how to handle uneven roadways????

[painterman67]

Just a question. Being as I am from NC we have been undedr constant highway road construction for as long as I can remember. The wife and I were riding a few days back and a tractor trailer was moving into our lane with us beside it. Now as the next lane over was clear it would usually be no prob,but the road is under renovation and they had just repaved that lane. This leaves a 2-4 inch lip to get over and at 65 mph we only felt comfortable with hard braking instead of trying to cross this hump/lip while running in the same direction as the lip. I've had cars have a hard time with this type of uneven type of road constuction.

 

 

Guess my question is, how do you folks handle getting over in this type of situation?

Is it safe to go over these types of lips/humps at hyway speed?

 

 

any input is appreciated.

 

David

[Tom]

If I have to I slow as much as I can and try to hit it straight on if possible. I do not know if there is a correct way to do it but Ive had the best luck that way.

[BuckShot]

If I have to I slow as much as I can and try to hit it straight on if possible. I do not know if there is a correct way to do it but Ive had the best luck that way.

 

On another note--everytime I've had to do it, I was on the high side and jumping down. Going up on the lip would create more difficulties. I probably would have hit the brakes also.

[eazyduzzit]

I was faced with a similar situation recently, and rather than try it, I took an exit I wasn't planning to take.

 

I have been riding about a year again after a long hiatus, and some situations I'm still not comfortable with (like riding in rain).

[BuckShot]

 

I have been riding about a year again after a long hiatus, and some situations I'm still not comfortable with (like riding in rain).

 

With rain--I just take it as it comes and slooow down. Unless I can't see because its to heavy and then I seek selter.

[Wanderer]

I've done this several times. I try as much as possible to hit the raise as close to a 45 degree angle as I can. It's a little unnerving, but not much choice when the roads I travel to and from home are under constant construction also, ie: I20, I85, and I65.

[campfire12]

Got stuck in a grove around a long corner going up a steep hill a few years ago on my 82 v45 magna. The grove was in the middle of a four lane and the bike felt like it was driveing on its own till I was able to slow down and get out of it. They repaved that road but the grove with the difference in height is still there. I watch out for that a lot more now and i would have slowed down to get out of that situation if i was you. Dont like to be there at all.. keep it safe...

[Yammer Dan]

I would have probally backed off. And let him know about it!!

[OB-1]

Just a question. Being as I am from NC we have been undedr constant highway road construction for as long as I can remember. The wife and I were riding a few days back and a tractor trailer was moving into our lane with us beside it. Now as the next lane over was clear it would usually be no prob,but the road is under renovation and they had just repaved that lane. This leaves a 2-4 inch lip to get over and at 65 mph we only felt comfortable with hard braking instead of trying to cross this hump/lip while running in the same direction as the lip. I've had cars have a hard time with this type of uneven type of road constuction.

 

 

Guess my question is, how do you folks handle getting over in this type of situation?

Is it safe to go over these types of lips/humps at hyway speed?

 

 

any input is appreciated.

 

David

 

I think you did the right thing by getting on the brakes. Even if the lanes were level, there’s no guaranty that the truck wouldn’t have continued to come into your new lane, and then where would you go? When some idiot drive decides to occupy our lane, it’s best to let them have it, as motorcycles don’t win many shoving matches.

 

As for dealing with different lane heights, ideally, you want to take major road irregularities at 90o or as close to that as possible, straight on in other words. Going up onto a high surface is harder then going to a lower surface. When climbing to a higher road surface you should slow down and then approach the “hump” as straight on as possible. Giving the bike a little throttle just before the front tire impacts the hump will also help, just don’t get carried away.

 

Approaching the hump straight-on will normally require starting from opposite side of your lane and turning or swerving into the hump. Your handlebars should be straight at the time of impact with the hump. Straighten the bike by counter steering after the rear wheel clears the hump. The whole movement would look sort of like a stretched out lazy “S”.

[Guest tx2sturgis]

Its easy if you know the correct technique.

