gtr puncture

[jenros]

hi guys,
went out on friday up to llandovery around the dam and mountains,had a barbie by the dam,absoultly fab day!
on the way back,a car overtock us,driving like a looney!,constantly kept overtaking on a single carriageway, the last group ov 5 he overtock,he must have been about 20yds in front of the last car when the car suddenly turned right into a layby!!!!,i gritted my teeth an thought what a prick!,there was nearly a fatality there,
as i looked down to see wha speed he must have been doing (we were doing 65ish),red light flashing on the dash????,screen when off??? so im looking in front at thew road and glancing down to see whas going on?(havent had the bike long) when the low tyre pressure symbol came on flashing at 17 psi,then 16,15,14 ---in less than 30 seconds when i stopped it was on 3psi!!!.
my first thoughts were, oh shit-nearly 5oclock on friday,now im knackered????????
no probs got recovery!! :),then i was thinking!!!!,what a brill bit of technology!!!!,a few 100yds ahead were a series of bends,without this warning system it could have turned out a bit nasty,!!.
so, thank you kawasaki for this, very impressed!!!!,
but it did get me thinking,,,,,,,bluetooth all the warning system,off the bike to your intercoms,now tha would be something else,,maybe a bit annoying on certain things,but im sure they would sort tha out, what do you all think of this then????,whats your oppinions on this idea?
oh an by the way,original brigstone with 1600mls on the tyre-nice big puncture wound, so i have now got pirelli angel on there (158.00,including drive in fitting) dropped it off in my van.

[Lonewolf]

hi guys,
went out on friday up to llandovery around the dam and mountains,had a barbie by the dam,absoultly fab day!
on the way back,a car overtock us,driving like a looney!,constantly kept overtaking on a single carriageway, the last group ov 5 he overtock,he must have been about 20yds in front of the last car when the car suddenly turned right into a layby!!!!,i gritted my teeth an thought what a prick!,there was nearly a fatality there,
as i looked down to see wha speed he must have been doing (we were doing 65ish),red light flashing on the dash? ??? ,screen when off??? so im looking in front at thew road and glancing down to see whas going on?(havent had the bike long) when the low tyre pressure symbol came on flashing at 17 psi,then 16,15,14 ---in less than 30 seconds when i stopped it was on 3psi!!!.
my first thoughts were, oh shit-nearly 5oclock on friday,now im knackered? ??? ??? ?
no probs got recovery!! :) ,then i was thinking!!!!,what a brill bit of technology!!!!,a few 100yds ahead were a series of bends,without this warning system it could have turned out a bit nasty,!!.
so, thank you kawasaki for this, very impressed!!!!,
but it did get me thinking,,,,,,,bluetooth all the warning system,off the bike to your intercoms,now tha would be something else,,maybe a bit annoying on certain things,but im sure they would sort tha out, what do you all think of this then? ??? ,whats your oppinions on this idea?
oh an by the way,original brigstone with 1600mls on the tyre-nice big puncture wound, so i have now got pirelli angel on there (158.00,including drive in fitting) dropped it off in my van.

Jenros, unlucky re the puncture. Funnily enough while I was reading your account, I was thinking to myself I wonder if it gives you an audible warning and then you brought up the very same topic.  I think it would be great if the warnings could be relayed through Autocom or some other system. There's an idea for the next generation of the GTR. Out of interest, how did the bike handle when you were riding with single figure psi? At least you know it works. I've been lucky, only had one puncture in the last five years. 

[Rusty]

Lucky man Jenros, but that's what you pay your money for, amongst other things  ;D
Nice to know that technology will give you the heads up when danger is looming ! Glad to hear you like the bike !!

[jenros]

hi guys,
well as i was travelling in a straight line,and not excessive by any meens,also the puncture was quite rapid in deflating,it didnt make a great deal ov difference,think thats what was puzzling me when i seen it come up on the dash.
Having said that,still would have been a very different story on a bend!.
All is well thou :) still think it would be something else if they could bluetooth the electronics,,,, night rider,eat ya heart out! ha ha. Cheers guys

[Hans]

No thanks! No more bells and whistles!  8)

If any alternative to the current view/display, then it could
be a flash-light to be seen at 5000m distance!

But no more sounds, thanks!

[Boomer]

Sounds are useless on motorcycles unless you have a bluetooth headset, and even then what is the point.
I would make the screen flash "LOW PRESSURE" and at the same time flash the red lights either side of the LCD.
The last thing I want is something beeping at me. Beepers are for people who are asleep.
If you are asleep on a motorcycle, then you are a corpse looking for a coffin.  :o

If you are not watching your dashboard then you are not checking your speed and therefore are not in control of your bike.
The same goes for your mirrors.

Me, approx. every 10 seconds I go Left Mirror, Speedo, Right Mirror.
These are just glances but mean that I know where everything is around me and I know what speed I'm doing.
It also meant that when I had a puncture 2 years ago, I knew about it as the tyre hit 33PSI.
Plenty of time to get off the road safely.  8)

[mecki]

Me, approx. every 10 seconds I go Left Mirror, Speedo, Right Mirror.

I rather keep an eye on the road ahead. ::)

[Lonewolf]

I rather keep an eye on the road ahead. ::)

I think its just instinct to do a cursory check of everything at regular intervals. Even if you dont think you do it, you probably do do it subconsciously. It's just human nature.

[Hans]

I think its just instinct to do a cursory check of everything at regular intervals. Even if you dont think you do it, you probably do do it subconsciously. It's just human nature.

It all depends on the type of road .... if I drive to the beach, so it is quite another "human nature" my eye exercises!  ::)

[mecki]

I think its just instinct to do a cursory check of everything at regular intervals. Even if you dont think you do it, you probably do do it subconsciously. It's just human nature.

I don't speed so I don't have to check my mirrors every ten seconds to make sure that I don't have a copper on my tail. ;D

[Lonewolf]

I don't speed so I don't have to check my mirrors every ten seconds to make sure that I don't have a copper on my tail. ;D

It's not about speeding or checking to see if you have a Copper on your tail, its about just being aware of whats going on around you, planning, anticipating, pre-empting the unexpected etc. Anyway thats my reasoning for doing what I do but I appreciate that we all have our own individual riding styles.

[routemaster]

Absolutely agree - good all round observation including checking your mirrors is essential

[Therenback]

Observation, anticipation, assessing and planning! Can still hear instructors voice in my ear. Obs when changing position or speed. Find good planning improves enjoyment of my ride as well improving life of parts etc

[mecki]

Looking behind me doesn't help me plan for what lies ahead, though.
The occasional glimpse is enough unless I want to change lanes.
And then I look over my shoulder as well.
OK When I ride in a group I check my mirrors regularly to make sure I haven't lost my mate(s).
After all there is so much more you have to look out for ahead on a bike than in a car.
Potholes, dirt and other debris, gravel, side streets, animals dead and alive...
And so far I haven't met anybody who has hit something behind them.
The only time I actually hit a car happened on a slip road when I was looking behind to get onto the M25 and the idiot 2 cars in front suddenly decided to stop.

And then there is the scenery (including the ladies) as well, so if I take my eyes off the road I rather look at that.

[routemaster]

Looking behind me doesn't help me plan for what lies ahead, though.
The occasional glimpse is enough unless I want to change lanes.
And then I look over my shoulder as well.

So how do you know that you don't have some numpty/idiot/boy racer behind you who is sitting on your number plate or looking to overtake/push past you at any opportunity? - ie other bikers, car/van drivers or a rather large HGV breathing down your neck. These sort of people pose a significant risk to your safety and would affect how you deal with planning for what lies ahead.

Steve