Total Motorcycle Forums • View topic - Cruisers and gravel roads
Total Motorcycle Forums - The friendlist forums on the internet!

Main Site

Forums


Photo Gallery

Back to Main Site Main Site . * Login   * Register .    * Search .  . New Total Motorcycle Photo Gallery Photo Gallery

All times are UTC - 7 hours [ DST ]




Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 24 posts ]  Go to page 1, 2, 3  Next
Author Message
Unread postPosted: Sat Jun 16, 2012 6:07 am 
Regular
Regular
User avatar

Joined: Fri Jan 30, 2009 7:06 am
Posts: 38
Sex: Male
Years Riding: 30
My Motorcycle: Triumph America
Riding with my new GPS device has given me the confidence to turn onto smaller roads that I have never ridden before, knowing that even if I get really lost I can always hit the "Go Home" button and find my way back. But it has also led me to end up on some really squirrely gravel roads. I am finding that my cruiser, especially when riding two up, does not like these roads very much. I wonder if is the tires that I have on my bike but riding gravel roads is not something that I plan to do if I can avoid them. I might miss some interesting rides but the feeling of instability on gravel and dirt is not my idea of a fun ride.


Top
 Profile  
 
Unread postPosted: Sun Jun 17, 2012 9:18 am 
Elite
Elite

Joined: Thu Mar 01, 2012 10:23 am
Posts: 153
Location: Sierra Vista, AZ
Real Name: Andrea Robinson
Sex: Female
Years Riding: 12
My Motorcycle: 2004 Honda Shadow Aero VT750C
That's just motorcycles on gravel, dude. Ride slow and mark it on your mental map as a road to avoid in the future :)

_________________
Ooooooh. Shiny!


Top
 Profile  
 
Unread postPosted: Sun Jun 17, 2012 9:43 am 
Legendary 1500
Legendary 1500
User avatar

Joined: Fri Jun 22, 2007 10:35 pm
Posts: 1737
Location: Tsawwassen, BC, Canada, The Planet Earth
Real Name: a big secret
Sex: Male
Years Riding: 26
My Motorcycle: 1987 Kawasaki Concours
MmeMagpie wrote:
That's just motorcycles on gravel, dude. Ride slow and mark it on your mental map as a road to avoid in the future :)

:twss:

_________________
Always ask why.
Image


Top
 Profile  
 
Unread postPosted: Mon Jun 18, 2012 1:28 am 
Legendary 2000
Legendary 2000
User avatar

Joined: Wed Jul 20, 2005 8:45 am
Posts: 2344
Location: South Africa
Sex: Male
Years Riding: 90
My Motorcycle: 2011 R1200R 07 BMW GS, Kymco 250 Dink
How often do you do it ? Most guys that get out of their comfort zone get all stiff and tense and that just makes the problem worse, and I hear you about the 2 up thing. When I did Namibia 2 up with The Goose, fully loaded, I hit some real powdery stuff that I had never ridden on before. I had to make a conscious effort to relax. Once I got my head right, everything was fine.

_________________
I spent my therapy money an a K1200S
The therapy worked, I got a GS now
A touch of insanity crept back in the shape of an R1200R


Top
 Profile  
 
Unread postPosted: Mon Jun 18, 2012 9:31 am 
Elite
Elite

Joined: Thu Mar 01, 2012 10:23 am
Posts: 153
Location: Sierra Vista, AZ
Real Name: Andrea Robinson
Sex: Female
Years Riding: 12
My Motorcycle: 2004 Honda Shadow Aero VT750C
I rode all sorts of hellish roads by accident in Georgia because it's impossible to judge a road surface from a satellite image. The worst were the roads that were covered in 3" or so of tired, old, powdery dirt. Not only did I blow all manner of nastiness out of my nose later (and I probably could have cultivated potatoes in my ears), it was mushy and super slick feeling under the tires.

_________________
Ooooooh. Shiny!


Top
 Profile  
 
Unread postPosted: Mon Jun 18, 2012 5:38 pm 
Site Supporter - Diamond
Site Supporter - Diamond
User avatar

Joined: Mon May 23, 2005 9:37 am
Posts: 4041
Location: Coquitlam BC, Canada
Real Name: Doug
Sex: Male
Years Riding: 30
My Motorcycle: 2007 Yamaha Royal Star Venture
Yup, gotta loosen up and relax, let the bike find it's own way and slow down...

_________________
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Image
"Four wheels move the body. Two wheels move the soul!"


Top
 Profile  
 
Unread postPosted: Sun Jun 24, 2012 8:31 am 
Regular
Regular

Joined: Mon Mar 12, 2012 7:07 pm
Posts: 38
Sex: Male
Years Riding: 37
My Motorcycle: '08 GL1800
Your tires have a lot to do with it. Most (if not all) MC road tires are nothing more than racing slicks with just enough grooving, on them, to make them street legal. Rely mostly on friction to counter the forces of gravity ... compound material of the tire. Look at off road - dirt bike - tires, you'll get the idea. Still, gravel roads are not the best place for the big road bikes.

We have a lot of logging roads here, with pot holes that would swallow a small car. On the better logging roads there is always some jackass coming at you at 50+, in one of those big 4x4 trucks. This means your gonna get a face full of rocks and dust during the dry weather and mud and rocks during the wet weather.

There are enough paved roads, I don't need to hit gravel. The oil and gravel is a different thing. I never know where or when this is going to happen.


Top
 Profile  
 
Unread postPosted: Fri Aug 24, 2012 4:15 pm 
Rookie
Rookie

Joined: Sat Jun 16, 2012 3:38 pm
Posts: 11
Real Name: Perry Pogue
Sex: Male
Years Riding: 0
My Motorcycle: Harley Dyna super glide
I wasn't expecting the 'Road Work Ahead' to mean 12 miles of gravel road...but there I was with no option but to ride the gravel. I just slowed down but still ran at about 40 mph and the bike never scared me.


Top
 Profile  
 
Unread postPosted: Fri Sep 14, 2012 12:33 pm 
Rookie
Rookie
User avatar

Joined: Fri Jul 13, 2012 6:52 pm
Posts: 17
Location: Hamilton Ontario
Real Name: Jim
Sex: Male
Years Riding: 10
My Motorcycle: 2011 Electra Limited
Don't fear the gravel, not many of us go looking for it but you never know what might be around the next corner. The more you ride the better you comfort zone will expand.

_________________
Ram
http://www.goldenhorseshoerc.ca
[imgImage][/img]


Top
 Profile  
 
Unread postPosted: Thu Oct 11, 2012 9:37 pm 
Legendary 2500
Legendary 2500
User avatar

Joined: Thu Jul 14, 2005 10:27 pm
Posts: 2522
Location: Cheyenne, WY
I think its low center of gravity bikes in general. There is a reason why dirt bikes have a high center of gravity.

The wrecked sportster I came across a couple of months ago is probably good testament that harleys dont belong on dirt (dirt track bikes excepted of course). I was coming back to my car after a hike and saw a pretty new sporty 1200 on its side and the rider walking around with a nice cut on his lip and some rash on his arm (thankfully he had a helmet on), he was trying to turn his sportster around on a dirt road and gave it a little too much throttle and lowsided it hard.


Top
 Profile  
 
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 24 posts ]  Go to page 1, 2, 3  Next

All times are UTC - 7 hours [ DST ]


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Exabot [Bot] and 212 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot post attachments in this forum

Search for:
Jump to:  
Powered by phpBB © 2013 phpBB Group