2Wheeltips

Last week I dropped my bike while turning onto the street in front of my place. It wasn't anything major but it was definitely a shock. I've been riding since 2005, have 3 bikes and the worst that has happened was a tipover when the bike was warming up in the driveway.

So what happened? Well I decided to take out my Yamaha FJR 1300 sport tourer which I hadn't been on in over a month. I did my regular pre-ride inspection including checking the tire pressure. Afterwards, I rode up to the main street and prepared to make a left turn. After checking traffic, I eased into the friction zone, rolled on the gas and halfway through the turn the rear wheel kicked out and down I went. The bike slid 6 feet and I was fortunate that I was able to get off and didn't get hurt. I ran over to pick up the bike. No major damage....just a few scrapes on the hard bag and no damage to the clutch.

I've made that turn too many times to count and couldn't help but wonder what happened? Did I hit the gas too hard? Were the tires cold? Since I hadn't been on the bike in a while, did I forget how powerful the bike is? After getting the bike up and moving it to the side of the road, I decided to check the tires again to see if I missed anything. Sure enough there was some oily residue on the tires! I did have oil on my garage floor and some of it must have gotten on the tires. The combination of oil and cold tires was enough to cause the rear wheel to slide out.

I waited a few minutes, started the bike and was able to ride 100 miles that day. I was initally reluctant to lean the bike hard through curves but after the tires warmed up I could feel them gripping the road. Near the end of the ride, I was going around my favorite curves with confidence.

Next time I will make sure to double check my tires for any oil or grease and take it extra slow until my tires warm up.