How do I deal with gravel?

[obfuscate]

I see a lot of post accident write ups that start out "I didn't see the gravel on the road"

Well I see the gravel, I'm just not sure what to do about it. Between the chip coat (aka new layer) of asphalt on the street just outside my drive way and the construction site at the end of the block right where I need to turn in/out of to get to to the street I live on I see plenty of gravel. The construction project is slated to last for at least a year before they stop moving the dirt/gravel around.

How do I deal with the gravel and dirt the construction leaves behind? Especially since it tends to be located right where I need to turn (preferably without getting rear ended when turning off the busy street).

[siralienj]

Go slow when turning. Or buy a dirt bike.

[HYPERR]

Stay off the front brakes.

[My2Wheels]

Double or triple the distance at which you would normally follow another vehicle in that area. Tar and sealer can stick to tires and pebbles and gravel get picked up and thrown. I'm sure you've heard that happening under you own cage from time to time.

[obfuscate]

Thanks for the advice I got to use it today. Seems there was no gravel clean up on Friday before the long weekend.

I make people cranky considering how slow I turn off the main drag, but today it was well worth it.

[roncg41677]

+1 for keeping it slow and trying to keep the bike as upright as possible.

I deal with gravel and sand on my commute. I've gotten some confidence with experience. Note, confidence doesn't mean more speed, just more sure-footed turns .

[TexasPhotographer]

You don't have to buy a dirt bike, but I would suggest renting one for a week or so to learn how to deal with mud, gravel, horse and cow droppings plus other nasty things in the road. My dealer, a very good friend brought a couple of dirt bikes and taught me how to navigate by standing on the pegs plus other tricks that has made me a better cruiser rider.

My suggestion is see if you can rent a dirt bike and go riding with an experienced dirt rider to give you the same tips my dealer/friend gave me.



2008 C50T (got it 6/19/08

[obfuscate]

Interesting twist on how to learn to ride on the street. Personally it'll be a while before I have the money to do any dirt bike riding safely (finding a rental, money to pay for rental if I drop & ding it, class to learn to do it, etc). I'll just have to do my best without the dirt bike riding.

Knock on wood I think I'm actually getting the hang of the construction gravel and dirt on my path. Similar to going across railroad tracks on a curve. Turn before it, straighten up, then finish turning. My next goal is to learn how to gain confidence on getting out of skids. (And no, there still won't be a dirt bike in it unless there's a lottery ticket involved ).

edit: +1 on roncg's definition of confidence, that's all I'm aiming for.

[Themadmagazine]

By my estimation, the main idea on any dubious surface is to change nothing, or if impossible, change things as steadily and calmly as possible. If the bike is leaned over or heavily braked when it hits gravel unexpectedly, you're pretty much at the whim of whatever configuration you the bike running in seconds prior, but good reactions IMO are as follow:

slightly more throttle than less

slight outside input to the bars (right push in a left turn)

lift front brake, GENTLY, add some right foot, keep your wrist in the 'stand the bike up' mode, despite the intermittent traction.

If you don't have enough road at this point your probly screwed if you over-used these methods.

If you don't have enough traction to do the above, you're gonna be crook, you were going to LS no matter what you did.

Trail braking practice is helpful when you hit this or other low traction situations, as you will learn how to use the controls ~gingerly,and preserve traction.

[ofblong]

Stay off the front brakes.

ignore this. Use the front brakes BUT dont use them like you normally would. Instead use them "gently". I just take things slightly slower, like turning, than I normally would. 2 years and havent gone down on any surface (including muddy grass and yes even snow). Though riding in snow is fun.