Phytrax
Zone Head
Posts: 526
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posted October 29, 2006 06:19 AM
 Edited By: Phytrax on 29 Oct 2006 06:21
Almost wrecked the big 14!
Had a little scare a couple of days ago I thought I'd share. I pulled off into the emergency lane to make sure I didn't leave my cell phone behind. When I pulled back onto the interstate there was some traffic coming that was not terribly far off so I got on the throttle hard and figured I'd pull the front wheel up. I guess the temperature being about 20F lower than last time I had pulled the front wheel up made a big difference because the bike shot straight up to 12 o'clock ( I really thought I was past 12, like maybe 2 o'clock). I thought for sure I was going all the way over and almost let go of the bike. Fortunately I didn't and the bike came back down. On the way back down I felt like I was leaning hard to the left and expected high side to my right. To my surprise (again), the bike simply shuddered for a second and straightened out.
I was truly amazed that the front tire had come back down. I'll admit I've never found the balance point on my 14, so maybe that's why I was so astonished, but to me it's about the closest thing I've felt to a miracle. My dad having just died a couple of days before from leukemia also made me more open to the idea of divine intervention. After riding a mile or so I realized, holy crap, my $1600 Corbin bags must have bounced me back down. I quickly pulled off the highway to check damage, but nothing, not a scratch.
I had full textile gear on, including boots, so I'm pretty confident that I would have walked away without serious injury (or ran away since there was an 18 wheeler coming in my lane). As soon as the road disappeared below my field of vision all I could picture was metal and plastic flying everywhere though, my 2 week old ZX-14 trashed. I'm pretty sure the 18 wheeler would have had time to stop, but if he was daydreaming and the bike came down on me, it could have been just nasty.
I have a little more respect for the power of that big engine now. Can't say it slowed me down any, I did some speed riding that night, but I won't underestimate this bike again.
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Concourse14- Corbin Seat, Candy Apple Red Paint, Area P Slip-On
RIP+ZX-14- Brock's Gen3, Heli Risers, Corbin Bags, Corbin Seat and Oval Backrest (Burgandy Snakeskin and black alligator), Muzzys Frame Sliders, flies out, 18t front sprocket, PC3, Puig Double Bubble, Pirelli Diablo Strada's
KX450F - kickstand
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ninja14
Pro
Posts: 1136
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posted October 29, 2006 07:26 AM
It was that front sprocket that got ya :-)
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Denver zx 14
Novice Class
Posts: 70
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posted October 29, 2006 07:50 AM
Do you have your flies out?
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Phytrax
Zone Head
Posts: 526
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posted October 29, 2006 08:25 AM
Edited By: Phytrax on 29 Oct 2006 08:28
No flies out, bone stock right now. Never had it come up so fast before. I'd guess it came up somewhere around 7k where the secondaries open up fully. I had the throttle pinned, but I've done the same thing at the track while laying over the tank and the front wheel barely comes up.
Stock sproket on the 14, too. The Gixxer has the smaller sprocket.
It's possible I just backed out of the throttle too late. A lot of what happened is kinda blurry, but I remember thinking I was going to take off really fast AND do a wheelie... the 2 don't really go together.
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Concourse14- Corbin Seat, Candy Apple Red Paint, Area P Slip-On
RIP+ZX-14- Brock's Gen3, Heli Risers, Corbin Bags, Corbin Seat and Oval Backrest (Burgandy Snakeskin and black alligator), Muzzys Frame Sliders, flies out, 18t front sprocket, PC3, Puig Double Bubble, Pirelli Diablo Strada's
KX450F - kickstand
>>> MySpace --CLICK-- <<<
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tool man
Needs a job
Posts: 4493
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posted October 29, 2006 09:07 AM
Guard that rear brake!!! The 14 wheelies ok but not like my old ZRX that had a balance point a mile wide. Yano.... It's a fact that a majority of accidents happen on new bikes even for experienced riders. So go slow, and you are never to good to practice... Which is where I'm going right now , to the canyons 
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The banks are failing..
The banks are failing...
Invest in Ammo
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14black
Expert Class
Posts: 280
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posted October 29, 2006 09:27 AM
Glad you came out unscathed. My Dad died from leukemia in '93 at 60 years old...6 months before he was healthy as a horse...my sincere sympathies go out to you and yours!
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kawabusakid
Expert Class
Fast as my $$ will take me
Posts: 292
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posted October 29, 2006 09:28 AM
Glad everything worked out...Damn!
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ninja14
Pro
Posts: 1136
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posted October 29, 2006 04:29 PM
oops..........I see.
The weight of the bags back there probably helped it come up. WIth my mods I can hardly keep it down..........wheelies almost from idle..........even pops up on the 2-3 shift :-)
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fastestbusaaround
Needs a life
I eat Fish...
Posts: 7889
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posted October 29, 2006 06:04 PM
Loaded bags'll make that thing pop-up in a heartbeat...
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FYYFF!!!
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Phytrax
Zone Head
Posts: 526
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posted October 29, 2006 07:15 PM
I haven't wheelied much with the bags yet so maybe so. The bags were full but nothing heavy, maybe 15 lbs max. Then again the bags themselves are a bit heavy.
____________
Concourse14- Corbin Seat, Candy Apple Red Paint, Area P Slip-On
RIP+ZX-14- Brock's Gen3, Heli Risers, Corbin Bags, Corbin Seat and Oval Backrest (Burgandy Snakeskin and black alligator), Muzzys Frame Sliders, flies out, 18t front sprocket, PC3, Puig Double Bubble, Pirelli Diablo Strada's
KX450F - kickstand
>>> MySpace --CLICK-- <<<
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ninja14
Pro
Posts: 1136
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posted October 30, 2006 01:24 AM
I found that even w/ stock gears that if I took my feet off the pegs - which moves weight back a little - it would wheelie a lot easier.........so the bags w/ anything in them should do it.........
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