Needing help with gravel driveway riding on sports bikes

[Crasherfromwayback]

Go get a heap of old potatoe sacks and stake them into the ground over the clay bits. Sorted.

[skippa1]

As a few others have said, walk it and pick the line and approach. No amount of advice will rectify the poor traction you get on wet clay though.......pick a line that keeps you out of the path of wet clay.
i am not sure how your neighbours/landlord would view a bunch of KBers working on the driveway but a chat with them and a working bee would/could make a huge difference. I dont know where you live but i am sure there are those on here that will help.

[skippa1]

Go get a heap of old potatoe sacks and stake them into the ground over the clay bits. Sorted.

Or potatoe sacks

i will help eat the potatoes

[Motu]

Go get a heap of old potatoe sacks and stake them into the ground over the clay bits. Sorted.

Stupid old fart - potatoes don't come in sacks these days, they are too useful, so we get paper sacks instead.

It's the bike - I used to live up a driveway from hell, I used to drive the dump truck from work up it and would slam my head into the roof. Huge holes and covered in ''rejects'' - kumara sized and shaped rocks. I used to ride my Stornello up there in 2nd gear, the bike leaping and bouncing all over the place, lots of fun. On my CB750 I was in hell, it was all over the place,no grip front or rear, wandering all over the drive expecting to crash at any moment. Sometimes there was a bull on the drive, he didn't worry me on the Stornello, he scared me shitless on the CB750.

Sounds like you love your R6 (what's that?) but it's the wrong bike for your time and place. Your confidence will improve vastly if you move to something else.

[Katiepie]

Sounds like you love your R6 (what's that?) but it's the wrong bike for your time and place. Your confidence will improve vastly if you move to something else.

With all respect, I didn't buy my bike for the soul purpose of riding up and down my driveway. I brought it for the road, where I feel confident on it and have learned a lot over the past few years about how to improve on my riding and how I feel on the bike up and down country and commuting. I am however the first to admit I lack many skills (gravel included) and have a huge amount to learn on two wheels. Hence the reason I am here asking for advice from more experienced riders.

No - the driveway is not ideal.
No I can not afford to move from where I live - so the driveway stays, so do I.
Yes, I am trying to get options for improving the surface of the driveway, but as someone who can't personally afford to chip in the any costs it is highly unlikely that it is going to change any time soon.

I guess over summer I got so used to where all the gravel was, where the bald parts were, where the tyre ruts were formed and where best to place my bike. Over winter it changes, and every few days the gravel is moved and deeper in new places, larger gravel in unfamiliar places, and always rakes back up and over the clay parts only to wash away or push away with a couple of cars up and down and nothing gets compacted it. It simply gets "racked" with the quad bike and it's always a bit of a "kinder surprise" as to where to put my tyres when I come home from work when the chap next door has been working on it.

If I can arrange some more appropriate material from work and come to an arrangement with the neighbour who owns up here, then at least I will be able to focus on my confidence without so much change all the time after a days rain or heavy traffic use.

Really appreciate all the advice folks, will be taking it all on board and practising every chance I get. Makes me well grumpy with myself as I commuted on my R6 every day this year until the middle of May when I started to struggle on the drive in the car and almost lost it on the bike. So it's definitely a confidence thing as my biggest block right now. But determined to work through it.

[FJRider]

Really appreciate all the advice folks, will be taking it all on board and practising every chance I get. Makes me well grumpy with myself as I commuted on my R6 every day this year until the middle of May when I started to struggle on the drive in the car and almost lost it on the bike. So it's definitely a confidence thing as my biggest block right now. But determined to work through it.

At least you have a light R6. Just think how much fun (not) you would have on an FJ1200 ...

[skippa1]

With all respect, I didn't buy my bike for the soul purpose of riding up and down my driveway. I brought it for the road, where I feel confident on it and have learned a lot over the past few years about how to improve on my riding and how I feel on the bike up and down country and commuting. I am however the first to admit I lack many skills (gravel included) and have a huge amount to learn on two wheels. Hence the reason I am here asking for advice from more experienced riders.

No - the driveway is not ideal.
No I can not afford to move from where I live - so the driveway stays, so do I.
Yes, I am trying to get options for improving the surface of the driveway, but as someone who can't personally afford to chip in the any costs it is highly unlikely that it is going to change any time soon.

I guess over summer I got so used to where all the gravel was, where the bald parts were, where the tyre ruts were formed and where best to place my bike. Over winter it changes, and every few days the gravel is moved and deeper in new places, larger gravel in unfamiliar places, and always rakes back up and over the clay parts only to wash away or push away with a couple of cars up and down and nothing gets compacted it. It simply gets "racked" with the quad bike and it's always a bit of a "kinder surprise" as to where to put my tyres when I come home from work when the chap next door has been working on it.

If I can arrange some more appropriate material from work and come to an arrangement with the neighbour who owns up here, then at least I will be able to focus on my confidence without so much change all the time after a days rain or heavy traffic use.

Really appreciate all the advice folks, will be taking it all on board and practising every chance I get. Makes me well grumpy with myself as I commuted on my R6 every day this year until the middle of May when I started to struggle on the drive in the car and almost lost it on the bike. So it's definitely a confidence thing as my biggest block right now. But determined to work through it.

