Today's ride em break em bodge em dodge em

Had to hit post office early so bundled up for low 50's breeze on in and called Wes to see if he was up for a fling and said let head for the hot air balloon event 50 miles aways, so off we didn't went as Wes pulled up next to me with a free swinging kicker starter. ugh. Well shoot what the hay, there's two of us and slopes a plenty so off we went. Wes must of be relieving frustrations as he set a hot pace 'over the hump' for 15 miles I couldn't bring myself to trust in the tights so lagged a bit for no fear but still had flowing good fun.

Stopped to top his tiny tank up in Lost Valley where I got some healthy drinks in a can and we lit out to climb from 500 ft to 2200 ft then back down the bluff face into a city. The ballooners were long gone by then but expected before dusk to bomb a target. So with an empty parking lot beckoning I finally got to work up screw downs, straight steering, to grind pegs end down and then just as I was getting my sea legs back and working her to hi side flip directions she gave more of a flip than expected, then began to wander about like a ghost in the works or a flat. Kicked tires, nope, shook forks, nope, bounced and bobbled nope nope, then noticed the DumbASS axle sticking out the RH couple inches, Ugh. Tired barbed wire repair but too old stiff so fractured before snug up. So Wes brought back wire and tape and zip ties and hose clamps to see if could bodge to get home. Finally we did , after a while, so headed out, had a meal, ran through some light rain and got home ok - up to 70 mph just fine but not loading axle in turns thank you. Gave Wes a new kicker pawl so all should be well with just our routine additions spending and wrenching. Ain't no chicken strips left on Trixie's old tires, nor poor peg rubbers.

I'm still throbbing from the road glow, got called out for folks in pain so video and photo's later gators...

Finally found right place to find out my -3rd limiting factor- of a factory C'do, its lean fouling w/o messing with edge traction, at either end, ugh- till this ending, just as I gained a bit more lean off the end of pegs, gave'r a bit of the gun, to begin on -4th limiting factor-, rear power handling for high side hook up. I think the 2nd to last tipper popped the axle so the last tipper with a blip out, didn't feel right so straightened some to feel a ghostly hand interfering with her 'stable' geometry. I purposely did not put a knee down as, one, useless to dangerous at speed d/t what I know it can do to tires lift off CoG, two, my chaps don't have much meat left on the balding knee leather area.
[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kO7ukK-OeaI[/video]

Center stand limits LH leans a tad more than RH ones
[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xb4erXA7IiU[/video]

Sounds fantastic 8)

The more I commute on my Ducati the more I appreciate Commando geometry :wink:

Yeah man Capt. B, I am done with moderns, I'd rather take my cage.

These gals just stared at me yelling at them, till I lit up Trixie with a sNort, they tensed then darted off hehe, hope they reminder what chased them last week.


Scenery stops



Just beyond this view my prior hard brake practice paid off and reminded me how scatter brained Oarks vista make me, most of these have warning if only one lane but not this one so by time I saw me and oncoming traffic converging I pulled Trixie down sharply and let line of intent cars/truck pass 1st no contest.


On top of the plateau I did 15 miles in 10 miles of road by working up zig zags at legal speeds till felt the hints of hinging onset and tire slip so that was enough chicken leans in my lane in opens.


Wes's front meat with leaning cleaning.


Trixie's front after parking lot circles

Rear all cleaned off fresh


Dumbass axle sticking out



The 1st barbed wire failed bodge


2nd successful hose clamp to hold axle forward and zip ties to hold it on plus tape to hold axle from sliding back out.



Wes in worship posture wiping and view of holy fuel reserve tank.


Still floating on the peg pivoting sensation, next time will add sliding too.

Wes sent me two from his view point.

Grinning inspecting what all was scrapping, to see Wes had not tucked the exhaust clamps back under as I learned to do on Peel.


Another position of C'do worship while bodging to carry on. This is my second broken axle, Wes was with me both times and saved me both times. Wes said he broke an axle prior too. Maybe he's the reason so many give way? Anyway he found best rescue or safety items, 4" dia hose clamp, robust zip ties and tape or wire.

I had better send my new Roadriders to you Hobot to scrub off the logo on the edge of the tyre, they are sitting there mocking me for being a chicken and not leaning over enough. Can't fault the tyres though, it has never steered or gripped so well.

