I was enjoying a ride with a few friends in a very rural area of West Central Florida. I was leading approaching a marked 15mph left turn going 40 mph. I know....To fast. I've taken that turn at least 8 times before at or near 40. However this time there was sand laying in the turn....all the way across the road. :surprise: Luckily I saw it in time (barely) and applied both brakes firmly using every inch of road that didn't have sand on it. I got the speed way down quickly and leaned into the turn and slid just a few inches. I never saw sand accumulate in that turn before and it just goes to show you always have to expect the unexpected.
I know exactly how you feel. I ride every day, year round on a lot of the same roads. To and from work...With friends on days off, etc. You can never guarantee what will be around that corner, behind that tree, at that same intersection you have been at day after day. Be...and stay careful...everyone :nerd:
And to think at night you would have never saw it. A guy snapped his neck around here going through the same kind of turn that had some gravel in it. :frown2:
Had a similar situation last summer. Me and a friend riding a twisty road in the national park here neither of us have been on before. It rained the night before and washed some forest silt onto the road in a sharp turn. Since we didn't know the road we were already riding sensible and could accommodate the issue, my rear wheel slit about 6 inches to the right in the turn according to my friend but it felt like 6 foot to me lol
Good to hear you didn't go down. We have a nice twisty road here. For some reason. About 90% of the time there is gravel on the road on one corner. You can't see it until you are going into the turn. I have had it catch me off guard as well. I had the front tire on the magna slide over about 8" one time. Lucky for me no one was in the other lane so I was able to stay up right. When I was young. I hit every corner with out thinking about what may be on the road ahead. Now I run a little slower and enjoy the ride.
Thanks guys...I've encountered my share of road hazards but this time I was pushing fate a little in the first place...something I don't do often. Its surprising how a little sand can take away traction from your wheels not to mention from your feet when you put them down at a stop. I wear a variety of shoes/boots when I ride but all of them have good gripping soles.
All part of it. Had everything from ice, to racoons, to entertainment systems, to stopped cars and emergency vehicles in my corners.. Been lucky so far. Glad you came through that okay.
They say, don't go any faster than you can stop in the distance you can see. :neutral: ..Buuuuuuuuuuuut ...?? ..What would be the fun in that??!! :mrgreen:
There is an intersection near my house I turn through, which has a smooth manhole cover right in the lane. Hit that once when it was damp! Fortunately I was going slow and was able to ride through it, but that WILL wake you up on the morning!
Glad it all worked out. I had a run in with sand on a corner at night. I took off from a stop sign turning right and didn't see the dirt, I was accelerating harder then normal and as soon as the back wheel hit the sand it kicked out and sent me into a tank slapper with the handle bars. I am thoroughly convinced any bigger of a bike and I would have been down. Learned a good lesson that night.
Couldn't figure out why salt was a hazard till the other day. I was pulling into our back parking lot at work the other day and ground up salt was everywhere. I'm sort of a hotrod coming in cause its brushed concrete with excellent traction usually. The ground up salt is like marbles under the tires! Felt the front start to wash out and PUCKER !
I'm lucky enough to live in one of those communities off the main road that's closed off, no exit. We're a destination, not a thoroughfare. So all the grit and sand and gravel from the main road spills over onto Main St. Those of us who are riders usually go out on a weekly basis and sweep the corner of the worst of it. Sure wakes you up when you thought you were taking your sweet time getting into the corner and that front tire still skips sideways an inch or three.
theluckyone17;4960841 Sure wakes you up when you thought you were taking your sweet time getting into the corner and that front tire still skips sideways an inch or three.[/QUOTE said: