Close Call and A Faulty Horn, sorta

[bmccrary]

Ok so here is the story...

Its been a LLLONNNGGGGG week, and still has a few days left togo. So after mentally exhausting myself today I decided enough was enough and I needed a break. On the way home I decided, "to heck with it" I am going for a ride. I will bundle up like the Michelin Man and it will be all good. Well, I did that and off I went.

Eased up to the nearest gas station, checked on the tire pressure, set them to where I wanted and took off. I got a few miles down on some back road running about 55-60 when I noticed a large pick up with a trailer sitting in the oncoming lane stopped. I let off the throttle waiting on his move, then I noticed he was trying to turn to his right....

It was at that point I noticed an old buick in the side road that the truck was trying to turn into. Next thing I know, she pulls out. Immediatly I nail the horn, as I am grabbing the brakes. No noise, I was expecting the 139db of earpeicing goodness to trumpet, but no. "$h*t!" Shifted my weight to the rear, grabbed a good bit of ront brake and slammed the rear. Bike began to slide, more front, let off the rear, stabed the rear. At this point the buick was in my lane. Fed more front and stayed on the rear brake. The bike started to slide again, *dirt bike mode*. I counted the slide with my wieght and once I got the bike down in speed I released the rear. It wasnt the closest call, but it was still a scare. And that darn horn wouldnt work.

I got back home once I couldnt feel my fingers and messed with the horn. Sure enough, it worked when I got it in the garage....

Any one had any problems with their Stella's like this? I am assuming its the relay. Any ideas?

-bryan

 

[wrightme43]

I hate broken horns.

They are reviewed on webbikeworld to do that.

glad your ok man.

 

[VEGASRIDER]

Kind of a silly question, but did you hit your hazard button instead of the horn? They are next to each other and I have to admit in the past that I have hit the hazard by mistake.

I too had a close call today. As I was going about 50mph, I noticed that a potentially ugly situation was developing in front of me. There were two vehicles trying to enter the road way, one from each side of the street. There are three lanes in each direction, plus the refuge lane in the middle. Not only did I have to watch out for the vehcle trying to turn left from my left, but the vehicle trying to turn left onto the the roadway from my right. I covered my horn as I approached travelling in the very left lane. Sure enough, the car on my right did not see me and bolted out trying to turn left onto the roadway, I hit my horn and my brakes at the sametime, and the car ended comiing to a complete stop in the second lane. One lane away from hitting me. If I did not use my horn, and just hit my brakes, there was a very good possibiltiy that the guy would have never heard or seen me and continued on it's path and there would have been a collision. So my horn saved my ass today.

 

[bmccrary]

Yes I was hitting the horn switch. I stopped a few miles later to check the connectors on the bottom of the horn and made sure they were on. I unplugged, and replugged and check again. Nothing.

But when I got home it worked. Not sure what the issue is.

-bryan

 

[SirIsaac]

...It was at that point I noticed an old buick in the side road that the truck was trying to turn into. Next thing I know, she pulls out. Immediatly I nail the horn, as I am grabbing the brakes. No noise, I was expecting the 139db of earpeicing goodness to trumpet, but no. \\"$h*t!\\" Shifted my weight to the rear, grabbed a good bit of ront brake and slammed the rear. Bike began to slide, more front, let off the rear, stabed the rear. At this point the buick was in my lane. Fed more front and stayed on the rear brake. The bike started to slide again, *dirt bike mode*. I counted the slide with my wieght and once I got the bike down in speed I released the rear. It wasnt the closest call, but it was still a scare...

If the bike was sliding, it sounds like a darn close call to me. Great job of controlling the bike and avoiding a lay down or worse. Did you get a chance to express your dismay to the Buick driver, say at the next traffic light or something? Also, come to think of it, it might have been worse if the horn had worked. The Buick driver probably would have just stopped in your lane, with a deer-in-the-headlights look on her face, giving you the perfect target to t-bone.

 

[SidewallPuncture]

personally, I would have kept on the front brake, weight forward for the most weight transfer possible and avoided the back brake all together....you'll find your stops are better and more controlled when in a panic situation.
you were setting yourself up for a wreck doing what you were doing weren't you?

 

[SovietRobot]

Seriously, if you lock up the rear in a panic stop, DON'T HIT THE REAR AGAIN.

 

[D-Mac]

I find the rear is harder to lock up on our bike (a good thing I guess).

Practice, practice, practice.

 

[Norm]

Sounds like you did a great job in a very tricky situation. Glad you're OK. Wish I knew the first thing about horns or anything else mechanical.

Vegasrider, you've been advocating use of the horn in these situations, along with the usual avoidance maneuvers, and I've come to believe in it as well. I've always been reticent to use my car horn and it's a habit that's hard to break when on the bike. Given our vulnerability on the bike we must use everything available to us to let them know we're there. I think bmccrary did a great job and I wonder if this is a situation where we might want to tap the horn a couple of quick times as we approach the potentially dicey site. Just thinking...

