VTRsurfer

I hit a full unopened quart of motor oil and exploded it with my front tire. It oiled my front and rear tire, front brakes (oil dripping off calipers) and the entire right side and front cylinder of my bike.

My wife and I were returning from breakfast at Cook's Corner in Trabuco Canyon this morning. My wife had gone up "The Hairpin" just above Trabuco Creek about 30 seconds ahead of me. As I came around the right dogleg above The Hairpin, I saw a black object in my line, right in the middle of the lane (I'm going about 40+ in 2nd). It's a narrow 2 lane with a double yellow line. Since a couple of cars were coming down in the opposite direction, I couldn't quickly and safely alter my line. I heard a "POP", and saw a lot of smoke in my mirror, coming off my right exhaust. I went through another dogleg right, then a 90 degree left, followed by a 90 degree right into the 1/4 mile straight behind the housing tract. I pulled on my front brake to slow down and pull over, and I had almost no brake.

My right boot was soaked with oil, as was my right pant leg almost up to the knee. Oil was dripping off the entire right side of my bike.

So some ******* had obviously dropped or placed this unopened quart of oil in the center of the lane, knowing that a car tire wouldn't hit it there, but a motorcycle eventually would.

My wife rode off on her SV, with the tank bag, to get paper towels at a gas station and a container of wet wipes at the supermarket.

Wiping with the few paper towels I keep in the tank bag, and then with the supplies my wife returned with, we were back on the road 1 1/2 hours later. I rode the 20 miles home very gingerly. I had about 1/2 normal braking power, at best.

A number of motorcyclists, including Harley guys, a small group of road cyclists, and several people in cars and trucks stopped and offered assistance.

I still need to take my bike to the coin operated car wash, and both tires and my front brake pads will have to be replaced asap (BT-016's are only 1/2 worn) . Also I expect I'll have to replace the front plug wire.

zmaniv

Glad to hear you are ok and didnt drop it.

Probably the same type of ******* who tries to keep you from splitting lanes on the freeway

Old Yeller

your tires don't need replaced. just scrub them with dishwashing liquid. it'll break down the oil and remove it.

You're darn lucky. One time I got oil on my rear tire and it slid out from under me like on ice.

killer5280

+1. Same for the brake pads. Take them off and clean them with brake cleaner or some kind of emulsifier and they will work fine.

VTRsurfer

Thanks, but the problem is that both sides of the front tire and the right side of the rear had oil literally dripping off of them from 1 1/2 inches or more on both sides of the tread, the same with both front rotors. And the tires are well scrubbed in, with rough spots from shredding and heat cycling, so I wouldn't trust them at all for the type of riding I do.

I'd rather play it safe by spending for new tires than end up going down.

You wouldn't believe how oil soaked by entire bike was. It was like someone stood next to my bike and threw a bucket of oil on the right side, then poured more oil all over the front tire, forks and brakes, then threw oil up behind the front tire onto the front cylinder, starter and the cooling fan.

Again, the quart of oil literally exploded when my front tire hit it.

killer5280

VTRsurfer

I might add that the local residents have had a gripe for years with the "loud" motorcycles, mostly Harleys with straight pipes, constantly going up and down that road on weekends.

Trabuco Canyon is rural, live oak forested recreational and horse properties at the base of the Santa Ana Mountains. But the area at the top of the road is total suburbia.

killer5280

Yes. More than once I have come across oil deliberately poured across the road here in the N. Georgia mountains. People are strange.

RCVTR

I'm glad you didn't go down!

I hope the next few bikes that came through there fared as well.

VTRsurfer

The old adage, "When in doubt, gas it". I was on the gas when I came around the corner and saw the can of oil, although I wasn't sure what it was until after I hit it, and I started throwing out a smoke screen. I just held my throttle position, maybe backed off just a little. But if I'd hit the brakes, I'm certain I would have gone down.

Seconds after I pulled over (about 1/4 mile from the hit), a Harley rider heading the opposite way stopped. He said he would go down and throw some dirt on it. I told him I didn't think that would be safe, no place to safely park, but he did it anyway then came back to make sure I didn't need any help. He said he threw the smashed container to the side of the road and threw dirt on the oil.

A short time later a fire truck happened by. I flagged them down, and they said they would check it out and do any necessary cleanup.

There probably wasn't much oil on the asphalt anyway, since it looked like about 1/2 gallon was on my bike. Again, the quart oil container exploded when I hit it at 40+ mph. I had to roll it forward after a few minutes, since a 1 foot plus diameter puddle was forming under my bike, parked at the curb.

8541Hawk

Well glad you made it through you experience unharmed.....

That really does suck and I can only hope it was someone being stupid and accidentally lost a can out of their truck or whatever instead of someone maliciously looking to harm a rider.

Though we have had the same problem in this area from time to time. Except in that case the oil was actually poured a crossed the road, not left in the can to be hit.

Also good on you for making sure that someone looked after the mess that was left on the road.

jbaxx

Wow, me and my gf rode right through there yesterday around noon on our way out to Dana Point. Didn't see any oil when we went through... Glad you're ok Don. BTW Cook's was insanely packed when we went by.

lazn

Are we sure it was intentional? Perhaps it fell out of someone's vehicle.

Ether way, glad you are OK and good job keeping it up!

geekonamotorcycle

Wow

VTRsurfer

Jerry, we left Cook's at about 10:15, so my wife and I had probably just left for home when you went by, after the 1 1/2 hour cleanup to make my bike rideable. The fire dept had done their cleanup by then. And like I said, most of the oil was on my bike. You wouldn't have believed it.

I went through a full 2 liter bottle of Simple Green, spending well over an hour spraying, brushing with a parts cleaning brush, then rinsing everything. I went over the affected areas multiple times.

And the tires are toast, especially the front. Oil soaks into and softens rubber. I have 4000 miles on them, so it's not like I just got them, but I did have them nicely worn in, with <1/4 inch chicken strips on the rear.

VTRsurfer

Not sure, but like I said there is a history of residents above the hairpin complaining about noise. Mostly Harleys go to Cook's Corner, at least 80%.

I'm glad I let my wife go ahead (she takes it much slower than I do up that grade). She saw it but didn't know what it was, and steered around it. I was going too fast to avoid it safely.

L8RGYZ

Glad you and the wife came out ok. Could have been tragic.

I'm betting if fell off a pickup truck. My theory is that most crap you find on the road fell off a pickup. One of my pet peeves. Keep your frickin' tailgates UP! (And yes I'm kind of bitter about it!)