Cornering amidst asphalt "ruts"

[former kp'er]

There are a few asphalt roads around here that have DEEP wheel ruts in them which creates a large hump in the center of the lane. So I was wondering what the best approach is for cornering in this situation. I normally just slow down enough so that my line tracks in one of the ruts without crossing over the "hump" to the next rut. Do these ruts pose any dangers if you charge through them like any other corner (can they induce a tank slapper)? Can they cause any wheel hop mid-turn? I know when I'm going straight and I change lane positions the ruts pull me in different directions. When cornering is it best to LET the ruts pull you (loose grip on the bars) or should you fight the pull?

[md86]

Well , in my experiance anytime you have to fight with the bike ,it's probably gonna end badly .
Yeah , I'd slow down a bit if possible . If not , I'd try to follow the rut . The less bumps you hit midcorner , the happier your bike will be .

[The CyberPoet]

A lot of it depends on the road surface. Given a choice between a bad rut and a hump covered with oils, I'd usually prefer the rut, but if there's space to the outside (left) of the left rut, I'd rather ride there. Generally, find a better route, drop a note to the roads department to fix it, and/or go easy.

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet

[md86]

Yeah , but alot of these country roads frequently see farm equipment traffic and that tends to rut the roads in alot of places fairly quick . DOT can't be bothered to come patch it every so often .

[BraadaJim]

....... anytime you have to fight with the bike ,it's probably gonna end badly

Quote of the day!

[WildKat]

Yeah , but alot of these country roads frequently see farm equipment traffic and that tends to rut the roads in alot of places fairly quick . DOT can't be bothered to come patch it every so often .

the DOT doesnt wanna be bothered to fix the large, gaping, potholes on the major roads.. let alone the ones on the back country ones

But yeah, if Im seeing ruts in the roads, especially on corners, I would either try to ride to the inside or the outside of it or if that is not safe, then just avoid that road if at all possible. Remember too if you ride to the inside of the rut closest to the center line, to watch for oncoming traffic to drift into your lane.

[former kp'er]

Thanks for the advice everyone.

Twisties are few and far between here in Nebraska so it is really frustrating to have to some of our only good corners ruined like that. I suppose it IS better to just take it slow and stay in one rut though.

[MDNTRDR]

PS ive never found it a good idea to clamp down on the bars let the head wag

[Wade-Kat600]

clamping on the bars is typiclaly bad -

slow to a safe speed - choose the best line possible and ride through it.

[Mojoe]

corners like that CAN induce a tank slapper. I know because I had it happen. It was bad enough to break 3 of the 4 mounting points of the fork/fender brace. The dealer said it was the first time he saw that on a bike that did not go down, and said it must have been one hell of a scary ride. He was right.
Wade had the best answer....slow to a safe speed and stay off the throttle. you want weight on the front tire and the suspension compressed. It is when the front start to get light and and the forks extend that is the start of a tankslapper.....and then coming back down a bit out of line that will make it happen. And when it does happen, you have two choice. Hang on and pray, or drop a gear and bring the front back up. I went with the "drop a gear" option.....and that is what kept me rolling.