Bike accident, running on its side and lack of oil

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joegreen

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So I was going about 85 mph on the highway when my steering started to oscillate back and forth until it took me and the bike down. When I went down I got knocked out and when I came to on the side of the highway people were around and my bike was on its kickstand. Luckily no one ran me over and I was wearing a full face shoei helmet, gloves with palm sliders, boots, and a leather jacket with armor which allowed me to walk away from the accident virtually harm free. Anyway when I picked up my bike from the towing place and when I checked the oil level in the sight glass it showed there was no oil. After letting the bike sit upright for a week the oil level is now between the min and max mark. The bike is a 2001 Kawasaki super sherpa carbureted. Im concerned the bike was running on its side long enough to do damage to the engine from lack of lubrication. How long do you think the bike would stay running on its side with a carburetor or do you think it would shut off pretty quick from lack of fuel? Where would the oil have gone when the bike was on its side. Did it make its way into the air box and is it now slowly draining back into the crank case? Before this accident I had never heard of speed wobbles but after doing some research it is a real thing to be wary of.
 
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Bikes seem to be very tough.i have seen bikes layed down on the throttle and revved to the moon on their side and no aparant damage. The gas in your carb probly sloshed away from the jets and killed the engine quickly
 
Tank slapper. It happened to a friend of mine, but he somehow managed to keep his bike under control. His happened at a high rate of speed as well '90 mph' when he was trying to catch up to the group he was riding with. Glad to know you're OK. Get a fork brace or steering stabilizers and slow down! Change the oil and keep your fingers crossed, as far as any engine damage being done.
 
Man! I'm glad you're ok! Did the front tire go suddenly flat? I agree with Chris142, i bet it did not run long with the carbs on their side. Makes me wonder what would happen in the same circumstance with a fuel injected bike.
 
During the whole scenario I never got scared which surprised me. The steering oscillation reached a certain strength and I just accepted the fact that I was going to go down. It was extremely hard to control the steering. It was like wrestling with a gorilla. I haven't checked the air pressure in the tire yet but I do not believe it went flat. I make sure to check my oil level and tire pressure before each trip.
 
Originally Posted By: KernelK
What kind of bike was this?
2001 kawasaki super sherpa
 
I've been using a Honda TLR200 in Twinshock trials since 2002,over the years this bike has been thrown down banks, up banks, on it's side into streams, one time with my daughter riding, it ended up in a stream, upside down on it's handlebars, still running. a lot of abuse, and it's still running.
 
Glad you are OK!
Is that a 250 super sherpa? If it was, you must have been flat out?
Running on it's side is something that is not foreign to dirt bikes so I wouldn't worry too much about it.
Please, no more land speed record attempts on a dirt bike.
 
If not flat tire then most common cause of this is loose steering head bearings, there is a process to check, they are normally reloaded some amount so they will not deflect. I generally tell folks to check by putting finger between the stationary part of the steering head and fork, lock brake and feel for movement.

I am also a BIG fan of centerstands as it makes checking for sticking spots easy.

They usually make tapered bearing conversions, let you run more preload. Highly recommended.

Rod
 
Glad you're OK! I think your engine will be OK, too. Residual oil protects it upon startup, I think it should be enough for the few seconds it should stay running with compromised fuel delivery.

As to avoiding such scenarios,
I don't know if transferring any more weight to the front wheel would be a good idea in this case (~braking).
Maybe pulling clutch in right when it starts and letting the bike slowly decelerate on its own could help?
Anyone with experience?
 
Originally Posted By: JetStar
Glad you are OK!
Is that a 250 super sherpa? If it was, you must have been flat out?
Running on it's side is something that is not foreign to dirt bikes so I wouldn't worry too much about it.
Please, no more land speed record attempts on a dirt bike.
but I was still gaining speed at 85.
 
Very unlikely that the motor was damaged at all from lack of oil. I'd change it just in case you got some fuel contamination, and don't worry about it. I had the same experience, about 15 mph faster, on a Kawasaki, with the same result. I walked away from it, albeit a little beat up from wearing less protective gear. But the Bell Star saved my life, no doubt. It's a strange feeling doing 100 mph in a 55 mph zone hoping you don't hit someone from behind because the brakes don't do anything and you can't reach them anyhow.

As for the cause of the wobble, it's a harmonic, and they are tricky to track down. The cause can be unbelievably simple and equally difficult to isolate.

Steering damper is a good place to start, a little more preload on the neck bearings won't hurt, check the wheel bearings, check rear wheel alignment, and the big one that wasn't mentioned here yet is swingarm bearings (or bushings). Bad swingarm bearings will do this all by themselves. Also play around with fork oil viscosity, fork spring preload, tires, all of the above. They work together.


The worst speed wobble I was ever in was on a Honda Ascot, changing the orifice size in the front fork hydraulic unit (brazing it up and drilling it out)and changing the oil viscosity cured it. Strange but true. And that one was terrifying.

I have gotten out of bad speed wobbles by moving my weight back as far as I can and accelerating as hard as possible to get the weight off the front end, then braking decisively back down through the speed that the wobble set in. But that doesn't always end well. You know there is a problem, it would be best to fix it, you might not be so lucky next time.
 
I was cruising (Honda Shadow 1100) at about 65 and turned my body to check on a friend riding with me. As I turned forward again my foot came off the peg; my leg dropped and my body lurched forward slightly. This change of position and weight distribution: forward and sideward, along with a slight tug on one side of the bars,caused a slight wobble that began to increase. I had read how to handle so:
Do not use any brake as you want to take weight off front wheel.
Accelerate a little to relieve weight on the front wheel.
Move your weight back in the seat. The wobble lasted about 10 seconds. I have only had this happen once in 50 years so not a common occurrence but certainly memorable.
 
I'm glad your ok! Only time I ever had it happen to me was when I let the front wheel come down from a wheely. I was lucky and just rode it out.

The oil may have went into your breather box and some leaked out on the ground. I wouldn't worry about it. Most of the time they will die on their side unless you have a pumper carb on them.
 
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