Road conditions | GTAMotorcycle.com

Road conditions

ACsurge

Well-known member
Hi All

As I am a new rider this is all new for me. There are a couple "hazards" which I am not sure of.

I have come across a couple of areas where they are repaving, asphalt milling. So they have removed a layer and prepping to place another. The road is all grooved. My bike feels... odd. I don't know how to describe it. wheel seems to be looking for a groove but can'find any as the grooves keep changing.

Similarly, the cracks which have been filled in. Lately it has been hot I feel that the filler has been "melted" and when riding over it feels slick.

Is this normal?
How do you handle it?
Is the filler slick? Be cautious? I have come across this on a turn and seriously caused me to tighten up.

Appreciate the feedback.
 

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Just try to relax and let the bike do it’s thing to some degree. Obviously you have to be in control but don’t be tense.


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It's normal for the uneven road surfaces to feel a little um, unnerving :eek: almost like the bike is floating slightly. On that type of road surface the goal is not to fight every little twitch and wiggle and that is why people suggest to 'relax' but not in a literal sense, it's more like 'don't change anything radically and let the bike and you on it float a little with the surface'. The bike will feel even more floaty when traveling in a straight line, your body tensing up is your brain telling you to stay with the bike and that is actually a good idea. far better plan then your body following the road surface ;) The tires you ride on will make a huge difference, wide performance radials track far more faithfully then conventional bias motorcycle tires because the sidewalls of the tire are slightly more suited to conforming with the irregular road surface. Bias tires with thick sidewalls and pumped up hard are going to be affected by the irregular road surfaces far more by comparison and the wander will be even more profound.

Tar snakes are a little different again those are actually slippery, it's liquid tar that has no gravel or grit in it to give you traction, plus it forms a raised surface that wants to steer the bike in the same fashion it would steer when you lean the tire into a curve. Just as with the construction pavement it is impossible to avoid tar snakes, you just need to ride for a long time before they don't bother you any more. On roads that are heavy with tar repairs ride accordingly, check your speed and leave yourself more room to stop or turn.
 
^^ good answer.
I very much dislike riding on roads with a lot of tar snakes. Not too bad on the straight roads, but they definitely require more concentration in the corners.
Another thing to be mindful of when riding on the grooved roads is that sometimes there might be lots of smaller rocks that the sweepers did not pick up. Keep your helmet visor closed when following behind other vehicles until you have cleared the grooved road surface.
 
Slow a bit, be cautious and have a light hold on the bars so as others have said the bike can "find its own way" and float. And continue to ride them and find comfort levels because they will always be around, tar snakes are part of the landscape.
 
Thank you for the response.

The funny thing is I go mountain biking on a regular basis. I can gun down a hill at 45-50 km/hr hitting roots and grooves and such with no issues.

The other day I was going north on 9th Line and I think they just stripped the surface. debris and grooves I rode over for the first time. My arse was well, tense. Was only going 20-25km/hr. And yes, "floating" is a good description. I told myself to relax and loosen my grip. I find that I am talking to myself more often while riding.

After seeing this guy, my visor tends to be more down the up
1594126121951.png
 
Some tires are noticeably worse with tire snakes, Michelin pilot roads always seem to heighten the loose sensation. The hotter the weather the worse they are.
 
yeah those beanies look cool, but dont do much else
 
Once you get the resurfacing groves down you need to make a trip down to Burlington and go over the Eastport Dr. lift bridge.

maxresdefault.jpg
 
Even better the MicMac Bridge in the rain .... fortunately the outer lane is paved but when there is construction on it .... pucker time.
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a vera long bridge where cars have been blown off :eek:
Mighty Mackinac Bridge Images, Stock Photos & Vectors | Shutterstock
 
I heard about these.

I don't think I'll be passing by there anytime soon.

Sent from my LG-H873 using Tapatalk
You should try riding those steel grates on full knobby tires, that's way more of a thrill.
 
Thank you for the response.

The funny thing is I go mountain biking on a regular basis. I can gun down a hill at 45-50 km/hr hitting roots and grooves and such with no issues.

The other day I was going north on 9th Line and I think they just stripped the surface. debris and grooves I rode over for the first time. My arse was well, tense. Was only going 20-25km/hr. And yes, "floating" is a good description. I told myself to relax and loosen my grip. I find that I am talking to myself more often while riding.

After seeing this guy, my visor tends to be more down the up
View attachment 43965
I ride vis-up most of the time, taken a few dings to the face -- nothing like that!

Guy is lucky. The $2 Chinese Zenni glasses would have messed him up nicely if that pebble hit them.

The wobbly and 'who has my steering?' feeling you get from tar snakes and pavement grooving is exaggerated by the steering geometry in small and medium weigh cruisers - I remember my little Virago and M80 used to really move when running in the same direction as snakes and grooves. Bigger bikes and non cruiser bikes suffer less.

The good news is it's mostly an unnerving feeling, not all that dangerous unless your riding way beyond the speed limit (or your ability). You will get used to it, in another year they will no longer make you feel uneasy.
 
You should try riding those steel grates on full knobby tires, that's way more of a thrill.

All the time crossing the Welland Canal at Allenburg and GM in St. Kits. It's not that bad.
 
Once the pandemic is over take the Ogdensburg-Prescott bridge to the U.S.
iu

Ogdensburg-Prescott-Bridge-Rehab61920.jpg
 

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