ridgeracer
Pro
Posts: 1309
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posted April 28, 2007 10:05 PM
Lost the use of my front brakes in the twisties!!!
I was out canyon racing today on my new '06 ZX-6R with only 1600 miles on it when I suddenly found myself without the use of my front brakes. The pinch bolts that hold the master cylinder to the handle bar had come so loose that when I pulled the lever it went all the way to the grip without compressing the piston. I was very very lucky I wasn't seriously hurt.
Sometimes I just cruise the twisties, you know going fast but pretty much holding a constant speed, and sometimes like today I was canyon 'racing'. Hard braking and down shifting into the corners and hard on the gas at the exit. Just a mile or so before this happened I was going downhill, braking hard down from 80 or so into a 180 hairpin posted at 15mph. If I had grabbed a handful of nothing on that hill I would of been in deep shit. As it was I was moving uphill coming up on the crest of a blind hill so I was not on the gas hard. Some quick down shifting and the rear brake got me to the side of the road in one piece.
The most shocking thing was the suddenness of the failure. I don't know how tight the bolts were when I left on my ride this morning but the lever wasn't moving around on the bar or anything like that. This happened some 70 miles into my ride. And as I said I was on the brakes hard only moments before. They might have been loose for a while into my ride but to go from loose to the bottom bolt totally out and the top almost totally out in such a short period really amazes me. All I can think is that blitzing around for extended periods between 10,000 and 15,000 rpms set up some kind of sympathetic vibration in the bars that caused them to very quickly unscrew once they loosened to a certain point.
Now I did loosen these pinch bolts to rotate the brake lever down to lessen the angle on my wrists. The same with the clutch. I've done this to all my bikes when I first get them. I did it to my ZX-12 when I first got it as well as my R-6, ZX-9 etc. I have never had anything like this happen. And its been two months and 1400 miles since I was messing with them.
Did I forget to torque them down? Not likely. I am one of those guys who always over tightens things, the kind of guy who gives the torque wrench another quarter turn after it snaps.
Any way I just thought I would share this with you all in case any of you have adjusted your brake lever position like I did. It may just be that I fucked up big time but on the off chance there is something about the ZX-6 that makes it more likely to do this more than others bikes you may just want to check them bolts.
I put some loctite blue on mine soon as I got home.
   
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12r1
Expert Class
Posts: 390
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posted April 29, 2007 07:13 AM
A noob woulda bit it hard...you handled it well.
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NinjaNick
Needs a job
'08 ZX14 (Blue)
Posts: 4558
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posted April 29, 2007 10:05 AM
Glad to hear you made it out well. 
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worm~hole
Needs a life
Miles to go before I sleep....
Posts: 10623
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posted April 29, 2007 11:18 AM
....WHEW!! 
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princesskiwi
Administrator
MISTRESS of SMACK
Posts: 7688
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posted April 30, 2007 10:58 AM
Lucky Lo - check yours - you just lowered your levers.
RidgeRacer - glad you are still with us - I will keep an eye on my bolts too!
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NinjaNick
Needs a job
'08 ZX14 (Blue)
Posts: 4558
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posted April 30, 2007 02:11 PM
I adjusted both my clutch and brake lever 2 weeks ago. I tightened the bolts probably harder than they were. If you tightened them, I don't see how they could've came loose.  ...WTF gives??
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stevewfl
Moderator
Posts: 27920
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posted April 30, 2007 08:11 PM
on my track bike I use lock-tite and such. haven't had the loose bolt problem.
on the ZX14 KAWI sole it to me with a lot more than the down sensor loose...
____________
2010 Concours14
'08 R1 YAMAHA
ZX14 gone!
CBR600RR track bike
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swainic
Novice Class
Posts: 57
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posted April 30, 2007 09:19 PM
 Edited By: swainic on 30 Apr 2007 22:22
I think Ridgeracer got his dates mixed up, should have posted this story on the 1st of the month, not the 28th. Great tale.
Anyway, a quarter turn past the click torque is a likely sign of stripped threads.
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Lucky Lo
Moderator
I gotta go....
Posts: 677
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posted April 30, 2007 09:48 PM
quote:
Lucky Lo - check yours - you just lowered your levers.
RidgeRacer - glad you are still with us - I will keep an eye on my bolts too!
No worries love!  I'm in good hands.
I've never heard of that happening to anyone... ever. Sure glad you're okay R.R.!
YIKES... what a drama!!
____________
one fast girlfriend....
Be yourself - Everyone else is already taken.
