Riding on gravel

[Crisis management]

They said "look at the falls" not "fall on ya balls" Mokau falls bridge?

Dunno actually, a couple of bridges before Waikaremoana campground IIRC, I don't recall seeing any waterfalls but I was a bit distracted by the ground rushing past my nose.

Where's your contribution from that extensive library you have......

[BMWST?]

One of the reasons modern bikes don't do so well in thick gravel (apart from the tyres) is what happens to the contact patch....it moves forwards,and reduces trail,maybe even turning it negative.Modern bikes (sportsbikes) have much less trail than they used to,less than dirt bikes these days...all for quick steering,so reducing trail is not good for stability.My old Airhead has a shit load of trial,120mm...so it's super stable in thick stuff,even with road tyres.

and the lose trail effect is made worse by smaller diameter wheels.....all the road bikes used have 19 in front wheels when i was a boy....and is why 21 inch wheels better than 19 etc etc...you get the same effect with your big front tyre

[b1g-fuLLa]

I rode on gravel 4kms, twice a day on a borrowed gn250 for a few weeks for a temporary farming job. Uphill, downhill, plenty of corners too. I found the gn to be great on gravel (was a mixture of large stones, small stones, and packed dirt) just be light on the gas (not that the gn has any power anyway ), light on the brakes, and dont lean too much. Slow down well before any corners, and as previously said, weight the footpegs, front brake for slowing (go easy or you will slide!!) rear brake for balance. And remember to loosen up, as you would on a windy day, cause the bike WILL be moving beneath you. Albeit not alot if you're riding correctly, but for a new rider to gravel its a very different feel.

My zxr isnt the best on gravel, but quite comfortably cruise at 65kph on most gravel roads. Just practice, and start slow.


I once hit a fresh gravel patch on a road at night at 100kph (i think someone stole the roadworks sign) on my old rg150. SCARY SHIT, Didnt even see it as the oncoming dickhead had his full beams on

[swbarnett]

One thing I learnt about gravel last week was :-

Don't go too slow on a banked corner!

I was doing a very rare excursion on to gravel on the CBX550 inland from Waiwera. I'm a nervous rider on gravel (a lot better after this day) and virtually stopped rounding a banked left hander. The bike slid out from under me straight in to the gutter. Thankfully I was going slow enough that all that really happened was that I stopped and lay the bike down gently. I managed to get upright easily enough but then I was standing in a ditch about 200mm deep about twice as wide as my wheel (or the width of a modern sports bike wheel) with a near vertical bank to my left. I inched the bike to where the camber stopped, turned the front full lock to the right and slid out of the ditch with the back spinning and the front going sideways until it bit.

Later that day I was very glad I'd been through the above as I rounded similar corner telling myself repeatedly "keep your speed up". If I hadn't these corners would've been less forgiving - offering alternately either a barbed wire fence or a steep drop.

[rocketman1]

I have ridden several thousand kms on gravel, mainly on adventure and moto-cross bikes, but also a bit on sports bikes.
There are many factors that make up problems for road bikes on gravel.
Some of them being:
The type of tyres you have on your bike.
And the width and tread pattern, also the pressure in the tyres.
Ideally the narrower tyres, on larger diameter wheels, with a chunkier tread pattern and a lower tyre pressure will be better. ie motocross tyres, the further you get away from those type tyres to a slick wide road tyre the worse things get.

Also the type of gravel is a big variance, in the north island you generally get a more broken rock type gravel, similar to GAP40-65 for those engineers amongst us.
In the South Island the gravel is generally more rounded smaller river stones which causes another problem. Also it depends on the weather, a little rain often makes the gravel stickier and easier to ride, too much rain and its more slippy than dry?
Deep gravel can cause all sorts of problems, if you have room to accelerate out of it its best to, "if in doubt, accelerate out" this doesnt always suit though, ie going down hill into a turn, or if there is hundreds of metres of the loose gravel ahead, accelerating could make the trip over the handle bars all the more painful.

The worst scenario is being the first riders over a gravel road where the grader has just scrapped all the gravel on the side of the road back into a big loose pile in the middle, this calls for careful, standing on the pegs, knees tucked into the tank, leave the front brake alone, if you have to stop use the back brake only.changing down to the lower gears to slow is also a good option for slowing.
Its a very hard thing to describe as there are many many variables, that really can only be taught by getting out there on the gravel for many hundreds of kms and riding the stuff.
And just when you think you have it sorted something else will crop up to break your bones and your bike, just as I found out.
When you get back on the tarseal you realize how easy it all is.

[Matariki]

I've been practicing around the place, mostly going out to the beaches and mountainous areas, anywhere that there are long gravel roads with plenty of corners. At the moment I'm focusing on relaxing my grip, I notice that my handling becomes much less flexible when I tighten the grip, I have to keep reminding myself to relax. Otherwise besides that, the GN is an amazingly forgiving bike.

I am thinking about changing the tires on my GN, but I'm not sure to what type, yet alone what effect it will have on my current riding.

[tri boy]

I am thinking about changing the tires on my GN, but I'm not sure to what type, yet alone what effect it will have on my current riding.

Bridgstone trailwings in the correct sizes will be just finefor your needs.
They also have very good road manners on smaller bikes.
There are different tread patterns, and browsing your local shop, and asking advise will see you right.
No need to spend a fortune, just get something a bit more agressive than road tyres. MHO

[Grasshopperus]

Why is the diameter of the tyre important?

[chasio]

Why is the diameter of the tyre important?

Coz if the tyre's diameter is too big it'll roll off the rim?



Someone will be along with a sensible answer about trail and angle of attack and all that stuff presently. Please hold, caller.

[That looks like fun]

Where's your contribution from that extensive library you have......

SO you want to learn how to fall off correctly on gravel roads

Gravel is just another road surface, the main difference is that the surface is not held in place by tar so it can move (read slowly if I am going to fast for you).
Unless you are only ever going to ride on the same type of road surface with the same bike and the same load, road temp, tyre pressures, yada yad yada etc sooner or later you are going to need to make an alteration to that most technical part of the bike
(Fanfare of trumpets please) The RIDER
Treat every road surface as something that wants to beat you up and do your best to keep the bike between you and this violent road
First and most simple, speed (alright you bastards stop laughing about my off now) Slow down to a speed that allows enough time to do what you "need to" do. Its like riding in the rain. Smooth, steady relaxed but alert
Do your braking in the braking area, if you don't know where this is learn. Accelerate smoothly (unless you are winning then ROOST ROOST ROOST!). Ride the bike don't fight it.
If you get into a situation where your skills are not good enough to get you out of and you end up wrecking your shoulder and sticking you bike down a deep ditch Don't worry about what you did wrong in the situation, worry about how you got yourself into that situation in the first place

[george formby]

May I add... the throttle is your friend. Just like tarmac, if you look where you want to go on gravel, use a positive throttle ( your traveling at a controlled speed ) keep your weight central & do not clench the bars in a death grip the bike will steer through quite deep gravel without mishap. Even on road tires.. with a pillion.