As most of you probably know, I'm running a wing short (on the right). For two years I've been without any sort of bike (or about any other activity, really). I want to be on two wheels again, and have little budget to do so. However, the grace of circumstance has given me two test sleds to work on- a 1982 KZ1000J (disco-era lead sled) and a 1987 KL250D/KLR250. I also have my little KLX110 but that isn't usable for re-learning the street. As an aside, I do not regularly wear a prosthetic device (on my ARM, you pervs) because it adds no function and is uncomfortable and expensive.
The game plan at the outset is to relocate the throttle to the left bar while maintaining its inward rotation, and to gang up the three disc brakes onto the foot pedal with either a junction or a triple banjo bolt at the m/c.
The issue that concerns me most is that, under panic/aggressive braking, I would naturally add more pressure to the left bar than the right, forcing a countersteer that I don't want. I'm not concerned about riding aggressively because those days are over, but I AM worried about an old lady backing out of her driveway and forcing me to take evasive action.
Anyone got any thoughts on this concern, or a solution? My goal is simply to ride safely again, nothing more.
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sounds to me that you really should wear a prosthetic of some description purely for this situation. at least it will give you a more balanced forward force under braking (i would have thought)
couple of mates of mine reckon they were havin a yarn with a guy in the city one day who like yourself was challenged in the hanging on department yet he made it look real easy on his Buell so stay positive it can be done.
Some sort of linked /abs braking system, a- la -Honda MIGHT be a good idea for you then, in that it will (hopefully) apply maximum front and rear braking via the rear brake pedal??? IE: In the dry, 80 f/ 20 r...???
Can it be done this way??
Doesn't one of the WEE M W bikes do it this way????
On the first link if you click on the blue button on the left that says "De MMvG-methode" you get to see a graphic pic of the parts that they have been using, there are a few brake/ clutch levers etc there.
We've had this discussion with Bluedogz a few years ago and if my memory serves (and is dangerous today) me correctly. His desire is strictly 2 wheels...
At my last track day in Anglessey there was a guy with one arm riding a 675 Daytona. He was riding the hell out of the bike, had a linked brake system on the bike and was seriously fast. I would suggest that braking at a track day is pretty fierce, granted not as much as doing an emergency stop, but harder than road riding.
I know what you're getting at - you mean the force of you preventing your bodyweight from pitching forward by only being in physical contact with the left bar, as opposed to locking your amrs against both - and the net effect that would have on steering(counter-steering) and ultimately stabiility and the ability (or not) to evade collision? Do you use your knees to grip anyway under all braking events (like on track?) - not sure how that kicks in under 'panic-braking' though, but worth a shot at conditioning it so it works as a reflex, you'll need it anyway and it's the better way to do it in any event.
Given the obvious physics - other than gripping/clenching with your knees I'm struggling to see a definitive workaround TBH. (investing in some 'stomp pads' is a good idea in my book)
Most braking systems (on cars anyway) have a way of reducing the brake pressure to the rear brakes as these would lock usually having less mass to slow down, the vehicle naturally rocks forward under braking effect.
Sir TT is right - I have some on my bike and under heavy braking it alows you to take all the weight off your arms. Apart from general road and track use, it's especially useful on steep downhill sections (mountains, etc).
Im sure there used to be a similar rider in the Vigin Cup (??) but I cant remember how he set the bike up. Seem to think there was a spring loaded thumb level used as the throttle control.
Wow- so many to reply! Forgive me if I miss a quote...
Mansie: I'm currently working loosely with Brett Cole. Throttle isn't the issue, I can put that in my teeth if I have to. It's the brakes, and thus the safety, that worry me. Although if Brett can ride the track and not countersteer weird, then that may do it. Waiting for his answer now.
Re: StompGrip: I've used it in the past, and it is an excellent tool. Probably also part of the solution.
Ash: think you've covered it all, there.
SirTT: which arm was he missing? Left is easier, obviously....
The best I can describe my control ability: take a tube of super-glue, squirt it on your right thumb and forefinger, and then grab your right earlobe with it. Now go through the day. You can do a lot with your elbow but hardly everything...
Oh, and those airbag jackets are cool tech, but I'd like to see them work live.
Blue, it was his right. I've been searching You Tube and the like to see if I can find a picture of the guy. Had customised his leathers as well so there was no "arm" there at all. His was amputation was right to the shoulder.
Earl: have you thought about trying a road legal quad bike not stability issues and pretty narly these days,
I have. Money is the issue, which is why my test sled is a $300 Kz1000. If I could run out and write a check for $15-$20k, for a custom, I would. I'm trying to do this low-budget. Remember, when I got out of the hospital after the blessed event, I was made redundant/laid off the next week.
Bluedogz... I saw a guy riding a mountainbike with only only one arm/hand.... his prosthetic arm/hand was attached to the handlebar by a snap-on ball joint and he was able to use that arm to brace himself against the braking forces.... dunno if this helps...!
There's a guy that races at Darley Moor (in the UK) he has one arm that is paralysed, he just velcro's it to the tank. He's usually in the top half of the field. Tony (X-man) may know him and have contact details. Maybe he could help you out.
Regarding the brakes, we use linked brakes on the race outfit. The lever on the handlebars only operates one of the front calipers, the other two front calipers (yes, it has 3!) are operated by the foot pedal, along with the rear and sidecar brakes.
The foot pedal operates 2 AP Lockheed master cylinders, one operates the front calipers, the other operates the rear and sidecar. All of the calipers are 2 piston Lockheed racing types, except the sidecar, which is a Honda MT 125 front caliper.
