Tank Slappers & Head Shakes - How To Avoid & Protect Yourself From Instability

Tank slappers, head shakes, and instability. Let's talk about what they are, where they come from, and how to avoid and protect yourself from them with a better setup, and the use of Superstops - by Superduked.com.

If more trail equals more stability, why does KTM's 1290 Superduke - which has a lot of trail, also have a reputation for becoming unstable under hard acceleration? Could it be that more trail can also mean more instability under hard acceleration? I think it can.

The Superduke rear suspension squats under hard acceleration, which lifts the front tire off the ground. When the front tire touches down again, if it is not perfectly straight, your motorcycle can experience a violent tank slapper. A bad head shake. And crazy instability. More so than with a motorcycle that has less trail.

Increasing swingarm angle can help keep your motorcycle from squatting in the rear under hard acceleration. Using a Sportlink from Superduked.com increases your swingarm angle, which also reduces your trail. I am using a Superduke as an example here, but the same rules apply to all motorcycles. The more trail you have, the more violently the front wheel will jerk back in line with the rear tire when it touches the pavement. And that "Jerking" is what initiates a tank slapper.

No matter the motorcycle you are riding, try to keep your weight forward as you accelerate. Putting more weight on the front will help keep your front tire from lifting off the ground. That will help keep tank slappers from happening. Also increase your swingarm angle by lengthening your rear shock, or changing your rear link, or adjusting your axle position in the swingarm. Depending on the motorcycle, adjusting your axle position can increase rear ride height, which does increase swingarm angle also.

Feel free to email me off Superduked.com if you want help.

Here is a direct link to the new Superdtops for sale on Superduked.com: https://superduked.com/pages/plp/supe...

Sportlinks can help your bike to have fewer and less violent tank slappers. You can find Sportlinks, and Superlinks, here on Superduked.com: https://superduked.com/collections/ca...

Special thanks to Oxymoron Photography for use of their photos: https://www.oxymoronphotography.com/M...

#ktmbikes #howitworks #ktmracing #superduke1290r #howtorideamotorcycle #trackday

Timestamps
0:00 - Intro
0:51 - HOW MORE TRAIL = MORE INSTABILITY
3:37 - HOW OUR GRIP AFFECTS INSTABILITY
4:16 - SQUAT CONTRIBUTES TO INSTABILITY
5:00 - TANK SLAPPERS CAUSED BY TRAIL
6:00 - MULTIPLE SOURCES OF INSTABILITY-ENERGY
9:28 - BETTER SETUPS AVOID TANK SLAPPERS
10:42 -WHY OEM STEERING STOPS ARE FLAWED
14:22 - INTRODUCTION TO SUPERSTOPS
16:06 - TERRIBLE TANK SLAPPER STORY
18:35 - HOW SUPERSTOPS CAN SAVE US FROM INJURY
20:32 - HOW TO AVOID TANK SLAPPERS
24:17 - SPORTLINKS CAN HELP AVOID TANK SLAPPERS