferior brakes locked my rear wheels for a couple of seconds. Surprisingly, I had total control of my bike as I released the brakes rode through the slight drift. Luckily I did not panic as it would've ended much worse. We both ended up exiting at the same street. He asked if I was fine and complemented my bike. Thank you whoever you are

. I always ride like I have 4 eyes, 2 on the front and back but the unexpected can happen anytime.
Ride safe everyone and ATGATT

1 - 19 of 19 Posts

Kojiiro

· #2 · Oct 4, 2015

Glad you are ok. I came off a ZX6R with absolutely AMAZING Nissin 4 Pots. The first thing I changed on the R3 was the brake line. I dont care if anyone says they are good enough for them, they certainly werent good enough for me. I like being able to stop FAST, and thats from a street rider point of view. I experience that a bit here in San Diego, leaving the base. You can have like 5 riders splitting a lane as we are going home from work.

You should consider an upgraded line, a good brake fluid flush, and maybe some cheap-o ebay levers. I got the levers cause they are adjustable and I like my brakes all the way out.

Norton-Motorsports.com

· #3 · Oct 4, 2015 (Edited)

Kojiiro said:
Glad you are ok. I came off a ZX6R with absolutely AMAZING Nissin 4 Pots. The first thing I changed on the R3 was the brake line. I dont care if anyone says they are good enough for them, they certainly werent good enough for me. I like being able to stop FAST, and thats from a street rider point of view. I experience that a bit here in San Diego, leaving the base. You can have like 5 riders splitting a lane as we are going home from work.

You should consider an upgraded line, a good brake fluid flush, and maybe some cheap-o ebay levers. I got the levers cause they are adjustable and I like my brakes all the way out.

I highly recommend changing the front brake line to a braided steel line and replacing the stock pads with Vesrah RJLs. With those 2 changes, the brakes are very good. However, I would also reconsider your braking strategy, and lay off the rear brake. When you're trying to stop fast, the rear brake isn't going to help you. Go into a parking lot and do some fast stops with just the front brake. Don't jab the front brake, as that will cause the wheel to slide, but progressively press it until you are pressing it very hard. This will first load the front suspension and spread out the contact patch which will give you more grip and more stopping power. Then you can stop the bike extremely fast with just the front brake. You will be able to stop so fast the rear wheel comes off the ground, then you have to learn to position your weight lower when braking hard and grip the tank, don't press all of your weight into the bars. This will help keep the rear wheel down so you can stop even faster. Practice so that you learn how to squeeze the lever in an emergency situation to stop the bike as fast as possible.

Glad you're okay!

See less See more

Reactions: 1

Kojiiro

· #4 · Oct 4, 2015

jbluetooth said:
I highly recommend changing the front brake line to a braided steel line and replacing the stock pads with Vesrah RJLs. With those 2 changes, the brakes are very good. However, I would also reconsider your braking strategy, and lay off the rear brake. When you're trying to stop fast, the rear brake isn't going to help you. Go into a parking lot and do some fast stops with just the front brake. Don't jab the front brake, as that will cause the wheel to slide, but progressively press it until you are pressing it very hard. This will first load the front suspension and spread out the contact patch which will give you more grip and more stopping power. Then you can stop the bike extremely fast with just the front brake. You will be able to stop so fast the rear wheel comes off the ground, then you have to learn to position your weight lower when braking hard and grip the tank, don't press all of your weight into the bars. This will help keep the rear wheel down so you can stop even faster. Practice so that you learn how to squeeze the lever in an emergency situation to stop the bike as fast as possible.

Glad you're okay!

You bring up a good point and something I dont get with street riders. I know a very few who practice quick stops. I do every day on my way to work. There is a stretch right before work that is long, straight, pretty clean, and secluded. I can go really fast and practice coming to a stop. All street riders should really brush up and be consistent with quick stopping.

3th3r

· #5 · Oct 4, 2015

I'll just leave these here:

Reactions: 3

R3-D3

Discussion Starter · #6 · Oct 4, 2015

Thanks for the tips! I knew stock brakes weren't all that great but this definitely gave me a reason to upgrade

sendler

· #7 · Oct 4, 2015

And don't lane split at speeds over 50mph. If traffic is moving 50, just stay in a lane and follow along. Ride patiently.

Yamamama

· #8 · Oct 4, 2015

Kojiiro said:
All street riders should really brush up and be consistent with quick stopping.

+1 - and if you're like most of us and inconsistent about skill drills on your own or with a group of friends, do the ERC every few seasons and especially whenever you get a new bike.

Aufitt

· #9 · Oct 4, 2015

R3-D3 said:
My little inferior brakes locked my rear wheels for a couple of seconds.

