Grading Roads - any tips | GTAMotorcycle.com

Grading Roads - any tips

Rebelrider1

Rebelrider1

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This morning I was riding along between 40 & 50 on Pape. I see up ahead there is a sign noting construction. I ease off the gas and as I go through the intersection I see the road has been graded. This was aprox 7am so still dark. I slowed down and moved to the right lane and went off onto a side road but that was a wobbly 2 min. I've never hit that before and can't imagine what it would be like if I hit that at highway speeds.
Anyword on how best to handle it when you hit that. I know best is to avoid it but sometimes you can't. Thnx
 
Light grip on the bars, look ahead, and easy on the controls. When I first started I had tons of worries about graded roads now it's not so bad.
 
As mentioned relax your grip. let the bike float/sqirm under you. Tires are just tracking in the grooves. It's fine.

Scary @ first but not so bad. I don't even slow for them on the highway.
 
As they said. Don't tighten up, just keep a loose grip. The last km of my ride home is gravel, and they seem to grade it about every two weeks, especially if it's been raining. Wet, soft gravel can be very unnerving at first, but now I just roll through it.
 
Lyndsay said:
As they said. Don't tighten up, just keep a loose grip. The last km of my ride home is gravel, and they seem to grade it about every two weeks, especially if it's been raining. Wet, soft gravel can be very unnerving at first, but now I just roll through it.
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I think your thinking of different things... the above are talking about milled roads, as in a grinder has taken away the top of the asphalt.

I have the same advise. Let the bike do its thing and you'll be fine. I don't slow down for it either.
 
No need to slow down, unless your uncomfortable going fast on it. I've had them come up fast on the highways and now I just blow right down them. Loose on the bars, let it wiggle and do its thing, if you want get on the gas a bit more so the front end is a bit lighter and doesn't track as much ;)
 
I try to have loose arms/hands to let the bike wander as it wants to, and tighten the grip on the tank a little with my knees.
 
graded roads are actually tested for motorcycle safety.

your contact patches will be smaller, need more braking distances, and just slow down.
 
Thanx everyone. Get rid of the panic death grip - thought I'd remember that by now!!! Think next year I may seek out a few graded roads and practice a bit on them to get confident on them because it's not cool when they creep up on ya like that.
Some good advise and tips given here!!!!
 
What everybody else has said, light grip etc. One additional piece of advice I found out the hard way, stay back from traffic, I had a truck throw up a loose stone at me on the highway, it hurts!
 
To me those milled sections look like giant pieces of sandpaper. I've wondered what they do to tire wear.
 
Loose hands and squeeze the tank. I usually shift weight back a little by sitting a bit more upright just to make sure that I don't accidentally start adding weight back onto the bars.

nobbie48 said:
To me those milled sections look like giant pieces of sandpaper. I've wondered what they do to tire wear.
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I think about the same thing on the grooved sections of 407. I don't like taking those ramps at 'healthy' speeds because it makes me nervous.
 
Groved roads used to freak me out too, even at 50 to 60 KPH I was like an old lady riding slow and scared. Then I was on the 401 doing some runs and hit like 10kms of them straight it seemed. After a few minutes at 120 on that surface my "fear" was gone. Like others said, loose on the bars and tight on the tank and pegs and go with it.
 
Gyroscopic effect - the faster you go, the more stable you are (within reason, of course :cool:)
 
I ride it like any other road. The speed of the bike keeps it going forward, you won't all of a sudden wipe out. Just keep going straight, relax, the wobbly feeling is just the tires playing around a bit. Nothing to be really worried about.
 
Should also note that your braking distance will increase as you have to be gentle on the brakes , so increase your following gap if your behind someone. Smooth light applications of gas/brake and just ride over the stuff....also avoid sharpe or aggressive turns as your contact patch is compromised. Just be smooth.
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