I had a new Dunlop KR106 front tyre slick fitted to my BMW HP4 before a track day at Dubai Autodrome this weekend (Jan 2 ,2015). I have been riding for 20 years and raced for the last 1o years and never had an experience like this...
First lap out I came onto the main straight and give it all the beans, accelerating to around 250kph, but intending to brake early for turn 1 as I was still warming up. At that point I felt a violent oscillation of the front bars, I applied the brake (slightly - due to massive head shake) and let it off, then tried to apply it again, but the oscillation was uncontrollable and even at that point I felt the tyre had gone. I decided to abandon ship, let go of the bars and was thrown from the bike (of course all of this happening in just a couple of secs - if that).
While I was fighting the oscillation the tyre ripped off the mud guard, the lower fairing and damaged the radiator and oil cooler. Once down the bike slid 75+ metres and set fire briefly before being put out by a marshall. I stopped before turn one and the bike came to rest on the opposite side of the entry point to turn one.
I have attached images of the damaged tyre and bike. The slick was new on the bike, completed less than a lap and I was very, very lucky to walk away...
I think I
I nearly did the same thing with a front KR106 also. I think what happened is as per below: When I fitted it I screwed up and damaged the seal on the bead, as a result when it was inflated it de-laminated, I was lucky and saw the bit of a bulge before I went out. The brand new tyre went straight in the bin