Snow and me and the bike do not mix. That was a scary ride home -- MRO# - cant remember TDM850 - Gone GSXR750 - Waaaaaaah, flash flash, bugger, burble burble
You want scary? Do it on a Guzzi. I normally 'like very much' the linked brakes but downhill on packed snow with compulsory front brake applications is a bit too much for my nerves. I didn't fall off so they can't be that bad.
My friend Ted was killed by the linked brakes on his Guzzi. Overtaking a queue of stationary traffic on a wet/greasy road, doing about 20 mph, he went to pull in as oncoming traffic cleared the lights and started to come towards him, found a false neutral on the downshift (common on the T3), gave it a bit more (rear) brake to compensate for loss of engine braking, linked system locked the front wheel, which tucked under and spate him off the rh side, the first vehicle coming the other way was a cement mixer, the driver couldn't stop and went right over him, between the wheels, Ted was uninjured by the truck but died instantly from a broken neck on impact with the road, the truck driver (also a biker) had to be treated for shock. I took Ted's gf to the morge and ended-up having to ID his body as she couldn't face it. Coroner's report sited the linked brakes as the major contributary factor in the accident. It was enough to convince me not to change my VFR750FR for a VFR800...
He wasn't killed by the linked brakes. I take it he hadn't had it long? I don't get false neutrals on downshifts (although platy did when he rode mine). To lock the front using the footbrake you need to fucking stamp on the foot brake or the proportional balance valve is defective. So it's down to rider skills (inappropriate actions in the conditions) or defective equipment - neither are down to the linked brakes. I don't believe this, although having quite extensive experience of Coroners Courts they do try to soften the blow as it were. It's easier to say the brakes contributed to the crash rather than the riders lack of experience and skill but if he did I'd be *very* interested in the exact wording of his statement. Different kettles of linked brake fish to the Guzzi.
As Sweller said, new to Guzzis and used to Jap gearbox perhaps? <amazed> I despatched in London on my Spada for about 2 months when my Yam was off the road. I *never* locked the wheels using the linked system. I did however lock the front just using the front lever grabbed without thinking. Brembos are bloody good. Different system design totally. JB
Mainly came from the truck driver and an off-duty copper in the queue of traffic, both experienced bikers.
It was somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the Must've interrogated the corpse. -- Dave GS 850 x2 / SE 6a SbS#6 DIAABTCOD#16 APOSTLE#6 FUB#3 FUB KotL OSOS#12? UKRMMA#19 COSOC#10
I got a couple of false neutrals changing down for corners because I wasn't kicking it hard enough. Took me about 30 seconds to recalibrate, after that it was fine.
rubbish. No problem riding on snow. Until it's compacted, that is...riding on *ice*, now, there's a problem.
