View previous topic :: View next topic |
Author |
Message |
docmike
Joined: 27 Jan 2005 Posts: 630 Location: Eastern NC
|
Posted: Wed Mar 02, 2005 1:47 pm Post subject: Bat turns |
|
|
Which brings up another topic,
What's your method for doing a bat turn?
I've tired the turn the bars and chop the throttle, but usually only make it about 90 degrees instead of the full 180.
Does certain hardware make it easier?
I beleive it was Ralph that told me learning to do bat turns is important since its sometimes hard to find enough room to turn a rig around on a two lane road. Since I have been known to miss a turn now and then while riding around Maggie Valley I need to improve my bat turn skills.
(Not to mention number one son thinks they're pretty cool to do in the church parking lot when bringing him to Boy Scout meetings.) _________________ Mike Currin
93 BMW K1100RS / EML Speed 2000
89 Honda GB 500 (6,700 miles, all original except tires)
67 Triumph 650 chopper
92 Suzuki GS500 (eldest son) |
|
Back to top |
|
|
Bandit Bill
Joined: 31 Jan 2005 Posts: 202 Location: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
|
Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2005 3:25 pm Post subject: |
|
|
It may be the characteristics of my bike setup, somewhat front end weight biased that it is, but the technique i use is to initiate the turn in and chop the throttle, sometimes with a slight dab of the front brake to transfer the weight of the rig to the front end, which initiates the rear end to lose some traction and start swinging out. Once the rear end is swinging out, i usually lock the rear brake, which causes the front end to momentarily break it's grip with the ground, and allows it to swing around smoothly. I don't do this often, nor really practice it, but in the few times i've done it intentionally, it's worked well for me. *general disclaimer* what may work well for me, may in fact result in injury, maiming, dismemberment, or at the least extreme embarrassment of needing to ask a half dozen burly guys to help you pull your rig out of the ditch after you've effed up.
I did do it once, unintentionally, in a very tight decreasing radius corner on highway 141 heading towards the Cherahola near Deals Gap, right in front of a pickup truck of good old boys. It could have been messy had i not been able to power out of it 180 degrees in the opposite direction of which i started .. i got the feeling they'd have picked my bones clean. _________________ Homebrew '99 Suzuki Bandit 1200 / '88 Hannigan Comet
'78 Honda CT70 playbike
http://www.chairintheair.ca |
|
Back to top |
|
|
zentime
Joined: 22 Jan 2005 Posts: 837 Location: Massachusetts USA
|
Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2005 4:09 pm Post subject: |
|
|
I give you the man that coined the term HPS and Bat Turn aficionado...........Mr Symington............perfecting the maneuver way back when we were all just HPS wanabees.
_________________ CBR1100XX/EZS
1973 MotoGuzzi V7sport
will August ever come............ |
|
Back to top |
|
|
Bandit Bill
Joined: 31 Jan 2005 Posts: 202 Location: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
|
Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2005 5:19 pm Post subject: |
|
|
I also forgot to mention, there is a bit of body english on my behalf to get the rear wheel to break loose when i've momentarily locked the rear brake up to initiate the 180 degree manuver. I'd basically do a sudden, sharp weight shift to the right to intiate the rear-wheel slide out to the right. It doesn't take much, as my 160 lb soaking wet mass is only facilitating the slide out, not making it go out of control. _________________ Homebrew '99 Suzuki Bandit 1200 / '88 Hannigan Comet
'78 Honda CT70 playbike
http://www.chairintheair.ca |
|
Back to top |
|
|
swaybar2002
Joined: 26 Jan 2005 Posts: 380 Location: Central Pa.
|
Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2005 10:36 pm Post subject: |
|
|
JUST A WORD TO THE WISE (UN-WISE MAYBE?) . On a light rig with little lead doing these so called 'bat turns' with any speed at all can scuff up the nose of your batmobile or even put the sidecar over the motorcycle. If attempting this you are on your own and the results were tot5ally your responsibility. We can send cards
Maybe it would be good to have a video camera ready ..LOL.
Oh..didn't Roger's rig have like 15" of lead dialed into it ?
Claude, who has smashed a couple of low mounrted sidecar driving lights
in his day |
|
Back to top |
|
|
bmcsheehy
Joined: 22 Jan 2005 Posts: 991 Location: Massachusetts USA
|
Posted: Mon Apr 04, 2005 10:10 am Post subject: |
|
|
Been practicing my "Bat Turns", you never know when it will come in handy. Everything about HPS is fun. _________________ Bill
High Performance Sidecaring... ...There is nothing "HACKED" about it.
2006 ZX-14 / HANNIGAN HP.
2011 Concourse / California Friendship III.
2016 Suzuki Bandit 1250s
1936 Ford Fordoor Humpback
www.Yankee-Engineering.com |
|
Back to top |
|
|
Ralph
Joined: 27 Jan 2005 Posts: 603 Location: Lexington, Ky
|
Posted: Mon Apr 04, 2005 8:05 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Turn left and shuter down _________________ "So Soon Old & So Late Smart" |
|
Back to top |
|
|
docmike
Joined: 27 Jan 2005 Posts: 630 Location: Eastern NC
|
Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2005 2:10 pm Post subject: |
|
|
My bat turns still are only making it about 90 degrees, I think I'm not going fast enough when I turn.
