Forums » Off Topic

Back To Topics

The Feeling....

  • Hawk6351
    • 6 posts
    May 31, 2011 8:29 AM PDT

    So this is a question that I suppose I'll direct to the more "seasoned" brothers and sisters out there... I don't know what catagory this goes in, I almost put it in "the garage" and decided not to...

    A couple of weeks ago, on the way to work, for the very first time since I EVER started riding... my bike scared me. I can't explain it. I'm not a jittery rider, I'm confident, safe, observant, always have been. I've seen too much and learned to fast to be anything but. All I can say is that for SOME reason, my bike did NOT feel right, AT ALL.  The bike that I've loved and trusted since my first ride on her, and she really did not feel right. At first I thought maybe I was tired or something, maybe riding a little fast, or a little stupid... but being nervous has a way of waking you up, so I dismissed that... The funny thing is, that after my shift at work, having looked it over in daylight and seeing nothing visably wrong, I bit the bullet, got back on, and the ride home was fine. I can try to explain how it felt, *handling wise*, lol, when I say the following words, anyone who doesn't ride would be really confused...

    It felt BOTH grippy (like when you have a REALLY low tire, especially a front one, and you're going around a bend and the front wheel feels like it's trying to plow sideways, or roll off the wheel)... and SLIPPERY, like the entire way to work I felt like I was riding on a freshly scraped road (the way they make that crap-to-ride-on texture before they re-surface it?) That stuff grabs your tires, yes, but around a curve you feel like the back tire could go out from under you... That's the best I can do to describe what that ride felt like... When I got home, I checked front and rear shocks (esp the back adjustables, to make sure they were equal), tweeked the chain, air pressure, and checked to make sure the brakes weren't dragging... I really didn't know what else to look for. I've riden that same road every night since we got here, never had any issues with it's nuances. Was it nerves? Has anyone else ever had an experience like that? AM I LOSING MY MIND??? LOL

  • BOOF
    • 0 posts
    May 31, 2011 8:47 AM PDT
    Mate I've had the same thing on occasion.As most of you know I dont mind a beer or 20.This usually results in my sunday morning club rides are a real bloody effort.Last saturday night we stayed with friends and i drank sloooooooowlllllllly so as not to be rude to my host..Sunday morning rolled around and I shit you not for the first time in years I had no hangover.We rode out and I wasnt holding back a barf or shaking like a dog shitting broken glass.It was bloody insane.I could feel the bike and how responsive it was.Instead of sitting up the back of the pack waiting to get to the first pub to have a beer,I was up the front racing the front runners and riding like a demon.Everyone commented that I was on fire riding like a man processed. So mate thats the reason my bike feels crazy.Dunno what was wrong with yours mate ,mighta just been having an off day..Dont try to work it out just ride and enjoy..CHEERS BOOF
  • GaryTJ
    • 0 posts
    May 31, 2011 8:50 AM PDT
    You are not loosing your mind. It happens. Sometimes the bike is telling you something is not quite right and sometimes it is your mind saying something is not quite right.
    Sometimes you have other stuff on your mind and not concentrating as much as you should and your body is telling you to pay attention.
  • Lucky
    • 5420 posts
    May 31, 2011 9:44 AM PDT
    Yep, happens to me on occasion too and I have no explanation to offer. Pretty sure its just all in my head but there are times the bike feels like its running sluggish and just not handling the way it normally does. I have even gotten off the bike to check the tires, etc... and find nothing wrong. Then the next time out everything feels back to normal.

    sometimes I get just the opposite feeling to... for some reason the ol' Road King just feels peppier and like it is handling so much better.

