Speed bump air time

[6r4h4m]

"Wheee! I'm flying!"

There are eleventy thousand speed bumps on my daily commute. Some are speed cushions and others are sleeping policemen. On many of them I end up with my buttocks entirely liberated from the saddle.

I've been experimenting with accelerating off the bump, to force the weight of the bike forwards so that the back end bucks less. Mixed results, mostly down to throttle control / timing. Sometimes I think it's working, other times really not!

Questions for the wise:

- do all bikes need to be below 20mph to avoid turning into bucking broncos over speed bumps, or is that just down to the littleness and suspension of my 125? (That's a question with half an eye on post-DAS bike choice.)
- shall I give up on this acceleration effort and just cut speed down more, or is there a knack I can crack if I persist?
- do I need to get something specific checked out at service intervals, in addition to the regular items that get checked?
- any other tips?

On a push bike I stand on the pedals and let the bike do its thing while I flex my legs to keep my pelvis stable. Limited experimentation suggests this is not a winning formula on motorcycle though!

Cheers guys.

[bigdom86]

wheelie over each one, that way when you get the jump your on the pegs already and half standing

[c_dug]

Standing up with legs bent does help if done right.

There are some speedbumps that are all but kerbs, bad even at walking speed, no matter the bike. Others are basically just paint on the road.

I call them speed jumps when I have the OH pillion. She does not appreciate
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I am a bellend, I am a man of constant sorrow, I am a gummy bear, I am a rock.

[iwaldo]

On my thundercat I usually just push down on the pegs slighty and lift my arse up a few mm, that does the trick!
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MT-09 / YZF600R Thundercat '02

[UnknownStuntm...]

Just do this, it's really easy then.
https://i.imgur.com/qTE0YqY.gif
/thread.

[Holdawayt]

I stand up and bend my legs to absorb it, failing that just place the bike between the bump and the kerb if there's room.

[Wafer_Thin_Ham]

Why are you driving over "speed cushions"? Just go between them surely?
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[M.C]

Used to stand up on the pegs all the time on the XR as it could fly over speed humps, did pop the fork seals twice during the space of a year though.

[6r4h4m]

[TbirdX]

[Wafer_Thin_Ham]

[6r4h4m]

[Wafer_Thin_Ham]

[Dave70]

Your bike will make a difference.

On my R125, it was extremely uncomfortable riding over them. On the er6f, it's much better. The comfier seat and better suspension make a world of difference.
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There ain't no devil, there's just god when he's drunk.

2012: R125 killed by white van. 2016 R125 killed by 30,000 miles of redline. Current: 2016 Kawasaki ER6f.

[techathy]

Do not take take this as gospel & I'd not recommend this at all. Its just something that works for me on my R1200.

I slow down to a little below the speed I want to take a sleeping policeman. With about 2-3 meters before the front wheel hits feed in some throttle. The front wheel will floats over without a jolt & the rear being heavily loaded compresses nicely. This smoothes out the bump significantly compared to going over it at a constant speed.

You could always try the following method: https://youtu.be/rwiR4RM6Yak?t=12s

[M.C]

[pablodrugsmul...]

Usually use the pegs to lift my legs a little with them bent so im not on the seat and i have no problems going over speed bumps. On my cbf 125 i did the same but the lack of weight made it bounce a bit, my fazers a lot heavier and nicer in every way.

[linuxyeti]

[techathy]

[6r4h4m]

[thx1138]

I can do it. Stand up, push down on suspension, in 2nd and just twist throttle and pull back as suspension lifts just before front wheel touches. My bike does only weigh 99kilos and have a 300cc engine though.

[techathy]

[thx1138]

[Hefty]

[MattN]