Ducati Monster Forum

Last night I was leaving work with a coworker.  I was aboard my 2006 S2R1000 and he is riding his 2007.5 Aprilia Tuono.  In the last week, he put on new bars, levers, Rizoma signals, Leo Vince pipes, air box lid, etc, etc. 

I got into the gas a little and all of the sudden when I went to brake, I somehow whiskey throttled the hell out of it.  A number of police officers were right at the intersection and watched it. One thought the throttle got stuck as it was so odd.  It wasn't a "panic" type situation and therefore why would I have whiskey throttled it. 

As I am crashing, I hit my buddy from the back despite being off set to the right.  I take him out too.  The damage to the Tuono (525 miles) isn't too bad....  flattened right side pipe, turn signal lens broke, scratches to tank from probably his jacket. 

I am banged up pretty good.  My bike is possibly toast based solely on front forks, steering head, and the engine won't run.  Add in foot shift lever, cluth lever and housing, bar end, CRG mirror, headlight and brackets, signals and brackets, instrument cluster and brackets, front fender, tank, frame slider, seat cowl, kickstand, both axles ends, and carbon fiber under seat cover.  The Termi's got pushed together somehow on the other side of the bike too.  It goes to Motocorsa Portland next Saturday and the insurance game begins.  I had it for 3 weeks and 1 day.

I have been riding for 9 years and never had a SQUIDLY issue like this before.  I have no idea how this happened but it just sucks.  I had saved up the cash and bought my dream bike, a Ducati, with cash.  I haven't even got my title or custom plate (MNZTA) yet.

Thanks for listening to my venting.  Feel free to make fun.

Dude, no one's ever going to make fun of such a bad situation.  Let me be the first to say how sorry I am to hear about this.  Also let me be the first to say I hope you're okay and that nothing's physically toast.  It will get better.  On the plus side, the bike was brand new so it's at its highest value right now.  It isn't likely that it's got a bent frame, as it doesn't sound like you were going that fast.  What happened to the forks?  Is the damage largely cosmetic?  If it's not totaled this may be the beginning of a really neat Monster project.  Let the number crunchers do their job and figure out what's really damaged, what things really cost, and all that stuff.  As I said before, it will get better.  Worse case scenario, it's totaled, you walk away with a check, you plunk the check down on another Monster and ride away into the sunset, even if you end up owing a bit on another new one.  It will be okay.  Deep cleansing breath.  Sh** happens and the main thing is that you and your co-worker are okay.  Things are just things, but people can't be replaced.  Keep us posted on what happens from here, and good luck.

I replaced the front levers and installed clip-ons and on my test ride I noticed that I had pinched the throttle cable so tight I couldn't get the rpm's to come down.  Easy fix, but that could have been the problem.

shake it off and don't let it get to you.

Something happens to all of us eventually.  Doesn't sound like you were squidding to me. Glad neither you nor your buddy are seriously hurt and I bet your bike isn't as done as you might think.  There is a mechanical and/or electrical reason why the motor won't run.  All in all though if the words "throttle" and "stuck" appear in a police incident report- you go with that all the way to the insurance agent.  Get back on and ride again.

+1 same thing happened to me... It was pretty scary because it only happened when you turned right...

I really don't see how your crash was more than a combination of bad luck and bad timing...

Don't beat yourself up about it!

I've never heard the term "whiskey throttle" before.  Could someone please explain that to me?

I'm wondering why you couldn't have pulled the clutch in to regain control.  Was it just too much of a surprise or something?

I'm always trying to understand why crashes happen and what could be done to prevent them the next time the same circumstances occur.  This is a new crash cause for me.

Sorry to hear about that, it really sucks.  I hope the insurance doesn't drag out too long and you are able to get back on a bike soon.  Look at it this way, if it is totalled, you have the perfect excuse to buy the Monster Tricolore and be the envy of all your friends, and ME!!!  Be glad nobody got injured and walked away just fine.

Thanks folks.

The bike wasn't "new", just to me.  I had got it to about 3300 miles and mine DID have clip-ons installed at the time. 

About the whole "could you have just pulled in the clutch":  It happened so fast!!!  It was good one second, next I was crashing head first into the rear tire of my buddies bike.  He asked the same thing but has been riding for 30+ years. 

Whiskey Throttle would be similar to panic revving.  Getting into a little trouble, you have a tense and pull type reaction, and while hanging on for dear life you whack that throttle open.  That is my definition at least.

