KymcoForum.com
General => Roadcraft => Topic started by: Stig / Major Tom on August 25, 2016, 10:12:45 AM
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Just a quick reminder about tracking as straight as possible across wet white painted lines!
This morning on dark wet roads watched a HD rider coming towards me almost dump his bike on a new and very wide white 'stop line' at an intersection.
I don't think that they sanded this paint.
It felt very slick under my feet at thr stop light.
This area is only 3 or 4 minutes into the start of my morning rides....so have to be fully in mental gear early on :-).
The City Grips work well in the rain....even three yrs old and with @ 10, 000 miles on them.
Stig
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Thanks for the reminder Stig. ;) I do cross them with care but you can never be too careful.
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White lines and sandy gravel are on my 'alert list'. There's something about the topography in the area where I live, but a lot of storm, or sprinkler run-off turns into thin berms of sandy gravel in the roads, especially at intersections. At the end of my street it's gotten worse because it's accumulated over two manhole covers.
Not a good combination.
Also, watch out for thin gravel along the sides of streets and roads where you may stop to park. Your bike may not slip, but your foot could the moment you take it off your running boards an place full weight on the ground.
I try to size up my 'landing spot' for gravel and sand when I'm parking.
- Wolf
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Good points! I have been surprised a few times when I stopped on uneven surface that my foot wasn't on the ground yet, like messing the last step coming down a stairway. I ride a small scooter, so easier to manage as a beginner. Have found gravel especially on pavement very treacheous, and of course white lines are like ice if wet. I normally don't ride in the wet, but have been caught out a few times. Cheers
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Yep, came across a urban 110 degree fairly tight bend, which was damp and plastered with white lines in various directions.
Took it in 2nd gear, 10mph.... manhole covers and them white lines scare me loads!
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Is it just me or does the Dowtown feel a bit vague / light at the front end in the wet (particularly when you've always ridden motorcycles)?
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Having only ridden a few motorcycles for my BRC, it's hard to say. It seems to react faster to counter-steering compared to my former Yager, but it was a lighter bike. I will say it also seems to have slight more sail in strong winds (nothing alarming), but that may be from not having full running boards, and a effect of a Maxi design.
- Wolf
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Another hazard that I haven't read here and if I missed it, I'm sorry. Steel expansion joints on bridges and overpasses. Also the large, thick steel plates they like to place over unfinished road work. Maybe they don't use them where you live and I hope they don't, but they are all over the Memphis area, They are 1 inch thick and I am careful to avoid them even in a car. The edges should be beveled. If you cross one on two wheels, at any speed, you're just along for the ride. When any of the above mentioned hazards are wet the problem is multiplied ten fold. Be careful out there.
Mac, aka "ole two wheels"
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Good points, Two Wheels. Look out for the rail road spikes they use to pound the plates into the road too. Sometimes they fail to nail the spikes fully into the ground making them stick up above the plates and as dangerous as the slippery plates themselves.
- Wolf
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This might be considered off subject, but since this whole thread is about biking safety, maybe it's spot-on. There was a Honda motorcycle, sold in the USA sometimes around the late sixties or early seventies, not sure of exact time. It was not on the market long. It was a 500cc, early version of a crotch rocket, and it had a turbo on it. It could get out from under you quick and there were some injuries as a result. Hence, the short lived production run. I said all of this to say this: It had a sticker on the fuel tank that read: COMPLETE AND CONTINUOUS ATTENTION REQUIRED WHILE OPERATING THIS VEHICLE. A thought we would all do well to apply to our "vehicles" also. Ride safe today so that you will live to ride another day.
Mac
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Just did a little research on the Honda Turbo. It was a CX500 and was available with or with out a turbo. The X stood for experimental and there were only a little over 1100 produced. It later evolved into the CX650 that generated far less boost.
I wrote the first post from memory and at my age that's never a good idea. Hope we can all apply the message on the sticker.
Mac
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Just did a little research on the Honda Turbo. It was a CX500 and was available with or with out a turbo. The X stood for experimental and there were only a little over 1100 produced. It later evolved into the CX650 that generated far less boost.
I wrote the first post from memory and at my age that's never a good idea. Hope we can all apply the message on the sticker.
Mac
Speaking of bikes that could get out from under you in a hurry :
While I was 'permanent party' for a short time at Brooke Army Hosp, San Antonio we all owned motorcycles. A, dumb, buddy bought the first Kawasaki Mach III that I'd ever seen. I never got to ride it because he bent things on it too soon. Showing us the power of his new bike in a parking lot....he rode past at about 30mph and then snapped opened the throttle. His bike went straight up into the air and came down on the hood of a car.
It was horrible...brand new bike. Messed up the car, too. Don't recall his condition - 19yr old medic trainees were a dime a dozen in those days - but that pretty bike was injured!
Someone told me that soon after launching this rocket bike (light weight and 60hp?) Kawasaki stipulated that dealers give special instructions to all new buyers of the Mach III.
This, too, could be faulty memory - but not the sight of that new bike laying on that car hood.
I would have needed help to put my new green/white CB350 onto a car --- and that was fine by me....it was just my speed.
Good old days...
