Got to try my frame sliders

aitormartin

aitormartin

expert rider
Joined
Oct 16, 2020
Messages
105
Location
Spain
Today was the day... They say there are 2 types of bikers: Those that have crashed and those that will. Now I belong to the first type.

2 weeks ago I crashed my Vitpilen after washing it carefully due to a rookie mistake...

I had a can of tire shine laying around in my garage and had never used it, so I decided to give it a go after washing the bike. I was carefully trying to spray it just on the sidewall of the tire. When I was done washing it, I went for a short ride and when I was in a roundabout, the rear tire slipped resulting in a low side crash.

I slid for 1 or 2 meters but the bike kept going until it got stuck under a bus. The bus crushed the front end with its front tire, so unlucky... Lucky for me, I got away uninjured.

I have taken the bike to my mechanic and will have to wait for his verdict. Thankfully, the axle and frame sliders have taken most of the potential damage away, glad I bought them. The handlebar snapped in 2 pieces and the front axle was completely bent, apart from that, there are scratches on the front wheel, mirrors, engine cover... The thing that worries me the most is the integrity of the forks, the bus went over it like it was nothing.

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I don't know if people use this type of tire shine product on their bikes, but I would strongly advise not to, just in case...
 
Oh man... glad you are ok!

From what I heard, the frame at the front of the bike can bend easier than the forks... so maybe its good to check with frame measurement before you choose to spend moneys...

Mine got totalled by much less weight than a bus.
 
BISavage said:
Oh man... glad you are ok!

From what I heard, the frame at the front of the bike can bend easier than the forks... so maybe its good to check with frame measurement before you choose to spend moneys...

Mine got totalled by much less weight than a bus.
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I hope the frame is not bent, the bus just went over the front wheel and fork, so hopefully the frame is fine. Where should I measure?
 
Lucky you were able to walk away from that one mate! Looks bad as I expect there is more hidden damage we cant see..... I know this from experience working on crashed bikes in the past.... I would be checking the front hub and triple clamps for cracks for sure..... any insurance??
 
Lots of great race shops in Spain. Call and ask a specialist shop if they have someone who specialized in frame straightening.
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Ouch! I'm glad you are OK, that looks scary.

The bike will need very careful checking for frame integrity. I don't know how much of the KTM engineering was carried over into Husky bikes but a few years ago KTM had a bad reputation for frame failures, especially just behind the steering head. It might have been corrected or it might not and crack testing will be necessary as well as straightness. With a bit of luck the impact was absorbed by the axle and handlebars and you'll get the bike back on the road fairly easily. Trouble is, you'll need somebody with frame expertise to see how good your luck was.

This is in no way an 'I told you so' comment, but a tip with any spray stuff on a bike is to spray it onto a rag and wipe it on where you want it.
 
I will try to find someone with frame expertise. Let's see how it goes.

Dr.Shifty said:
This is in no way an 'I told you so' comment, but a tip with any spray stuff on a bike is to spray it onto a rag and wipe it on where you want it.
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You are totally right about this, I didn't even think about it. Lesson learned
 
I finally got the bike back a couple of days ago!
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It was inexpensive to repair as well. The only thing that's left to do is to repair/change the front rim. The rim is now bent and it's noticeable when you look at it spinning. There are some deep scratches as well.

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I've been looking for workshops that repair spoked wheels but there aren't many around here, and a new front rim is about 630€...

I just spotted someone selling his front rim, my bike is from 2018, but his is from 2021. Does anyone know whether the rim is the same? are there any differences? He is selling it for around 450€ which is still expensive, but I could work with that.
 

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aitormartin said:
I just spotted someone selling his front rim, my bike is from 2018, but his is from 2021. Does anyone know whether the rim is the same? are there any differences? He is selling it for around 450€ which is still expensive, but I could work with that.
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Nice, glad your back up and running.

For your wheel question:
All ktm 125/390 & husqvarna 125/401 wheels will fit, the only difference is that spoke wheels and cast wheels use different brake disc and wheel spacer, and smaller/older bikes have 300mm brakes.

Problem is, most time back wheel is easy to find and front wheel is not...
 
I'm glad you're back on the road. That bus looked scary.

People regard battle scars differently. Scratches etc can really annoy some riders, while others see them as adding to the story of the bike.

If the tyre is tracking straight then a slight 'out of round' in one side of the rim won't affect riding. Depending on how much is it out of whack, it's sometimes possible to bring it back with wood blocks and clamps.
 
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