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Close call tonight...

3K views 19 replies 13 participants last post by  Lag 
#1 ·
So, tonight as I was going for an errand I was attempting to making a right turn on a road that then turns back a complete 180 from the direction I was traveling. Instead of gearing down to first, I tried to make the turn going to 2nd gear. It bogged down and locked the rear wheel up and cut off the engine. Luckily no one was close behind me

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#5 ·
At lesson learned. Don't get too frisky when going around a tight corner where you can't clearly see the exit. It happens to all of us once and a while. All it takes is a momentary brain fart. [;)]
 
#6 ·
I find--and perhaps this contributed to your close call--that if I keep the bike's revs up higher I am usually better off in all situations. Fortunately with the F800 class of bikes, that is what the machine seems to prefer. Try not letting the RPM drop below 3k except when sitting at an idle, see if that helps you in future close calls.

Good luck.
 
#7 ·
Yah, keep the revs up and feather the clutch.
My bad is coming up to a signal and filtering through the cars in too high a gear and then bog the engine when the light turns green madly stabbing the shifter to get me right again.
We all have our brain farts.
Don't be too hard on yourself.
 
#9 ·
I had a similar experience on my F700GS the first winter after I bought it. It was a misty day, and the road was damp, although it wasn't raining. My R1100RT had a 5-speed transmission. Riding the F700GS, I approached a ~110° right turn, downshifted 3 times, and went into the turn in 3rd gear instead of 2nd. The engine stopped, and the rear end stepped out, but I was able to pull the clutch lever in so that I only had a wiggle, rather than going down.

Motorcycles are much less forgiving of rider errors than automobiles.
 
#16 ·
It took me a while and several very close calls to realise that the right gear at the right time was far more critical on the f800gt than it was on almost any other bike I've ridden.
In a 30mph I change down to 3rd, 20mph 2nd and anything less than 20 then down to 1st. Too slow in too high a gear can easily result in a stall (and a little lie down :) )
I rev the engine to at least 2500rpm when moving away from a standstill.
 
#17 ·
Happened to me on my first group ride...traffic separated our group, I accelerated down a two-lane country road. Road took a hard right, as I came around the turn, the lead bikes turned on another road to the right. I downshifted and closed the throttle. Engine quit in third gear, rear tire locked up. Can't understand why, in third, the tire wouldn't keep the engine "rotating".
 
#20 ·
Stalling while moving even at a low rate of speed is a potentially risky situation, it can easily result in a tip over or even contact with another vehicle,,.

I'm not sure if that is a stock 650gs that you are referring to,,,,, I found the F700GS with stock gearing to be occasionally prone to stalling out in similar situations at low RPM when I first got the bike,,. Coming from a much higher torque bike it took me a while to modify my technique,,. I dropped a tooth on the front sprocket and this helped with this problem as well as very slow riding in ruff uphill terrain,,. Made a world of difference,,.
 
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