Took the bike to a side gig last night. By the time I left it had started raining, just enough get the roads covered (and probably lift oils).
Hit the curved on ramp and was under pretty good acceleration when I crossed over a tarsnake.
Did I mention it was raining?
Nothing like having your back end kick back and forth under throttle and lean.
Thankfully kept it up and going otherwise would have slid across I-196.
Grtechguy wrote: Nothing like having your back end kick back and forth under throttle and lean.
glad you're OK
Believe me, its a whole lot scarier when you feel the front wheel do that.
HappyAndy wrote: Believe me, its a whole lot scarier when you feel the front wheel do that.
Indeed, power wheelies coming out of corners while still leaned is kinda spooky as well. I'm still a bit cautious of new tires after the first set on the '04 10r had like a waxy coating on them......gentle throttle up turned into "Holy crap, an ice rink cover with marbles"
HappyAndy wrote: Believe me, its a whole lot scarier when you feel the front wheel do that.
berkeleyin A right it is.
Tar snakes are evil.
I'm OK with the rear stepping out a bit, when the FRONT slips out!!! I'm puckering cotton big time!
Glad it worked out for you.
It probably wig-wagged 3 or 4 times. I have yet to experience a knee-slapper from the from wheel, but the power wheelie on a corner I have.
When I took my MSF riding exam, it was also raining heavy and the front wheel of the little Nighthawk was sliding all through the long sweeping curve they make you do.
914Driver wrote: I'm OK with the rear stepping out a bit, when the FRONT slips out!!! I'm puckering cotton big time! Glad it worked out for you.
I've had the front push slightly or break/grab really fast without going down but it takes a few minutes to get rid of the cramp in my sphincter muscles after a front wag for sure. I'm not sure how you ever get comfortable with it so I use way less lean in the wet/mud/whatever. Low grip riding is one area where I could use a coach and a rented bike. It's tough to man up and try something on your own expensive hardware but I'd be happy to crash theirs :)
One other thing I try to do if I can is pull off and let it rain for 20 minutes and wash all the E36 M3 off the road. That won't help with the (evil) tar snakes indigenous to my area or the 2nd hard rain in two days... but it does for other slippery things that float up on the first rain after a dry spell. It cleans the braking in front of lights and stop signs too.
They've been laying fresh tar snakes all over the place for the last couple weeks here. Even in the dry the bike gets wiggly on them.
With this tropical storm moving through tonight and tomorrow I think I'm going to puss out and have my wife take me to work tomorrow.
Relax
Stay on the power
Ride through it
.
Howl at the moon!
Find another corner
rinse & repeat as needed
Grtechie...if you have decent tires that won't happen too much. I know this guy-he rides 'em 'til the air is showing!
minimac wrote: Grtechie...if you have decent tires that won't happen too much. I know this guy-he rides 'em 'til the air is showing!
shhhh...These were new last fall.
Tar snakes are a bit unnerving. There's a nice road around here with a lot of twisties that is riddled with them. They feel a bit weird, but never hit them in the rain.
I had my first crash this year, been riding since I was 18. Took my favorite road in early Feb on the first warm day of the season. That time of year it usually has snow and ice on a north facing slope. Usually it's not too bad, I go around it, and in less than 1/8 mile I'm back to my favorite twisties. Still, a stupid idea. I thought, "I do it every year and nothing bad has happened yet."
Decided to take it again, hit ice on a decreasing radius corner coming out of it and ended up sliding. Smashed the front brake lever and thought "MAN this sucks. At least I have my clutch lever." Picked up the bike, lost my footing on the ice, dropped it on the OTHER side, smashed the clutch lever. Some dude that I passed 5 miles back pulls up, him and his son help me up off the ice, we push the bike a bit down the road. I push the bike in neutral, start it, slam it in 1st and rode home with my rear brake. It sucked so bad.
I always say what my friend told me, "Play stupid games, win stupid prizes." I certainly won the stupid prize that day, but I let my ego get the best of me.
Glad you didn't go down and you're ok, I'm sure that was a butthole pucker for sure.
Tar snakes blow chunks. The main road to my townhome is caked in them.
yamaha wrote: Indeed, power wheelies coming out of corners while still leaned is kinda spooky as well.
Did that on Monday. Running WI Rustic Road R13, majority of the road is banked, blind curves, thought I was in second coming out of curve, was in first, powered up wheelie, let off throttle came down hard and leaned into next corner. I had a oh berkeley me moment.
Two of the new bridges around here have these expansion joints:
Yes, they're metal.
Yes, they installed them on the curved parts of the on and off ramps.
Yes, I've hit them in the rain.
Designgineers should be stabbed in the neck for something like this.
Or at least forced to commute on a motorcycle for a minimum of 12 consecutive months.
Idiots..
These are also hilarious in the wet... they couldn;t have made them any more treacherous unless they used polished glass. Even better when they are 2 lanes with oncoming truck traffic.
In reply to Giant Purple Snorklewacker:
In reply to Giant Purple Snorklewacker:
I've ridden on bridges like that..
Never in the rain though, I can't imagine...
I like how they creak and pop when I drive a semi over them. On a bike it is so cool to look down through the mesh and see water!
Out on the Olympic Peninsula there is a floating bridge when its windy the chop splashes over the side of the bridge (besides making it move around a lot). Ridden a motorcycle over that one a few times....
Best mesh bridge experirnce is the Mackinac bridge. Several miles long, strong winds, and itd a suspension bridge so it naturally sways and bobs.
Several of the old bridges here have bern improved with solid steel plates. Such fun in the rain! Especially since on several you have to brake on it as the bridge road ends at a sharp bend.
All part of the fun of riding a bike, and a reason to not ride at your limit. Leave yourself room for the unpleasant and unexpected.
foxtrapper wrote: Best mesh bridge experirnce is the Mackinac bridge. Several miles long, strong winds, and itd a suspension bridge so it naturally sways and bobs. Several of the old bridges here have bern improved with solid steel plates. Such fun in the rain! Especially since on several you have to brake on it as the bridge road ends at a sharp bend. All part of the fun of riding a bike, and a reason to not ride at your limit. Leave yourself room for the unpleasant and unexpected.
I ridden it a few times. Scariest was 50+ mph winds on the grates. I never knew I could be nervous a 25mph on a motorcycle before. Why? Leaned into the wind to counteract the winds and suddenly have no wind due the barriers.
In reply to Grtechguy:
I'm cool with heavy rain, steady wind, generally whatever but strong, sudden wind gusts that offer a random opportunity to react or be blown across the lane are exhausting to ride in even on regular asphalt. Fortunately, here, they are generally short lived before a big thinderstorm so pretty easy to plan around. Out west, not so much. I imagine they would be downright terrifying on a steel grate suspension bridge of any length at all.
Get a set of Continental TKC 80's. They don't care about no stinking tar snakes. Seriously.
You'll need to log in to post.