Stig
(http://i64.tinypic.com/ehki34.jpg)
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This happens with Rockets everyday here. Some insurance companies won't ever consider them. At the time the first CX500 came out, the 900 two stroke Kaws were the meanest kid on the block, but the few CX's that made it to the street, quickly took that title. Selling 200 mph rockets to inexperienced riders who aren't buying them for use on a race track is insanity and should be outlawed. IMHO
Mac
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Another hazard that I haven't read here and if I missed it, I'm sorry. Steel expansion joints on bridges and overpasses. Also the large, thick steel plates they like to place over unfinished road work. Maybe they don't use them where you live and I hope they don't, but they are all over the Memphis area, They are 1 inch thick and I am careful to avoid them even in a car. The edges should be beveled. If you cross one on two wheels, at any speed, you're just along for the ride. When any of the above mentioned hazards are wet the problem is multiplied ten fold. Be careful out there.
Mac, aka "ole two wheels"
That brought a smile to my face. I used to live in Memphis, just off of Summer. It used to seem like half the town was covered in those steel plates. guess that has not changed. I never saw a town use them as much. I wish chattanooga would use a few though. Leaving a one foot pothole on a busy street is normal here.
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Don't forget manhole covers...years of traffic polishes them up slick!
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Good point, h2ou8n4. I had a crash where my front wheel slip out out on a frozen manhole cover. Half if its surface was polished smooth from years of traffic wear.
- Wolf
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Riding is about focusing and wet weather riding is no exception. With that being said one also shouldn't fear riding in rain. Motorcycle tires are very grippy and stable on wet roads. Some will avoid riding in rain at all costs and get a death grip when caught out in the wet stuff. Helps to keep rain gear on board the bike which doubles as an extra later when cold. Don't forget those waterproof mitts to go over your gloves too. For the trepidatious type don't forget your water wings.
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Dan, it's not that m/c tires don't grip well in the wet, but it's that shiny surface that's so intimidating. Makes one afraid to lean much. I rode three days in the mountains, in rain, with a group that didn't seem to notice or care about it. Thankfully, I was riding sweep and so had a lot of catching up to do on the straights, but as you know, my SW could handle catching up.
Mac
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Im OK with riding in the rain, but like most, I take it REAL easy on the turns and when stopping. The more wet it gets, the smoother my riding becomes.
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I could go on and on about slippery stuff...It's easy to spot tyro or untrained riders...they ride right in the middle of the lane where all manner of goop drips out of vehicles, especially at intersections. Mind your lane position when riding and your foot position when coming to a stop...you could short-leg in a pothole or slip on some tranny fluid.
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Im OK with riding in the rain, but like most, I take it REAL easy on the turns and when stopping. The more wet it gets, the smoother my riding becomes.
Yep,
S M O O T H is how Stirling Moss won so many in the wet.
Long ago when commuting to work in Mass. on my Honda in all weathers - I wore a Bell helmet with the clip-on white bill like my fav. F1 guys did. Smooth Mr. Tom, think smoooth on this stuff.
Only had a 'moment' when rounding a corner in January and a dadgum street cleaner had sprayed water right there.
My only experience dirt tracking....on the ice he left behind.
Wonder what tires Honda put on bikes in the 60's ?
Stig
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Really good tips about paint, man hole covers, fluids, rail road tracks etc when riding in the rain. And further how critical the road condition is in the first 15 min of the rain as vehicle oils haven't gotten washed away yet. As veteran riders these things we learn about and share and hopefully help bring about a heightened awareness of wet riding.
I mentioned the fear factor some have in riding in the rain, not for the experienced rider but for the newbie perhaps lurking and learning on this forum. I wanted to dispel any fears of riding in the rain as it's safe and quite doable on a scooter. Some places like the NW are so wet that if you wait for a pretty day to ride you may be in for a very long wait.
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Dan, if every road was 100% straight, rain wouldn't bother me a bit. Twisties are an adventure to get my blood pumping, in the dry. Buttttt, in the rain those same twisties, with their shinny little curves, can be down right unnerving. I've slid down a few times, trying to act like they didn't bother me. If we ever have the good fortune to ride some pretty mountain roads together and it starts raining, you take the lead and and I'll catch up to you on the straights. lol
Mac
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I won't ride in the rain or snow any longer.
Considering that my protective gear is a Hawaii shirt, shorts, and flip flops, I watch closely for sand or gravel when navigating intersections.
New to scooters, potholes are scary...
redk
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potholes are scary...
Indeed, back in 2005 I hit a square edged pothole on a group ride near Kennedy Meadows that split my front aluminum rim along the centerline on my Burgman 650, that sucked.
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WoW!
...split on the centerline...
Good thing you are here to talk about it !
I had a rear tire blow out at 0530 before the sun came up on my 74 at moderate speed once.
Handlebars at full lock and what little the front brake was good for I was lucky to get it to the side of the road and put the sidestand down.
Whew !
Also lost a front on a 3 cylinder yamaha After a 100+mph run when I slowed to exit the fwy. It just flopped onto it's side with one leg under it and one arm stuck under me. Pretty bad rash from that one. Really coarse asphalt. Took about 10 coffee filters and duct tape to cover that up so I could do my shift, then borrow a truck from work so I could get it home.
My dirtbike crashes have been more spectacular !
One, I never even hit the ground and got beat up so bad !
Then I had to pull it down out of the tree I landed in when I flew off the turn on the levee. lol
I should have paid someone with a camera to follow me around all those years.
redk