Hi all,

It was Easter Sunday it was beautiful here in SE Wisconsin.  Go to lunch with the family (free food ) and I'm free for the rest of the day.  I found a new route, that was rumored to have at least some decent curves, on google maps (twisties are far and few between where I live) and set off.

My new route eventually brought me to the interstate and as I was coming down the ancient, circular on-ramp I found that I was drifting to the inside which would be fine except just ahead I saw a pothole the size of TEXAS.  In my rookidom I kept staring at it thinking HOLY CRAP, all over the span maybe 3 seconds, and of course I went right where I looked.  Just as instructors have said.

I hit the pothole at between 30 - 40 MPH and holy crap, I got tossed skyward and probably had 6 inches between my butt and the seat.  I felt like I was going to go over the handlebars but I came back down and the bike and I were still upright going in the right direction.  I pulled off at the next exit at a gas station and just sat for a bit.  Then I put her up on the center stand to check and see if I should still ride back the 20mi to home.

The tires still had pressure, the wheels were true, and I thought I was in the clear except I then pushed and pulled forward and back on the bottom of the forks.  There was some free-play meaning a lose steering head nut or shot bearings.  I had just changed the steering head bearings this winter and I didn't want to do it again.  It wasn't too bad so I rode her easy back home.  Turned out that somehow the nut got bashed loose.

Got home and tightened up the nut.  The shiny silver bolt that goes in the top, I could turn with my fingers.  Once both were tightened, I didn't feel any grabbing like the bearings need replacing.  Yay, I don't have to replace those again.  I checked out more stuff.  Turns out my right fork leg slid up in the clamps till it hit the bar.




I put it back down and that was fine but I wonder what would have happened if I had clip-ons or something.  I looked harder and the steering stop had broken almost all of its weld.






It's still quite solidly in there so I'm going to leave it for awhile since it's getting nice out.  I called a local welder and he quoted me for less than $20.  I just don't want to take it the front end down to the triple trees yet.  I found later that the special Buddha-made, extra thick fork brace bolts were also about finger-tight so I tightened them down as well.  Now I can turn further right than left which is only prohibiting when parking or maneuvering to do so.

In all definitely a learning experience and I'm glad that is all that happened!  Also a reference for what to check if anybody else hits a cavernous pothole.

Wow, that was a hard hit.    Thanks for posting. 

4strings,

man that is a nasty hit and hard enough to loosen nuts and shift things. I know you don't want to do it but take a moment to think about this.

If you tighten everything up and after the pothole was hit the center nut is loose again something is wrong, something is bent or something is crusheded. A bolt is a clamping device and to come loose after a hit like that it's no longer clamping anything down even or correctly. Seeing how this is how you steer and falling can hurt pretty darn badly I would disassemble and inspect everything. You may have a bent bearing cartridge or so. I would also check the rim for small fractures or cracks. If the hit was hard enough to break the weld loose and shift your forks not even at the site of impact, I would be concerned with the impact sight it's too. Watch for a bubble or knot being formed in your tire or tires, I have seen and have had car tires form a knot where it hit a pothole and the tire had to be replaced.

Just food for the thought. Better to be safe than sorry. 

Thanks Ghostrider,

I will take the whole front end off and check the bearings once I get some more cash and do other things up front.  To be honest, the front still feels better than it did with the stock bearings in there that were all rusty.  Checking the rims is a good idea and I'll be getting new tires as soon as I have the cash anyways.

I hated riding in MI for that reason. Came close to hitting a pothole that size (4' x 4') at around 70 MPH on I-96. I expect that would have flipped the bike.

When you take the frontend apart again to fix the stop (it's unavoidable now), I'd check everything long/skinny for straightness (forks, axle), and the triples for cracks (flaking paint, obvious damage.)

Tires and wheels will be obvious if they are damaged.