Friendly reminder to be extra careful on those cold mornings

[Hoon]

We all know what the cold does to traction...

Last week on my way to work (37 degrees out) i changed lanes and rolled on the throttle to pass a truck, ended up lighting up the rear tire and high siding my zx-10r about a half mile from my house. New tire, cold morning...just caught me off guard.

Broke my shoulder and got knocked unconscious on a busy road. The concussion was mild, but the shoulder looks like it's going to require some hardware.

Riding on cold spring/fall mornings is nothing new to me, i just let my guard down and got bit.

Stay safe out there!

[Karate.Snoopy]

ouch Sorry to read about your crash and glad that you are okay. Hope the damage isn't too much.
Fall and Spring are undoubtedly a tricky time of the year on 2 wheels up here in NE. I myself have dodged the bullet a couple of times and am very careful with the throttle and taking corners.
Wish you a speedy recovery mate

[aldend123]

That's rough. I've felt my tire skip a little easier than usual on the painted lines on these colder days.

What type of tire?

[jasnmar]

Sucks. Sorry to hear about your off.

Good luck in healing up.

[Hoon]

Thanks

That's rough. I've felt my tire skip a little easier than usual on the painted lines on these colder days.

What type of tire?

Dunlop Sportmax Qualifier. Definitely a harder tire than i'm used to, they were a deal, i usually run Pilot powers or 2CTs.

[golden chicken]

Yowza. Speedy recovery.

[SRTie4k]

I too have lost the rear end on a cold day with too much throttle input. It happens sometimes. Get better and get back on that horse!

[sedanman]

This was on my mind this morning on the ride to work. 31 degrees when I left the house. Thanks for the reminder and hopes for a speedy recovery.

[sandman]

We all know what the cold does to traction...

Last week on my way to work (37 degrees out) i changed lanes and rolled on the throttle to pass a truck, ended up lighting up the rear tire and high siding my zx-10r about a half mile from my house. New tire, cold morning...just caught me off guard.

Broke my shoulder and got knocked unconscious on a busy road. The concussion was mild, but the shoulder looks like it's going to require some hardware.

Riding on cold spring/fall mornings is nothing new to me, i just let my guard down and got bit.

Stay safe out there!

fwiw:

every time i get on a street bike i say over and over in my head cold tires, cold tires, cold tires.

as the weather changes so does the pressure in my tires.

i also change my riding style depending on what time of day i'm out.

for instance north facing turns with have dew on them later in the day than south facing stuff.

i carry a pyrometer and set my tires based on the bike i'm on, the weight i'm carrying, the road temp and my tire temp.

anytime i change tires i'm extra extra carful and pay special attention to tire temp.

[dontpanic]

Recover quickly, recover well!

[RandyO]

tire temp makes no difference when pavement temp is below freezing, asphalt looses its resilience with cold temperatures just like motorcycle rubber

[sandman]

tire temp makes no difference when pavement temp is below freezing, asphalt looses its resilience with cold temperatures just like motorcycle rubber

while i don't agree 100% things doo change significantly once the pavement is below freezing.

[Hoon]

Thanks for the well wishes!

I too have lost the rear end on a cold day with too much throttle input. It happens sometimes. Get better and get back on that horse!

Will do, my first two thoughts in the ambulance were

1) I cant wait to be able to fix the bike

2) I'm going to have to forfeit the club pistol league i shoot in (i was winning too :-/ )

This was on my mind this morning on the ride to work. 31 degrees when I left the house. Thanks for the reminder and hopes for a speedy recovery.

Thanks.

Thread success then!

[South of Heaven]

Sorry to hear that Hoon. Friggin blows.....

[nt650hawk]

What type of tire?

New.. and cold really does not matter. I've been delaying on putting on a new tire thus far. I have about 3/32" of tread on the center rear but figured the scuffed in would be better than the new one at this point.





same as mentioned above every day is the air on the caution side of things when the temps are cooler. although I've bee taking this to my advantage along with the wet pavement to work on where things like to step out.

[scarytallman]

Speedy recovery

[aldend123]

New.. and cold really does not matter. I've been delaying on putting on a new tire thus far. I have about 3/32" of tread on the center rear but figured the scuffed in would be better than the new one at this point.

Interesting. I asked because I'm familiar with performance-oriented street tires having a warning about using them under a certain temperature (ie 40F), and that traction would be noticeably worse. I was applying that to motorcycle tires too, but I guess I need to find out if that's true. I've always assumed it had to do with the rubber not being effective if it couldn't get up to temperature, but I'm having trouble finding a source.

