A special note of caution when riding in this heat.

[solo1]

My son, Chris (Psychotic Bovine) works as a dispatcher for Triple Crown.  He says the costs of replacing semi trailer tires is going through the roof due to the hot weather in the Midwest.

What does that have to do with riding?  Here's why.  There are more and more alligators on the interstate highways.  What are alligators?  For those who don't know, they are big chunks of semi trailer tires that have disintegrated due to a combination of heavy loads and high heat.

If you are riding the interstate in this heat ,I would suggest two things, One: Watch a out for alligators and don't run over them and Two: that you take full advantage of the Valkyrie's power when passing 18 wheelers.  If you would have the misfortune of being alongside when one of these tires blow or lose their thread, you could be hit with upwards of 25 pounds or so of rubber and steel cord and that definitely wouldn't make your day.

I always make it a habit of holding back until the left passing lane is clear and then accelerating past semis in the shortest possible time.  I'd rather get a ticket than be splattered by an alligator.

Ride safe.

Addendum:   See the post by Tony 70 in Fudgies 'Gonna be warm'  thread.   He drives semis and lost two tires in this heat.

[Jabba]

Definitely wise words.

I'll caution further by saying... hanging back a little ain't enough.  That puts you RIGHT in the line of fire. 

Them road gators are nothing to scoff at.

BOOM!

Jabba

[tonyfan70]

I drive a rig for a living. Not a very good one but....

I need to correct something you said. Upwards of 25 lbs. of rubber? Try this on for size. The recap for a waste haul lug type drive tire can weigh 100lbs or so. I used to work at a recap shop.

These gators can come off in one big long piece like it was put on, or in a shitload of fist sized chunks or anything in between.

Also there can be alot more than the recap itself. A couple years ago I lost a drive tire in Colorado. In addition to the recap, I lost my mudflap along with the nice big chrome mount, my set of steps going to the catwalk behind the cab, and part of the fairing from the back of the cab. This debris was layed out in BOTH lanes for several hundred feet. I know, I walked back and tried to clean it all up. I stopped as soon as I heard the explosion, but 79,000 lbs at 70 mph takes a little while. The tire also beat the crap outta my fuel tank, but luckily didn't puncture it. I have 140 gallon tanks, that would be alot of slippery diesel fuel on the highway as well.

We all know what it's like to be a biker and dealing with big trucks. But as I driver, I can assure you that I don't want you behind me or next to me for any longer than necessary either. BUT that doesn't mean pull in front of me as soon as you get 10 past me either. I fear someone's bike stumbling when they do that.

Ride safe as I drive safe!

[solo1]

Yes, I said upwards of 25 pounds.  I didn't want to say 100 pounds and be corrected to come down.  Actually, it wouldn't make any difference.  25 pounds in the face will do just as good a job as 100 pounds, just not as spectacular.  Of course, none of us can predict which way the gator will go to not even mention all the debris that can be flying all directions.

When i pass a semi, I stay in the left lane and keep the throttle twisted until I see the semi in the rear view mirror and then I pull back in the right lane.  I figure a semi is about as good as stopping as a train, with all that weight and I sure don't want all those pounds shoved up my arse!

You made some good points , thank you.

Another note.  If I'm passing a semi on the interstate at a busy cloverleaf, i look at the the merging ramp to the right of the semi.  If some one is coming up the ramp, I either fall back or accelerate to clear the left lane so that the semi can come over .  You have a tough job.  You don't need some idiot giving you no place to go.

I've been driving for 65 years including some of that time driving a civilian stake truck and a military deuce and a half in Korea.  Never drove a semi but I can understand what it takes.

[fudgie]

I always like to look at my reflection in the baby moon hub caps when I pass.    Guess I better not any more!

[old2soon]

I'll try to make this fairly short. :2funny:Late 70s early 80s i just cleared what truckers call the wet back check in New Mexico on I-10 West. Got my chicken wagon back up to speed(round abouts 80)and settled in for the long ride to the shaky side. 15-18 miles after the check station an ugly a$$ piss green-yellow pinto was hanging out right next to my trailer duals on my left side as i was in the right lane of I-10. This B T W took place in August. Noticed his C B antenae and he was on channel. Asked him repeatedly to either pass me or back off as i had a recap i wasn't too proud of. When that recap cut loose it stayed connected to the body of the tire for a long time. It dang near beat the front sheet metal work off that pinto and they went into the center medium and smacked a concrete culvert. I pulled over and walked back to them as i just knew they were dead. They weren't dead but pretty well banged up. When the driver awakened the first words out of his mouth was suing me and Holly Farms of Texas. That was just about the time a New Mexico state trooper pulled up with his lights a flashing. He informed the pinto driver that he had been behind us for awhile and that myself as the driver had done more than was reasonably expected to alert him to the danger. Holly Farms of Texas and me were NOT sued over this-EVER. Yuppers-watch out fer the gators-they may be dead-or not-but can and will wreak a lot of havoc. RIDE SAFE.

