Poor Road Surface - What do I do?

Please have a look at this picture: Here

This is an extreme example of what I'm going to ask about. But it is the right kind of poor surface.

When cornering at a reasonable speed, ie too fast to stand the bike up and crawl over it, what is the best course of action when this stuff appears?

I am looking through the corner to plan my route and avoid this kind of obstacle but yesterday there were a few occasions when this stuff appeared after I had already committed to the corner.

Can I stick with the corner and just expect a bit of wobble or will it throw me off? Should I try and avoid it at all costs?

I don't want to ride over it too fast and get thrown in a hedge!

[yorkie_chris]

It depends how much lean angle and throttle you're applying at the time.

You can hit poor surfaces surprisingly hard, the tyres are usually better than you expect and the chassis can cope with a lot of slithering about. Disaster comes when that bit of a slide makes you crap yourself and slam the throttle shut (highside... hedge...) or brake (don't, lowside, hedge...).

What you need si decisive action, don't dither your way through it. Either stand the bike up and brake hard and have another go at turning in, or go through it on a light throttle and expect a possible bit of scrabbling from the back end. You can get it very out of shape and not die so long as you don't panic.

And when you get used to it such surfaces can be very entertaining ... but only if you're awake and paying attention and you see them first!

There is cornering at speed and cornering at speed that you can control. If you cant alter your position due to your speed and have to ride /risk riding over areas that can cause problems you are riding too fast for your ability or the road conditions. If you cant see the hazard on the road and then you hit it it will cause you a problem. I`m not a rider with great ability and i`m not having a go, just stating what i would be doing/thinking in the same circumstances. Positioning and obs are the most important and as these improve with every rider, bits of iffy roads become less of a worry mate.

I'm talking 40mph - 50mph corners on clear A roads, that I'm slowing down too much for through not knowing what will happen if I just carry on riding normally over the surface.

I'm not doing crazy speeds, I feel like if I go any slower for every corner in case there's a bit of a poor surface around the corner all the fun will drop out of the ride and I'll be dithering around everywhere!

Yorkie Chris did a ride a few months ago and the roads in parts were loose, bumpy, tight and fun Both wheels off the floor for the 1st time, 2 wheel slides round bends, back end sliding out, it had it all. I found more throttle did the trick too

If its only at 40ish it shouldnt pose a prob mate.

[littleoldman2]

Firstly if you ask an instructor or the like they will tell you that you need to ride at a speed from which you can brake within the distance you can see, to enable you to avoid things like poor surface, road kill, gravel, mud, children, broken down vehicles, or any other hazard. Secondly you need to report it via "get a grip" + the local council + if its your council your councillor.

[yorkie_chris]

I would completely drop the mindset that speed is in any way related to cornering commitment and/or risk of falling off*. It is all about lean angle and throttle position whether you are doing 30mph or 130mph.


*The risk from falling off obviously is a bit different though...

Originally Posted by yorkie_chris

I would completely drop the mindset that speed is in any way related to cornering commitment and/or risk of falling off*. It is all about lean angle and throttle position whether you are doing 30mph or 130mph.


*The risk from falling off obviously is a bit different though...

If the speed, obs and positioning for the conditions are correct, lean angle and throttle position (unless in totally the wrong gear) should really be correct for the corner that is being attempted. Its how i look at things but i`m slow

[yorkie_chris]

Yeah can't argue with that.

The logic is the same at whatever speed, problem that comes in talking about it (but not in riding actually...) is that it is pretty hard to quantify, given that we don't tend to have lean-angle indicators and such fancy gubbins... so people state a speed where we don't know how far they're leaning over for that speed 'cos we don't know the corner.

Answer is obviously to open throttle fackin poosey.