Theres been a few hinting on here they would help with the surface....take em up on it. You might be surprised, some on here may have access to some suitable materials for nix, shit there may eveb be a grader driver that has some work programmed close by (might be a bit hopeful on that one but you dont know until you ask)

[jellywrestler]

Theres been a few hinting on here they would help with the surface....take em up on it. You might be surprised, some on here may have access to some suitable materials for nix, shit there may eveb be a grader driver that has some work programmed close by (might be a bit hopeful on that one but you dont know until you ask)

there's a prison just up the road from Kaitepie's place, maybe she could get a work detail of two, to help, just bake a few recreational tobacco muffins and some cakes with files in em and they'll love you long time for it.

[nerrrd]

Probably completely useless in this application but the po-tay-toe sack idea reminded me i'd seen this stuff somewhere, for holding gravel in place I think:

http://www.naturalpaving.co.nz/portf...em/farm-grade/

[Crasherfromwayback]

there's a prison just up the road from Kaitepie's place, maybe she could get a work detail of two, to help, just bake a few recreational tobacco muffins and some cakes with files in em and they'll love you long time for it.

Took me GF there for a job interview the other day. Think she's got the job. Maybe get her to convince some of the locals they need to help out to score some brownie points!

[Katiepie]

Best I get some practice in soon then during these wetter months - the cold Kiwi is less than 3 months away and the new site entry getting up to the top of the site has got me fucked! Provided much entertainment for many on my last arrival with 4 guys to hold my bike up while I worked my way up to the top of the site.

Will make sure I get the bike out and back up a couple of times this weekend if there is not too much rain to wash the grave away. Will be stepping through much of what you have all said here. Cheers everyone.

[Reckless]

It's not you it's the drive. Clay is shit to ride on with street tyres.

There it is in one
I know your drive and your bike :P
Dont let this sap your confidence a hell of a lot of us would shit ourselves (or be very apprehensive on your drive) in the slick clay with the steering leverage on your R6.

You mention The Cold Kiwi and I can tell you the difference in getting the SV1000 out of there and the Bonnie on wet grass/Snow/Clay/Mud is huge just because of the riding and bar position. Your R6 is worse then the SV in riding position, steering leverage, plus your rider Muscle and leg length. Which all have nothing to do with your ability.

There is fuck all you can do with an R6 on bare clay to be honest. As I ride road and dirt a lot, the only advice I an give you is to stay OFF the front brake as much as you can. As soon as you touch it, it will brake traction on road tyres and slick clay.
So here is what we do on the dirt bikes at say ThunderX on a steep slick clay hill (and there is plenty in winter).
Downhill
We stay off the front brake and trial the back brake as much as we can. Often locking the rear completely (like the sea anchor theory in a boat) all the way down the hill and letting the front free wheel. Keeps the rear in line while letting the front have as much traction as we can give it. Totally out of control but staying upright is more important than going slow at that time. And that only applies to the straight bits. On a corner your mostly trying to free wheel the rear with only as much rear brake applied so it doesn't loss traction. Usually only using the front brake to hold the bike when stationary.
Up hill similar.
Apply as much drive as you can to the rear with no front brake. Momentum is your best friend in this case. Anticipate turns usually turning early to accommodate the initial skid before the bike starts turning.

Downhill will be scarier and harder. Look ahead and Pick your line out of the bare clay rut, Most Prob up the center on the gravel bit the cars don't skid away or the inside of the rut.

But in saying the above your pushing shit uphill Sunshine, with your drive and a light sport bike on road rubber you really need to try and do something about the drive. The cars alone (neighbor above you) will be skidding and spitting all the good stuff off the top in this weather and screw up any remedial work you do for the bike.
The only real fix is to pour grooved concrete (Brush and groove it while wet) you only need one track but wide enough for your bike to get traction on the worst bits.

If you get really stuck Crashers idea of sacks is good but even a layer/carpet of Pine needles in the rut on a slick bit might get you up and into your garage?

Sorry Sunshine, try those tricks but not good news but unless your landlord will do something about the drive your a bit stuffed.

Best I can Advise???

[Katiepie]

I know your drive and your bike :P

Cheers ears.

And you saw my driveway 4 years ago. Add to that 4 years of no maintenance other that moving the chunky gravel around over the hard clay, more cars living up here now, and me with less confidence than before = not doing so well on mastering this driveway. And yes, the cars slide when going up the drive now after rain with little traction.

Work in progress... will keep working at it (it being me and my skills and confidence)

[jellywrestler]

Best I get some practice in soon then during these wetter months - the cold Kiwi is less than 3 months away and the new site entry getting up to the top of the site has got me fucked! Provided much entertainment for many on my last arrival with 4 guys to hold my bike up while I worked my way up to the top of the site.

Will make sure I get the bike out and back up a couple of times this weekend if there is not too much rain to wash the grave away. Will be stepping through much of what you have all said here. Cheers everyone.

work is happening at the site to improve access, the fire is taking up too much camping room versus how many people use it, it's being moved to a spot that doesn't gooble up tent sites, the marquee is moving closer to the hill, and there's a road being made available to get up to the top.
being a new site no-one knew where to go last year, and some roade around a fair bit looking for a spot, that should settle down soon.
I am also going to suggest to the club they have recommended road bike areas. it's a character site, but with that character some but only some of the access is a little harder.

[Akzle]

best advice is keep both front and rear brakes slightly on,

have to disagree my man. While trailing you brakes will keep you slow, i think she'd be more likely to grab a handful if panicked.

Learn to skid.