I've put a good 3-4k on my old '84 nighthawk, but now that I've purchased an 06 RR theres a higher chance that some of these dangerous situations will occur. Namely accidental power wheelies, tank slappers, high/lowsiding the bike. The only thing I've ever had happen to me on the nighthawk was locking up the rear wheel while braking, which is simply rectified by letting off the rear and staying on the front. Now as far as I know if I accidentally wheelie all I have to do is let off the gas and make sure the front wheel is straight (How much do I let off the gas though? Completely? Or just a notch?) I'm more worried about knowing what to do if say the back end kicks out on me or I get into a tank slapper. Tips on these and any other potentially dangerous situations that I may have forgotten to mention are very very welcome.

 

You need to take the MSF course.

I can easily keep my 600's front wheel down. Roll on the throttle... don't punch it and take the bike somewhere secluded to practice riding. As long as your tires are warm enough, you shouldn't have a problem with the back end kicking out. I only had that happen once when I gave a little too much gas on cold, wet tires. Just take your time with everything. Ease into braking (don't grab) and do everything smooth.

 

I've taken the MSF course, but they didn't really cover going into wheelies and tankslappers.

 

If you accidentally power wheelie, just let off alittle (that is asumeing you are not about to hit something) dont chop the throttle because that will slam the front end down, power wheelies from hard acceleration arent to big of a deal once you get used to the feeling of your front end being off the ground.

I havent experianced a tank slapper yet, so i dont know what to tell you, if you are worried about i would suggest a steering damper.

high side is worse then low side, pretty much just take the MSF advice on that one, if you back tire is slidding sideways from the rear brake dont let off because it can gain traction and buck you highside.

Good luck with the new ride, be safe and enjoy.

 

During a tank slapper don't overreact by grasping bars too tight, ride it out by letting the bike straighten itself out and most importantly pray to the deity of your choice. change shorts afterwards.

 

No if the rear locks up you are actually supposed to stay on it til you stop...If the rear locks and is a little sideways when you let off the brake again the back tire will snap back forward into a straight line and can cause a highside

 

I first bought my RR about a year and a half ago. I had already taken the 5-day RidersEdge course (EXCELLENT program) through Harley Davidson about a year before that. During the first month, I learned a lot about having the back end kicking out. I didn't realize the tires needed to be warmed up and had a few of those powerslide moments when going around corners and in parking lots. The trick with those is to stay calm and ride out the slide. Panicking and snapping off the throttle or getting on the brakes is a bad idea. Just throttle through the slide and it'll eventually fix itself.

I also got into a tankslapper too. That alone is enough to make you s**t your pants. Was accelerating hard and must have been carrying my front tire just a little. It came down right when the highway turned from concrete to asphalt. It immediately started to tank slap around 65-70 mph. I just rode that through as well, letting the bike do it's own thing. It lasted about 8 LONG seconds, and I immediately pulled over after it was through, just to collect myself.

But to be honest with you. Taking the proper training classes is a must. MSF is great, but it GREATLY depends on who you take it through. If you have a Harley Davidson dealership anywhere around you, ask them if they do the RidersEdge course. If they do, TAKE IT! The MSF courses through the state are a huge joke. This class actually gets you onto a closed range for 2 full days of riding drills. Great class.

Other than that, you will kind of instinctually take care of any problems yourself. Instincts will kick in and fix the problem for you. I'm sure everyone here has had the "how the f**k did I get out of that one?" moments before.

 

This is exactly why I mentioned the MSF. Perhaps take it again or take the experienced course.

 

Helps to read Twist of the Wrist series, especially Vol 2. Good books are a key to understanding emergency procedures. Then practise especially at at MSF as has been mentioned.

 

Noob question but whats a tank slap?