    Think its more a state of mind. But I always recommend to err on the side of caution...if the bike ain't feeling right, be sure to give it a good looking over!
  • wheels
    May 31, 2011 10:39 AM PDT
    It's your sixth sense kicking in and telling you to be careful! I believe it makes you alter your course of direction thru the days events and therefore saves you from an accident or something else that might have happened to you if you had not felt something odd or strange around you. And yes I have pulled over and checked out my bike because it just felt odd or different only to get back on and ride a bit more cautious until I got home.
  • JDub54
    May 31, 2011 10:43 AM PDT
    ditto
  • hgsc90
    May 31, 2011 11:24 AM PDT
    1977 while ridding on a 850 Moto Guzzi Eldorado, turn onto a state hiway it felt like crossing a road crack wiggle. rode well on the straight but once more just before parking after a 60 mile Dairy Queen ride. Found the spoke nipples were breaking. Replaced the tires and all the spokes at once. found 16 broke between front and rear wheels. Thats why we do a Maintenance checks and "Ting" the spokes. I now have solid wheels on the C90 Suzuki. Trust your butt and investigate. Ride with caution.
  • Tweek
    • 9 posts
    May 31, 2011 4:46 PM PDT
    When you ride the same bike for a while, you just get a "feel" for it. So when something doesn't "feel" right, it's damn disconcerting. Especially when you give her the ol' once over, and can't seem to find anything wrong. I've had a couple of experiences like those, and even showed the bike to my factory trained mechanic (husband at the time). He told me it was rider jitters. But I am a person who always listens to her gut. One time, the speed-o cable snapped while I was riding in Zephyrhills. That scared the beejeebus outta me. The other time, I had a thorn embedded in the rear tire, and it was almost undetectable. Trust your instincts, my friend. That's why God gave 'em to ya. Ride Free
    Tweek
  • Hawk6351
    • 6 posts
    June 1, 2011 8:47 AM PDT
    Thanks for all the replies so far, glad to hear I'm not the only one that just gets a bubble in my gut on occasion. I take a good look at the scoot on a pretty regular basis, and with the exeption of electrical, I always do my own work, so I've got a good grip on what is and isn't right on the bike. In fact there's things that I've done to make it more in keeping with my needs, since it was what I could afford... like heavy rear shocks (they're the OE replacement for a 750 Shaddow ACE model), and a drop in tooth-size front sprocket (a LITTLE more top end at slightly lower RPM, improved miliage a little); plus, there aren't too many 400 cc "dressers" out there, lol. I really wanted to add some weight for stability, or I MAY have gone with a few lighter components... anyhow, point is, I really do go to great lengths to know what's going on with the bike, which is why it bothered me to not know why it wasn't right.
  • blurplebuzz
    • 3006 posts
    June 1, 2011 4:58 PM PDT
    Your not the first to post this concern & I agree with others who point out that its your mind thats trying to tell ya be extra carefull today or check the tire pressure again anyway..for me the feeling gets pretty strong at times,tellin me watch ur butt today,dont crak the throttle,dont run no yellows,etc etc. other times I feel like the bike is part of me,n handle her like a pro..or at least in my mind I do !.
  • RandyJoe
    June 6, 2011 3:23 AM PDT
    Lucky wrote...
    Yep, happens to me on occasion too and I have no explanation to offer. Pretty sure its just all in my head but there are times the bike feels like its running sluggish and just not handling the way it normally does. I have even gotten off the bike to check the tires, etc... and find nothing wrong. Then the next time out everything feels back to normal.

    sometimes I get just the opposite feeling to... for some reason the ol' Road King just feels peppier and like it is handling so much better.

    Think its more a state of mind. But I always recommend to err on the side of caution...if the bike ain't feeling right, be sure to give it a good looking over!

    Being CDL   I'm in the habit doing safety checks before riding and driving...habit...however being a 43 year riding veteran I've had days that my gut feeling tells me not to ride, so I dont, but when that happens on a road trip I do but sometimes it feels strange for a bit...luckily it dosent happen too often...
    RandyJoe...Ride Strong...
     

  • wheels
    June 6, 2011 9:29 AM PDT
    400cc dressers out there! Now that you have peaked my curiosity meter, I find it fascinating what people will ride year after year, and think its great that you have a bike thats probably a one of a kind. I had an old yamaha seca 400 and of all the bikes I have ridden I believe she was my favorite. Look us up if ya ever make plans to ride thru So. California
  • RufCut
    • 58 posts
    June 6, 2011 11:54 AM PDT
    My second bike was a dressed GS550. Pre and post inspections and always, always err on the side of caution. Just wish I had learned that a little earlier in life.
  • RexTheRoadDog
    • Moderator
    • 19067 posts
    June 6, 2011 11:39 PM PDT
    Go with you gut and re-check your ride.
  • Hawk6351
    • 6 posts
    June 7, 2011 2:29 AM PDT
    wheels wrote...
    400cc dressers out there! Now that you have peaked my curiosity meter, I find it fascinating what people will ride year after year, and think its great that you have a bike thats probably a one of a kind. I had an old yamaha seca 400 and of all the bikes I have ridden I believe she was my favorite. Look us up if ya ever make plans to ride thru So. California


    Will do!

    As far as one of a kind, I ain't done yet! lol, there's an antique side car, driver's running boards, and more gearing changes in the works! Also wanting to come up with some sort of oil cooler... still knocking that one around a bit.
  • 99Savage
    • 2 posts
    June 7, 2011 3:23 AM PDT
    I'm spooked every time I climb on a motorcycle or pick up a firearm - Constantly going thru a mental checklists of how my mechanical contrivances might kill me or how I might kill a citizen.

    Might be why have never gone down on pavement (dirt & gravel don't count) or had a shot land out of the black & seldom have had to chase wounded game.

    Stay scared