I almost ran out of talent today - Thoughts on what caused the near fall?

[techniques]

I've been an SV650 owner since September '20, and have been riding it whenever the weather permitted (which hasn't been much.)

 

Today was glorious and dry and I had to go into London to deliver something for work. 

 

Now, I don't know if it was the over excitement of a dry Saturday, my impatience to pass a car or both, but I went around the roundabout, quite fast, 30mph, leaned in, - coming out of the roundabout I applied the throttle (as usual) only this time the bike started wobbling like crazy for about 2 seconds,

I saw my life flash before my eyes, gripped the handlebars for life and the bike, thankfully, sorted itself out.

 

Has anyone here ever experienced something similar? If so, what caused the wobble? Was I too leaned in for the amount of throttle I gave? Was it possibly some slippery bit of the road? (this answer soothes my ego). 

 

I'm curious as to what caused the wobble as I do not want a repeat.  Tyres - Battlax BT-023. Plenty of tread left in both.

[Bungleaio]

Could have hit a spot of oil causing the back to slip slightly

[Steve_M]

7 minutes ago, techniques said:

I've been an SV650 owner since September '20, and have been riding it whenever the weather permitted (which hasn't been much.)

 

Today was glorious and dry and I had to go into London to deliver something for work. 

 

Now, I don't know if it was the over excitement of a dry Saturday, my impatience to pass a car or both, but I went around the roundabout, quite fast, 30mph, leaned in, - coming out of the roundabout I applied the throttle (as usual) only this time the bike started wobbling like crazy for about 2 seconds,

I saw my life flash before my eyes, gripped the handlebars for life and the bike, thankfully, sorted itself out.

 

Has anyone here ever experienced something similar? If so, what caused the wobble? Was I too leaned in for the amount of throttle I gave? Was it possibly some slippery bit of the road? (this answer soothes my ego). 

 

I'm curious as to what caused the wobble as I do not want a repeat.  Tyres - Battlax BT-023. Plenty of tread left in both.

Sounds like a slippery road surface. 
 

[Stu]

Unfortunately its pretty much impossible for us to give an answer! 

 

It could have just being you, something on the road, crap tyres, too much throttle, too much lean angle the list could go on 

 

Although if I was you I would just calm down a little as I don't think the weather is right just yet and still a lot of crap on the roads 

[Trooper74]

22 minutes ago, Stu said:

Unfortunately its pretty much impossible for us to give an answer! 

 

It could have just being you, something on the road, crap tyres, too much throttle, too much lean angle the list could go on 

 

Although if I was you I would just calm down a little as I don't think the weather is right just yet and still a lot of crap on the roads 

 

Lots of us ... lots ..ride all year round .... the weather is never right ..

Too ... wet, icy, hot, cold, slippy, dry .. et al.

What happened when your bike wobbled to-day was that  .. you learnt.

Next time you power wobble out of a roundabout, you won’t even notice ... you’ll instinctively deal with it.

 

Flying and Motorbikes have a lot in common ... Every landing you walk away from is a good landing, every ride you get home from was a good ride ..

 

[fastbob]

Go back and have a look . It might be that the road is rutted due to heavy use . 

[S-Westerly]

Nearest big roundabout to me is two lanes all the way round. Where the lanes meet there's a seam in the tarmac which has subsided so its like a shallow trench but lumpy as well. Hit it wrong as you accelerate out and your back tyre can hop about like anything. 

[bonio]

Front wobble or back wobble? 

Back wobble was very likely something on the road or rutted surface.

Front wobble is altogether a different thing.

[bonio]

It's a good habit, by the way: to go over what went wrong, how might the situation have been avoided.

[Mississippi Bullfrog]

Roundabouts are some of the worst places to be over enthusiastic. Spilt diesel for one. Oil, damaged road surface, grids in the carriageway, gravel, litter, the list is endless.

 

If you had a moment the thing to consider is not just what caused it but what you could have done differently to have mitigated the risk.

 

A roundabout is a high risk area. Just treat them as areas to exercise more caution. Leave the overtaking for area of less risk. 

[NeilM]

It happens to us all.

Don't worry about it. Learn from it and crack on.

[Ian Frog]

May I ask if there was a filling station on or near the roundabout?

Spilt diesel is very good for the symptoms you describe but as the others have said learn from it and don`t over stress.

