Gravel roads and driveway advice needed

[slimjim]

[QUOTE=klingon;1831513]Usually on a gravel road the vehicle coming down gives way to the vehicle coming up the hill. Makes sense if you think about it - the one going downhill will always be able to get started again after they have stopped. The one going uphill might never be able to get enough traction to start again!

I once lost momentum going up a very long, steep, winding gravel road, while towing a trailer with a heavy load. There was steep drop off one side of the road down to a paddock, and a ditch on the other side.

nope...coming down-hill is alot harder to pull over and stop than a vehicle coming up hill...many times too that said vehicle is towing a trailer, down-hill so try backing up with that on the car on gravel..and many times to with loss of traction, lowering the air pressure (car)an use of handbrake should allow grip on gravel...shouldn't have same air presssure as tarmac slightly lower tire pressure

[klingon]

I know that feeling.
I once took a grilfriend out for a drive, and got stuck down a hill at one of Rotorua's lakes, because the road had been freshly regravelled. My Morry thou couldn't get up the fairly modest hill, due to axle tramp. I had to walk a couple of miles to a nearby house, and call my father to help. Having grown up with cars of that era (and older) and unsealed roads, he just laughed at me. Him and a mate stood on the rear bumper and the car went up the hill no problem.

Bet your Dad thought it was a hoot - and did he ask you lots of trickily embarrassing questions about what you and your girlfriend were doing on an isolated lake-front road?

With a front-wheel drive car you can sometimes turn around and reverse up the hill. Redistributes weight onto the driving wheels, and reverse is often more torquey than first anyway.

Gotta love old, underpowered cars with bald tyres. I've owned my fair share. (Come to think of it I own one now - it's sitting out the front with lichen growing on it. I wonder if my car ever gets jealous of my bike?)

[vifferman]

Bet your Dad thought it was a hoot - and did he ask you lots of trickily embarrassing questions about what you and your girlfriend were doing on an isolated lake-front road?

Yes.... hence the

Also, there was a sign on the way down the hill warning about deep gravel and traction problems. I thought nothing about it - fearless attitude and overconfidence in my driving skills...

With a front-wheel drive car you can sometimes turn around and reverse up the hill. Redistributes weight onto the driving wheels, and reverse is often more torquey than first anyway.

Gotta love old, underpowered cars with bald tyres.

Yeah, the problem here was the crappy suspension: leaf springs and those execrable rotary dampers the old car was fitted with. It just needed some weight to stop the wheels pogoing so much.

[Badjelly]

I'm more comfortable with the whole practice thing now that I've had my crash knobs put on - at least I won't do any more damage to my fairing

My sense of adventure got a little bit lost with my cracked ribs ha

Photos or it didn't happen!

[prettybillie]

Photos or it didn't happen!

Hey, I'm more than happy believing it didn't happen ha

[cs363]

I have a gravel road then into my gravel driveway and it can be very daunting to learn on
I found that slow and wide is good for the turn. Don't use the front brake and only the back gently or slight pulse (on the straight- not on the turn unless you want to practice skidding).
Basically the more gravel you do the more you will relax and let the bike find its line rather than fight it. It is like riding on marbles and you will feel the tyres go all over the place....but this can turn in to a bit of fun eventually

This is overall some of the best advice I've seen in this thread - just don't go too slow as momentum is your friend on rough surfaces.
And totally agree on building confidence by riding as much on gravel as you can - I remember when we were younger we used to go riding from Hamilton up to Coromandel and ride all the unsealed roads we could find (it wasn't hard a few years back - most of them weren't sealed!) and it certainly improved my gravel road riding confidence, as Monamie says eventually it gets to be quite a bit of fun!

[prettybillie]

This is awesome everyone. Thanks so much. My bike is getting lowered today so hopefully I will eventually find those damn gravel roads as much fun as you do when I can touch the ground

[buellbabe]

I am also getting some work done to my seat which will narrow it even more and give me a bit more foot on the ground...funny thing is that I reckon its a mind over matter thing...you know ya can't touch the ground so ya feel like you have less control but seriously have you seen the seat height on an offroad bike???? ground clearance for Africa LOL.

My first bike was a DT175 and I never had any probs with off-road riding so why does it bother me so much on the Buell? Gotta get over it.

[prettybillie]

I am also getting some work done to my seat which will narrow it even more and give me a bit more foot on the ground...funny thing is that I reckon its a mind over matter thing...you know ya can't touch the ground so ya feel like you have less control but seriously have you seen the seat height on an offroad bike???? ground clearance for Africa LOL.

Who's doing the work on your seat? I agree - totally mind over matter...the mind is a powerful thing though hahahahahaha

[buellbabe]

TBC... any decent upholsterer should be able to do it. Can't remember who did it the first time round (its already been modified LOL).