Ducati Sporting Club UK > General > Idle Chat > Can you pass me the heart rate monitor please?

[Jools]

In a few minutes I'll be slinging some stuff in a bag to go on a business trip, so I couldn't join in any rideouts today.

Since I was up and about early, I thought I would go out for an hour or two on the bike and check out some roads near where I live for possible BHC rideout loops. They're the sort of roads that look promising, but ones which are a bit off my beaten track, so I've only driven them in the car, and then not very frequently.

So, I'm out on the Beds/Bucks borders riding towards Cranfield from the Salford direction....mmmmm....nice road. Smooth, a couple of nice sweepers and some tighter twisty bits. A short stretch of road but spot on.

I reached the roundabout at the Cranfield Technology Park and turned left towards Moulsoe. Now I haven't been riding particularly fast, because I've been dodging showers and the roads are still very wet in places with lots of puddles and standing water. As I said, they're also roads I've only driven down once or twice so I don't really know them either. So I accelerated away from the roundabout and set the bike up for an approaching right hander. A 30 degree bend but the road is minor B road wide and a bit bumpy so I'm over to the far left of the road, knock it down a cog, just roll off the throttle down to about 60, little farm track off to the left at the start of the bend looks like a good turn in point, I can see the apex and the exit so tip it in and roll on the throttle again...BANG....

Suddenly I hit something in the road with enough force to jar the wind out of me. The front wheel is violently flung into the air and my hands are almost thown from the bars. The front of the bike comes back down to earth all crossed up and suddenly I'm in a full on lock-to-lock tank slapper. This was no little shimmy or lively head shaking this is one of those 'Oh my God, I'm gonna crash' moments. Some instinct told me not to fight it and just loosen my grip. As it happens my natural riding style is one where I ride with very 'soft hands', I just hold the bars gently and hardly put any weight on my arms which are normally very relaxed. Sure enough as soon as I let go, the front gave another couple of slaps then sorted itself out...fortunately the tank slapper had drifted the bike towards the middle of the road so I had made it round the bend as well.

I've talked about the bike feeling a little overdamped in another thread, but this felt as if I had girder forks on it, so I turned around to see what had caused it. As I rode the other way past the entrance to what turned out to be Leys Farm the bike gave another fierce jolt...This time I was only doing 30mph. I went back over this bit of road about four times and it turns out that there is a lump right across the road that's like a small speed hump, but here's the thing...even sat right next to it it looks almost invisible and completely harmless...

I'm off to report it because it's potentially lethal...If the road had been dry I'd have hit it even harder.

I had to ride off the adrenalin then, so I did another 50 or so shaky miles to try and get my confidence back, which I did of sorts, round some better roads. Got home and the bike is covered in salt and road grime and I haven't got time to wash it.

So BHC guys, I think we'll give that road a miss unless we all want to try some formation tank slapping

[Edited on 14-3-2004 by Jools]

[dave w]

Jees mate, That was some scary brown trousers moment you had there !

Well done for saving it though mate ! Top Marks !!

Hope you have recovered and hope your business trip goes a little smoother for you.

[Totto]

Take some pictures of it ,so that you can show anyone (if someone comes )what you mean !

[lane748]

Hope you've checked your front wheel & headset as well. Ducati wheels arent the strongest in the world.

[Rob B]

Arggggggggggggggggggggg.

It's moments like that we all dread. Stay lucky.

Regards,

Rob

[Glyn]

well done jools
if you had dropped it again id not have been able to help me self.couple of days worth of condolence, then six months of taking the mick
serriously though m8 glad to hear you held it together.

good to hear your out reckieing though

[Ian]

Glad you are ok Jools, many a less experienced (read younger if you like ;-) ) would n't have made that bend.

Wonder why it was put there?

[paulmort]

there's enuff crap on the roads wiffout having hidden traps as well.
Also watch out fer the fergin tractors as well and the stuff they leave behind them.
Glad you're safe
rgds
a slightly wary mort

[Fordie]

Well done Jools fo keeping it upright . I all ways say a Reccee is never wasted Gawd nows if we were all following behind on a ride out and we hit that . Well give that road a wide birth in future , See you soon 4D

[Jools]

Thanks for the comments guys, but saving it was really nothing to do with me.

I just took my hands off because I hadn't got a ferkin clue what else to do, I just thought I had nothing to lose, thought I was going down whatever I did. Pure and utter luck that it sorted itself out.

More luck that the bike didn't veer left, cos there was a nice grass verge to lowside on, a ditch deep enough to ping me over the bars if the lowside didn't get me and a big hedge to fire myself through.

As I say, no judgement or heroics on my part, just pure and utter luck.

Never, ever, ever had a proper tank slapper on any bike before and it was unexpected on the ST 'cos they're pretty stable, but I can tell you that having the bars clack off the lock stops a dozen or so times is the scariest thing...

Don't want that again thanks