Adrenalin Rush !

[The emperor has no clothes]

I ride my Interstate to work 99% of time. This morning at almost 6 AM I almost lost it. Evidently between 3pm yesterday and 6am this morning they laid chip seal down on the frontage road in front of my work. I make a turn left off the hiway and then it is an immediate right on to the frontage road. I don't know how they do this in other places but here they lay down a layer of asphalt and then a layer of gravel and then just let the cars compact it. Well these guys laid about 2" of loose gravel  When I make right turn onto this gravel she is immediately washing out and I'm going down. I put my leg out instinctively from my MX days and ever so slightly tweaked my knee. But really I think what saved me was there were no cars in the other lane and I straightened up out of the turn.
  I do realize its mostly my fault. I should have been looking up ahead at the road. But I was complacent from making the same turn 5 billion times. There is something to be said for experience of riding 45 years. It all happened so fast and I just knew I had to straighten up without even thinking about it. The downside of 45 years of riding is this stuff happens because of complacency. 3hours later and I'm still pumped up on adrenalin. YOU GUYS RIDE SAFE OUT THERE 

[Jess from VA]

I will forever be sticking my leg out to stop from falling/sliding over (motocross style).  I know it's mostly a bad idea, but there is no rational thought about it; I just do it.  To be fair, I have caught the bike in number slow/stopped tip overs, but rolling along at any speed, it is just asking for a leg/ankle/knee/foot injury.

And if I listen very carefully, I think I hear the bike laughing at me when I do it.

I hate chip and seal.  They need to change the name to scrape, crash and throw gook.  Me and my machines are not willing volunteers to pack that crap down.

[_Sheffjs_]

Na, I think you are too comfortable on that Russell Day Long.   

Glad you are fine Meat 

[Robert]

Nice save they should have had it marked and glad your ok. 

[Willow]

I'm glad to hear you remained upright despite the challenge.  Sorry to hear the lesson costed you a knee tweak.

Those are scary moments.  I have a fairly strong dislike for chip and seal even though it does seem to be a practical way to maintain some roads.  It appears there's not a consistent rule as to how much loose gravel to put on top of the oil resulting in a lot of variation until it is truly ground in.

Be careful on the way home.  It'll be a few days yet on that corner.

[The emperor has no clothes]

Thanks guys.  Jess, I agree it's not a good idea. But anybody that started with dirt bikes knows its probably instinctive.
Willow, I was thinking about that on my break. I figure they are going to continue with more around here. I WILL BE ON MY TOES NOW.
Robert, I agree they should have signs out. It seems they contract this stuff out and that's not part of the contract. Everybody wants to save a nickel.
Jerry, you are right. I am getting pretty comfortable on it. Listening to the radio probably didn't help my concentration either.
Just wanted to give everybody a little reminder, old riders and new alike. 

[Valker]

I don't think they are "cheaping out" by using Chip Seal. I think it's a choice as to "Do we chip seal 10 miles of road or repave 1 mile?"

[Steve K (IA)]

Here, Iowa, they spray hot tar and then put down chipped gravel on top.  Rarely do they compact it, just let the traffic do it.

[old2soon]

Here, Iowa, they spray hot tar and then put down chipped gravel on top.  Rarely do they compact it, just let the traffic do it.

                 Same cursed thing here in the Sho Me. 2 years ago they did a stretch of U S 160 West of West Plains that near as I could tell must have gotten a good price on he chips. Bout a 2 week piece there I kept Phatt Ghurl off that  bit of real estate. I've dabbed that foot on washouts with the Valkyrie. Old motocross trick BUT one of these days gonna cost me. Glad yer sorta okey dokey there M. H.  RIDE SAFE.

[Hook#3287]

I will forever be sticking my leg out to stop from falling/sliding over (motocross style).  I know it's mostly a bad idea, but there is no rational thought about it; I just do it.  To be fair, I have caught the bike in number slow/stopped tip overs, but rolling along at any speed, it is just asking for a leg/ankle/knee/foot injury.

And if I listen very carefully, I think I hear the bike laughing at me when I do it.

I hate chip and seal.  They need to change the name to scrape, crash and throw gook.  Me and my machines are not willing volunteers to pack that crap down.

Yep, same here.  I know it's wrong, but instinct takes over.

Rob, glad it wasn't worse than it was.

I came across that stuff last summer in Pennsylvania,  didn't like it much.

