Kiwi roadwork cowboys

[mrchips]

Yesterday i encountered some pretty atrocious road works. Approx. 1 kilometer of windy road with smooth round, loose & deep / uncompacted RIVER STONES (approx. 50 - 100mm diameter). The posted speed limit was 30 km/hr.

I had to stop & wave (sorry) on cars behind me as I really struggled to keep traction & stay on my side of the road. I was also bottoming out in the deep ruts & almost lost it as both front & rears kept on digging in.

Am i just a big wus or is there a secret to tackling this stuff on a large heavy sports bike with smooth tyres. I had my fingers & toes crossed but still felt this wasn't enough.

I have never in my like seen river stones used in roadworks. I'd of thought this type of material inapropriate for road subgrades, anyway.....

Your comments from wisdom & experience are welcome, what would you do ?.

[FJRider]

I have come across "stuff" like that ... FJ1200's dont like it either ...

If you can ... find a wheel track and follow it ...

[mrchips]

I have come across "stuff" like that ... FJ1200's dont like it either ...

If you can ... find a wheel track and follow it ...

Yeah, thanks for that.

The problem was, the only wheel track was on the other side of the road so i had to keep diving back to my side with oncoming traffic.

[ajturbo]

the CR nearly came to grief in same situation... no warning... 5 (yes FIVE) other bikers had same problem... 1 went down...how we ALL didn't go down, not one of us could explain... we all have the same amount of riding experience ... just unlucky...or we were extremely lucky

[oldrider]

the CR nearly came to grief in same situation... no warning... 5 (yes FIVE) other bikers had same problem... 1 went down...how we ALL didn't go down, not one of us could explain... we all have the same amount of riding experience ... just unlucky...or we were extremely lucky

ACC & the Govm't would have just put it all in their anti motorcycle statistics had any of you been injured!

Probably recommended you attend a course on how to ride off road!

They are just full of helpful suggestions on everything to do with motorcycles being dangerous and all that!

[oldrider]

Yesterday i encountered some pretty atrocious road works. Approx. 1 kilometer of windy road with smooth round, loose & deep / uncompacted RIVER STONES (approx. 50 - 100mm diameter). The posted speed limit was 30 km/hr.

I had to stop & wave (sorry) on cars behind me as I really struggled to keep traction & stay on my side of the road. I was also bottoming out in the deep ruts & almost lost it as both front & rears kept on digging in.

Am i just a big wus or is there a secret to tackling this stuff on a large heavy sports bike with smooth tyres. I had my fingers & toes crossed but still felt this wasn't enough.

I have never in my like seen river stones used in roadworks. I'd of thought this type of material inapropriate for road subgrades, anyway.....

Your comments from wisdom & experience are welcome, what would you do ?.

Sympathies on that experience!

Back in about 1993 my wife and I struck 11km of that material laid through the Waipu forest on the Dargaville end of the road.

We were riding a Honda ST 1100 and loaded up for the trip, she had to push the bike most of the way (in the darkest of bloody dark) just to get some traction!

Poor wee wife was absolutely knackered when we eventually got to our Dargaville motel.

I reckon the Maori Harley rider that told us the road was "sweet man, sweet" is still laughing! (the bastard!)

Maybe Nick is right, it's not everything else like shitty roads and things (sigh) it's just that motorbikes are so dangerous!

[cold comfort]

After experiencing roads in the US subjected to searing summer heat and arctic winters i return to roads that melt at 18 deg C, constructed of a series of poorly applied patches, and liberally sprinkled with potholes and loose metal. Not only does there appear to be no coherent planning (the newly laid sections being ripped up within months of being laid for cables and drains) but the incompetent cheap-arse job is akin to 3rd world status. A brand new 200m section near the almighty Stadium/White elephant dissolved into potholes with WEEKS of being laid. The frenzied end-of financial- year activity means, during the best motorcycling weather, nowhere is immune from long waits, and 30km limits while they inexplicably make the existing roads WORSE!

[Smifffy]

After experiencing roads in the US subjected to searing summer heat and arctic winters i return to roads that melt at 18 deg C, constructed of a series of poorly applied patches, and liberally sprinkled with potholes and loose metal. Not only does there appear to be no coherent planning (the newly laid sections being ripped up within months of being laid for cables and drains) but the incompetent cheap-arse job is akin to 3rd world status. A brand new 200m section near the almighty Stadium/White elephant dissolved into potholes with WEEKS of being laid. The frenzied end-of financial- year activity means, during the best motorcycling weather, nowhere is immune from long waits, and 30km limits while they inexplicably make the existing roads WORSE!

