gspd wrote: ↑Thu Feb 02, 2023 8:54 pm
I've seen a lower triple clamp break from a bad crash, but I've never seen the splines pull out like that.
I would have assumed that the top threads would have let go before pulling the stem up through the lower triple clamp.
Yes, it's seems quite unusual but it is quite genuine, I know this for sure because I was riding the bike at the time. It's the red R100RS you can see in my signature photos. The collision was directly into the side of a car that pulled out on me. I purchased the wreck from the insurers and rebuilt the bike. Obviously, the front end was toast but otherwise, apart from plastic damage, a cracked rocker cover, a dented downpipe and a light tweak to the steering head (corrected professionally) the damage was otherwise minimal.
If you're interested, I walked (well limped) away from it with minor cuts and bruises.
There are two anecdotes from that particular incident.
First, when the damaged bike was returned from the recovery firm, the front tyre was still inflated at full pressure in spite of the fact that the front wheel was shattered with part of the rim missing and the tube exposed. The tube had not lost pressure during the inmpact or in the 14 days between the collision and the return of the bike to my home.
The second was more a comment on human nature. The accident happened in a queue of traffic at road works... that is to say in full view of 30 or 40 drivers. Without going into it in depth, a car suddenly and without warning turned across in front of me while I was travelling about 30mph. I hit the front wheel of the car and was thrown over the bonnet then rolled and slid a distance down the road. Having made sure that all of the essential parts were still attached, I got to my feet and walked rather shakily back towards the car. The car driver was a young woman, quite attractive and heavily pregnant... she was also hysterical. Question... How many people came to see if I was OK? Answer... Not one!
Rob