Riding on gator skin--stripped asphalt

slumlord · 09-18-2010, 11:09 PM

I found a new thrill the other day when I hit a half mile run of machine-stripped asphalt. The front wheel stayed put pretty well and the rear just shifted from one groove to the next --not tracking straight with the front at all.. I kept it at 10 miles an hour on the wet pavement.
I guess I need feedback from those who ride faster on this stuff, or those who have hit a section at speed and lived to tell about it. I do not know if taking the speed up a little would have improved handling,or if I did the right thing by staying loose and riding slow. Please comment.

rexmitchell · 09-18-2010, 11:41 PM

Try taking a turn like that, honestly it feels weird going over it but I have never had a traction issue even leaning into a turn on it

ninjaridaz · 09-18-2010, 11:42 PM

I'm with you. That being said, a sport tourer hauling a unitrailer blazed pass me at speeds that would be quick when the road was not stripped. There was not a lot of gravel initially, but later on when it straightened out, there was lots.

vulpine · 09-18-2010, 11:47 PM

No real input I just slow down and hope for the best.

bountyhunter · 09-20-2010, 04:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by slumlord

I found a new thrill the other day when I hit a half mile run of machine-stripped asphalt. The front wheel stayed put pretty well and the rear just shifted from one groove to the next --not tracking straight with the front at all.. I kept it at 10 miles an hour on the wet pavement.
I guess I need feedback from those who ride faster on this stuff, or those who have hit a section at speed and lived to tell about it. I do not know if taking the speed up a little would have improved handling,or if I did the right thing by staying loose and riding slow. Please comment.

The tread pattern on your tires is what causes it. The stock tires on my bike did it too, got new tires no problem. You dont want any patterns with straight lines.

ryjb · 09-20-2010, 08:51 PM

I am not a big fan of riding on those roto milled roads.

cardinal · 09-21-2010, 01:03 AM

I've noticed that the newer your tires are, the worse it feels. There is a section of freeway near me that is grooved and I never noticed it until I hit it with tires that had less than a thousand miles on them. Hit it again a few months later and hardly noticed it.

I don't want to get anyone hurt, but the way the grooves are around here, the faster you hit them, the less "wobble" you get. But I've only run on grooves within 2 or 3 hundred miles from my home. What some of you call grooved.....I might call PLOWED!

Biker Dash · 09-21-2010, 01:11 AM

I've hit them before. Not fun but nothing i cannot handle. Worst was when I was on the interstate, and I hit them. What made it bad was it seemed that it was a rather uneven job done to it, and the fact that there was a 2 inch lip to climb over to get out of the lane I was in. Did not help that my passenger suddenly decided to become very nervous at that point.

slumlord · 09-21-2010, 08:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bountyhunter

The tread pattern on your tires is what causes it. The stock tires on my bike did it too, got new tires no problem. You dont want any patterns with straight lines.

I have Avon Road Riders. I can only imagine how much worse the OEM tires would be.The rear tire is getting worn. We are not talking about a very heavy bike either. Bike and rider are about 550 pounds, if that helps.

OTD · 09-21-2010, 08:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by slumlord

I have Avon Road Riders. I can only imagine how much worse the OEM tires would be.The rear tire is getting worn. We are not talking about a very heavy bike either. Bike and rider are about 550 pounds, if that helps.

I think the weight of the bike probably has quite a bit to do with it. My Kz seems to follow the grooves quite a bit more than my VTX.

Badlands-4-2 · 09-21-2010, 09:27 AM

It does just feel odd to have the road direct the travel of your tires like those grooved roads do. Just keep a light touch on the bars and litteraly, roll with it.

bountyhunter · 09-21-2010, 02:25 PM

When I switched to Avon Road Runners (way back in 1982) the wobble on the rain grooves went away. I think you want tires with zig zag treag patterns, not straight front to rear.

Schneiderman · 09-21-2010, 06:47 PM

Yeah, the tires have a lot to do with it. On my concours, before with Michelin Pilot GT's, then with a GT front and a Cheng Shin rear, and now with Dunlop Elite 3's, I haven't had any problems (the stock tires did track a bit). Every stretch of road on Long Island is currently under construction

so I hit this stuff pretty much every day now. I barely even notice it anymore. I find it amusing when one lane is stripped but the other is paved, so all the cars slow down and move over to the paved lane, and I stay in the stripped lane and pass them all

benny hedges · 09-22-2010, 02:47 AM

cold planing they call it here, before resurfacing...
you will find it rides better if you go a bit faster.
mine's the same, feels like i'm riding on marbles lol, not a nice feeling - you feel you just have to go with it.
another thing they do here is spray the road with bitumen & scatter loose chippings on top, the cheapest way of resurfacing & absolutely useless.
totally deadly for bikes, zero traction, loose stones flying off cars etc (rant)

biometrics · 09-22-2010, 09:38 AM

I will have to take your word for it that taking these "milled" roads at speed is safer. But I just can't see it.

I came upon a stretch that was FOUR MILES LONG just a couple of weeks ago on the way to work. I had to slow to less than 20 MPH from 60MPH+ in order to maintain control of the bike.

It felt like I was driving on a "gravel" road that was made of glass marbles or ball bearings instead of gravel... Easily the Scariest incident I have ever dealt with on two wheels.

