Yardstick

On my way to work this morning I encountered a few road construction hazards. I don't ride to work, but it got me thinking about how I would handle these things on the VTR (or any other street bike).

1. Asphalt resurfacing: Where they scrape ~2" of asphalt to make a rough finish for new asphalt to stick to. There was some old, unscraped asphalt in the turn lane, so 2" higher than the rest of the road. So, for the length of the construction there's a line parallel to the road that is 2" high. Going high to low doesn't seem like much of a problem, but what's the best technique for going low to high? I had an issue similar on a freeway only the raised portion seemed higher and tapered off to the shoulder. I was having a hard time getting the bike to track up the raised edge and ended up slowing down pretty significantly so I could turn hard into it. Fortunately there wasn't much traffic, but if there was or if the height of the raised road was any larger I could see this being a problem. What would you do?

2. Steel plates: Where they cover a trench with steel plates. To make it worse, it's in a turn and the plates are not level with the road. They built up ~1-2" of asphalt and then there's a ~1" step onto the plate. All this mid-corner. What would you do? What if you've got a car on your tail that thinks he needs to take the corner at 25mph?

My motorcycle background is mostly dirt, so I know how to handle varying surfaces and odd terrain on a dirtbike. On a dirtbike most of this stuff is happening at lower speeds too. The VTR feels/handles so different, is much faster and is much heavier so things like these make me nervous.

If you've got other hazards that tripped you up, post them up and post up how you got through them.

lazn

AZ road construction crews are the worst in the USA.. I have no doubt about that.

jserio

Since I do not ride crazy I do not worry about much except loose gravel in turns and idiot motorists. These bikes are pretty forgiving for uneven road.

Gregw

Pacific Coast Highway was recently resurfaced using those big grinding wheels. Really not fun. My tires tried to follow the grooves which meandered all over the place. Felt like the bike was going to tip out from underneath me. I've got pretty new Pilot Power 2cts on also.

VTRsurfer

If those steel plates are wet, look out.

CentralCoaster

I rode the entire length of that roadwork with my Suzuki about a month ago, which has skinny tires, and was riding 2 up.

It took everything I had to keep the bike underneath me and keep up with traffic. The fat guys on the harleys didn't have an issue with it. I was about ready to turn around and go the long way. It felt like having someone jerking the handlebars from me.

radbikers

As far as going from low to high onto the raised surface, the best way is to not try and run parallel with the raised edge and ride up onto it. Getting a steep angle on it is the best way. Think of it as a mini-curb that you're going over...

Hotbrakes

Stay neutral and fluid with the bike, just like riding a dirtbike, let it do its thing. Let the front wheel climb over, giving it a little flick to get up it. If it doesn't go then flick it back. Whatever you do don't panick, you are in control. Correct tire pressure will make a huge difference.
Steel plates are slick in the dry too. They can also appear to be dry, but could have dew or condensation on them, so always consider them slick, not to mention the bumps upsetting your suspension. Many times there are signs that say steel plates ahead. That's why we are better drivers (riders) cause we HAVE to pay attention.
I enjoy riding on milled pavement, maybe its not as bad here, but it does make the bike wander.
If something scares you, conquer your fear in a controlled environment. When I was learning to drive a car, I would purposefully drop the wheels off the shoulder while going around 35mph and practice different techniques to get it back on the road. Do the same on your bike in a safe environment at a safe speed. When you need to do it for real, your practice will let you react naturally with a good outcome hopefully.

inderocker

The raised pavement is less of an obstacle than it appears to be. Just use your dirt skills... get your weight off of the front end and hit it at an angle. For the steel plates, just treat them like cattle guards. Approach them slowly, decrease your lean angle/stand the bike up and cross it. As for the guy coming up behind you, I'd decrease speed early so that you both have time to make evasive maneuvers if necessary.

VTRsurfer

I can't believe it. This AM riding to work on the 55 north in Santa Ana, CA, I'm in the left lane knowing that I need to get over to one of the 2 right lanes to merge onto the 22 fwy. What do I see?....last night they laid AT LEAST 2" new pavement in the right 2 lanes. With everyone going 70 to 80 mph, all I could do was slow slightly, fade left, then turn right to hit it at an angle under acceleration. I felt the bump, but it didn't upset anything.

Doesn't anyone who works for the highway department (CALTRANS) ever think of motorcyclists?
I thought it was pretty ironic after seeing this post yesterday.