Big_T112
Pro
Posts: 1061
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posted October 03, 2010 09:55 PM
1987 Wheely crash
This was back in the summer of 1987. I had brought my 1986 Suzuki GSXR750 to the dragstrip with me to ride it in the Wheely contest that they would have once a month. At the time I had an old GS1100 wheely bar bike I was riding in the ET class and I would bring the stock GSXR to ride wheelys on. If any of you ever road an early GSXR750 then you know about the speed wobble and head shake. Here is how I had one of my worst crashes at a track. They called for the Wheely contest contestants to come up to the starting line. There were sevral people in it including myself. The stands were packed and people lined the fence all the way to the end of the track. It was in Columbus Miss. at an 1/8th mile event. Winner gets $100 dollars. This was before stunting (at least in Miss.) Deal is you come through the burnout box and have the front tire in the air by the christmas tree, go as far as you can and some track workers mark where your front tire goes down. Each person got two try's. I was third on the first run. The first two guys go about 3/4 of the track. I went almost to the 1/8th finish line. I had clutched it up in 1st at a pretty slow speed, I shifted to 2nd in the air and wound it out, I hit third and was trying to beat the other guys marks so I wound it as tight as I could in 3rd. I could see my shadow on the track from the sun and could see the front wheel spokes in it which told me the front wheel had quit spinning. As the front end touched down I could see the puff of white smoke as the tire skidded for a second as it got up to speed. This produced the most violent headshake to date I have ever experienced. The handlebars were going back and forth from lock to lock, I could not hold on to them. It was like trying to wrestle a steer. It threw me up onto the gas tank and I slid off on the left side of the bike, leg dragging on the pavement me holding on to the gas tank to keep from comming off. Now with my weight hanging on the left side of the bike it is starting to turn towards the guardrail in the other lane. I am thinking it's going to crush me against the guardrail so I need to let go. But as I get ready to bail the frontend washes and the bike goes down on the left side just missing me. I can hear the nice blue and white farings crunching. I had on a jacket and gloves but just jeans. I feel the burn of road rash on my legs and hip. The bike throws a shower of sparks and plastic parts in the air as it flips end over end, I remember seeing the headlight assy. sliding by as I was tumbling down the track. I came to a stop 25 ft. behind the bike and about 2 feet from a light pole. I laid there a minute to see if anything was broken but luckily I was just road rashed. The GSXR was completly naked. It had knocked all the farings off of it plus the gas tank. It would still run though and I sold it without fixing it. that was the day I became a huge fan of steering dampners. I still have the black leather jacket and now wear it when I ride the Harley. It has real road rash scars on it and has character which is missing in a lot of the wannabe Harly riders. I have had some that have tried to buy the jacket. Now a days you would get thrown out of a track for doing a wheely. Back then it was a crowd favorite.
  
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BobC
Pro
Posts: 1736
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posted October 04, 2010 03:23 AM
 Edited By: BobC on 4 Oct 2010 14:35
You lived to tell the tale thank goodness, early GSXR750's were known to be twitchy.
It's a good advert for steering dampers and leather suits. It was only last year that I threw away a twenty year old set of leathers that had been down the road at least three times, fastest at about 80mph. They had "character" too. 
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Candy Thunder Blue 2006 ZZR1400
Stock wheelbase
Max: 205.4 mph in 1.25 miles
2012 ZZR1400 in Golden Blazed Green
Brock CT Full System. etc
Max: 203.1 in 1 mile (so far)
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1badzx12r
Needs a life
Posts: 8321
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posted October 04, 2010 04:14 AM
Edited By: 1badzx12r on 4 Oct 2010 12:19
quote:
I could not hold on to them. It was like trying to wrestle a steer. It threw me up onto the gas tank
wussie
1981
try being drunk and get hit in the eye by a 2 lane june bug and crashing on a fresh batch of oyster shell road material.. leathers don't do shitt on that stuff
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S06nIz4scvI
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Hellmutt
Needs a job
Posts: 2013
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posted October 04, 2010 04:22 AM
Yeah, a lot of the backroads in Florida were that way back in the 80's........may still be like that -- we lived between New Smyrna and Edgewater, but it is cool to throw roost all over your buddies anytime you want!!
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British flying couch with endtables and an orange thumper
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Big_T112
Pro
Posts: 1061
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posted October 04, 2010 08:14 AM
I always thought the leather coat was enough. I had pretty bad road rash where my leather jacket pulled up while I was sliding/flipping and exposed raw skin. You ever try to work with scabbed over road rash??? It's painful.
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1badzx12r
Needs a life
Posts: 8321
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posted October 04, 2010 09:12 AM
quote:
. You ever try to work with scabbed over road rash??? It's painful.
ever had a wire brush used to get oyster shell pieces out of road rash
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S06nIz4scvI
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BobC
Pro
Posts: 1736
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posted October 04, 2010 01:39 PM
Edited By: BobC on 4 Oct 2010 21:39
quote:
ever had a wire brush used to get oyster shell pieces out of road rash
I came off a mountain bike once and got a bad case of road rash, I had to stand under a shower with a hard brush and scrub the wounds clean. Amazing what you can do when you have to.
____________
Candy Thunder Blue 2006 ZZR1400
Stock wheelbase
Max: 205.4 mph in 1.25 miles
2012 ZZR1400 in Golden Blazed Green
Brock CT Full System. etc
Max: 203.1 in 1 mile (so far)
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1badzx12r
Needs a life
Posts: 8321
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posted October 04, 2010 03:47 PM
quote:
quote:
Amazing what you can do when you have to.
+1
A BOTTLE of Jack Daniels and a tube of Oral-Jel . And a smoke if you got 1 ..
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S06nIz4scvI
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eklipse636
Needs a life
ZX-14
Posts: 6046
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posted October 04, 2010 04:06 PM
I'd have to smoke more than a cigarette to out a wire brush to road rash on my body...
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Best: 60ft 1.351 1/8 5.68 mph 123.98 1/4
8.89 mph 151.32
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1badzx12r
Needs a life
Posts: 8321
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posted October 04, 2010 07:53 PM
quote:
I'd have to smoke more than a cigarette
thats shitts illegal son .and will rot your brain . you'll end up being like wee
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S06nIz4scvI
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