[art]

Yes, I said upwards of 25 pounds.  I didn't want to say 100 pounds and be corrected to come down.  Actually, it wouldn't make any difference.  25 pounds in the face will do just as good a job as 100 pounds, just not as spectacular.  Of course, none of us can predict which way the gator will go to not even mention all the debris that can be flying all directions.

When i pass a semi, I stay in the left lane and keep the throttle twisted until I see the semi in the rear view mirror and then I pull back in the right lane.  I figure a semi is about as good as stopping as a train, with all that weight and I sure don't want all those pounds shoved up my arse!

You made some good points , thank you.

Another note.  If I'm passing a semi on the interstate at a busy cloverleaf, i look at the the merging ramp to the right of the semi.  If some one is coming up the ramp, I either fall back or accelerate to clear the left lane so that the semi can come over .  You have a tough job.  You don't need some idiot giving you no place to go.

I've been driving for 65 years including some of that time driving a civilian stake truck and a military deuce and a half in Korea.  Never drove a semi but I can understand what it takes.

I'm with you solo1 .I do give the truck drivers all the help I can.When approaching an on ramp I either speed up or slow down to give him room to move over.I don't hang around the side of the truck looking for trouble,I get around them and pull back in the lane well past him.God forbid I was to have a tire go bad in front of a truck.BUT at the same time I've seen trucks cut off bikers for no reason but being an ahole.I've also been stuck behind two trucks that blocked me an some other bikers when it wasen't necessary.I remember one truck driver running a flatbed up the freeway out of phoenix Az staying behind us up to 90mph.We had to top 110 to get away from him.I don't know his problem was  but we did not want to find out.

[musclehead]

yep to what everybody said. pass fast, roll on and stay away. alot of ways to buy it from a big rig stuff falling off is an easily avoided one, keep your spacing.

I lost alot of retreads in heat by running them up to 100PSI, had another driver tell me in the heat you need to run them at least 5 PSI less because of substantial build up of heat from the road. tires are finicky though you can get a 'zipper' tear in the tread from under inflation as well.

I had a pressure and temperature monitering system in my last OTR rig, I would get alarms if I ran my tires up to max PSI in the summer. they would build up to 20 PSI over max in the middle of the day.(not retreads, factory original tires)

the nicer looking the rig is as a general rule the better maintained it is as well. avoid hanging out beside crappy looking rigs.....

(P.S. stay away from my dirty mini wheeler  )

[musclehead]

Yes, I said upwards of 25 pounds.  I didn't want to say 100 pounds and be corrected to come down.  Actually, it wouldn't make any difference.  25 pounds in the face will do just as good a job as 100 pounds, just not as spectacular.  Of course, none of us can predict which way the gator will go to not even mention all the debris that can be flying all directions.

When i pass a semi, I stay in the left lane and keep the throttle twisted until I see the semi in the rear view mirror and then I pull back in the right lane.  I figure a semi is about as good as stopping as a train, with all that weight and I sure don't want all those pounds shoved up my arse!

You made some good points , thank you.

Another note.  If I'm passing a semi on the interstate at a busy cloverleaf, i look at the the merging ramp to the right of the semi.  If some one is coming up the ramp, I either fall back or accelerate to clear the left lane so that the semi can come over .  You have a tough job.  You don't need some idiot giving you no place to go.

I've been driving for 65 years including some of that time driving a civilian stake truck and a military deuce and a half in Korea.  Never drove a semi but I can understand what it takes.

I'm with you solo1 .I do give the truck drivers all the help I can.When approaching an on ramp I either speed up or slow down to give him room to move over.I don't hang around the side of the truck looking for trouble,I get around them and pull back in the lane well past him.God forbid I was to have a tire go bad in front of a truck.BUT at the same time I've seen trucks cut off bikers for no reason but being an ahole.I've also been stuck behind two trucks that blocked me an some other bikers when it wasen't necessary.I remember one truck driver running a flatbed up the freeway out of phoenix Az staying behind us up to 90mph.We had to top 110 to get away from him.I don't know his problem was  but we did not want to find out.

there is a percentage of truck drivers that are real jerks, avoid them if at all possible.(I wish they had placards to point them out "caution this driver is a butthole"  )

[FryeVRCCDS0067]

Man, a lot of good points and truth to ponder in this thread. Solo's technique of waiting to pass until passing can be done safely and quickly is the way I do it too.

