Total Motorcycle Community Forums

Just started riding freeways here in California and there are some patches of road where there are grooves and cracks. When I ride on a groove, it tends to make my bike feel unstable or loose. When on a crack, its almost like getting stuck on it, like a train on tracks. I usually avoid the cracks/grooves when I'm familiar with the road, but when riding to unfamiliar areas, I cant help but running into a crack/groove here and there. I would appreciate any tips on handling these cracks/grooves on the freeway.

Relax your arms, and let it wobble a bit. This is normal.

Some bikes do better on rain grooves with a fork brace.

It just takes some getting used to. When I first started riding it would really scare the crap out of me.

I also notice that if my tire pressure is a little low it seems to drift a little more than usual.

I ride the 101 everyday to work, I know exactly what you are talking about!

The best advice has been stated: Relax your arms, let the bike find it's own way straight. You'll get more comfortable with the "wandering" feeling.

Like everyone else said, you gotta just go with it. If you try to fight it you'll overcompensate and risk and accident. And if you try to force yourself out of a track or groove well bad things will come of it.

look at your tires,if they have a center groove around the circumference of the tire this is a continuous center groove--they suck in rain grooves--when it is time to get new tires get ones with a discontinuous center groove.

Just wanted to thank you all for the advice. I'm not so nervous anymore.. knowledge is definately a confidence booster. Thanks for dropping some on me.

yea, check out the tires. in my MSF course i just took, they said tires like dunlop (that i think come on the harley's) have straight tread, where as others have a criss-cross or zig-zag pattern. just depends. obviously, the straight ones are going to want to follow the rain grooves.

Zig zag will try to follow the grooves. It's more a question of area of contact and simulated leans that makes the bike wobble back and forth so quickly in those cracks then the tread pattern.

How do I know? Mine barely have a tread on them, but what is ther zigzags back and forth across the tire, and I still get the wobbles in the grooves. Which is why I try to avoid them.

It's been mentioned before, but the easiest way to avoid those cracks and potholes is to watch where they aren't. Look where you want your bike to go, not at what you're scared of.