stevie-boy-smith-jrII Posted December 27, 2015 Share Posted December 27, 2015 I done my cbt 6 weeks ago and have been driving about on my yamaha xvs dragstar 125 ever since, without any problems whatsoever....until....the 23rd of December, an old lady decided that she was going to pull out right in front of me on a 40mph road. I was only going 35ish mph as I planned on turning at the next corner at the end of the road so had already started slowing down, but at 35 mph I still gave her car a good whack. As I picked myself up off the ground and checked my bike over I couldn't see any problems. The old lady wad hysterically crying and faffing about on the road, I spent a good 10 minutes calming her down but eventually she started doing ma head in so I just told her I was fine, my bike was fine, she should just go and get her car fixed, the most important thing was none of us got hurt. As she careered away at a hasty pace I started to realise how daft and premature I maybe was by ordering her off, but at the time with my adrenalin pumping and her crying on the road I thought fuc£ it. Fast forward 4 days and I've had nothing but problems with my bike. When I drive it feels like its driving squinty also this morning it keeps cutting out every 1/4 ish mile and I have to pull over, wait 10 minutes and then drive another 1/4 mile before it then cuts out again. Things like scratches and bumps I know I can just order new parts for but does anyone have any ideas why it would keep cutting out or why it feels like it drives squinty?? My mechanical knowledge is absolute zero, but I'm a fairly handy guy so whatever the problem is if I knew what was wrong I could probs give it a good bash at fixing it but because this is my first bike I'm a complete novice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malleus Posted December 27, 2015 Share Posted December 27, 2015 What part of the bike hit the car? What visible damage is there? If you mean by 'squinty' that it feels like you need to correct steering to stay straight my first guess would be twisted forks, if not worse, or a bent handlebars. Not sure if there are better ways to test for these but I would put the handlebars in what you consider to be dead centre then look at the position of the wheel. To see if bars are bent turn them full lock left and right and see if clearance between bar ends and the tank is the same distance for left side and right. Could not tell you why it is cutting out though. (It is good to head over to the 'New Members Section' and introduce yourself as this forum gets a lot of people dropping by with a problem who never even stay long enough to say 'thanks for the advice' etc.. also in future you should definitely exchange details! You may feel fine, your bike may seem fine, but may not be the case a few days later!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackhat250 Posted December 27, 2015 Share Posted December 27, 2015 Aye stevie bad day eh , , to correct the steerin ,you"l need to loosen the clamp bolts on forks [ not too slack] , and twist the front wheel against summat, bounce it a few times, , this"l straighten things up. [ unless the forks are bent], the cut out maybe fuel starvation ,loosen the tank cap, & ride it to see if breather is choked, 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevie-boy-smith-jrII Posted December 28, 2015 Author Share Posted December 28, 2015 6 hours ago, Malleus said: What part of the bike hit the car? What visible damage is there? If you mean by 'squinty' that it feels like you need to correct steering to stay straight my first guess would be twisted forks, if not worse, or a bent handlebars. Not sure if there are better ways to test for these but I would put the handlebars in what you consider to be dead centre then look at the position of the wheel. To see if bars are bent turn them full lock left and right and see if clearance between bar ends and the tank is the same distance for left side and right. Could not tell you why it is cutting out though. (It is good to head over to the 'New Members Section' and introduce yourself as this forum gets a lot of people dropping by with a problem who never even stay long enough to say 'thanks for the advice' etc.. also in future you should definitely exchange details! You may feel fine, your bike may seem fine, but may not be the case a few days later cheers man, ill give that a bash and see if it sheds light on my steering issues. 