 

[bmccrary]

I prefer to use the rear in panic situations as it is more predictable than the front.

I will get on and off of it in order to avoid the flat spots, but will always feed as much front as possible.

Rear brake slides do not bother me. I have been riding dirtbikes since I was 5, 21 now. My senior year of highschool a budy of mine and I did a experiement for statitistics class to see how the slide distance increased with speed on the dirtbikes in his pasture.

Chance rode my fathers Cannondale which had a digital speedo on it, and I was on my KX 250.

At 70mph, Chance and I slide the bikes over 250 feet and actually ran out of room from the markers and went into the trees. I was able to manuver the bike between a couple trees only a few feet apart. Not to mention when the sliding began, Chance and I were almost bar to bar.

Not to brag or put down anyone's opinions, but I feel extreamly comfortable using the rear brake and if the situation got that bad... I wouldnt think twice about standing up on the pegs and pitching it around.

Thanks for the concern guys!

I think the relay may not like the cold weather.. Not sure how to fix that problem though.

-bryan

 

[SidewallPuncture]

you pretty much answered a very important question with your little scenario. a 250ft to stop is not acceptable on the street. it may be fun on the dirt and it may be fun to let the back hang out, but the most important thing is to reduce your speed, keep the bike upright and in control and to stay alive. your method of pitching it around does nothing to save your life if you still manage to hit something. The geometry of a street bike is much diferent than a dirt bike, not to mention the drastically changing conditions of pavement mere inches from each other. All I can see is high/low sides in your future.
think about it, you're attitude is going to kill you one day. You need to change your thinking.

The front brake/weight transfer is your friend, get intimate with it. Learn to use the bikes full braking potential in your favour.

 

[mstewar1]

The wandering car driver has happened to me on just about every evening commute ride in the past week or so, on the freeway at 60-70. The last one was a volvo wagon. The driver was completely oblivious to my presence. And as she was coming into my lane I was standing on the horn. She didn't even blink.

Like Vegasrider, I ride with my finger on the horn. And I do not hesitate to give folks a little friendly toot if they start to even wander into my lane. If they just start coming into the lane, I lay on it. It's interesting/sad/scary how people will pass me and then, after we've been driving/riding next to each other for a few minutes, they'll just start to come into my lane. As if I never existed...and they never seem to turn their head either. Amazing.

I'm installing a stebel/wolo this weekend. I only recently got the low-tone Fiamm freeway blaster but I'm not impressed with it. I want LOUD dang it!

 

[SidewallPuncture]

after we've been driving/riding next to each other for a few minutes, they'll just start to come into my lane.

thats why i limit my time to a few short seconds......

 

[bmccrary]

you pretty much answered a very important question with your little scenario. a 250ft to stop is not acceptable on the street. it may be fun on the dirt and it may be fun to let the back hang out, but the most important thing is to reduce your speed, keep the bike upright and in control and to stay alive. your method of pitching it around does nothing to save your life if you still manage to hit something. The geometry of a street bike is much diferent than a dirt bike, not to mention the drastically changing conditions of pavement mere inches from each other. All I can see is high/low sides in your future.
think about it, you're attitude is going to kill you one day. You need to change your thinking.

The front brake/weight transfer is your friend, get intimate with it. Learn to use the bikes full braking potential in your favour.

I wasnt trying to be ****y or be a bad ass. I ride with in my limits and with my head on my shoulders. I know all to well the dangers or riding of your head and what can happen on the road. All I was trying to say is that I am comfortable with the rear brake, I am and not afraid to use it and when it does slide I do not panic.

I understand the dirt is a completely different game, but the same physics still apply. Yes, traction is higher, weight transfer is different, but the same governing principles apply. Everyone on the street should spend some time in the dirt at some point in their life, as the basic motorcycle fundimentals can be greatly improved with out the costly damage when the limits are pushed to far.

My speed dropped quickly, I have had to make more than one quick stop since I have had the bike. I primarly use the front brake for normal stoping and speed scrubing, however, it is not what I grab the hardest and fastest.

I feel confident in my riding style as do my parents and girlfriend. I am in no way shape or form wreckless on my bike, and everytime I swing a leg over it I know it can kill me, regardless of speed or application.

I dont know what creditials you have or how many miles/hours you have logged in the saddle, so I wont go pointing fingers as yo how you ride. I would appreciate it if you would do the same.

Back on topic. I think I found the issue with the horn. Seems as though the ground wire to the relay may be broken as the wire was doubled back pretty tight against the relay. When I moved that the wire seemed to be a bit "freeier" that normal in its movement. Broken ground could explain the problem.

-bryan

 

[SidewallPuncture]

please sit down for the 8 minutes and watch this...it's very basic, but it'll help someone...maybe even you.

How to Brake on a Motorcycle - MonkeySee

 

[bmccrary]

Thanks for posting. He has alot of stuff on there.


-bryan