Around the corner in lean mode: GRAVEL Ahead!!!

[tached1000rr]

What's your tips/strategies for dealing with gravel once discovered as you are in mid turn and there's gravel just ahead or a series of decent sized rocks?

[Trip]

try to cut the corner so you can straighten up through the gravel section. Otherwise hold throttle steady and be smooth. That's why it's always best to do a scouting run before you start trying anything really aggressive.

[OneSickPsycho]

My method was to eat shit and get insurance to buy my bike for me. Worked out pretty well.

[RCM78]

Every situation is different but I would say to straighten up and brake as hard as you can before you hit the gravel. You would need good instinctive braking skills to do this properly.

[Flexin]

I agree that every case is different. But if there has been some cars that drove over it after it was put on the road, then there is a good chance that you have a tire wide path thats some what clear. I have hit the same corner before to find it covered in gravel. Its a tight corner and the cars use the shoulder to get around. This covers the road. But the few that do stay on the road end up clearing a small path. I aim for that, stay calm and stay on the throttle. Worked for me. Both times I had a passenger. I think the first one noticed the gravel and went to sit up which started to take me out on my line. I had to lean in it more. I wanted to toss her in the ditch. The second passenger a few weeks later did what I said and just stayed with me. Both times I kept the rubber down so I was happy.

James

[marko138]

My method was to eat shit and get insurance to buy my bike for me. Worked out pretty well.
Except that you don't become a better rider that way.

[MikeSP1]

Every situation is different, but I agree with trip. Dig deep, cut the corner (but don't go off road), and stand her up before you hit the gravel. Try to slow down before you hit it if possible. And if you're not familiar with the road, DO NOT HAUL ASS. If you're gonna haul ass (i.e. knee down), scout it out first.

[OneSickPsycho]

Except that you don't become a better rider that way.

Yeah, but I have cool scars now.

[ceo012384]

If you're going to ride hard, scope out the road first.

Even under normal riding conditions it's usually the rider getting nervous and tightening up that causes the crash.

If the gravel is really thick and you're riding too fast, stand up the bike and brake if you have the time/space... if you don't, don't, otherwise you'll be essentially trailbraking and you'll wash the front like whoa. In that case just hang off the bike to get it upright and stay loose... chances are it will be fine.

[No Worries]

Except for today's snowstorm and -5 degrees, I had been riding between storms. Lookout Mountain's switchbacks are also steep. The plows that drop sand have to slow to 2 mph to get around them. The automatic sanders drop a ton of sand in these corners.

The snow melts quickly, but I wait until a bunch of cars have made tire tracks through the sand. So before each curve, I have to decide which tire track I want to be in. Even though I go slow, I lean heavily off the bike. This keeps the bike mostly upright. I'm also looking through the turn, but I glance down sometimes to make sure the tire is going where I want it.

I actually like the precise riding of staying in a tire track. It takes patience, finesse with the throttle and brakes, and a lot of leaning. I scout the road going uphill. Coming downhill is a lot harder because of the braking. But by the time I come down, I forgot where all the bad places were.

[Dave]

def stay loose, let the bike handle things when it starts sliding

[MikeSP1]

def stay loose, let the bike handle things when it starts sliding

If it does start sliding, just go with the flow, as if you intended to do it. Panicking/tightening up will only hurt you in this situation (literally and figuratively)

[smileyman]

Loose on the bars, weight your outside peg.

If you have any margin for escape take it, whether it is changing lines to avoid the patch (or at least the worst of it) or standing up and braking hard to lower your speed through the patch.

Try to make sure your not carrying alot of lean angle thru the patch, you can always tighten your line before or after.

No new throttle or brake inputs hold whatever you got until your through.

Thank yourself later for having the good sense to wear all of your gear and travel at a pace that leaves you some reaction time on unfamiliar curves...

[tached1000rr]

Staying loose is a must but in the grand scheme of things it's instinctive to "pucker up" it takes awhile to get there and trust the bike.

[tached1000rr]

I've also had some moments where I feel that my old dirt riding instincts prevented me from losing control and being able to "feel" and "react" to slides and such.

[HRCNICK11]

On a motard you just start to giggle and smile!

[tached1000rr]

On a motard you just start to giggle and smile!

aint that the truth