If they are going to fix it, I already have plans for some different parts.  Maybe headlight dual or MV Agusta like, black clip-ons, maybe even a new paint scheme.  It is amazing that OEM parts at times are actually more than aftermarket stuff.  I bet Pazzo levers are comparible to OEM replacements...just a guess. 

This forum rocks, thanks folks be::

timmer,

yeah, don't feel bad. i just had my first crash about 3 months ago. i fractured 5 ribs and sprained the shit out of my ankle. i had just bought this '04 bmw rockster (R1150R) from my brother which i only had for about 4 months and had just about 10k mi in the clock. the bike and myself tumbled for a good 30ft and i could hear it close by me and thank god it didn't land on me. the insurance co ended up salvaging the bike (although it was fixable to me).  they said it would've cost too much to repair it than to salvage.

so i took the money and bought me my first ducati (S4 Foggy). and this was only 3 days ago on tuesday!!!  mo:t:
i'm just so gald to be riding again after 2 months recovering and another month of searching.

well, i'm glad you're okay. hopefully you have a good insurance co and you had full insurance on the bike. take the money and run...

That SUCKS man. I hate hearing of a fellow rider going down. Especially on such a nice ride  :-\ .Have beer and get er back together.

Definitely not squidding. And you won't find a person here that'll make fun of your accident. It's not like you were trying to pop a wheelie or something.

Good luck sorting it out. Glad you and your buddy are okay.... and I think you may owe him a beer :)  ;)

Crickey!

Nothing funny about it. It coulda been much worse... Hope y'all are still friends.
Sounds like you have full coverage [thumbsup]
I took out an S2R800 myself, had it less than 2 months  :-\
Took the money & bought a Paul Smart. I felt much better then [thumbsup]

Wow, sorry to hear this, some times no matter what, we can't  react fast to save the bike. However, it could have been worse..! get well soon.

Sorry to hear this.

A few weeks ago I was pretty tired leaving work. I was splitting traffic on the way home.

Sometimes I pull in the clutch and rev the engine if I see someone in front of me that looks like they might drift into my lane.

Well I just grabbed a hand full and forgot to put in the clutch. I did a instant wheelie splitting lanes and felt like a fool/Squid.

Any case I got control of the motorcycle right away but If I was not so lucky like you I would be telling the same story  :-\

Sorry to hear this.  Shit happens.  Just two days ago I parked my bike behind my wife's SUV and then she asked me to pick up the kids so I hopped into her car and backed into my bike.  The good news is she felt sorry for me, umm after she call me an idiot and told me to get a new bike if I'm worried about it, for safety reasons of course.  I hear stories like these and think man this would never happen to me and wham, It just happens.

Good luck getting the bike back in shape.

Bummer man that sucks the big one. Good luck and hope you get 'er fixed quick!

+1

Your actions didn't seem at all squidly.

Shake it off fix yourself and the bike and get back on it.

Whiskey throttle. Thanks for explaining that, I'll have to remember it.

Sorry to hear about your accident. Glad you came away unscathed.

Ill make fun of you and call you a squid, but only because i did the exact same thing with much much worse results.

Sounds like it was a true accident no worries that is what insurance is for.  mine cost me $4500 out of pocket, 1 titanium plate with 8screws and 3 pins, 2 surgeries, 2 crowns, and 7 years later my wrist still kills me after a long ride.  Plus it kept me off a bike for 5 years cuz the wife was scared.  And yes i was  a total SQUID, im taking tshirt shorts running shoes openface helmet no gloves.  Skin debrisment is a b!tch let me tell ya.

so yeah yours could have been worse, thankfully it wasnt and you are going to end up with a nicer bike out of the deal.

On Monday I was talking to the owner of the 1098S Tricolore shown in the photo below, behind my 888.  He mentioned that one time he opened up the throttle on the thing and it was pulling so hard that he could barely hang on and had a very hard time letting off of the throttle, because hanging on to the bike tended to pull it in the direction of more throttle.  This sounds suspiciously similar to the cause of the crash that we're discussing here.

I guess that's another reason why I should be happy with just under 100 rear wheel horsepower on the 888, and 79 RWHP on the ST2.  Neither pulls hard enough to cause that problem.

