loosing it on the silver wet bits

[surfchick]

just read the posts by kawagreen on wet weather riding-
i was riding over to thames on wed and it rained the whole way there. was going 100kph on that dead straight stretch between the miranda turnoff and thames. was going dead straight no accelerating or decelerating. went over one of those bald strips on the road that look all silvery when wet and the back wheel starts sliding/oscillating 8 inches side to side. there's trucks and cars coming... it's such a horrendous feeling. i just gotta ask- is that normal. my bike's a srv 250 with the tyres red barron slapped on it, and in the rain the back wheel is always greasing around. i don't get it as when i followed led on his buell its like he stuck to the road compared to my bike even when i went practically in his tyre tracks. my bike is super fine and stuck to the road in the dry... it's happened before worse at slower speed-as in she nearly lost it altogether hardly turning-again one of those balder wet bits... are they just totally evil and have to be avoided like the plague, cause i spent my hole run home from thames driving all over the road to find the stoney bits... HEEELP i'm sort of starting to hate the rain...

[crashe]

Mate you have been off the bike for over three months...
so take it easy out there on the roads...

Summer is coming honest it is...

[Buster]

Have you checked the direction arrows are going the right way? I did that on a scooter once. it was horrible.

[surfchick]

Mate you have been off the bike for over three months...
so take it easy out there on the roads...

Summer is coming honest it is...

yeah it was wierd-i thought i'd forget how to ride-but it was sweet. but this sliding around thing is definitely a bit wierd. i wonder if me gots bungski tyres...or just a bad judge of where to put the bike...

[FROSTY]

tyre pressures may be wrong.You just might not have tyres good for in the rain--my race bikes sliding all over the place on the metzlers Im running
for my tupenth worth Id toss a set of pilot powers on -yea a tadd expensive but ya aint exactly gonna chew thru em on ya little 250

[Zed]

...was going dead straight no accelerating or decelerating. went over one of those bald strips on the road that look all silvery when wet and the back wheel starts sliding/oscillating 8 inches side to side...If you were riding in a straight line like you say then it was either the road surface, the tyres, or could be your suspension setup that would make your bike slip around like that??? :blink:

If I was a betting man I'd say it's your tyres. Are you running the right pressure in them?

[Motu]

The tyres I use would make yours look like racing slicks,and I have no trouble in the wet.Check your tyre pressures,they could be too hard.

[surfchick]

The tyres I use would make yours look like racing slicks,and I have no trouble in the wet.Check your tyre pressures,they could be too hard.

kerry set them at something like 32 in the front and 36 in the rear.. my memory could be a bit foggy...
but the dead straight-slide thing happens a wee bit sort of all the time even when the tyres are a bit flatter..my guts is telling me may-be its the tyres. if it if that then me hang on with these uns (they got heaps of tread still on...), go easy, then when me not on my 250 anymore make sure nu bike has grippy ones..

[crashe]

kerry set them at something like 32 in the front and 36 in the rear.. my memory could be a bit foggy...

Was that before you went away.... or since you have come back?

[surfchick]

Was that before you went away.... or since you have come back?
that's right now. had a warrant to do the minute i got home, that and the car warrent and rego...and the bike rego... so tyres all set...

[Blackbird]

Hi Surfchick - highly likely that your bike is just fine. I overtook a car and boat trailer recently and half way past, encountered a strip of slick tar. It didn't bother me when I saw it as I wasn't accellerating all that hard and the road was only a wee bit damp. However, the rear tyre spun up, gripped, threw the bike off line, then spun again and I ended up with a massive tank-slapper which is not nice on a bike as heavy as the Blackbird. Slick patches of tar can be lethal and they can be just as bad in hot weather.

Geoff

[Lou Girardin]

I'd recommend sport/touring tyres, they're designed for wet grip from cold and, as a bonus, they last well.

[SimJen]

Not a lot of tyres will give decent grip on those slick smooth patches of seal in the wet. Theres an intersection near Matangi (by Hams) that is slick as.....heaps of cars pull out, give it gas and spin into the fence. My Accord SiR spins up easy as over it, and the bike just gets sideways if your not careful. Best I got is about 200metres of spinning up the rear on the Gixxer (Metz M1's).

[XP@]

Given the option of the slippy stuff or good surface, always avoid the slippy stuff.

This includes white lines, tar snakes, roadkill, fuel spill, mud & sh1t etc...
In the wet, even with the best tyres some of these surfaces cause brown trou moments.

[bugjuice]

if you might be talking of tar seal, that stuff is always slippy in the wet. Every bike slips on that, cos there's no grip at all. Caught me out a few times. In the dry, it's fine, but a bit of water, and it's all fun and games..

[aff-man]

what only 8 inches :whistle: :whistle:

Same thing happened to me on the m1's going in a straight line when the bike's rear end starting swinging side to side really badly (30-50cm). Fecked my back trying to get it going straight again really don't know how i didn't fall off. This was in the rain as well.

Sometimes there is just shit on the road that you don't see. Only thing to do is have some good tyres and experience, a few prayers to the biker gods and away you go.

[2_SL0]

There is a certain piece of road out where I live that is covered in those tar strips. Its always "interesting" to ride along in the wet. I dont think you can do anything about it. Avoid it where possible.

