Total Motorcycle Community Forums

...you know the ones made out of metal and have holes that makes your mc feel likes its wobbling underneath you. So far I have been avoiding these bridges in my town but sooner or later I'm gonna have to go over them or some other one.

My questions are:
1- is there a chance the motorcycle could fall/slip from under you when you ride over it?

2- should I go slow, medium or fast over a grated bridge?

3-can one stop and start moving again on one of these bridges?

4-do your boots grip the metal ground?

kerwink040 wrote:1- is there a chance the motorcycle could fall/slip from under you when you ride over it?

As long as it's dry, no. Unless you tighten up and overcontrol the bike, then I suppose you could make the bike fall. Best bet is to make yourself be loose on the handlebars, and let the bike wiggle around a little underneath you. As long as they're moving forward and pointed straight, motorcycles really don't want to fall over.

kerwink040 wrote:2- should I go slow, medium or fast over a grated bridge?

Of my three bikes, only the Bonneville really reacts to metal grate. On that bike, I find a little bit of speed, 35-40mph, works better than going slower.

kerwink040 wrote:3-can one stop and start moving again on one of these bridges?

As long as it's dry, yes. As with any surface with reduced traction, brake in a smooth, controlled and moderate fashion. Calhoun Street bridge in Trenton, NJ, is metal grate all the way across. And every time I'm on it on a motorcycle, it's stop and go traffic. So I learned very early it's quite possible to stop and start over and over and over again....

kerwink040 wrote:4-do your boots grip the metal ground?

Mine do.

Add to the points above.

Example.
Depending on the tire size, you may have a 2 inch wide by 4 inch contact surface with the road surface under normal conditions for each tire.

Now the road surface instead of being flat is a grated surface. The surface area has been dramatically reduced. A lot less traction for braking, steering or steering adjustments.

If you feel like you have less control, its because you do have less.