(http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c67/scottrnelson/Ducati/SantanaRow/IMG_0392.jpg)

That's awful, man....I'm sorry to hear about that happening, especially since you JUST got it!!   :'(

"Whiskey throttling", as you call it, is a common mistake and you shouldn't feel embarrased about it happening to you....stuff like that happens to the best of us..... :-\

Ducatis, most of them, pull so hard that if you accidentally yank the throttle open, it's usually too late by the time you realize what's going on....When I first got my S4, I was power-wheelieing the thing left and right, mostly because I was not used to how hard it pulls.... :o

Bummer, but comes with riding.

My only advice is to make sure you keep a low wrist.

+1! I always am reminding myself of this... Harder to whiskey throttle if your wrist is low on the throttle already.

Reminds me of the very first time I had a go on a motorised vehicle (My Dad's Honda C50 moped - they probably don't have them in the States). It has no clutch, but I still went straight into a tree in our yard. I just froze and gripped harder!  /shame  [laugh]

Sorry to hear of the OP's accident, hope you heal up, and you're back on your bike soon.

That Tricolor looks sweet.

It´s just a case of wrong action at the wrong time. Don´t worry about it.. shit happens. My 749 revs like hell when I turn full left.. don´t know why. I hope I never get a tank slapper on the racetrack.. it could be a nasty situation waiting to happen.

I hope your insurance covers the damage.

Regards,
NuTTs

That's weird. Throttle line too short?

I crashed my bike 3 weeks after getting it....took 2 weeks to get it back on the road.  A week later my friend runs it into a curb....took 6 months to get it back from the dealer. 

I feel your pain buddy, have a cold one on me.  [drink]

Thanks everyone, helps me feel a little better during a crumby time.  What was worse, is that when I "walked" in the door after my crash I was blasted with the news that my mother has cancer.  In less than 30 minutes I had two horrible events happen.

The bikes go to Motocorsa tomorrow.  Should know more then as to how bad it is.

Sorry about the news, and the drop. Hope all turns out for the best. 

I set up my sv race bike with the throttle cables routed differently. Now, when I turn full to the left, the throttle revs high... of course, the only time I will ever turn like this is slow manuevering... and that is probably the worst time to rev the throttle high... something to fix.

I say let them total it out... buy it back... and race it.  [thumbsup]

I bought my Ducati with cash too... I just can't see having a payment on a toy. Good luck with the insurance and hopefully they don't bump your rates for the new bike.

I think I lose the 15% good driver discount for 3 years.  So basically my insurance on all my plans will go up about 25 bucks per month.  I can live with that.

good reminder for future riding

And for the above, Ryan: Don't let your buddy ride your bike. It never turns out well.

Just heard from the dealer... $14,000 to fix it  :o :o :o

Amazing considering a new one is $11,495.  But mine had over 5k in parts added to it if you truly break it down. 

Insurance is totaling it but now we have to negotiate what mine is "worth".  Problem is they know I am into it only $9400.  Dealer said they are going to "go to bat" for me and let the insurance know that, although I got a good deal, it is worth far more.  We shall see.

Now the hunt begins for the replacement.

Sorry about the bike  :-[  Glad to hear you're okay though  [thumbsup]

I too went down last year and totaled my new Monster.  I came out okay on the bike (got all my money back except about a grand). After I recovered from mulitple breaks and a surgery to replace my right ACL, I bought a new one and love it  [cheeky]

Ride on and be sure to post pics of the new bike  ;D

Keep your chin up.  Shit like this happens to everyone at some point or another (on average)

I bought my 675 new and with 450 miles on it put it into the gravel trap at Mosport hard like the fist of an angry god.  It survived, I survived.

I still ride it to this day.  8500 miles to date.

And when I do trackdays, I put all the rashed bodywork (and tank) on.

Juuuuuuust in case.  ;D

Good news.  I am getting almost $10500 for the bike.  Also, I get to buy it back for only $1650  :o

The plan is to part out the exhaust (full termi), wheels, tank (rashed a little but not dented), seat, etc.  Sounds like the dealer may have a buyer for the engine already too  [thumbsup]

So minus my deductible, my check is going to be about $8350.  Then hopefully make a couple grand on selling parts.  We will see...

That's pretty good news!!! So, watcha shopping for?  ;D

Anything and everything that meet following criteria:

V-twin, non-harley, loud or able to be made somewhat loud, not on every corner, not associated with every other fool at bike night, etc.

That would mean another Ducati, SV650, SV1000S, SuperHawk, etc are on the short list.  If the Triumph Thruxton had EFI it would be a done deal.

Don't forget KTM. . .

950SM and Super Duke =  8)