Continental doesn't have it on their product info pages, but they do mention it here. It blurs the line between all seasons and summers though, and sounds more like a sales ad for winter tires.

[golden chicken]

My experience with Pilot Powers, then Pilot Road 2s, then Pilot Power 3s would tend to support the idea that sport motorcycle tires perform worse when cold (under 45 degrees) than sport touring tires at the same temp.

[PhilB]

My experience with Pilot Powers, then Pilot Road 2s, then Pilot Power 3s would tend to support the idea that sport motorcycle tires perform worse when cold (under 45 degrees) than sport touring tires at the same temp.

That makes sense. The same reason why race tires don't work as well on the road as regular sport tires -- they're designed for very hard riding and need to be gotten up to a good temperature to work right. Likewise, regular sport tires are designed to work best under sporting conditions, and may not get to temp in slower riding, especially in the cold. I run sport-touring tires on my Monster, since 75% of the riding I do is daily transport, and 20% is touring. Only about 5% is really sporting, and even there, modern sport-touring tires are plenty capable for any speeds a sane person would do on public roads.

PhilB

[nt650hawk]

in talking to the new tire I don't want to mix a new profile that I am not used to, tire release compound and cold temperatures all at the same time. I may be fine to do so but don't want to throw everything together all at the same time if I don't need to.

what do I know I still use probably the better tire option of Street Bias tire for the winter


Bias

Bias tire (or cross ply) construction utilizes body ply cords that extend diagonally from bead to bead, usually at angles in the range of 30 to 40 degrees, with successive plies laid at opposing angles forming a crisscross pattern to which the tread is applied. The design allows the entire tire body to flex easily, providing the main advantage of this construction, a smooth ride on rough surfaces. This cushioning characteristic also causes the major disadvantages of a bias tire: increased rolling resistance and less control and traction at higher speeds.

[RandyO]

in talking to the new tire I don't want to mix a new profile that I am not used to, tire release compound and cold temperatures all at the same time. I may be fine to do so but don't want to throw everything together all at the same time if I don't need to.
.

none of those things, even in combination, cause problems unless you throw a ham fist into the mix

[nt650hawk]

on the ride in today I was tanking of this. Wondering if the painted line aided in your slip. Could have.

+1 Randy. Most rubber gets hard at cold temps. ham fisting 45 hp does set things off w/out the precipitation. kind of fun.



Heal up buckaroo

[stoinkythepig]

Hope you heal fast. Your injuries sound very similar to mine. Trying to sleep with a shoulder injury sucks... I'm exhausted all the time now.

[oVTo]

Hope you heal fast. Your injuries sound very similar to mine. Trying to sleep with a shoulder injury sucks... I'm exhausted all the time now.

Did you try sleeping in a recliner? When I had my rotator cuff done last winter, I slept in a recliner for a few weeks. It's easy to adjust support for the arm and it made all the difference.

Heal fast!

[Hoon]

none of those things, even in combination, cause problems unless you throw a ham fist into the mix

I never said otherwise. I was at petty low rpm though...1000s don't make much steam at 4-5k.

on the ride in today I was tanking of this. Wondering if the painted line aided in your slip. Could have.

+1 Randy. Most rubber gets hard at cold temps. ham fisting 45 hp does set things off w/out the precipitation. kind of fun.



Heal up buckaroo

The line definitely could have been a factor. I can't remember if i hit it or not.

Hope you heal fast. Your injuries sound very similar to mine. Trying to sleep with a shoulder injury sucks... I'm exhausted all the time now.

Yeah it blows. I'm 10 days out and can't sleep through the night yet.

Basically i cracked the scapula around the socket, drove the socket 1.3cm inward, and cracked the full length of the scapula both vertically and horizontally (one giant L shaped fracture). The surgeons have decided that, even though it is displaced 1.3cm, surgery is not the best option. They assure me that in 4-5 months (FML) and with PT, i should regain full use of the shoulder if it heals as is. I hope they're right.

Did you try sleeping in a recliner? When I had my rotator cuff done last winter, I slept in a recliner for a few weeks. It's easy to adjust support for the arm and it made all the difference.

Heal fast!

That's what was recommended to me as well. I usually just sleep on the opposite side, or on my back with pillows under the bad arm. I sleep with the sling on.