Exactly this!

"you must spread more... yada etc"

[schrodingers cat]

Aye. Couple of bits of excitment through Gebbies Pass and on the road to Little River today.
My strategy of riding like a nana on the road is paying off.
Lousy way to leave a road tho

[Little Miss Trouble]

Yesterday i encountered some pretty atrocious road works. Approx. 1 kilometer of windy road with smooth round, loose & deep / uncompacted RIVER STONES (approx. 50 - 100mm diameter). The posted speed limit was 30 km/hr.

I had to stop & wave (sorry) on cars behind me as I really struggled to keep traction & stay on my side of the road. I was also bottoming out in the deep ruts & almost lost it as both front & rears kept on digging in.

Am i just a big wus or is there a secret to tackling this stuff on a large heavy sports bike with smooth tyres. I had my fingers & toes crossed but still felt this wasn't enough.

I have never in my like seen river stones used in roadworks. I'd of thought this type of material inapropriate for road subgrades, anyway.....

Your comments from wisdom & experience are welcome, what would you do ?.

It's the un-signposted roadworks that gives me the shits. On my way to Pauanui last year I came around a nice sweeper at a decent clip to find 5km of big pointy almost fist sized rocks that the roading construction crew had lain and 'forgotten' to signpost.

Weight the pegs to lower the bikes centre of gravity, loosen death-grip on the bars, maintain constant throttle and look up and ahead, oh and don't forget to breathe.

[ital916]

Amen to the roads here being bad. I have travelled a lot of countries and New Zealand is high on good scenery and low on road quality.

Rode the partners gsxr600 from Auckland to Welli as she was too busy and man, those gravel roadworks never seem to get easier.

[martybabe]

I had to stop & wave (sorry) on cars behind me as I really struggled to keep traction & stay on my side of the road. I was also bottoming out in the deep ruts & almost lost it as both front & rears kept on digging in.

I encountered exactly this situation a few weeks ago on a major highway, the bloody stuff was just un-ride-able. I too had to wave traffic past as I was axle deep in the stuff !!

I wrote a strongly worded e-mail to the council, culminating in berating them for playing lip service to road safety whilst repeatedly putting my life in danger with their appalling road maintenance practices. I haven't had a reply.

Seriously, having ridden in many 'developed nations' across the world, NZ in my opinion have the poorest quality, worst maintained roads of any of them. I understand that we ain't a rich nation but surely it cannot be that hard to repair the arterial routes properly section by section, instead of having to re-do them all every six months with more molasses and crushed walnuts.

We are the ones most affected by these shit roads and repairs, yet we have to pay more than any one else for the privilege of using them !!

[avgas]

I take my road bike off the road a little at least once a year to keep my skills intact.
Off road skills have saved my life more than 100 times.

Would be my recommendation. Its more important ATGATT in my eyes.

[avgas]

After experiencing roads in the US subjected to searing summer heat and arctic winters i return to roads that melt at 18 deg C, constructed of a series of poorly applied patches, and liberally sprinkled with potholes and loose metal. Not only does there appear to be no coherent planning (the newly laid sections being ripped up within months of being laid for cables and drains) but the incompetent cheap-arse job is akin to 3rd world status. A brand new 200m section near the almighty Stadium/White elephant dissolved into potholes with WEEKS of being laid. The frenzied end-of financial- year activity means, during the best motorcycling weather, nowhere is immune from long waits, and 30km limits while they inexplicably make the existing roads WORSE!

To be honest I would be happy if they just left the whole bloody thing alone.
Must be a perpetual check-book for them.
I prefer and old fucked road any day then one that has the same road works every 3 months.

[oneofsix]

To be honest I would be happy if they just left the whole bloody thing alone.
Must be a perpetual check-book for them.
I prefer and old fucked road any day then one that has the same road works every 3 months.

But is that the shit of it, they are constantly paying for patch up jobs and still end up with the shittest of roads. It budgets. Rather than pay for a descent job done once with proper safety they only do what this years budget allows and as cheap as possible to get as many patch jobs as possible done. Need a minimum standard of work to make them think harder about what they do. We pay enough in road user taxes to do it properly, pity it gets syphoned off in the general funds to pay politicisations salary increases.