Cheers

Ian

[manxie49]

As Stu said it could be any number of things or a combination.  I ride all year round so for me "rear end twitch" is common,  I ride off road as well and I think that also helps prepare me for the unexpected.  These things happen from time to time,  analyse it and learn from it but don't dwell on it, I know you don't want a repeat and that's understandable, but trust me when I say, if you continue motorcycling, sooner or later this sort of thing will happen again.  You can't always guarantee perfect riding conditions and good roads. Take it easy mate 

[raesewell]

If the roads are going to be slippery, it will 9 times out of 10 be on a roundabout. Learn and move on.

[techniques]

Thanks for all the responses.

 

Some answers to questions;

 

1. It was a back wobble, not front. 

2. No filling station near the roundabout, but it is an incredibly busy roundabout just off the city centre.

 

 

I definitely learned something and as someone else mentioned, as a newbie, I am very much trying to do all I can to stay on the bike whilst riding, so will always have questions and look for answers when things go awry.

 

 

 

 

 

[Bender]

1 hour ago, techniques said:

Thanks for all the responses.

 

Some answers to questions;

 

1. It was a back wobble, not front. 

2. No filling station near the roundabout, but it is an incredibly busy roundabout just off the city centre.

 

 

I definitely learned something and as someone else mentioned, as a newbie, I am very much trying to do all I can to stay on the bike whilst riding, so will always have questions and look for answers when things go awry.

 

 

 

 

 

Roll on the throttle progressively till the bike is upright before pining it, take extra time to assess the road condition especially on roundabouts.

[skyrider]

8 hours ago, manxie49 said:

As Stu said it could be any number of things or a combination.  I ride all year round so for me "rear end twitch" is common,  I ride off road as well and I think that also helps prepare me for the unexpected.  These things happen from time to time,  analyse it and learn from it but don't dwell on it, I know you don't want a repeat and that's understandable, but trust me when I say, if you continue motorcycling, sooner or later this sort of thing will happen again.  You can't always guarantee perfect riding conditions and good roads. Take it easy mate 

i once had a slide riding down douglas front (it was horse tram crap)

[manxie49]

21 hours ago, skyrider said:

i once had a slide riding down douglas front (it was horse tram crap)

The joys of riding on rural roads, had that happen a few times over the years, amazes me how it always seems to be in places where you're committed to the bend, and there isn't much you can do to avoid it  ...... The same with manhole covers, there seems to be so many of them placed right on the apex of bends!  

[Mississippi Bullfrog]

I remember years ago hearing a summary of insurance claims, nearly every one contained the word 'suddenly'. The trick is to take 'suddenly' out of the equation. 

[Stu]

16 hours ago, Mississippi Bullfrog said:

I remember years ago hearing a summary of insurance claims, nearly every one contained the word 'suddenly'. The trick is to take 'suddenly' out of the equation. 

 

99% of time its poor observations that cause "suddenly" 

[learningtofly]

Try to replicate it so you can work out exactly what the cause was 

 

Seriously, sounds like oil/grease on the road. That said, if your throttle action was particularly lacking in refinement...

[Mississippi Bullfrog]

34 minutes ago, Stu said:

 

99% of time its poor observations that cause "suddenly" 

I will confess it took me many years to learn how true that is. 

 

I sitll get it wrong from time to time, but it's doubtless saved my bacon on more than one occasion. 

[jedibiker]

Oddly enough a video popped up on YouTube earlier and it was a fazer1000 and he was on mulholland road or drive, really leaning over and his back end went, but he saved it as he rides off road too. In the comments he mentions how he did add a little too much gas for the lean, also as it was coming up hill a little the road went off camber. Camber is something newbies don't always think to look for, but can catch you out..

 

In your case It sounds like a little too much oomph for the lean but as said busy roundabout usually have spots of slippy shit dotted about randomly.

 

I thought my back end slipped once on a fairly new roundabout, not going to fast and road was clean. had me throw my foot down anyway and to this day Ive no idea what happened. But id put money on it being something I did.

[elizabethf]

Sounds like something on or to do with the road surface, and just so happened you hit it accelerating out. It happens though and you learnt! So dont beat yourself up 

[Lumor_uk]

Cars and trucks go slowly round roundabouts dropping more oil there, wait till you're more up right before applying throttle. It's easier to catch the slide then.