 

I hope I can describe it where you can understand it! We will assume you are jumping a lip that is to your immediate left, and that you are traveling at hiway speeds, or slightly less. If the lip is on the right, reverse the procedure.

 

Maintain a firm grip on the bars. From the middle of the lane, make your swerve rapidly, dont do it slowly. Lean the bike towards the lip by cross-steering away from the lip, then just before the bike crosses the lip, you have to reverse cross-steer the bars so that the motion of the bike resembles a pendulum, if you were behind it watching the motion. The bike's swinging momentum will lift the tires up onto the lip, then just as that happens, you need to now instantly cross-steer BACK to the right, so the bike goes LEFT again, and you center in the new higher lane. The entire manuever will take only about 2-3 seconds, not much longer.

 

It will appear to someone behind you that you are actually changing your mind about climbing the lip, but actually you are causing the bike to simply be in the right attitude when it climbs the lip. You wont often have time to warn your passenger, but if you do, just say something like HOLD-ON!

 

You want the bike to actually be momentarily leaning towards the right or be perfectly vertical as the tires jump a lip that is on your left. you do NOT want the bike to be leaning towards the higher surface as you climb it. This technique is pretty advanced, so dont even attempt it unless you are already confident with cross-steering. If you can easily cross-steer around potholes and blocks of wood and so forth on the road, you can do this easily. You can practice this maneuver on normal lane changes when traffic is light, and no one is around you. Simply PRETEND the lane change is to jump a lip, when none is there, and make a rapid lane change using cross steering, and not simple leaning and merging.

 

This technique can be used on any normal angled asphalt lip that is 1-4 inches high, but perpendicular concrete lips are probably limited to 2 inches or so. If you are ever riding adjacent to a shear vertical concrete lip over about 2 inches high in construction with merging traffic, you need to adjust your speed so that NOTHING is allowed to force you over it.

Edited September 21, 2009 by tx2sturgis

[TEW47]

I agree with Wander, you have to get at least a 45 degree angle going on and off the raised section.It is realy dangerous to try to ride parallel with the raise or lower section and try to go up or down. I know someone that was really messedup doing that and another was killed do the same thing. So go at an angle, please.

 

tew47

[1BigDog]

Paint, you aint alone. I hate those lips. My tractor trailer has a hard enough time with them. When I ride on a highway that has them I usually try to ride on the higher portion of the road as much as possible. I would much rather drop down then try and hit the lip. I do try to use the technique that TX described but sometimes things happen so fast that you cant react in time. Best bet is to just be well aware of whats around you and leave yourself an out.

[BuddyRich]

I have to agree with Brian. Its really not that hard as long as the surface of both levels are firm. Doin that on gravel or slippery surfaces brings a whole new meaning to the word fun, but even then its still recoverable.

[Venturous Randy]

As a couple have described, the lazy "S" works best for me if I want to maintain some speed. Hitting the lip at 45º to 90º is nice, but not practical as you would have to severely slow down and that could be real dangerous. If I am moving to the right, I weave to the left and track it toward the lip as the bike is leaning away from the lip and climb up on it. Not a desireable thing to do, but very necessary at times.

We had a girl passenger get killed a few years ago when the rider went thru a paving zone and as the bike hit the lip and wobbled, she panicked and jumped. The bike did not go down. As you can figure, she was an inexperenced rider.

RandyA

[ddoggma]

I jumped a two inch or higher a couple weeks ago. Hardly felt it. I used the technique above. And about a million miles of bicycle experience instincts. Any higher than what I saw I would back off like you did. And if it was concrete like someone posted. I would not try it either, if it was any higher than 2 inches. Guy on his mini bagger sporty thought I was nuts. From the look he gave when I did it. Silly noobs.....

[KiteSquid]

Is it safe to go over these types of lips/humps at hyway speed?

 

If you cant cross it at greater than 45 degrees than the answer is NO!!!!

 

Get a copy of Proficient Motorcycling: The Ultimate Guide to Riding Well (second edition with the CD) by David L. Hough ASAP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

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