[The emperor has no clothes]

I will forever be sticking my leg out to stop from falling/sliding over (motocross style).  I know it's mostly a bad idea, but there is no rational thought about it; I just do it.  To be fair, I have caught the bike in number slow/stopped tip overs, but rolling along at any speed, it is just asking for a leg/ankle/knee/foot injury.

And if I listen very carefully, I think I hear the bike laughing at me when I do it.

I hate chip and seal.  They need to change the name to scrape, crash and throw gook.  Me and my machines are not willing volunteers to pack that crap down.

Yep, same here.  I know it's wrong, but instinct takes over.

Rob, glad it wasn't worse than it was.

I came across that stuff last summer in Pennsylvania,  didn't like it much.

I got very lucky. I think had there have been a vehicle there I wouldn't have been able to straighten up out of the turn. In that case I'm sure I would have went down and with my leg already extended it probably would have taken the brunt. The funny thing is all day I was just so glad I didn't damage my bike.

[cookiedough]

I hate that pea gravel/tar crap with a passion.  They put so much EXCESS pea gravel/rock chips on a 15 mile stretch it created 2 rock chips in 2 of our vehicles in a matter of months from cars/trucks coming at us, not following cars too closely since we know better.

It took all summer of heavy traffic to NOT get rock chips flying up at our vehicles, no way would I have been able to drive any cycle on it for 2-3 months. 

PLus,  I think that is what caused, well somewhat, my premature wear on my rear tire since those slivers helped to create puncture wounds very tiny ones into the rubber of the rear tire slowly leaking air.  Those sliver of rocks are very sharp.  Pea gravel/tar is pretty much common all over us and it sucks. 

[Mr Whiskey]

I got a friend from high school days had a front tire blow-out on a GS1100 at 110mph. Got it walked down to 'bout 20mph when it started to "do the hokey-pokey"......you guessed it, he "put his left leg in" & got a shorter leg & custom platform shoe!
We'd been out ridin' all day & he was runnin' late for work in the dark, laid on side of interstate for 2 hours before anyone found him.

Really glad you're alright Bro!

[The emperor has no clothes]

I got a friend from high school days had a front tire blow-out on a GS1100 at 110mph. Got it walked down to 'bout 20mph when it started to "do the hokey-pokey"......you guessed it, he "put his left leg in" & got a shorter leg & custom platform shoe!
We'd been out ridin' all day & he was runnin' late for work in the dark, laid on side of interstate for 2 hours before anyone found him.

Really glad you're alright Bro!

Thanks, me too. I knew it wasn't a smart thing to do as soon as I felt the weight on the leg. But when you do it successfully for years on a CR250 it just comes naturally. Believe me I will try to override my instinct in the future.

[Willow]

Thanks, me too. I knew it wasn't a smart thing to do as soon as I felt the weight on the leg. But when you do it successfully for years on a CR250 it just comes naturally. Believe me I will try to override my instinct in the future.

The only way to do that successfully, mh, is to keep laying the bike down and thinking about what you're doing with your feet.  Do that until you can successfully three times in a row put the bike on the ground with your feet still on the pegs.

 

[The emperor has no clothes]

Thanks, me too. I knew it wasn't a smart thing to do as soon as I felt the weight on the leg. But when you do it successfully for years on a CR250 it just comes naturally. Believe me I will try to override my instinct in the future.

The only way to do that successfully, mh, is to keep laying the bike down and thinking about what you're doing with your feet.  Do that until you can successfully three times in a row put the bike on the ground with your feet still on the pegs.

 

if I can successfully execute this maneuver 3 times does that put me in line for an award at Inzane ? 

[Willow]

if I can successfully execute this maneuver 3 times does that put me in line for an award at Inzane ? 

Three times sequentially uninterrupted.  The award will come the next time you drop that bike and manage to successfully pin your leg under it because you didn't stick your foot out.

  

[solo1]

Two years ago, I was complacently riding the Vstrom on my favorite asphalt back road. I came around this blind curve and immediately ran into loose gravel about quarter size and about 2 inches deep.
I should've gave it some thought as that stretch of road was bad from winter.  This wasn't chip and seal but the base for it.
I don't know if the Vstrom was better at this point than my Valk would've been but I relaxed, let the handlebars do their thing and rode it out for a half mile.
I knew that if I stopped my knees would've dropped the bike because of the loose gravel.

The following week they put down chip and seal.  No warning signs ever.