Pothole almost got the best of me.

[Latinbalar]

So this nasty pothole/sink hole comes out of no where. It jerked my hands away from the handle bars the bars then hit full lock left and right then the rear wheel hit then the bike corrected it self and then held on the handle bars. and i was back on my way. Definatly had one of those "Ohh Shit!!" moments.

[Ducatista]

So this nasty pothole/sink hole comes out of no where. It jerked my hands away from the handle bars the bars then hit full lock left and right then the rear wheel hit then the bike corrected it self and then held on the handle bars. and i was back on my way. Definatly had one of those "Ohh Shit!!" moments.

Was there any way to avoid the pothole?  Glad you saved it, but the easiest save is when you avoid the hazard.  [moto]

[TiNi]

i've had a few of those oh shit moments myself...
glad you came out ok

[stopintime]

So this nasty pothole/sink hole comes out of no where.   .........................

It just came running to create problems?

Anyhow - it's good to hear that the bike is capable of so much self correction - glad you saved the day

[Latinbalar]

I always avoid potholes when i notice them. This particular one was on my every day route that just formed maybe a few days ago and i was just cruising along.  But trust me im the one most happy i made it out of that one, thanks for your conern.

[hypurone]

Check your rims for damage. I hit one in the shadows mid-corner at a pretty good clip,    noticed it 2 weeks later when taking a break and BS'ing during a ride. Still held air and I rode that bike that way till it left me...

[johnster]

Check your rims for damage.

+1.  Also, you may want to check your steering stops. They've been known to crack or gouge when hit hard. Mine did when I dropped my bike going into my driveway last year, and I had to replace the snapped stop bolt!! 

[blue tiger]

Way luckier than me. I spranged the rim on my new (less than 2000 miles) 08 tricolore. It was a nasty piece of degraded concrete on the backside of a RR crossing. No way to stop. I unweighted the bike but whamo. Bent rim. It's now at the shop (been 2 weeks already) and I'm dealing with the RR on paying for it. Wish me luck.If I had it to do over again I would have nailed the throttle and wheelied over it.

[PizzaMonster]

It jerked my hands away from the handle bars the bars then hit full lock left and right then the rear wheel hit then the bike corrected it self and then held on the handle bars. and i was back on my way.

So what do you think?  Did the fact that the movement was violent enough to pull the bars from your hands what saved you? 

I know trying to hold on tight and fighting the bike probably would have contributed to a tank slapper but the idea of being totally "no-hands" in this situation is a bit counter-intuitive.  If I happen to blunder into a hole I just try to keep everything more or less constant, hang loose, and hope for the best.   What is the "recommended" thing to do in this situation?

[Massinova]

I live in pot-hole hell (Tulsa Oklahoma).  Its to the point that on some roads you spend more time dodging pot-holes than paying attention to traffic.    I've hit  a few to make me wonder if my bike sustained damage.     The scariest ones are the linear potted-ruts formed along expansion joints that are parallel the road and are in the lane.