Whats a tankslapper?
Ouch....
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 585
From: Dirty Jersey
A tank slapper is when your handle bars bounce from side to side off you tank and you sh*t your pants....It happens at higher speeds most of the time...That's when you wish you were home watching the Price Is Right........LOL
j/k never happened to me, but i've seen it plenty of times on--yes--an R6 
Registered User
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 278
From: Gainesville, FL
The R6 is known for it's headshake.. and suprisingly enough, it comes down to the stock suspension setup. The rear suspension, in particular.
The problem is that there is not enough preload and compression damping when it comes from the factory. This causes it to bottom out easily. Once the rear bottoms out, the front end has no choice but to get really light. Light front end + any kind of steering input = headshake.
I rarely get headshake out of my R6 except in times of accelerating hard out of a turn or when I purposely make the front end light -- like a drag racing scenario.
Putting a wheelie down crooked is gonna cause a lot of headshake and probably a tank slapper on ANY bike. It doesn't have to be a Yamaha to do it. I bet half the people that say such bad things about the R6 have:
a) never ridden one hard
b) set the suspension up properly for themselves
I've had two tank slappers on my R6. The first was accelerating over some rail road tracks trying to air it a little. The slapper was shortlived. The second was going through a turn hard on the gas over some rather nasty bumpers.
I don't have any complaints. And I don't even have a steering damper.
MORE IMPORTANT is how to handle a tankslapper. There are a couple of options:
1) relax yourself. If you white knuckle the clip-ons in a tankslapper, the steering input is going to cause the rear end to get really squirly. I know it's easier said than done, but relax.
2) get on the gas. Again, hard to do when you can barely keep your hands on the f'ing thing.
After a tank slapper, PUMP YOUR BRAKES. It's VERY likely that the pistons in the calipers will be knocked a little loose and need to be reseated. It's also possible to twist the forks in the tubes. To take care of this, loosen the axle pinch bolt and slam your weight up and down on the front end -- should straight right out. Don't forget to tighten the pinch bolt back up, though!
---edit---
And yeh, I have put wheelies down a little crooked on my R6 before. I get a little headshake, but never a tankslapper. Obviously I mean a LITTLE crooked, not totally crossed up. That's an instant tankslapper->highside combo waiting to happen! This has happened going 100mph putting the front wheel down, usually in a hurry if you know what I mean.
I've never had one in a stoppie. I do stoppies from 45-50mph. I don't bring them straight up, but I can get a decent ride. I put them down at about 10mph so I can just ride off. Most of the stoppie slappers I've seen happen when the rider is trying to bring it straight to a stop and REALLY high.
The problem is that there is not enough preload and compression damping when it comes from the factory. This causes it to bottom out easily. Once the rear bottoms out, the front end has no choice but to get really light. Light front end + any kind of steering input = headshake.
I rarely get headshake out of my R6 except in times of accelerating hard out of a turn or when I purposely make the front end light -- like a drag racing scenario.
Putting a wheelie down crooked is gonna cause a lot of headshake and probably a tank slapper on ANY bike. It doesn't have to be a Yamaha to do it. I bet half the people that say such bad things about the R6 have:
a) never ridden one hard
b) set the suspension up properly for themselves
I've had two tank slappers on my R6. The first was accelerating over some rail road tracks trying to air it a little. The slapper was shortlived. The second was going through a turn hard on the gas over some rather nasty bumpers.
I don't have any complaints. And I don't even have a steering damper.
MORE IMPORTANT is how to handle a tankslapper. There are a couple of options:
1) relax yourself. If you white knuckle the clip-ons in a tankslapper, the steering input is going to cause the rear end to get really squirly. I know it's easier said than done, but relax.
2) get on the gas. Again, hard to do when you can barely keep your hands on the f'ing thing.
After a tank slapper, PUMP YOUR BRAKES. It's VERY likely that the pistons in the calipers will be knocked a little loose and need to be reseated. It's also possible to twist the forks in the tubes. To take care of this, loosen the axle pinch bolt and slam your weight up and down on the front end -- should straight right out. Don't forget to tighten the pinch bolt back up, though!
---edit---
And yeh, I have put wheelies down a little crooked on my R6 before. I get a little headshake, but never a tankslapper. Obviously I mean a LITTLE crooked, not totally crossed up. That's an instant tankslapper->highside combo waiting to happen! This has happened going 100mph putting the front wheel down, usually in a hurry if you know what I mean.
I've never had one in a stoppie. I do stoppies from 45-50mph. I don't bring them straight up, but I can get a decent ride. I put them down at about 10mph so I can just ride off. Most of the stoppie slappers I've seen happen when the rider is trying to bring it straight to a stop and REALLY high.
Last edited by smb123; Feb 6, 2003 at 12:48 AM.
I Enjoy Posting At StuntLife!
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 2,625
From: racine, wisconsin
SIMPLY PUT.....A BIKE SHOULD HAVE TWO THINGS DONE TO IT WHEN YOU GET IT HOME. YOU SHOULD PERSONALLY SET YOUR SUSPENSION AND A GOOD DAMPNER!!!!!! I HAVE A ZX6R AND PUT MY HYPER PRO ON IT AND IT HASENT EVEN THOUGHT OF SHAKING.
