[Mullasci]

The title says everything.
Earlier today on the highway around 120Km/h the front calipers did not release the pressure, turned the disks blue and stopped the bike in the middle lane.
I was able to run to safety, but after many cars that dodged one finally hit the 790 at high speed sending it to the graveyard.
It never happened to me with any of my earlier very old motorbikes.

Thanks God the driver of the car is unharmed albeit a bit shaken.

 

[dma]

The title says everything.
Earlier today on the highway around 120Km/h the front calipers did not release the pressure, turned the disks blue and stopped the bike in the middle lane.
I was able to run to safety, but after many cars that dodged one finally hit the 790 at high speed sending it to the graveyard.
It never happened to me with any of my earlier very old motorbikes.

Thanks God the driver of the car is unharmed albeit a bit shaken.

Oh my goodness - that must have been terrifying!

So glad that you and others are ok.

 

[Mullasci]

Here is the outcome

 

[dma]

What a mess @Mullasci - it looks very bent in many axes!

That rear wheel took a heck of an impact, it's flattened to the hub.

 

[J D]

Jeebus... Looks like the rear rim was the crumple-zone. Glad it wasn't you!

 

[Chic]

Holy $hit man!! Yea really, glad it wasn't you!! Good on ya for being able to dodge traffic and get out of the way!! That could have been a lot worse!! Sorry just seeing this now after I posted up the other questions.



So looks like the stock brakes? Did you have anything done to them or this is just a fluke thing that happened? That makes me really worry!!

 

[Mullasci]

Holy $hit man!! Yea really, glad it wasn't you!! Good on ya for being able to dodge traffic and get out of the way!! That could have been a lot worse!! Sorry just seeing this now after I posted up the other questions.

So looks like the stock brakes? Did you have anything done to them or this is just a fluke thing that happened? That makes me really worry!!

I'm really glad too I was not on the bike anymore.

It felt unreal, like a movie where the incoming cars dodge the hero riding wrong way. Until one didn't dodge.
Stock everything, only change was the MC that broke in Franciacorta and that got replaced with another OEM MC.
Thanks God I didn't keep in place the Braking one that I had to come back home from the track: it could have resulted in a potentially freaking nightmare insurance-wise in Italy.

 

[QCS]

Sorry to hear, man. Only important thing is that you were not hurt!

 

[barbagris]

'kinell!

1) You're OK which is the main thing. And as you say - the driver is OK too.
2) Looks like the Police turned up - which is good. I hope they are going to do a brakes autopsy.

 

[Pgm]

Wasn’t this happening with 990 superdukes ? They where brembo tho.

 

[GLantern]

That is terrifying, so glad you are ok!

 

[OrangeAid]

Wow... Glad to hear you're ok!



We're you ever able to discover what caused the brakes to lock?

 

[owl]

I'd be emailing KTM direct and asking them how this could have happened, not sure you'll get an answer but they should at least know about it.

Looking back now was there any signs of the discs warping before this happened or any other odd happenings with the brakes?

 

[Mullasci]

The mechanic (official KTM dealer) thinks it was because of the VTrec lever not having enough play thus keeping the pads pressed.
When they got the bike 3 days after the accident the front wheel was free again; it was not 2 hours after the crash.

Frankly it seems odd to me to get a lever problem after several kilometers with some braking in the middle.
A problematic master cylinder seems more likely to me, but I don't have time to get this investigated.

The dealer offered me 2K for the crashed bike and I guess I'll accept because I don't have much time before I leave for a different country.
Sure enough I'm not going to ride on public roads again in Italy (maybe in Singapore I will); track days instead are not ruled out (at least not yet).

 

[L8-apex]

I'm betting the KTM mechanic is correct. If the lever was not allowing the master cylinder piston to retract completely, opening the relief port, it was not allowing fluid to expand into the reservoir when the fluid began to heat up and expand. When this happens, the fluid expands into the calipers, binding the pads against the disks. More heat is developed, fluid expands even more; brakes lock up.

 

[L8-apex]

See this article which explains this very well

https://www.st-owners.com/forums/threads/brakes-operation-of-the-master-cylinder.159167/

 

[barbagris]

I would have thought this would have been evident at fitting.
Back in the early days of Discs - we set the free gap ourselves with a feeler gauge.
I always make the assumption that folks understand what they're playing with.
Still surprises me that occasionally - folk do not.

I'd liked to have seen for myself - And I'd roast V-Trec if this was the case.

 

[Stephano]

And they’d claim faulty installation.

 

[owl]

Was about to pull the trigger on a set of V-Trec, thinking I may hold off on that now.

 

[cster]

Wow.
Good luck to you for not getting hit mate.
Whole thing sounds like a can of worms, so that is never a good scenario.
Like others, I will be interested to see how you get on.