Ok. How do we handle Grooved Pavement?

[matcom]

Major highway that I take to work is in the process of repaving. Grooved pavement. Motorcycle warnings everywhere.

Ho do you handle this? Is it a major NO-NO? Avoid at all costs?

Do you hold hard and steady?

Tips?

[HamstersFromHell]

1. I've found...

to relax and let the bike wiggle. Even in places where the groove machine operator got the hiccups, the bike may do some darting around, but it's worse if you try to fight it.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

2. Another surface that makes the bike squirm

The inner lanes of the Mackinac bridge (connecting the lower peninsula of MI with the upper peninsula) are made of steel grating, not surfaced with pavement. It makes the cycle feel funny, just like grooves. But when you look down, you see past the grating, to the boats and water 200 feet below. An interesting feeling.

http://www.mackinacbridge.org/faq-17/Bridge+services/

[ThomWV]

3. I think its like eating worms - it just feels a lot worse than it actually is

Grooved asphalt and metal bridge drain gratings give a rider the unnerving feeling of being out of control, and its not just on motorcycles either. From time to time I tow a boat/trailer combination that is considerably heavier than the truck I pull them with and when that package hits the squigglies a prudent man simply shits himself and prays for a mercifully swift death. God, I hate that feeling.

The thing is though that as many of those damned things as I've passed over not a single one of them has ever brought me down or even tossed me into the neighboring lane. Their bark is worse than their bite. I know that is piss-poor reassurance but it seems to me to be the case. However there are ways to safeguard your own well being. Don't try any darting moves while wiggling all around - if a box falls of the truck in front of you just go ahead and hit it; keep off the brakes, keep off the throttle too.

There is this one other thing too. I have never taken one of the safe rider courses but I presume they teach you to ride far ahead of yourself. I may not describe this well but when it comes to safety when driving anything, bike, car, truck, boat, maybe even airplane, the farther ahead of your current position you are 'driving' the better off you are. That means not to focus on what is immediately in front of you to the exclusion of the long picture, to always be seeing and thinking about what is coming as much or more than where you are at the moment. When you're riding like that you'll notice that the squigglies don't bother you so much, just focus on the beautiful place you're going, not the ugly place you are.

[guitar man]

4. It's been pretty well covered

by the good folks here, about all I can add is just keep a relaxed grip on the bars and let the bike sort of "float" with the grooves to where it wants to be in the lane. If you tighten up your grip and try to fight it, it's a lot worse.

[Robb]

5. Bingo

Whatever the odd surface is -- grooves to gravel -- the key is letting the handlebars float a little, so you're only correcting back to straight. The bike wants to go in straight line, everything in the suspension is built to do that. Let it. ;)