The pedal pushes onto a balance beam that has the pressure point offset so that there is a braking bias towards the front calipers. Both master cylinders are operated by threaded bars with Rose-joints on them so that they can be adjusted.
If you want any more details let me know.
This is not my bike, but it shows the same arrangement.
Blue LaBelle: his prosthetic arm/hand was attached to the handlebar by a snap-on ball joint
One of those solutions that look nice in action until you see what they cost. That rig is about $2500USD over here. Same technology on a farm trailer is probably $25 but once it's a "prosthesis" the cost skyrockets.
Nick, your description combined with the piece on Brett Cole may offer an answer. Brett roadraces (2 wheels) on an NT650 Hawk with front brakes on a thumb setup on the left. This COULD work, but how about 1 front caliper plumbed to the thumb lever with a narrow-bore m/c so that it doesn't provide a tremendous amount of braking force; then run the second front caliper plus the rear to the foot pedal with a larger m/c? Plus the StompGrip.
Just a thought.... Peugeot gearbox linkages are based on the same principal... the rods with the linkage cost about £7 from a dealers (well it did on my old 309) perhaps your prosthetic arm could be adapted to fit such a linkage...????
Pity you're not English, mate..............chances are you could get one on the National Health..NHS, though I doubt it would look pretty, but I assume would be functional enough to attach to r/h bar as,at worst, a "brace".........
anybody over in Blighty have a family member who works....high up, in the NHS????
Spent the night in the garage turning wrenches on the widdle KDX to unclog the carb b/c it hasn't run in a year... and the zen is back. Nothing better than hours alone in the garage with a six-pack and a mission.
I damn near ripped off my left thumb, at 17, when my Dunstall Suzuki GS750 refused to go around a bend as fast as my mates RD350!!!,.......
( if anybody's interested, Folly lane bends, Eccles, Manchester.....bike went through the newsagents plate glass window, as I nearly did, I had to laff though, as it was the gaff I had my Motor Cycle Weekly standing order, so I calmly asked him if it was in...........can't tell you the look on his (ashen) face!!!!!!!!!)
........hanging by a thread it were, all ligaments/ tendons torn, NHS did a number on it, not pretty, but it works ( mostly)!!!!
Bluedogz, I'm trying to figure out a safe, stable way to cope with the panic stop situ. If your prosthetic is the old type with a bolt hole at the nose, I think a Shimano SPD (or similar) clipless shoe mount meant for bicycling might be an inexpensive alternative (the pedal mounted to the handlebar). Another alternative would be some kind of padded brace between the seat and gas tank to support your weight in a panic stop.
I'm pretty familiar with a Z1, which shouldn't be too far off the KZ1000 and the throttle could be rigged to work off your right heel. I'm stuck on the front brake. While trying to keep left hand responsibilities to as few tasks as possible it could be operated with your left heel, but the master cylinder needs to be above the level of the front brake. Perhaps linkage to a frame mounted m/c near the steering headtube.
Brad
PS I miss my old KDX250! Last five or six days have been spent in my garage also...put the T595 on the back burner as both my Mustangs demanded attention ASAP...a radio, cold beer and a good attitude coped with the smell of diff. lube.
Brad: If your prosthetic is the old type with a bolt hole at the nose
Yeah, that WOULD make it simple. The guys that built mine demanded to use the high-tech version, which is a proprietary twist-lock device that can accept anything at all as long as you attach the $750 connecting device. The "old" way used a plain old 1/2" threaded rod, but to retrofit my arm to that is crazy expensive. Working on the insurance to cover that now, but not optimistic.
I like Ash's StompGrip idea; I have enough racing experience that I'm used to having my legs do a lot of work. However, the Shimano idea is excellent and easily available at a proper bike shop.
Today's mission is to get the throttle right, at least on the KDX. Will update on that.
Brad: Another alternative would be some kind of padded brace between the seat and gas tank
Hmmm... I had a scrotum once... let me ask the wife what she did with it.
"Hmmm... I had a scrotum once... let me ask the wife what she did with it." -- Bluedogz
I was thinking a bit higher, a below the belly button point of contact, unless you're into the pain thing...
Seriously, I keep thinking about this. The front brake can be linked to the rear brake's pedal using rods and a bellcrank, linked to a frame mounted m/c. Bias ratio would be a trial and error concern.
Bluedogz, Another braking idea...if the KZ has dual disks in front, remove one of the disks, likely the right side. The dual disk option came out in '75, IIRC, with a larger m/c. The second disk can be the rear's, but with a restrictor in the rear brake's banjo. Am I correct that the '82 KZ has a rear disk?
Brad: The front brake can be linked to the rear brake's pedal using rods and a bellcrank,
Or just a big F/O master cylinder sufficient to push 3 calipers. Especially on the dinosaurs I'm working on, swapping out the stock rear for, say, a ZX6 master would yield significant results. But also, AP has a wide range of big ol' masters to serve any need.
Brad: Am I correct that the '82 KZ has a rear disk?
You're right- all my test sleds are front and rear disk ,because that gives me the option to transfer braking power between front and rear with minimal plumbing. The question isn't really how to apply braking power, but how to control the bike dependably when I do.
I was thinking if the tank sort of had wings that you could put your thighs under it would keep you from "up & over".... imagine you might need to wear a cup though
Capt.Kirk, I was thinking of something similar but thought in an accident they may prove hazardous. That said a reshaped tank with very pronounced knee/thigh indentations might provide some of the answer; allied to the grippy stuff and it could be a job.
No new technology and a bike that remains 'conventional'.
Well, there are a lot of bikes with tanks shaped for that purpose, the SV650 being one and the R1 another. Guess it rules out the Hardly Ableson, though- can't see slapping StompGrip on the ol' Electra Glide
