Riding your Harley in reverse.
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Big Kahuna HDF Member
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 35,506
Likes: 27
From: Calgary eh
Riding your Harley in reverse.
So this morning I discovered I have the ability to ride at quite a fast speed going backwards on my bike. Totally unexpected of course.
Here's what happened. I had the front wheel off last night so the brake calipers were pushed in a small amount. All they needed was a couple pumps, but I missed that step.
So this morning, as usual, I'm backing the bike out of the garage. I have about a 2 ft elevation difference between my garage floor and the back alley. Normally I back out, put on the front brake, hit my garage opener button then as the door coming down I'm slowly backing down the skirt of the drive to the alley.
Today I backed out, grabbed the front brake and got nothing. Do you know how much momentum a Harley with a rider gets when it rolls down a 2 foot incline backwards? A lot! I was really moving, I managed to get a pump on the brake but it didn't help, I was doing everything to keep it balanced as I was reaching the speed limit in reverse. Holy crap, I went about 50 ft backwards but kept it upright. lol.
Always pump those brakes after you take off your wheels! haha.
Here's what happened. I had the front wheel off last night so the brake calipers were pushed in a small amount. All they needed was a couple pumps, but I missed that step.
So this morning, as usual, I'm backing the bike out of the garage. I have about a 2 ft elevation difference between my garage floor and the back alley. Normally I back out, put on the front brake, hit my garage opener button then as the door coming down I'm slowly backing down the skirt of the drive to the alley.
Today I backed out, grabbed the front brake and got nothing. Do you know how much momentum a Harley with a rider gets when it rolls down a 2 foot incline backwards? A lot! I was really moving, I managed to get a pump on the brake but it didn't help, I was doing everything to keep it balanced as I was reaching the speed limit in reverse. Holy crap, I went about 50 ft backwards but kept it upright. lol.
Always pump those brakes after you take off your wheels! haha.
Tourer
Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 487
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From: Yorkshire, England
Don't forget to clean the seat!!
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Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 3,036
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From: Savage, MN
Wow glad it worked out and you had no issues
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