How do you react to shaved / grooved asphalt

[jbim]

I am in Toronto Canada. Many hiways are being resurfaced here. They prep the road by shaving the asphalt. It creates a grooved surface in the same direction as the motorcycle is traveling. I've had several of those lately. Most of the time OK. However, today, the grooves seemed deeper. I felt my bike drifting sideways. Luckily into the lane I wanted to go anyway. Maybe it was me. Maybe it was the grooves. Kind of scary. Has anyone found a magical way to handle those grooves or most people do like me: look where you want to go and stay calm

[W. Mazelin]

I think your last 9 words are more than adequate to handle the shaved road surface. Maybe subtract a few KPH for peace of mind.

[Bill_Walker]

My reaction? "Oh @#$@#$! I hate this stuff!"

 

That being said, I've never really had a problem with it. Slow down, look where you want to go, and stay loose on the bars, i.e., don't tense up and don't fight the small bit of wandering. Now, if you get a major "wander" that might require some correction.

 

And of course, watch out for edge traps and sharp bumps, which tend to go along with the scarified pavement.

[Francois_Dumas]

+1

 

Happens all the time here too..... be aware of the level difference between grooved and intact asphalt... sometimes like running up a sidewalk !

[Ken H.]

Don't fight it, let the bike track with the grooves. They're seldom deep enough to seriously throw you off track. Feels weird at first, but once you come to terms with the fact that they're actually not much of a threat, it's easier to just 'go with it.'

[Stan Walker]

Some tires are better than others. My MZ6's seem OK. My BT020's were terrible.

 

What are you running?

 

Stan

[Sailorlite]

Many years ago, when the grooving was a new process in Calif., I experienced the same wandering sensation on my R75/5. I don't know why, but adding 4-5 PSI to the front tire took care of the problem.

[steve.foote]

This is another example of where dirt riding helps on the road. The grooves only move the bike ever so slightly, but it feels very unnatural to most street riders. Once you get used to the movement, you can ignore it. It's really nothing to be afraid of.

 

Spend some time on gravel roads or on a dirt bike and you probably won't even know it's happening when you encounter grooves on the street.

[Huzband]

+1 to what Steve said.

 

The idea is to lightly weight the pegs, thusly taking some pressure off the seat, & let the bike "dance" under you. Sounds kind of strange, & will most assuredly take some practice to get used to, but I promise it works. Trust me, the bike, as much as it moves around, isn't going anywhere.

 

You, & the bike, will be much happier.

[Calvin (no socks)]

This is another example of where dirt riding helps on the road. The grooves only move the bike ever so slightly, but it feels very unnatural to most street riders. Once you get used to the movement, you can ignore it. It's really nothing to be afraid of.

 

Spend some time on gravel roads or on a dirt bike and you probably won't even know it's happening when you encounter grooves on the street.

 

Steve, how true... I hit some of the tar snakes at "Sweeper Madness" when I was at Spring Torrey on the K12s at a high speed..... very un-nerving.... that is until I rode Whips KTM in the dirt... hadn't been on the dirt that much in the last 20 years... had a blast... and the rear end coming around on Killers KLR at 10,000 feet... did me in...keeping things loose...WOW... I came back and bought me a KTM 520... Now to figure out how to get it to Torrey this spring.....

[MikeEdgar]

I know the feeling and I don't like it either. As others have said, slowing down a bit, staying loose and not fighting it is the best way to handle the grooves. My most unnerving groove experience was at night on a freeway with heavy semi traffic. That must have gone on for about 5 miles, but I had little choice but to continue.

 

Same thing happens on metal mesh plates on bridges. I recall going over the Mackinac Bridge, and there must have been a mile of those darn plates. I felt pretty much out of control until I started some shallow S-turns. Maybe just concentrating on making the turns helped me feel more in control or perhaps running over the mesh at an angle did it.

[AZKomet]

Hmmmm thought you were talking about Phx!!! I-17 is a mess with deep ruts ready for rubberized asphalt. 3 weeks and still groooved...I avoid them at all costs. I have never been able to handle any bike comfortably on a road like that.....I don't think that the AZDOT really care about m/c's safety when it comes to road repairs! My God, look at the amount of tar snakes in the state!!!

[motoguy128]

I only hate it when it's freshly shaved and the cars in front are sandblasting you with the dust. Kind of like riding on gravel, just let eth bike wander around and just keep it pointed roughly in the right direction. I never had a problem.

[ElevenFifty]

My son and I rolled into Kansas City around 10pm last autumn at the end of a long day on I70 from Denver. We paid the tolls and then road the toll road section with NO overhead lighting, NO lane stripes - just little temorary dashes, and very deep grooves ... couldn't see the road surface at all. Very disconcerting.

[ShovelStrokeEd]

My bike just ignores the grooves, doesn't even seem to matter what tire is on it. I might feel the bars moving around a bit under my palms but no changes in direction and no wiggle at all from the rear.

 

I rode that toll road section of I-70 last week in both directions and can't even say I noticed that the pavement was grooved.

[gottabmw]

Good tread minimizes the sensation.