Engine problem cause of crash?... @ ZX-14.com

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dubious

Needs a life
Needs more time to ride!
Posts: 8442

posted August 21, 2006 07:04 PM

WE NEED PICS, good ones

you never looked to see what locked up the front tire?
If you went down immediatly while travelling straight,
it was the front, that took you out not the rear.

the rear locking can be skidded to a stop if there is room to counter steer, and keep it balanced.

What was the brake resevoir fluid level?
I have seen guys run the resevoir to high, and when the fluid expanded from heat, begin to apply the brakes.
The rear brakes on Honda mx bikes are famous for overheating, and this can happen on them.
____________
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Some are not worthy of the effort.

htosado

Zone Head
Posts: 949

posted August 21, 2006 07:20 PM

A bike built on 05/06? The day after Cinco De Mayo? Ouch! no wonder. Maybe he ran over Bigfoot? Or an Electro-Magnetic-Pulse from China? Or an alien was trying to obduct him, but he was riding too fast?

stevewfl

Moderator
Posts: 27920

posted August 21, 2006 07:29 PM

quote:
That must be a 2007 ZX14...with the new ALBS option (A Lot of Bull Shit). :P

+1
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flyboy

Pro
Posts: 1536

posted August 21, 2006 08:26 PM

His post is b.s. A Busa man? BMW man? Someone trying to hurt 14 sales? Al-Qaeda?
Funny that it's his first post.
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blitzkrieg

Needs a job
Road kill = Free lunch.
Posts: 2044

posted August 21, 2006 08:57 PM

Think about this:

Every bike I've ever fucked up I've had pic's of the damage (whether I took them or in the case of my last wreck a buddy did).

Now, why would I go on a site, having just bought the very bike that supposedly locked up and freaked out as my first post?

By my own admission I've owned said bike for a month+ but my first post is the bike goes postal for no reason and loops me and I have no clue why.

Would you look at me with suspicion under that same criteria? Yep.

Give yourself some credo "homegrown". Post some pic's of you screwed up 2K mile bike or something, but don't expect most people here to give you credence based upon 200 words in your first post (or 100th depending on you).

vegasdude

Zone Head
Posts: 821

posted August 21, 2006 09:02 PM

3Boysand3Bikes

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Posts: 382

posted August 21, 2006 09:27 PM

quote:
I just traded in my 1100 beemer for a blue 14 (early July). After my break-in, three weeks and 2,450 miles I was riding along - within the speed limit (Really!! 55-60mph), there were no other cars on the road (just an 18 wheeler which almost flattened me - BUT serves as my witness to this incident), no potholes/debris, not accelerating or braking, the road was flat and straight... I hear a violent metallic clank and then I'm sliding down the highway - there was no loss of control, no chance to recover - it happened instantly! When I get up (not realizing my kneecap was almost entirely visible at the moment) I saw oil and fluids pouring out of the crankcase. Aside from the cosmetic damage from sliding, the total repair is about $8,000 - thankfully paid for by my good friends at Rider! I do my fair share of riding (20-25,000 mi/yr) but have NEVER heard of anything remotely similar to this before - with a Kawi or any other bike! I'm not too knowledgeable when it comes to the internal workings of the trans or engine but I can't imagine both wheels locking at the same time - if they find a problem in the engine/trans, I would think it would only have affected the rear, not front... and not have caused the bike to go down immediately either - maybe skid/fishtail dragging the rear, etc... The only thing I can think of is some part worked its way loose inside, jammed things up, and punched through the crankcase???...
I'm just about ready to start riding again and Kawasaki (and my lawyer!) is investigating the accident but I'd also like to see if anyone else has had the unfortunate luck I did - or can offer some comments/ideas...

In reading your post... several things pop out at me.... First, you say you traded in early July.... and then you say "three weeks and 2,450 miles..." that puts the accident at around the first part of August... which is several weeks ago... the other thing I see is in the end you state that "I'm just about ready to start riding again..." ... so again this puts the accident in the distant past... you also state that you sold the BMW... so did you get another zx-14??? because you also say that the bike was paid for by Rider... are you saying you have another 14?? In this time you have not:
#1 inspected the bike further to get answers for your own safety...
#2 had any preliminary information as to what was wrong with the bike (yet you will ride another one that could have claimed your life??!!)
#3 had any facts updated to you from your attorney as far as Kawasaki's "roll" in the accident...
All of these things would occur within days of an accident of this type, especially with so many zx-14's running around out there.... Kawasaki had a 'recall' on the "tip over switch" even though there was no actual accident... just so they would protect themselves from litigation...yet with your situation they have had weeks and not given one statement or warning to anyone?? Very hard to believe!! Either you were toasted and made a mistake that you will not own up to... you thought that it had a linked braking system and hammered the front brakes, you are trying to milk Kawasaki... or you are plain out lying. Any way I read your post, it seems that you are not being honest. Since you are playing with lives here... and since you are willing to post something on here that is threatening to us all, we expect you to give us a detailed explanation, or be banned from this site for the irresponsibility of your post. I will say that I am not going to say that you did not have an accident... since I do not know you at all.... but your recollection of the facts is either inacurate, or fabricated. Thanks in advance for responding to our questions honestly and rapidly. CH

blitzkrieg

Needs a job
Road kill = Free lunch.
Posts: 2044

posted August 21, 2006 09:51 PM

Okay now, thats the second time I have read reference to the "tip-over switch" and the recall.

First off, IF the tip-over switch actually works at all, Kawasaki is doing better on the zx-14 than they did on the 12, because the down sensor on the 12 is a joke.