6 hours ago, blackhat250 said: Aye stevie bad day eh , , to correct the steerin ,you"l need to loosen the clamp bolts on forks [ not too slack] , and twist the front wheel against summat, bounce it a few times, , this"l straighten things up. [ unless the forks are bent], the cut out maybe fuel starvation ,loosen the tank cap, & ride it to see if breather is choked, legend man, I'm gonna go pick ma bike up today n ill give the fuel cap a loosen and see how i get on. Thanks man 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevtheRev Posted December 28, 2015 Share Posted December 28, 2015 Good advice above . If the front wheel hit the car you should check that the wheel spindle (axle) isn't bent . Take the spindle out and roll it on a flat surface , if it's bent you'll see it easily . A bent spindle will lead to wayward steering . I've seen people become embarrassed/flustered after accidents and , after letting the other party head off without exchanging details , then discovering that they are injured once the shock wears off and the pain sets in . I've also seen people agree,at the scene , to fix there own damage only for the cops to arrive at the door having had a report of hit and run . My advice , - If someone knocks you off your bike - Stay On The Ground - till the cops/ambulance arrives , no matter how cold/wet/embarrassing it feels . Witnesses are more likely to stick around and you won't potentially walk away from justly deserved compensation . That's why we all pay insurance after all . 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevie-boy-smith-jrII Posted December 28, 2015 Author Share Posted December 28, 2015 16 minutes ago, KevtheRev said: Good advice above . If the front wheel hit the car you should check that the wheel spindle (axle) isn't bent . Take the spindle out and roll it on a flat surface , if it's bent you'll see it easily . A bent spindle will lead to wayward steering . I've seen people become embarrassed/flustered after accidents and , after letting the other party head off without exchanging details , then discovering that they are injured once the shock wears off and the pain sets in . I've also seen people agree,at the scene , to fix there own damage only for the cops to arrive at the door having had a report of hit and run . My advice , - If someone knocks you off your bike - Stay On The Ground - till the cops/ambulance arrives , no matter how cold/wet/embarrassing it feels . Witnesses are more likely to stick around and you won't potentially walk away from justly deserved compensation . That's why we all pay insurance after all . yeah I regretted it as soon as I started riding my bike and I felt all my aches creeping in, but it was a lesson learned and ill never ever let someone drive away ever again. I went to check on my bike this morning and it started no problem and I drove it 4 miles with not a problem, now I'm left with a dilemma whether to take it to a mechanic who can give the whole thing a once over just in case theres summit wrong and leaving it longer could make it worse or just riding it and hoping I dont break down again 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevtheRev Posted December 28, 2015 Share Posted December 28, 2015 Good lad , I did it myself once and only for a witness coming forward with the car reg I'd have missed out on a sizable injury settlement . 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slice Posted December 28, 2015 Share Posted December 28, 2015 Just read your post Stevie, if it were me I would take it in for a once over just to be sure, explain the problem to your local mechanic and he/she will have it sorted in no time, the last thing you want is for something to fail at 50mph, gravel rash is a bitch and broken bones are horrid. Some bikes have a "TIP" sensor as well, if the bike falls over it needs to be reset. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Cynic Posted December 28, 2015 Moderator Share Posted December 28, 2015 Just PLEASE make sure it is someone YOU trust and respect, with the story your going to tell them a less than straight conscience could have you spanking easily over a grand straightening things by microns. The frame may have been bent, may not, but again a less than perfect 'expert' could throw that on the quote as changing a frame is an easy job on an essentially good bike and they can hit you for a fortune in labour. Not to mention the bike having a frame change recorded to it at dvla. Then the sundries, bent brackets and such. Not all of em are thieves but you could be waving a blank cheque in front of some. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevie-boy-smith-jrII Posted December 28, 2015 Author Share Posted December 28, 2015 thanks guys, I know a mechanic that wont rip me that's coming out on Thurs to give it a check, ill let you know how I got on and how much he's gonna charge to fix whatever is wrong 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Cynic Posted December 28, 2015 Moderator Share Posted December 28, 2015 Good luck, hopefully its just a few tweaks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neversaydie Posted December 28, 2015 Share Posted December 28, 2015 Same happened to me a couple of years ago on my XVS125, at 20 mph. The bike was a write off. I think its highly unlikely that the bike has not sustained serious damage in a 35mph impact, with the bike hitting the side of the car. I hope youve been lucky. Petrol tanks and exhausts are practically unobtainable Check with the local council to see if they have any video cameras there that may have recorded the incident, or shops with cameras that may have seen it, or got her plate no Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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