Street Rider's Guide. David L. Hough

down, move over and let them by.

      Delusive Drivers

      A driver can’t signal his intentions if he hasn’t decided what to do.

      You’re out for a ride in the country, following a secondary highway that wanders past farms and the occasional family store. There are lots of twists and even right-angle turns, and a few railroad-grade crossings, but everything is well marked. You’ve ridden this road before and have a pretty good idea of the layout. The weather is warm and dry today, the surface is clean and predictable, and the bike begs to be ridden aggressively. You can’t resist. Most of the road is posted 55 mph, but it feels better at 70. You feel comfortable taking the 25-mph corners at 40.

      Approaching a left-hander near a country store, you decelerate, ease over to the right edge of the pavement, and prepare to accelerate just as soon as you are over the railroad tracks. The driver ahead appears to be slowing to turn off at the store, and you plan to pass him on the left.

      But, rather than continue his turn, the driver suddenly brakes to a stop right over the railroad track. You can’t pass on his left because now there’s an oncoming SUV. You apply both brakes just short of skidding, but at the speed you’re traveling, you’re running out of room. You ease over toward the right to avoid a collision with the car, but your front wheel slams into the exposed rail, putting a huge dent in the rim.

      It may be fun to ride the backroads at spirited speeds, but you need to slow immediately for situations that are out of your control, such as wild animals, sightseeing trains, or tourists who are lost or unsure. There are at least three vehicles here that could suddenly get in your way.

      In this situation you should have reduced speed much sooner and waited for the other drivers to get out of the way before deciding your move. It’s important to be in full control of the bike, but it’s just as important to be in control of the situation.

      Detour Dumping

      Sooner or later, you’ll find yourself riding off pavement.

      You’ve had a great road trip so far, and it’s only another hundred miles from home when you see a big orange construction sign and a line of cars. You don’t like riding on gravel, and you’re incensed that the highway department would tear up the whole road and expect a motorcyclist to ride through a dusty detour. You don’t have a choice here. If you want to get home, the only route is through the construction zone.

      Fortunately, the flagger sees you and waves you up to the head of the line. Later, you’ll appreciate that following directly behind the pilot car keeps you out of most of the dust and flying stones. When it’s time to go, you try to keep up with the pilot car, but the driver sometimes goes faster than you would prefer on the loose gravel and soft sand. At one point, the surface turns to deep gravel, and you slow way down and hold your boots out to help maintain balance. To little avail as your front tire suddenly tucks and down you go. The driver of the pilot car helps you get the bike upright, but you’re angry at the highway department and embarrassed at dropping your bike.

      When you need to get through a surface hazard such as deep gravel or muddy ruts, it won’t help to go too slow or to stick your boots out like skids. Place more of your weight on the footpegs, to help balance, and roll on enough throttle to keep the bike moving.

      Sooner or later, all of us will encounter a situation that requires riding off pavement. A good way to prepare yourself for off-pavement riding is to borrow a lightweight dirt bike and get in some saddle time. Many of the “dirt” skills learned on the smaller bike will transfer to your roadburner, giving you more confidence and better control.

      Edge Traps

      Those raised pavement edges in construction zones can be your downfall.

      You’re working your way across town when you encounter a construction zone where the crews are grinding away the old pavement in the right lane to prepare for repaving. The rough surface really vibrates the bike and causes the front wheel to dart back and forth. It makes you nervous. The other lane still has the old paving, which appears to be clean and smooth, and you’re thinking about moving over. There aren’t any cones or signs prohibiting you from changing lanes. Then, for whatever reasons, traffic in the right lane slows down. That’s it! You’re going to ease over into the left lane to avoid getting stopped by the traffic light.

      But as you attempt to ease over onto the old pavement, the front wheel is suddenly redirected by the pavement edge, and it steers along the edge, not over it. Before you can wrestle it back under control the bike slams over onto its left side in a shower of broken plastic. Your decision to wear your riding gear today really paid off. You’re injuries are limited to bruises. You’re wondering why the bike toppled over so quickly. The pavement edge is only 3 or 4 inches high.

      Remember that two-wheelers are balanced by steering the front wheel to position the contact patches beneath the center of mass. When your front tire contacted the raised edge at a narrow angle, it was steered along the edge rather than over it. When you couldn’t steer the front wheel, you couldn’t keep the bike balanced. Because of the way raised edges trap the front wheel, they are often called “edge traps.”

      When you need to get the bike up and over a raised edge, steer away and then come back toward the edge at a greater angle, preferably 45 degrees or more. Add a little throttle to help drive the tire up and over, and then straighten out. It’s the same way you would bounce up onto a curb.