Keep yourself educated…

Slick surfaces

Shiny surfaces such as frost or steel construction plates are obvious. Railroad and streetcar rails get polished smooth by passing traffic. Less obvious are the “grease traps” left in the center of left turn lanes by idling vehicles, spilled furl that blends with the color of the asphalt, and various contaminants that collect on the road surface. Are those brick streets in old parts of town safe or slippery? Well, any soft paving material that wears away quickly can be slippery when wet. For example, bricks have reasonably good traction when dry, but the bricks dust mixes with rainwater to make slippery clay. Wooden bridge deck or railroad aprons can be very slick when wet as the wood particles mix with water to from a slimy paste. You won’t get reliable texture or color clues about such hazards, because the particles look the same as the rest of the surface. Just file away in your brain that when wet, brock and wooden surfaces get slippery.

Likewise, fuels, oils, and debris particles coat the surface of the pavement during dry weather. Then, when it first starts to rain, the water mixes with the contaminants to make a slippery emulsion. It takes about a half-hour of downpour to wash off the accumulated drippings and sludge, especially if it hasn’t rained for a while. Clever riders take a break during the first half-hour of a fresh rain to allow time for the surface region to regain traction.

One of the more insidious hazards is spilled diesel oil. It may not be obvious but high mileage trucks and busses often dribble a continuous trail of fuel or oil on the surface. That’s one more reason to never follow directly behind a commercial truck or bus, especially in the rain. Given a choice, move over to a lane with the fewest commercial vehicles. If you’re temporarily stuck behind a bus, drop back and ride in the left wheel track.

On an otherwise dry road, diesel oil looks like water, except it doesn’t evaporate. In the wet, the oil is less obvious, although it may have a rainbow sheen or cause the water to bead up. Mostly, fluids spilled from trucks and busses will be dribbled in the center of the lane, so riding in the “wheel tracks” will help keep your tires out of it. The exception is that on a slanted surface, oils will seep downhill. Curving on-ramps near truck stops are often slick. Riding in the uphill wheel track is a clever precaution.

Loose Stuff

We must also be aware of flat debris on the surface, such as flattened soda can, pizza box or crushed oil bottle. Such loose stuff can be hazardous, because your tires can grip the flat object, which turns into a ski. For instance, if you brake just as your front tire rolls up on top of a flattened cardboard box, you can lose steering, and if you don’t quickly release the front brake to roll of the box, you’ll lose balance.

As you may have discovered by putting your boot down on loose gravel, the stones can act like little ball bearings. In many parts of the country, highway crews seal cracked pavement by spreading tacky oil and gravel on the surface and then letting traffic grind it all into a new layer. Loose gravel creates several problems for a motorcyclist, including getting hit by a shower of rocks and plowing into a deep gravel berm. Loose gravel on the road has a rougher texture, and often a lighter or different shade of color. Companion clues for loose gravel on the pavement are the painted lines disappearing and dust thrown up by passing vehicles. Your best tactic is to ride in the wheel tracks of other vehicles.

In the spring in northern states, it is common for loose gravel and sand to remain from wintertime sanding operation. This is more of a problem at intersections where your attention is primarily focused on traffic. To help avoid a slideout, keep your tires in the “wheel tracks” of other vehicles.

In the fall, leaves can be slippery hazard when the leaves on the bottom are kept soggy by rainwater. The secondary hazard is that hard objects such as nuts or stone can be hidden under the leaves. It’s best to avoid riding through any leaf piles.

The Shape of Things to Come

The shape of the surface also creates bike-specific hazards. If your front tire gets captured by a raised edge or groove, steering (and balance) can quickly be wrenched from your grasp. More than a few riders — including high mileage veterans — have been felled by raised pavement edges. Let’s say that you realize that the steel construction plate ahead is slippery and maintain a steady throttle. But it may not be obvious that the edge of the plate is also a hazard. If you drop your tire off the edge, you can lose control of steering. A motorcyclist needs to be very aware of any raised edges or grooves running parallel to the bike’s path of travel.

Where the old pavement has been ground away in a repaving operation, the steep edge of the remaining pavement forms what I call an “edge trap.” That’s because if you allow your front tire to snuggle up to the raised edge at a narrow angle, your wheel will very likely to be trapped and redirected by the edge, causing you to lose balance. The same thing can happen if your front tire gets captured in a groove.

It doesn’t take much of an edge to cause the bike to swerve around. When the shoulder of the front tire contacts the side of a groove, it tends to steer the wheel suddenly in that direction causing an unintended swerve. I’ve encountered highways with four distinct truck ruts in the right lane, including US 2 across North Dakota, and US 90 in eastern Washington. Automobiles will also swerve around the ruts but having four wheels helps avoid any serious excursions.

The solution for rutted lanes is to either stay in the center of the lane, or change to a smoother lane.

If you must cross a groove or raised edge, it’s important to swing away and attack the hazard at a maximum angle, preferably 45 degrees or greater. Think of this as like bouncing over a curb. You can momentarily add a bit of throttle to drive the front tire up and over the edge. The point is, don’t try to ease across at narrow angle.

Practice

Riding practice for the edge traps is to place a 2” x 6” plank or on the ground and ride a figure-8 over it. If surface hazards such as loose gravel make you nervous, the solution is to get in some off-pavement practice. Consider exploring some unpaved forest to farm roads. Consider borrowing a lightweight dirt bike or dual sport. Techniques for bikes with street-oriented tires include:

• Keep speed down
• Weight on the pegs, not on the saddle
• Plan a line that puts your tires on the most tractable surface
• Cross edges or grooves at 45 degrees or greater
• Shift weight to keep wheels perpendicular to surface
• Use inertia (“momentum”) to carry the bike through tougher sections
• Start downhill sections very slowly and use engine compression to control speed. -David L. Hough

Always be vigilant for your safety on the road. Gear up properly for your adventure. Just1 helmets and proper gears plus the right knowledge will ensure your safety.