[Brett]

Yeah i s'pose its one of those things you encounter. I hate rain :angry:

[surfchick]

I just got back from a ride, started pissing down, changed gear little too late as i was going into a corner and whamo whole back started fishing. I somehow managed to accelerate out of it. Guess it just pays to look ahead whats on the road and where its taking you?

the thing i didn't like was loosing the back right beside the stream of oncoming traffic-it really is an oh shit is this worth it moment as you hope like mad you can stay on... i still frieked tho as if she's like it on the straight, how bad is it to find those bald bits on a corner. i practically crawled home in the upright position...;(

[Ixion]

A rear wheel playing footsie is very alarming and frightening, especially to newer riders. But, in my experience, it's actually less dangerous than it feels. I've never heard of anyone actually coming off due to the rear wandering UNLESS they hit the brakes. In general, so long as you keep the front under control the rear will eventually sort itself out. Same witht he rear locking up under braking. Just keep the gas on and concetrate on keeping the front pointed right. IMHO

[DMNTD]

Yep I trashed my last TL on a strip like that-slight curve,drizzling but since found out my tyre pressure was too hard for the conditions <_< :spudgrr: My lack of experience I reckon
Wasn't much I could do but best to avoid if poss and don't button off like I did :spudgrr: :whistle:
-Lesson learnt-

[Big Dave]

Just keep the gas on and concetrate on keeping the front pointed right. IMHO

Concur - worst possible thing to do is grab the picks or even engage engine breaking.

I had some huge slides on Hwy 3.
All you can really do is be eternally vigilant for the shit. Avoid it as HERE LURKS DEATH stuff. And relax if you find yourself sliding accross it.
The bike will have a wiggle when it finds traction again and you can controll that - but until then roll with it.

It's possibli the worst thing about NZ roads for mine. gets you when you can see the least and can strike completely without warning.

[surfchick]

oh it good to read those strories so it not just me...
i found my brain having a bit of a mare- cause staying off the bald bits in the rain sometimes puts you in the middle section of the road with all the grease pooops-but i've since decided i prefer the grease poooops to the bald bits

[aff-man]

oh it good to read those strories so it not just me...
i found my brain having a bit of a mare- cause staying off the bald bits in the rain sometimes puts you in the middle section of the road with all the grease pooops-but i've since decided i prefer the grease poooops to the bald bits

depends on your tyres that. A good set of tyres will hold even on those balt bits unless you are going for it. Unfortunatley no quality of tyre can save you from the grease poops. I would choose the baldy's over the greasies :stupid: :blink: :blink: . But yeh just be carefull and take it easy in the rain. you soon learn to live with it...


p.s. rolling burnouts in the wet / sliding it round decent corners is fun :blink: :eek5: :eek5: :bleh:

[XP@]

oh it good to read those strories so it not just me...
i found my brain having a bit of a mare- cause staying off the bald bits in the rain sometimes puts you in the middle section of the road with all the grease pooops-but i've since decided i prefer the grease poooops to the bald bits
You are a surfer, I am not, but when you change direction on a surf board, what happens?
does it slide out? if so is it a concern?
do you just look in the direction you want to go and adjust your weight?

[Big Dave]

depends on your tyres that. A good set of tyres will hold even on those balt bits unless you are going for it.

i disagree with that. you only need to be marginaly cranked over on some of it and it's curtains - when it's wet or when it's hot and melted. stay off it - regardless of rubber.

[SuperDave]

Same thing just happened to me on the way home down my rural road. They patch stuff with that crap black tar and if your rear hits one length wise at any speed in the wet it slips to the left with the road camber until it comes off it and regains grip. The problem only comes when the 'patch' goes right to the edge of the road, then its hello stone filled gutter!

[Zapf]

i disagree with that. you only need to be marginaly cranked over on some of it and it's curtains - when it's wet or when it's hot and melted. stay off it - regardless of rubber.

time for some metal studded tires?

[Zapf]

what make and model tires have u got surfchick? And have they got cracks in the rubber?

[Big Dave]

time for some metal studded tires?

You know I'm not the 'carping aussie' - but really, they should make the roads more like back home.
The surface is laid as 'hotmix' in aus - rather than metal poured on top of the tar like here.
Aus roads are far more reliably surfaced throughout.

[DemonWolf]

Just imagine that.. safer road surfaces for all vehicles...

Just imagine the complaints about that... who pays? how is it going to be financed? where do you start?... arse.. what a pipe dream

[Ixion]

Well, seems to me the problem is this tar stuff. So, simple solution would be if the authoriities stopped putting tar , and all the other stuff on the roads. Don't have this problem with gravel :devil2:. And it's actually better when it's wet.

[DemonWolf]

That is if the gravel stayed on the road.. with regular maintenance it will.. but with the conditions of NZ roads.. thats a long shot

[NordieBoy]

So ban cars from it.
Just use dirt bikes, they'll keep the gravel on the road...
Sort of.

[ZorsT]

So ban cars from it.
Just use dirt bikes, they'll keep the gravel on the road...
Sort of.
Not if everyone powerslides like I like to

[nadroj]

What you are talking about is referred to as flushing (or bleeding tar).
Note the location in detail & ring 0800 444449 - follow the prompts & you'll get to speak to someone at Tranzit. They will contact you back if there is any confusion over the location when they send someone to look at it and will give a timeframe as to when it will be fixed. I have done this several times and have had response within 2 weeks.