From: Chris N Deuchar on
Dear all, a long time since I visited here and nice to see nothing
has really changed :-)

However, being an Isle of Man fanatic, this year SWMBO and I decided
to go the old fogies route of doing the IoM coatal path in July.
Having done the IoM stuff previously with gloriously powerful bikes,
we decided instead of messing about with public transport that we
would take No1 sons CG125 in the back of our van and do a transport
juggle each day as the walk progressed.

After day three (using public tranport after all!) we decided to take
the 125 into Douglas and have a run on the electric railway up to
Ramsey. All went well until the return journey back to Glen Lough on
the bike. Just by the railway station in Douglas I had to slow at the
lights for someone just off the ferry and then as I crossed the
junction I can't remember anything after changing into second gear
(except something involving a computer game on a bike simulator :-/)
until waking up in hospital. SWMBO had a shoulder injury which she is
still recovering from and I had a bad head, and a black little toe,
for a couple of weeks (although head still not perfect - but I am
told this is normal). Other than that we were unscathed. (But you
should have seen the guy covered in blood and with a broken arm who
was admitted after us - he was riding a 30cc mini moto on a mates
drive wearing tee shirt, shorts and trainers...)

The bike had a broken indicator and bent footpeg but was otherwise
unscathed. Apparently in my more delirious moments in hospital I kept
asking after the welfare of the bike and was reassured countless
times that it really would be ok by the side of the road all night
and would still be there in the morning. I was sceptical. However,
on returning to collect it with the van in the morning (SWMBO
wouldn't let me ride it) there it was! Not only that but some kind
soul had even collected the bits of broken indicator and put them in
a neat pile on the wall by the bike! Only on the Isle of Man.

So why did it happen?
It was all at low speed (15mph?).
No slippiness on the road.
Bike in good condition
No hard acceleration (it was a 125 after all with two middle aged and
middle weight persons on board)

Well those of you who know the IoM will know the traffic lights I
mean. Leaving Douglas you are going uphill and the other road is also
on a gradient down to the left. Therefore as you cross the lights you
are going effectively diagonally across a two-way incline. This has
never been a problem before so I looked at the bike...

I was actually quite surprised to find that, at anything remotely
uphill, the pillion's centre of gravity is over a point BEHIND the
rear axle. This means the front end becomes light. The heavier the
pillion, the lighter the front. Any acceleration will also exacerbate
the lightness of the front wheel. This is why I my last memory before
hitting the ground is of the front end skipping from side to side
before I lost it.

Is this a design fault?
Can I sue Mr Honda for pain and suffering?
What does the team think?

Chris D
PS. Obviously this, and Mr Mini Motos experience, prove the old adage
that 'Small Bikes is DANGEROUS!'
--
The Deuchars BBB#40 COFF#14
Yamaha XV750SE, Suzuki GS550t, Honda CG125 (MSOHP)
http://www.Deuchars.org.uk
From: Simes on
On Mon, 16 Nov 2009 12:59:40 +0000, Chris N Deuchar wrote:

> Dear all, a long time since I visited here and nice to see nothing has
> really changed :-)

Hi again Chris.

<snip tale of woe>

> Is this a design fault?

Probably...

> Can I sue Mr Honda for pain and suffering? What does the team think?

I think the design fault is with the road - and by extension with the
shape of the Earth. Sue God. It's the only way.


> Chris D
> PS. Obviously this, and Mr Mini Motos experience, prove the old adage
> that 'Small Bikes is DANGEROUS!'

But, you already knew that.
From: Steve on
On 16 Nov, 12:59, Chris N Deuchar <chr...(a)ukrm.net> wrote:
<snip tale of woe>
> No hard acceleration (it was a 125 after all with two middle aged and
> middle weight persons on board)


There's the problem - you should have counterbalanced this with 2
small children perched on the tank.

Steve
From: darsy on
On Mon, 16 Nov 2009 13:15:43 +0000 (UTC), Simes <simes(a)nowhere.com>
wrote:


>I think the design fault is with the road - and by extension with the
>shape of the Earth. Sue God. It's the only way.

<steve aylett>
God has been found to exist, and the race is on to take revenge
</sa>
--
d.
From: Grimly Curmudgeon on
We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember Chris N Deuchar <chrisd(a)ukrm.net>
saying something like:

>I was actually quite surprised to find that, at anything remotely
>uphill, the pillion's centre of gravity is over a point BEHIND the
>rear axle. This means the front end becomes light. The heavier the
>pillion, the lighter the front. Any acceleration will also exacerbate
>the lightness of the front wheel. This is why I my last memory before
>hitting the ground is of the front end skipping from side to side
>before I lost it.
>
>Is this a design fault?
>Can I sue Mr Honda for pain and suffering?
>What does the team think?

I think if a million Asians can negotiate uphill junctions every day
without binning it, you've no chance.