Registered User
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 260
From: Las Vegas, NV (formerly Redmond, WA)
Originally posted by smb123
I rarely get headshake out of my R6 except in times of accelerating hard out of a turn or when I purposely make the front end light -- like a drag racing scenario.
I rarely get headshake out of my R6 except in times of accelerating hard out of a turn or when I purposely make the front end light -- like a drag racing scenario.
Last edited by adamgeek; Feb 6, 2003 at 07:44 AM.
Blue light means go?
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 746
From: Durty South, ATL
Don't rule out Gixxers ('98 750), I've been riding without a dampner until I fix the mount on the frame and tankslapped it so bad at around 70 that both hands came off the bars and I could hear the front tire chirping over the wind noise as the bike danced underneath me. It was so violent that I remember looking at the pavement and guessing which side I was bailing on when it straightened out.
The look on the guys face driving the cab one lane over was almost worth the scare.
-Evan
The look on the guys face driving the cab one lane over was almost worth the scare.
-Evan
Registered User
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 1,681
From: area 612
2) get on the gas. Again, hard to do when you can barely keep your hands on the f'ing thing.
anyway why would getting on the gas help? if it's caused be the front end getting light in the first place. why if you watch racers will their bike contine to shake out of a corner while they are on the gas??
the best thing is just to get a damper!!
Guest
Posts: n/a
getting on the gas DURING a mean tankslapper,would (for me at least)mean instant toss(just like greenmachine tosses salads)if you really wanna get technical,read some books by Keith Code-i've read 2 of them,and they've been extremely helpful.letting off the gas during a headshake,or when you get outa whack is,what he calls a "survival action".racers learn to keep away from that,enableing them to get faster times,but in a more dangerous way(if you ask me)----if your bike tankslaps hard,do like said above.learn to live with it,be ready.and get a quality steering damper.
CycoWard
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 251
From: Salt Lake City, UT
Once upon a time, on an R1.... 2002 Model, the scariest day of my life came upon... As I rolled out of the driveway, and onto the street it all started..... First a let the clutch out, I was going about 5 mph, then I got around the block, out of my friends sight, and got that grin :D ... you know the one where your on the baddest bike ever, no one is looking and your gonna get on it? :D yeah that grin.... I said "aint no thing but a chicken wing" and ripped on the throttle, little did I know it was no F4i.. it began to tank slap like no other, and Im headed for a police officers house
but I got back into control, luckly it had happend to me on the F4i a few times almost becoming an F4die.. I came off a 3rd gear wheelie sideways because of the wind, and it started tank slappin, and I was heading for a a guard rail ... i made it, somehow, guess it wasnt my time 
it began to tank slap like no other, and Im headed for a police officers house but I got back into control, luckly it had happend to me on the F4i a few times almost becoming an F4die.. I came off a 3rd gear wheelie sideways because of the wind, and it started tank slappin, and I was heading for a a guard rail ... i made it, somehow, guess it wasnt my time Registered User
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 278
From: Gainesville, FL
Originally posted by adamgeek
I've had more headshake than i care to think about.. If i balance a 2nd gear wheelie out quickly (i.e. 60mph or so) i can go a long time, easily a mile or more with no trouble on a good day. If i balance it out at higher speed (say 90mph).. i don't get very far at all (maybe 15-30 seconds) before the bike starts to oscillate back and forth.. The wobble gets bad enough, i set the bike down before it gets dangerously bad, and i'm greated with the headshake of doom.
I've had more headshake than i care to think about.. If i balance a 2nd gear wheelie out quickly (i.e. 60mph or so) i can go a long time, easily a mile or more with no trouble on a good day. If i balance it out at higher speed (say 90mph).. i don't get very far at all (maybe 15-30 seconds) before the bike starts to oscillate back and forth.. The wobble gets bad enough, i set the bike down before it gets dangerously bad, and i'm greated with the headshake of doom.
But yes, it's scary as ****. I remember the first time it happened to me... I was just getting 2nd gear standups balanced and was riding one out. I steered myself a little to the right to stay in the lane, and when I started to straighten I got the weird oscillations like you described. Sometimes it has happened right away, other times I have been riding it for a bit and it starts to happen.
When it starts getting wobbly, I try to bring it down as slow as I can. Once the front wheel starts to dip it usually cures a lot of the wobble problem. I guess you could probably try to dip it down and then bring it back up, but I don't have those kind of *****.
Registered User
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 278
From: Gainesville, FL
Originally posted by OWA.TED
anyway why would getting on the gas help? if it's caused be the front end getting light in the first place. why if you watch racers will their bike contine to shake out of a corner while they are on the gas??
the best thing is just to get a damper!!
anyway why would getting on the gas help? if it's caused be the front end getting light in the first place. why if you watch racers will their bike contine to shake out of a corner while they are on the gas??
the best thing is just to get a damper!!
A tankslapper isn't just caused by the front end. It's the whole bike. The steering input (or lack thereof as it might be) causes the rear end to compensate by going the opposite direction. Then, the front end has to compensate, and then the rear end again. See, it's a vicious cycle. If one end of the bike can get settled, the other end can.
That being said, I've never tried gassing it out of a tankslapper. I just loosened up and let it fix itself. I've been used to getting small, normal headshake from exiting turns on the gas and hitting a bump or two, so it was pretty natural to just continue to do what I was doing and keep my arms loose like spaghetti.