Could you elaborate a bit here?
Struggling to work out how 'inferior' brakes could lock the rear wheel?

sedanman

· #10 · Oct 4, 2015

I know racers who almost never touch the rear brake. The absolute shortest stopping distance is achieved by using both brakes with emphasis on the front.

FangShui

· #11 · Oct 4, 2015

3th3r said:
I'll just leave these here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHvQKjfwyDI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-f34n_74oM

Question:

What process are you using to embed YouTube videos in your posts?

I tried using HTML BB codes but HTML is turned off on this Forum. They have Image code active bit not Video code.

Thanks!

Yamamama

· #12 · Oct 4, 2015

It's because of the weight transfer to the front. The harder you're braking, the easier it is to lock the rear. That's why, on a bike without ABS, it's important to practice hard braking technique.

3th3r

· #13 · Oct 5, 2015

FangShui said:
Question:

What process are you using to embed YouTube videos in your posts?

I tried using HTML BB codes but HTML is turned off on this Forum. They have Image code active bit not Video code.

Thanks!

Simply use the http (not https) URL from Youtube and paste it inline. the Automatic Media Embedding mod (AME) installed on this old version of vBulletin will then be able to embed your video.

Forums that use new versions of vBulletin don't have this problem.

FangShui

· #14 · Oct 5, 2015 (Edited)

3th3r said:
Simply use the http (not https) URL from Youtube and paste it inline. the Automatic Media Embedding mod (AME) installed on this old version of vBulletin will then be able to embed your video.

Forums that use new versions of vBulletin don't have this problem.

Thanks! Got it. The 's' signifies encrypted version of the video. So I just removed the 's' from the URL in the URL bar and it worked. I also discovered that you also have to remove anything past the "&" as in "&feature=em-uploademail" ending in a URL (IF there is one) for it to work correctly if the URL is for a featured video...Learning!

Any idea why the https URLs from Vimeo embed just fine as is?

Spacep0d

· #15 · Oct 6, 2015

Glad you survived that. I just tested the R3 for my YouTube motovlog and yeah, I was not impressed with the stock brakes. Even compared to my Ninja 300 with EBC HH sintered metal pads, the R3 brakes just weren't up to par. My 300 has gotten great reviews on its brakes.

So, better pads and stainless lines will make a huge difference.

P.S. The little Raven R3 reminded me so much of the 05 Black R1 I used to own. ;D

Warriorhd

· #16 · Oct 6, 2015

I'm also in SoCal and commute to LAX from Irvine everyday in carpool lane. I stay off the freeways on bike in rush hour traffic. Im not that brave and I give alot of credit to the guys who do it everyday. I see many of the same bikes fly by me when I'm in the car pool lane splitting between car pool and left lane. They are all lucky cause they don't have to crawl in that traffic but too many idiots cross that double yellow line to enter or leave carpool lane. Be careful out there!

sendler

· #17 · Oct 6, 2015

Lane splitting can be done safely as is proven all across Europe and is a benefit to all. But you shouldn't be going more than 25 mph faster than the other traffic.

FangShui

· #18 · Oct 6, 2015 (Edited)

California Highway Patrol used to have official guidelines for lane splitting that stated that it is "not illegal in California when done in a safe and prudent manner". That left it open (this is still true) to interpretation by any LEO:

However, from the CHP website now:

"Information regarding "lane splitting general guidelines" is no longer available. A petitioner complained to the California Office of Administrative Law (OAL) that there was no formal rulemaking process for the guidelines, and raised other objections. The CHP discussed the issue with OAL and chose not to issue, use, or enforce the guidelines and thus, removed them from the website.

California law does not allow or prohibit motorcycles from passing other vehicles proceeding in the same direction within the same lane, a practice often called "lane splitting," "lane sharing" or "filtering." "

Original guidelines were:

http://lanesplittingislegal.com/assets/docs/CHP-lane-splitting-guidelines-California.pdf

These guidelines stated that you shouldn't go more than 10MPH faster than other traffic and never when traffic is going 50MPH or faster.

The AMA decided, from a U.C. Berkeley study that "Lane-splitting is safe if done in traffic moving at 50 mph or less, and if motorcyclists do not exceed the speed of other vehicles by more than 15 mph".

See less See more

R3-D3

Discussion Starter · #19 · Oct 7, 2015

Warriorhd said:
I'm also in SoCal and commute to LAX from Irvine everyday in carpool lane. I stay off the freeways on bike in rush hour traffic. Im not that brave and I give alot of credit to the guys who do it everyday. I see many of the same bikes fly by me when I'm in the car pool lane splitting between car pool and left lane. They are all lucky cause they don't have to crawl in that traffic but too many idiots cross that double yellow line to enter or leave carpool lane. Be careful out there!

Traffic is insane here. I always try to stay under 4th gear when splitting for a shorter braking distance

1 - 19 of 19 Posts

This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.