I've been involved with numerous 12's that have gone down and been oil starved. Truth.

You want to know the guy on a 12 that takes his curves seriously and doesn't want the cost of a new motor on top of all the other damage? Look for the innocuous thether.

Second, a shorting down sensor is NOT going to wipe you out.

Does anybody really believe ALL of the motorcycle mfg's would agree with NHTSA that ALL bikes will have a cutoff switch within a flick of the thumb if it would lock the rear wheel up doing so?

Doesn't happen.

Take your bike out tomorrow and hit the kill switch (not at too high of a speed because the motor has no oil pressure when you do it) and see what happens.

Kawasaki did that recall to cover their ass from the idiot that freaks out and goes head on into a semi because the bike "stopped running" and he is looking down at his foot when he should be riding the bike and getting it and he out of harms way.

Just my .02

3Boysand3Bikes

Expert Class
Posts: 382

posted August 21, 2006 10:48 PM

My point exactly blitz!!! Even though it is not a serious concern... they still had a "recall".... to cover their butts.... I am not saying that this allegged accident was caused by the down sensor... I am saying that if a zx-14 actually "froze" up for no reason and was totaled.. Kawasaki would certainly step up and offer an answer as soon as possible to cover their "butts" as well as avoid further problems!! Since they have had at least several weeks with an attorney threatening them, they would certainly get down to the problem that caused this accident. Since nothing has been heard about this from anyone.. it is a pretty good indication that it was not a problem with the bike, or they would have jumped up and done a total recall on the bike. The down sensor is a good thing to have. I personally have been down before.. and both times the bikes were still running on the ground. (A 1973 honda 360 and a 85 gs700esf) With newer bikes, I am sure that shutting down would save the motor. There were several "recalls" on my 2001 zx-12 for tire valve stems and another part that could leak fluid, (I can't remember exactly)... but in both situations there was no actual injuries and yet they still had the recalls... in this case there were injuries... AND a totaled bike... I am sure that we would have heard something by now from this incident... IF it happened as he says.

BobC

Pro
Posts: 1736

posted August 21, 2006 11:45 PM

I entirely agree that a fault with the tip-over switch / down sensor would not cause an accident in the circumstances described.
I had a side stand come loose on a ZZR1100 some years ago, kills the engine in almost the same way if the bikes in gear. At the time I was in a group, banked over in a left-hand bend and doing around 130mph. There was a "WTF" moment when the engine cut, then as I pulled in the clutch it restarted and I realised what was going on. At no time did I lose control and coasted safely to the side of the road.
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zerMATT

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posted August 22, 2006 04:44 AM

swft

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posted August 22, 2006 05:25 AM

:deadhorse:

HiMile14

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posted August 22, 2006 06:47 AM

I've studied many accidents and although it's not impossible to lock both wheels, I suspect it was not caused by Kawasaki. If while riding a board or a like jammed the front tire (pretty dam difficult to do at speed) it may make it appear as if both tires locked.

Recently I hit a patch of diesel or hydraulic fluid and it was super slippery (dam near took me down). If he hit a patch of this stuff while riding with the slightest lean, well this might explain the crash. In almost every crash the first and seeming most logical explanation is rarely the correct one, let the investigation take place then we can play discovery.

If FBA is correct about this guy posting this story all over the place. I suspect that he screwed up and is looking for an excuse for the crash. Posting pictures or commenting on the crash would help me understand. Example the forks would have marks consistent with wheel-stop. If the wheel still spins I'll call BS on front-lock.

To be fair the reason we may not hear from him is because his lawyer told him to shut up until discovery is complete.

SoCal ZX-14 Rider

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Posts: 351

posted August 22, 2006 08:44 AM

quote:
Okay now, thats the second time I have read reference to the "tip-over switch" and the recall.

First off, IF the tip-over switch actually works at all, Kawasaki is doing better on the zx-14 than they did on the 12, because the down sensor on the 12 is a joke.

Just my .02

I have one experience with the bike-down sensor!
I had to drop the bike as I went off the road during a high speed Palomar mnt. twisty run. I managed to slow enough to just drop the bike in the sloped dirt off the corner of a turn.

The bike ran for pretty long before it turned off by itself. About 10 - 15 seconds.
So its not an instant shut off.
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SoCal ZX-14 Rider

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Posts: 351

posted August 22, 2006 08:47 AM

I think the number of posts he has tells the story.
Also, its day 2 and still he hasn't replyed to any of this.
Must be just a hit-and-run tactic to stir up the forum.
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shawnski

Pro
Posts: 1809

posted August 22, 2006 08:54 AM

quote:
I think the number of posts he has tells the story.
Also, its day 2 and still he hasn't replyed to any of this.
Must be just a hit-and-run tactic to stir up the forum.

or in hospital doing knee surgery but i doubt it.
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mugsymd

Expert Class
Posts: 169

posted August 22, 2006 11:50 AM

This guy is FOS - 1st of all Rider does NOT cover the ZX-14, and from a medical standpoint he is also FOS - heck I'm a physician - and impossible to heal from that type of knee injury let alone to get ONLY that injury that he states!!! Bottom line, find this guy and I'm sure he will look perfectly healthy!
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mugsymd

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Posts: 169

posted August 22, 2006 11:51 AM

AND, it was his 1st and ONLY post!!!
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2005 K1200S
2006 ZX-14 - Red

Mano 2

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posted August 22, 2006 01:02 PM

Bullshit post

HiMile14

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Posts: 424

posted August 22, 2006 01:18 PM

Mugsymd,
Great point, hell just having a broken finger I was sitting at the computer with out much to do.

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