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Hi,

Does anyone get, what seems to feel like a slipping clutch at 120mph or 12000rpm? At first I thought it was my clutch slipping, but I only changed my plates and springs 5000 miles ago, they wouldn't be mashed potato just yet surely? Found out the hard way this morning why the bike feels like it's slipping.

On my way home from work this morning, found a nice straight road, car in front of me, 60mph limit, so I booted it really hard through the gears. Overtook the car in a blink... got to 12000rpm in 4th...or was it 5th? anyway.... I started to bank round a corner and the back wheel kicked out and started fish tailing (I had already covered about 15miles by now so the tyres are nice and cooked) I've been going down really straight A roads doing 120mph and it does this. No wonder my rear tyre is flat in the middle

Regards

Rich

Do you mean it feels like its slipping when banking? If the revs suddenly increase while banking thats because the circumference of the tyre is smaller the further over you lean causing your revs to rise.

As for the tyre, you can ride round all day on the middle and the sides wont be warm, to warm that bit you need to use it as heat wont transfer across the tyre.

RedexRobB wrote:As for the tyre, you can ride round all day on the middle and the sides wont be warm, to warm that bit you need to use it as heat wont transfer across the tyre.

I'd disagree with that, providing you use half-decent tyres!

The straight line stuff at around that speed and revs does sound like the clutch is slipping to me. Your oil should be fine after 5000 miles (assuming this was changed with the last plates?) but it's worth a check to see what condition it's in. Changing the oil and making sure it's a good semi-synthetic might fix it.

It is possible to fry the plates in 5000 miles especially if you put cheapo ones in last time. I found mine was pretty heavy on clutch plates even before the rebore.

BUT, having said all that, the bit about the bike snaking mid-corner sounds Vey Bad - unless I'm reading it wrong? Did you mean it does this all the time, or were you really going for it on that corner? If so, then that could be cold tyres/road/slippy stuff/heavy handedness.

I guess thats true to a degree Jamz, but you cant expect the edge of the tyre to be the same temp as middle if youve been riding upright all day, the only way to heat the rubber really is to make it move around i.e. use it. An analergy (sp?) i once read was that rubber is like blue tac, in that when you squeeze it and move it around it warms up, and its not from the heat from your hands. If you take a cold blob of it and whack it with a hammer it will be warm.

I just noticed you say the tyre is squared off, could be the transition from the flat 'edge' to the rounded part of the tyre thats causing instability?

The roads are as slippy as anything at the moment too - i was out the other weekend, was completely dry and I had the rear squirm on me whilst cornering on a couple of occasions.