I would drive ten miles out of the way in order to avoid dealing with just a half mile of that kind of road. I think it is even scarier than a passenger that thinks they know better how much you should be leaning on the curves so they "help" you out by leaning for you!

Biker Dash · 09-23-2010, 03:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by biometrics

I think it is even scarier than a passenger that thinks they know better how much you should be leaning on the curves so they "help" you out by leaning for you!

Or those who are so terrified, they want to cover their eyes, but they dont want to let go of you, so they cover yours instead!

09-18-2010, 11:09 PM	#1
slumlord Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 1,549	Riding on gator skin--stripped asphalt I found a new thrill the other day when I hit a half mile run of machine-stripped asphalt. The front wheel stayed put pretty well and the rear just shifted from one groove to the next --not tracking straight with the front at all.. I kept it at 10 miles an hour on the wet pavement. I guess I need feedback from those who ride faster on this stuff, or those who have hit a section at speed and lived to tell about it. I do not know if taking the speed up a little would have improved handling,or if I did the right thing by staying loose and riding slow. Please comment.

09-18-2010, 11:41 PM	#2
rexmitchell Administrator Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: THE ATX Posts: 14,552	Try taking a turn like that, honestly it feels weird going over it but I have never had a traction issue even leaning into a turn on it __________________ To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. You may all go to Hell, and I will go to Texas. - Davy Crockett

09-18-2010, 11:42 PM	#3
ninjaridaz DOG YELLER Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Chicagoland Posts: 336	I'm with you. That being said, a sport tourer hauling a unitrailer blazed pass me at speeds that would be quick when the road was not stripped. There was not a lot of gravel initially, but later on when it straightened out, there was lots. Last edited by ninjaridaz; 09-18-2010 at 11:45 PM..

09-18-2010, 11:47 PM	#4
vulpine Verified Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Central PA. Posts: 96	No real input I just slow down and hope for the best. __________________ 2004 Suzuki Marauder

09-21-2010, 06:47 PM	#13
Schneiderman Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Long Island, NY Posts: 3,155	Yeah, the tires have a lot to do with it. On my concours, before with Michelin Pilot GT's, then with a GT front and a Cheng Shin rear, and now with Dunlop Elite 3's, I haven't had any problems (the stock tires did track a bit). Every stretch of road on Long Island is currently under construction so I hit this stuff pretty much every day now. I barely even notice it anymore. I find it amusing when one lane is stripped but the other is paved, so all the cars slow down and move over to the paved lane, and I stay in the stripped lane and pass them all __________________ Big Government is a problem, not a solution. Last edited by Schneiderman; 09-21-2010 at 06:49 PM..

09-20-2010, 08:51 PM	#6
ryjb Verified Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Utah Posts: 85	I am not a big fan of riding on those roto milled roads.

09-21-2010, 01:03 AM	#7
cardinal Senior Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Central Ca. Posts: 558	I've noticed that the newer your tires are, the worse it feels. There is a section of freeway near me that is grooved and I never noticed it until I hit it with tires that had less than a thousand miles on them. Hit it again a few months later and hardly noticed it. I don't want to get anyone hurt, but the way the grooves are around here, the faster you hit them, the less "wobble" you get. But I've only run on grooves within 2 or 3 hundred miles from my home. What some of you call grooved.....I might call PLOWED!

09-21-2010, 01:11 AM	#8
Biker Dash Site Brony and Troll Eater Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Waterville, Maine (USA) Posts: 7,643	I've hit them before. Not fun but nothing i cannot handle. Worst was when I was on the interstate, and I hit them. What made it bad was it seemed that it was a rather uneven job done to it, and the fact that there was a 2 inch lip to climb over to get out of the lane I was in. Did not help that my passenger suddenly decided to become very nervous at that point.

09-21-2010, 09:27 AM	#11
Badlands-4-2 Super Moderator Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: The Badlands of North Dakota Posts: 9,703	It does just feel odd to have the road direct the travel of your tires like those grooved roads do. Just keep a light touch on the bars and litteraly, roll with it.

09-21-2010, 02:25 PM	#12
bountyhunter Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 1,131	When I switched to Avon Road Runners (way back in 1982) the wobble on the rain grooves went away. I think you want tires with zig zag treag patterns, not straight front to rear.

09-22-2010, 02:47 AM	#14
benny hedges Veryfried Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: warrington, england Posts: 1,459	cold planing they call it here, before resurfacing... you will find it rides better if you go a bit faster. mine's the same, feels like i'm riding on marbles lol, not a nice feeling - you feel you just have to go with it. another thing they do here is spray the road with bitumen & scatter loose chippings on top, the cheapest way of resurfacing & absolutely useless. totally deadly for bikes, zero traction, loose stones flying off cars etc (rant)

09-22-2010, 09:38 AM	#15
biometrics Verified Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Winchester, VA Posts: 55	I will have to take your word for it that taking these "milled" roads at speed is safer. But I just can't see it. I came upon a stretch that was FOUR MILES LONG just a couple of weeks ago on the way to work. I had to slow to less than 20 MPH from 60MPH+ in order to maintain control of the bike. It felt like I was driving on a "gravel" road that was made of glass marbles or ball bearings instead of gravel... Easily the Scariest incident I have ever dealt with on two wheels. I would drive ten miles out of the way in order to avoid dealing with just a half mile of that kind of road. I think it is even scarier than a passenger that thinks they know better how much you should be leaning on the curves so they "help" you out by leaning for you!

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