One other thing I watch for when it comes to road gators is I try not to follow vehicles I can't see over and I'll pass them just for that reason. If the SUV in front of you doesn't see and avoid the road gator you won't see it until it becomes airborne in front of you.

[Blister]

Yes, I said upwards of 25 pounds.  I didn't want to say 100 pounds and be corrected to come down.  Actually, it wouldn't make any difference.  25 pounds in the face will do just as good a job as 100 pounds, just not as spectacular.  Of course, none of us can predict which way the gator will go to not even mention all the debris that can be flying all directions.

When i pass a semi, I stay in the left lane and keep the throttle twisted until I see the semi in the rear view mirror and then I pull back in the right lane.  I figure a semi is about as good as stopping as a train, with all that weight and I sure don't want all those pounds shoved up my arse!

You made some good points , thank you.

Another note.  If I'm passing a semi on the interstate at a busy cloverleaf, i look at the the merging ramp to the right of the semi.  If some one is coming up the ramp, I either fall back or accelerate to clear the left lane so that the semi can come over .  You have a tough job.  You don't need some idiot giving you no place to go.

I've been driving for 65 years including some of that time driving a civilian stake truck and a military deuce and a half in Korea.  Never drove a semi but I can understand what it takes.

I'm with you solo1 .I do give the truck drivers all the help I can.When approaching an on ramp I either speed up or slow down to give him room to move over.I don't hang around the side of the truck looking for trouble,I get around them and pull back in the lane well past him.God forbid I was to have a tire go bad in front of a truck.BUT at the same time I've seen trucks cut off bikers for no reason but being an ahole.I've also been stuck behind two trucks that blocked me an some other bikers when it wasen't necessary.I remember one truck driver running a flatbed up the freeway out of phoenix Az staying behind us up to 90mph.We had to top 110 to get away from him.I don't know his problem was  but we did not want to find out.

there is a percentage of truck drivers that are real jerks, avoid them if at all possible.(I wish they had placards to point them out "caution this driver is a butthole"  )

[musclehead]

Man, a lot of good points and truth to ponder in this thread. Solo's technique of waiting to pass until passing can be done safely and quickly is the way I do it too.

One other thing I watch for when it comes to road gators is I try not to follow vehicles I can't see over and I'll pass them just for that reason. If the SUV in front of you doesn't see and avoid the road gator you won't see it until it becomes airborne in front of you.

most people do want to get in front of me and I appreciate that. as long as they stay in front and maintain speed (sometimes they don't!  ) I'm not in that big of hurry!

[Raverez]

How about don't pass on the right?  Three times today I moved from the right lane because of disabled veicles in the breakdown lane and all three times 4 wheelers in a hurry passed me on the right side. One just missed the driver kneeling down changing a flat.

[musclehead]

How about don't pass on the right?  Three times today I moved from the right lane because of disabled veicles in the breakdown lane and all three times 4 wheelers in a hurry passed me on the right side. One just missed the driver kneeling down changing a flat.

there is a law in all fifty states requiring that motorist move over (fat lot of good it does too) I'd like to see troopers start handing out tickets for endangering the broken down folks. 

[wobray]

In a word.........
DON'T !!!!!!

[tonyfan70]

How about don't pass on the right?  Three times today I moved from the right lane because of disabled veicles in the breakdown lane and all three times 4 wheelers in a hurry passed me on the right side. One just missed the driver kneeling down changing a flat.

there is a law in all fifty states requiring that motorist move over (fat lot of good it does too) I'd like to see troopers start handing out tickets for endangering the broken down folks. 

I wouldn't hold my breath.  When I've been broken down on the shoulder, I've had the danged cops roll by without bother to move to the hammer lane or even scoot over towards the centerline.  I have a tendency to hold out my winch bar out over the edge line when people don't move over.  If it happens to take off their mirror or bust a window...oh well.  If you're close enough that my 3 foot bar hits you, you are TOO CLOSE to be driving by me at 70 mph as well.  I used to do the occasional service call on the road for semis.....it freaking sucked.  No common courtesy at all. None. Always felt like I might die, worse yet, die making horrible money. 

Everyone should be forced to do a service call or be a flagger in a work zone before getting their liscence.  It would certainly open some eyes.

BTW...when the sign says to move over/slow down for vehicles on the shoulder....it doesn't mean just whip on over without looking and cut off everyone already in the hammer lane. I think some of the signs now say "when safe".

The signs in Illinois USED to say "Move over or Slow down".  A neighbor of my dads got a rather sizable ticket for slowing down as she couldn't safely move over in time.  She protested the ticket and lost.  However, the signs now have a white square over the "or".