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stevewfl
Moderator
Posts: 27920
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posted May 01, 2007 03:39 AM
____________
2010 Concours14
'08 R1 YAMAHA
ZX14 gone!
CBR600RR track bike
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NinjaNick
Needs a job
'08 ZX14 (Blue)
Posts: 4558
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posted May 01, 2007 07:02 AM
quote:
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worm~hole
Needs a life
Miles to go before I sleep....
Posts: 10623
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posted May 01, 2007 08:23 AM
quote:
Lucky Lo - check yours - - I will keep an eye on my bolts too!
...heh heh...I'll leave the lascivious comments for stevefl to post... 
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Lucky Lo
Moderator
I gotta go....
Posts: 677
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posted May 01, 2007 10:01 PM
lol, a mans brain is a curious thing....
fyi... no bolts... here or there.
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worm~hole
Needs a life
Miles to go before I sleep....
Posts: 10623
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posted May 02, 2007 06:00 AM
...but of course!...we're definitely wired differently
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fish_antlers
Administrator
The Truth is Out There
Posts: 21894
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posted May 02, 2007 06:49 AM
Holy fuck! Is that the "No Drama Lama" ??????
quote:
quote:
____________
What business is it of yours where I'm from, Friendo?
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fish_antlers
Administrator
The Truth is Out There
Posts: 21894
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posted May 02, 2007 06:57 AM
Nope... THIS is the "NO DRAMA LAMA"
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What business is it of yours where I'm from, Friendo?
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worm~hole
Needs a life
Miles to go before I sleep....
Posts: 10623
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posted May 02, 2007 07:35 AM
...I see the no-drama-llama likes to do hurdles...
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Lucky Lo
Moderator
I gotta go....
Posts: 677
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posted May 02, 2007 08:39 AM
LMAO.... patent it, package it and sell it as the " no-drama-dolly-llama"
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NinjaNick
Needs a job
'08 ZX14 (Blue)
Posts: 4558
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posted May 02, 2007 09:41 AM
Hey! I took that picture on X-mas eve here in Jamestown, Ohio, going to my fathers house!
You can't steal that shit! :P
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fish_antlers
Administrator
The Truth is Out There
Posts: 21894
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posted May 02, 2007 10:12 AM
Don't talk to the no-drama-lama that way!!
____________
What business is it of yours where I'm from, Friendo?
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Tool man
Needs a job
Posts: 4493
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posted May 02, 2007 11:41 AM
quote:
LMAO.... patent it, package it and sell it as the " no-drama-dolly-llama"
Get it pregnant and we can call it.... a No-drama-dolly-llama-mama :P
____________
The banks are failing..
The banks are failing...
Invest in Ammo
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worm~hole
Needs a life
Miles to go before I sleep....
Posts: 10623
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posted May 02, 2007 12:13 PM
quote:
quote:
LMAO.... patent it, package it and sell it as the " no-drama-dolly-llama"
Get it pregnant and we can call it.... a No-drama-dolly-llama-mama :P
...give it some silicone implants and call it....a No-drama-dolly-parton-llama-mama....
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ridgeracer
Pro
Posts: 1309
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posted May 04, 2007 07:31 AM
I originally left this part of the story out, but you guys are just begging me to feed the Drama Llama. :P
I had a premonition that something bad was going to happen that day. Have you ever suited up and been walking out to your bike when a little voice in your head says, "Stay home today, don't go for a ride."? I have. Now I'm not superstitious or religious but I have learned to listen to the little voice in my head. I rationalize it as my subconscious, undistracted by the daily noise of life from work, family, bills, etc, looking out for me.
On the 20 mile ride out to the twisties the little voice kept telling me something bad was going to happen. At one point it said "Today is your step-daughter's birthday. Today is not the day to get yourself seriously hurt or killed."
After losing my brakes while I was standing by the side of the road waiting to flag down a couple riders I knew were behind me to see if either of them had an Allen wrench I could use to tighten up my bolts I just kept saying to myself, "Should have listened to the little voice."
I believe there was something about the brake lever, the way it felt or sounded because it was loose, that my subconscious picked up on and tried to warn me about.
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blueford
Needs a job
Posts: 2984
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posted May 04, 2007 03:46 PM
quote:
the little voice kept telling me something bad was going to happen
Trust me, this guy has got all kinds of little voices in his head, Hugo Chavez, Rosie O'Donnell, Carl Marx and Donald Duck.
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princesskiwi
Administrator
MISTRESS of SMACK
Posts: 7688
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posted May 08, 2007 02:38 PM
I get that little voice EVERY time Fish_Antlers asks me to do something with him....
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