Just Ride.

Should this ride thread be just a.... well, thread? Or should there be a dedicated Forum topic?

  • Yes, it's own topic in the Forums

    Votes: 19 90.5%
  • Nah... threads good enough.

    Votes: 2 9.5%

  • Total voters
    21
  • Poll closed .
with that rig ya gotta go badass or stay home
 

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Most of you experienced riders know this but I put some thoughts here that can save and help someone .

They have white painted lines on the road .. I never ride on those wet or dry .When wet they are slippery
In the wet needs to have the bike more upright and being soft on the throttle
At bends if in shadow there can be wet patches that the sun not have dried up.Going in fast can send you off.
Know of one with a Honda Goldwing that flew out into the woods . He did not hurt himself but totally lost control.

If there has been dry conditions and starts to rain be extra careful , since there can be mud and dirt on the road that with water makes it extra slippery. At backroads there is farm equipment taking the dirt onto the road.

At bridges and overpasses there is air under so the top surface can have water and ice not melted as on other places of the
road
One young kid was going fast out of a bridge and on the exit had a lean angle lost traction and went off.

We sometimes have Freezing rain
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freezing_rain

It happens that commuters on the highway are setting off from work in the rain and speeding and not having distance
to the other traffic . Driving as the do every day .. And then somewhere on the road there is ice instead of water on the road
and the pileup of cars is there.

Fresh asphalt can be slippery Especially at warm sun scorched days. Drive as if raining.

There are installations at the road sometimes Never drive on them either .When wet they are slippery and there can be edges sticking up

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All right you went 'lectric!
I want to see it when you get the raked out, extended springer installed.
If you look for Razor ecosmart upgrade on Youtube, there's a whole cottage industry of upgrades out there for these things.
Iirc... one guy got 40mph and 20mi range out of one.
I'ma stick a side hack on mine.... :sneaky:
 
There are installations at the road sometimes Never drive on them either .When wet they are slippery and there can be edges sticking up
They're safe if you're vertical. It's such a short distance. But I avoid those because one time I saw one loose! There was a big opening and it was partly uncovered. I called the cops telling them where it is and what it would do to a motorcycle (or pedestrian for that matter). I looped around and it was fixed. The cops called me back saying they couldn't find it. I guess somebody kicked it back, but of course they didn't bolt it down...

Another thing to watch out for when wet is large painted areas on the street. They can be like ice when wet.
 
While we're discussing road hazards and safety...
Many, many newer concrete roads are being saw cut for rain groves. You can hardly see them while driving/riding. They are great for improving traction in wet conditions BUT those grooves reduce the surface area of the contact patch by something close to 25%.
That means in dry conditions less cornering grip, throw in a little dust and dirt, it could be dicey.
Just saying, if you're riding on relatively new concrete, there might be a lot less cornering grip that you think.
Don't ask me how I know 😁
 
^Haha. There is a bridge with a bottom that is nothing but open metal grating. I used to cross it all the time but I never had to try it wet. Just got to loosen the grip on the bars and let the bike do its thing...

https://www.google.com/maps/@37.887142,-84.3383679,3a,75y,96.12h,74.06t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sxe5jrTUuGfgrQ_7U8H9rCw!2e0!6shttps://streetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com/v1/thumbnail?panoid=xe5jrTUuGfgrQ_7U8H9rCw&cb_client=maps_sv.tactile.gps&w=203&h=100&yaw=16.309822&pitch=0&thumbfov=100!7i16384!8i8192?hl=en

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Had one of those here, built at the dawn of the automobile. Narrow enough that two semis crossing simultaneously in opposite directions pretty much always lost a mirror. Locals called it the "Singing Bridge" from the sound tires made on the grate. I HATED that sumbitch, whether on two wheels or four.

About 20 years ago, they tore it out and replaced it with a modern concrete span. A lot of locals cried and boohooed, I flipped that fucker the bird every time I crossed the new bridge.

The new bridge had to go in exactly the same place as the old bridge (because reasons...) so they put in a bunch of temporary cribbing pilings and SLID THE OLD BRIDGE OVER ONTO THEM as a way to get across while the new bridge was under construction. I just THOUGHT it was shaky before! Unfortunately the only other way to get to town involved going 20 or 30 miles out of your way. I absolutely refused to cross it if there was a truck coming the other way, and I wasn't the only one.
 
^The one I pictured, if you swipe it around you can see the I75 bridge. I can dimly remember once or twice crossing the little bridge with my parents, when it was the main route, before the interstate system. Astounding the difference in traffic. There is a barbecue place at one end of it now and a campground at the other. Very scenic ride with good views from high mountains

Funny thing I just noticed, the Google car and another car are on the bridge at the same time. Somebody had to back up :)
 
the only other way to get to town involved going 20 or 30 miles out of your way.
There's a ford near here that people drive through as a shortcut, no bridge at all. The river is only about a foot deep there usually, if that, with a cobblestone bottom. Has been a river ford since ancient times. Just normal cars going through it, rate of about one every 15 minutes - half hour.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/L...99324a2d!8m2!3d37.2978634!4d-84.2149339?hl=en
 
Ford you say?
Couple of them in a state park not to far from me.
You have to be careful crossing even when the water is as low as it is in the pic. Green moss on the concrete under the water. Slick as snot.
Best way to cross is at a fast idle with a little bit of clutch sipping. The power pulses of the engine can break the rear tire loose.
I've crossed it with the water half way up my mufflers, it was a adventure the water was moving pretty swiftly.
During the summer it is normal to see bikes parked with the riders boots hanging from the handle bars drying off.
First time I crossed that ford on that bike was the summer of 76.
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There was a guy there who ran a country store with a restaurant in back that I used to stop at. One time I overheard him talking about selling pot or growing pot, making money from pot somehow. Next thing I know, he's running for sheriff. I thought to myself holy smoke. :) He lost in a landslide, I actually followed that election, and I think I remember he then went to prison for something, but I could be wrong about that.
 
There is another ford, not used anymore but still visible. It's the ford in the story in this link, with the protagonist being Daniel Boone, and the antagonist being the real Simon Girty, of The Devil and Daniel Webster fame.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Blue_Licks#Battle

I know the battle took place a hundred yards up the bank, and this is the only ford around so it has to be the one unless the river has changed a lot. You can see the one side of the trail in the picture and behind me looks the same. Much beyond those points it just fades off.

DSCI0642.JPG
 
Ford you say?
Couple of them in a state park not to far from me.
You have to be careful crossing even when the water is as low as it is in the pic. Green moss on the concrete under the water. Slick as snot.
I ran across a couple of roads that were constantly under water at Seven Springs Arizona. Natural springs in the area just flow right across the road, no provisions for the water to pass under them. There was one that was a dip covered with a big shade tree, that one was very mossy and very slick.
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