Hehe Selky, I hand pick off the little injection nubbins to make it look like I rubbed em off. I've about 500 miles on Trixie now which had a few issues that flat scared me to keep up with Wes's clapped out '71 just tooling around our Mt roads. Fork fluid was too thin and front brake - a do nothing panic device. Fixed those and got air pressure about right so she now seems to Roadhold normally at legal-ish speeds. I'd touched the LH center stand only one time prior in a 10 mph hwy turn on "Pig Trail" by sharp tipping but only about 15 mph some weeks prior, BFD, but put my whole being in strain, so did not try that any more thank you.

These parking lot circles were my 1st attempt to see how much I could lean her and not slide right out. The safety of it was no lumps to bounce bike and going slow enough me or bike would not be wadded up damaged. i did pick spots w/o sand/grit layer but now I've felt her out with a bit of tire spin I think the sand/grit could be extra fun to try real stunt slides on. I really do know how to max out a bike of any kind -working up each limiting factor, tire bounce pressure feed back, brake limits, lean limits, leaned power limits then front turn angle limits, In That Order of Priority. Each one can on its own SPLAT you down, then I start combing them two at a time, then three at a time and then and then -ugh- all 4 at once. In the 4 at once events, its only good for crisis saves, when going too fast for sudden change in conditions, like a school bus broke down around a blind. On my tri-rodded past hot rod Ms Peel I could scrub her tire edges off about any time and place I dared too, I know better than ever do that on an untammed isolastic C'do, so should you and everyone ok.

Play on yours a bit, creeping up bit by bit in safe place till you feel it touch, then play with that now and then, it will leave you glowing with a strange sense of calmness for many days afterwards. Just beware you may find you like it too : )

Over here we have plenty of roundabouts, the best ones are those on industrial estates that are not busy at the weekend, ideal for a bit of practice

Use your best wits and judgment but there are few sensations as fun with your clothes on than getting familiar with way over leaning turns. I have a forced on me reflex that makes front brake lever feel like gripping a RED HOT ROD, when faced with sudden hazard, as bikes brake so poorly no matter their technology, so learned to fling around stuff as my 1st reflex before trying to brake. Too many fairly slow braking crashes early on my steep learning curves produced this automatic steer first reflex.

Best single thing you can do to safely know what to expect is to practice on 1/3-1/2 aired down rear, then front, then both. Its exactly the same skill with reversed control action to recover a racers leaned slip out or a touring broken axle wobble.

One of the funnest things is tipped over and skipping rear out with power.
THE Absolute WORSE state to get in is trying to brake while leaned A TABOO to me. I only brake while straight up in line unless just creeping down on very good traction conditions from rather slow speed to begin with, or ELSE...

Dang, dude, don't take out your cameraman!

Dang, dude, don't take out your cameraman!

Click to expand...

LOL! I never risk others with my antics so made sure I was under no strain before crossing in front of Wesley, though he might not have realized it so accounts for the skyward view after I passed by him. He says and I agree, that axle popped as I came back into view and feeling my oats by then gave 'er a blip to kick tire out some and get the hi side fling up ease to change direction. Trixie felt so secure to me by then if I'd not felt the ghostly handling after the very next low down I was going to enter fully the sliding tight circles you see stunters do on moderns. I was sorely tempted to grind tight circles with Wes in the center but would discuss that with him first and practice tightest circles long enough to see for sure how close to risk w/o really risking much.

Alas axle broke before I could show off much, new one ordered to cyro temper with gear box suff then move exhaust clamps under and chop off pegs one half, then see if funner video possible. Supermotords mostly use brake to slide rear around to back into turns, Combats don't have to way up to scary speeds. I want to take Trixie and later Ms Peel to those parking lot cone mazes and see if i can smoke em! Would be cool if remote air craft video could tag along at various view angles.

I will put on the axle rescue kit as standard fitment now on Trixie and Wes's but Peel has bigger solid axle safety feature and lifted 2" over factory so will need to use pillion pegs to get knee clearance on leans no matter the speed.

Someone needs to come up with loop type adjusters for our 750 risk taking, it may not stop fractured axles but it will stop the surprise show stopper handling upset when it does.

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJMWWE9C9aU&feature=related[/video]

How bad a break was it?

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87kW5zcbkFs[/video]