Truck doughnuts

Heading into work today and the car behind me ran over a serious hunk of
truck tyre tread that had peeled off a truck just in front of us. The
car appeared to be undamaged despite hitting what was a vertical wall of
retread at highway speed (well, he didn't bother stopping to exchange
pleasantries with the truck driver).
Has anyone ever hit one of these things? They look pretty solid. If so,
what's the best policy - the high pucker-factor swerve or just hang on
and hit it? There's so much of this crap on the road it's probably only
a matter of time ...
- sanbar

 

I've had one hit the bike and fly over me head. I've had one mark and move
the body shit on the Trans Am too. The chook I hit hurt worse!

 

Riding at night i have hit 2 things...3/4 of a roo & a truck tyre cap. And
one night i missed a complete car exhaust system (front front to rear) by
maybe an inch i recon. Motorbike headlight designers should be made ride at
night in Australia !! I fixed the problem by adding 2 lightforce 17cm
spotlights that work the same way a maglite torch does. I can slow down &
change the focus on the move (at a safe speed) but almost always leave them
on pencil beam. I have tried to measure them on straight roads & i can light
up guide posts & signs at 1.5 klms on pencil. I win light fights against
interstate B-Doubles. Any oilhead BM alternator can handle the job well.
They look stupidly big & clumsy but so am i & so is the bike.

The point being is that tyres are a mat black & wont relect light back so
they are very hard to see until you are right up on them. Having a powerful
light makes crap on the road throw a shadow so you can see something there.
This entire exersize is worthless when you dip your lights for oncoming
traffic. 1st time i tirned them on at night i couldnt stop laughing....the
road becomes an international runway any jumbo would be proud to land on.

 

Had a truck tyre explode next to me on the freeway in Brisbane, I was in a
car at the time with both windows down a large chunk of rubber flew in my
window and out the other missing my head by an inch or so. The explosion was
like a rifle shot.

Boxer

 

Hhe, one of the first things I did after picking up the Honda was wiring
in a couple of 55W lamps. They aren't as good as what yours are
described as, but shite, they make things a lot safer.

I know that feeling
- sanbar

 

Had a truck tyre shred right in front of me on the highway at dusk. A piece
of rubber flew up and smashed off the righthand side of a bikini fairing
around the headlight of my little '85 GSX250s. This happened on my first day
on 'L' plates many moons ago. I learnt a valuable lesson that day that has
severed me well in all my years of motorcycling.... the value of nappysan!

Now days i use the power of a larger bike to avoid spending any time behind
trucks. I too think that the days of the re-tread should be gone, as the
potholes in Victorian roads are quite enough to avoid on thier own.

BusaBoy

 

You must be pretty cut-up about that.
Cheers Reg

 

Lots of truck tyre caps on the roads up here,some days its like a
obstacle course ,most of the trucks come through at night and the caps
are there in the morning .I guess the drivers can't be expected to walk
back down the road to clean up after a blowout.

I've had a piece of steel wire from a radial tyre flicked up by a car I
was following and crack the visor on my helmet .
I'm glad it did not penetrate the visor.

 

Not until some politicians wise up and take pressure off drivers
and put it on Coles and Woolworths where it belongs.

GB

 

Who is liable for the damage if a Truck does blow out and smashes our bikes
into smitherines? Do we chase it up and grab their details, do we heal our
wounds? do we grab their numberplates?
I've never thought about this, but i dont have comprehensive insurance, so
if such a thing occurs and i dont have any details am i buggered? even if i
do get details, is a person liable for the damage resulting from their
re-treaded tyre?

 

The same person pays as when a stone is picked up by a tyre on the vehicle
in front of you and goes through your windscreen.

You.

Theo
Two windscreens this year so far. They cost $250 each. Excess on the
insurance is $250. Wow!, what a coincidence.

 

No.

If you can get their details, they have to pay. It's the same as when a
wheel comes off and hits you. The driver is liable.

Moike

 

The driver is the responsible one, get what ever details you can, number
plate, company name whatever. usually a truck company will handle the
claim on behalf of the driver. but sometimes the chase is on.
There was a issue about who should pay for picking up the rubber left on
the roads, it was a debate between the tyre manufacturers and the
recappers regarding whos product failed. Some of the tyres have had 4+
caps on them, that can be over a million k's. there isn't any rules
about how many caps a case can have, however most cappers will xray/scan
(insert techy bit here) a case before putting new tread on them

I've had a tread wrap around my body after coming from a truck, scared
every bit of shit I had out of me. managed to stay upright and pull up.

I've had big arguments with drivers who keep driving with "caps"
flapping on trailer tyres, especially about the danger the cap presents
to bike riders, both motor and push. To be fair though , sometimes you
just don't feel it, hear it or see it, especially if it is just the
steel bands coming through the case.

Mick Chester

 

Actually most casings have a rating for the number of caps they are
supposed to be good for... normally 2 or 3, there just aren't any laws
about it.

We only use caps on casings once and we get our own casings back and we
only use them on low speed vehicles and only at the rear.

Used properly and inspected reguarly and not overheated they are fine...
the problem comes when people try and get extra caps on worn out casings
normally.


G-S