However after trying one in the Methodist churcg parking lot a while back when taking number one son to Boy Scouts, I keep getting requests from the Scouts to do "that thing where the back of the bike slides around."
I look at this as public service to get kids interested in sidecars. _________________ Mike Currin
93 BMW K1100RS / EML Speed 2000
89 Honda GB 500 (6,700 miles, all original except tires)
67 Triumph 650 chopper
92 Suzuki GS500 (eldest son) |
|
Back to top |
|
|
bmcsheehy
Joined: 22 Jan 2005 Posts: 991 Location: Massachusetts USA
|
Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2005 2:43 pm Post subject: |
|
|
_________________ Bill
High Performance Sidecaring... ...There is nothing "HACKED" about it.
2006 ZX-14 / HANNIGAN HP.
2011 Concourse / California Friendship III.
2016 Suzuki Bandit 1250s
1936 Ford Fordoor Humpback
www.Yankee-Engineering.com |
|
Back to top |
|
|
swaybar2002
Joined: 26 Jan 2005 Posts: 380 Location: Central Pa.
|
Posted: Fri Apr 08, 2005 12:50 am Post subject: |
|
|
docmike wrote: | My bat turns still are only making it about 90 degrees, I think I'm not going fast enough when I turn.
However after trying one in the Methodist churcg parking lot a while back when taking number one son to Boy Scouts, I keep getting requests from the Scouts to do "that thing where the back of the bike slides around."
I look at this as public service to get kids interested in sidecars. |
Could that be called a 'half bat'? _________________ Claude Stanley
Founder: Internet Sidecar Owners Klub
http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/SCT/
2007
I.S.O.K Sidecar RON-DEE-VOO III ..
First full weekend in August!! Thursday through Sunday!!
Weikert, Pa ..more details coming |
|
Back to top |
|
|
Ralph
Joined: 27 Jan 2005 Posts: 603 Location: Lexington, Ky
|
Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2005 1:04 am Post subject: |
|
|
I will give lessons if any one wants them in June _________________ "So Soon Old & So Late Smart" |
|
Back to top |
|
|
swaybar2002
Joined: 26 Jan 2005 Posts: 380 Location: Central Pa.
|
Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2005 6:23 am Post subject: |
|
|
Ralph wrote: | I will give lessons if any one wants them in June |
Do we get a 'BAT TURN CERTIFIED' certificate if we can pass? _________________ Claude Stanley
Founder: Internet Sidecar Owners Klub
http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/SCT/
2007
I.S.O.K Sidecar RON-DEE-VOO III ..
First full weekend in August!! Thursday through Sunday!!
Weikert, Pa ..more details coming |
|
Back to top |
|
|
Ralph
Joined: 27 Jan 2005 Posts: 603 Location: Lexington, Ky
|
Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2005 11:01 am Post subject: |
|
|
Yep and if you show it to your insurance man he will give you a 13% discount NOT _________________ "So Soon Old & So Late Smart" |
|
Back to top |
|
|
cbxtacy
Joined: 22 Jun 2005 Posts: 23 Location: Fayetteville, NC USA
|
Posted: Sun Jul 17, 2005 12:26 am Post subject: |
|
|
Thank you, all. I've been told that I'm nuts and nobody does what I do. They're wrong. Now I wish I trailered my CBX's to Maggie Valley behind my Gold Wing EML conversion. _________________ if you're not having fun, quit what you're doing |
|
Back to top |
|
|
IanJ
Joined: 21 Jul 2005 Posts: 52 Location: Seattle, WA, USA
|
Posted: Tue Oct 25, 2005 9:49 pm Post subject: |
|
|
I know it's been a dead topic for a while, but after reading about this, perhaps a month ago, I spent a few minutes practicing bat turns with my MPS Goldwing/EML. Not very difficult -- I think the 135mm wide tires help a lot, since they don't have a ton of traction to start with. I found that with an entry speed under about 10 MPH, I could do a 90 degree turn with ease, but couldn't get past that. When I tried at around 15 MPH, I got a solid 180 degree turn, and if I tried any faster than that, I'd go over 180, although I don't think I ever got as far as 270.
This was all using the procedure of initiate left turn, followed immediately by chopping the throttle and grabbing the clutch once the rear wheel was broken loose (except that one time I forgot the clutch and killed the motor -- oops ), and no passenger. On the road a few weeks later, I found myself in a semi-intentional bat turn around a very small roundabout, and when I saw I was going to slide too far around the turn, instinctually increased throttle and was able to recover mid-bat (so to speak) and motor off in the intended direction. It occurred to me later that it was pretty cool that you could "aim" a sliding turn like that, although it also occurred to me that I wasn't in a proper bat turn, since I was making a circle around an island.
Anyway, just another pro-bat post, I guess. _________________ 2006 Ninja 250
1982 Honda Goldwing/EML GT Hack |
|
Back to top |
|
|
|