There is a first for everything.

JWarren · June 17th, 2013, 09:00 PM

Throughout my discussions with my friends and reading this forum I have noted that gravel is a very bad thing. Mental note - do not take the ninjette on a gravel road...check.

This evening, I was out on the highways north of Omaha. I was about 55 miles into my journey (took the highway to Fremont and was on my way to Blair, Nebraska) and needed to top off so I stopped in Kennard, Nebraska (population around 50). I should have just backtracked my way back onto the highway but decided to explore a little bit (Nebraska is hard to get lost in...just go N/S/E/W and you should hit an artery highway). I was doing a tad over 45 on a nice paved road East of town. I headed up a fairly steep road and right at the top it turned to gravel. When I hit the crest it took a mere second for me to realize that my road was no longer paved and gravel. I was able to put the MSF gravel and other knowledge to the test but unfortunately the bike was dropped. I was able to slow the bike down to about 25/30mph before jumping ship.

The Damage:
I was wearing all my gear

so personal injuries include some slight burns/road rash on my right leg, side, and arm (a little neosporin did the trick), and a dislocated knee cap (you know how the knee cap is supposed to be in front of your knee?). When I dropped the bike, of all the people that i could have come across, was the local EMT doing his nightly fitness jog (how much of a coincidence could this have been....). He checked me over and set my knee back and wrapped it.

As for the bike....

......the fairings took the blunt of the force while the right peg was snapped (only about 1 inch of it so my foot could still rest on it) and the brake pedal bent a tad (still usable...just bent...need to find a new one). The one issue that I am afraid of, however, is that my handlebars seem bent (my left hand is in front of my right hand and not parallel). My cousin, who is a mechanic, is coming over to look at it tomorrow to see if there are other unseen damages.

In summary, I am extremely thankful that I was wearing my gear as when I called my brother, who is an EMT himself, said he sees motorcycle accidents weekly where they have been dropped on gravel roads.

-Jay

csmith12 · June 17th, 2013, 09:09 PM

Glad your good and all, gear rocks and bummer about the bike.

But you sir.... need to ride a dirt bike for a weekend or two. And to ride it in the dirt, mud and yes.... gravel. Do NOT let this be a fear that you keep feeding. Beat it!

Good luck with your repairs and I wish you speedy healing.

JELY1990 · June 17th, 2013, 09:55 PM

Sorry to hear about your accident. That was pretty lucky an EMT was running by. Heal up quick!

And Chris' advice on riding a dirt bike is good. I've been trying to get my hands on a dirt bike to get some dirt experience for situations like the one you found yourself in.

Aurodox · June 17th, 2013, 10:25 PM

Yeah I can say that with 15 years being on a dirt bike, a gravel road sounds completely doable. Of course, anything can happen....Glad to hear that you are alright. Best of luck with the bike.

Dano · June 18th, 2013, 11:11 AM

Gravel roads are ok to ride, it does help to have prior dirtbike experience. The real danger is running into gravel on a paved road, especially on a corner when you are leaned way over. That happened to me years ago and caused me to lowside.

Motofool · June 18th, 2013, 11:25 AM

Sorry about your accident, Jay.

Your riding error: Good riders are always looking for trouble; not to get into it, but to stay out of it.

You did over-ride your field of vision; what applies to blind curves also applies to top of hills.

voidrider · June 18th, 2013, 02:16 PM

I've been street riding for over a decade, but just recently got a dual-sport. I wanted to share an experience and some impressions, but it other people want to offer different impressions, that is great. Not intended as a threadjack, but some thoughts for the OP to consider.

Okay, on my Ninja I have probably been up near 50 MPH on gravel. Smooth, hard packed, well graded gravel. No problem! Its a bit like riding a bicycle on snow, no sudden turns, no sudden braking, no sudden throttle inputs. When you brake on gravel, I find it makes a lot of sense to use the rear brake...it doesn't upset the steering. I have found that gravel tends to "grab the wheel" - front wheel more at low speeds.

The sensation I found is that on gravel, the rear wheel slews around a bit, but its not going to "suddenly have traction" so the whole high-side event on pavement is a non-issue. The front wheel is what gets me though...especially at slower speeds, if I hit some deep fine gravel it feels like it is going to dig in, especially on turns.

Now when I was little I rode a mini-bikes on dirt for years...but I only recently got a dual-sport, which is letting me revisit off road riding.

Okay, so under acceleration the rear wheel slews around a bit but I found myself laughing in my helmet rather than feeling nervous on the Ninja. The most different sensation is that the front wheel felt like it was "floating" over the gravel. Inputs did cause response, but it was just more comfortable. The sense that the front wheel would "dig in" just wasn't there.

As others have said, there is no reason NOT to ride a Ninja on gravel. I probably have several hundred miles on gravel forest service roads under my belt. ONE drop, when I was newly back into riding, and that was when the bike had a starting issue and the drop was due to a very poorly executed push start. My only real advantage is I don't have issues or fears with riding on gravel. I respect it for what it is, take it easy, and adjust my riding for the conditions.

A friend dropped his bike on a gravel road, and had a real mental block about it for a few weeks. I ended up taking him on a route where the only short route home was a well groomed firm hard packed gravel/dirt road. He said he cussed a blue streak for the first couple miles, but afterwards thanked me for helping him get over his fear.

JWarren · July 9th, 2013, 02:42 PM

I learned my lesson and decided to call up my buddy with dirt bikes while waiting for my replacement parts to come in! I definitely believe that the drop was caused by my panic breaking as soon as i hit the gravel.

The ninja has been repaired and I took a 250 mile jaunt with her "just to make sure everything was working right"

Happy riding!

MegaManX · July 10th, 2013, 07:35 PM

Awesome that you're all fixed up.

Gravel doesn't have to be the end of the world - stay off the front brake, because the front end WILL tuck in quickly on gravel. Rear brake is good - so is standing on the footpegs in a slight crouch. Dirt bike experience will help.

June 17th, 2013, 09:00 PM	#1
JWarren ninjette.org newbie Name: Jay Location: Lincoln, NE Join Date: Mar 2013 Motorcycle(s): 2007 Ninja 250r Posts: 9	There is a first for everything. Throughout my discussions with my friends and reading this forum I have noted that gravel is a very bad thing. Mental note - do not take the ninjette on a gravel road...check. This evening, I was out on the highways north of Omaha. I was about 55 miles into my journey (took the highway to Fremont and was on my way to Blair, Nebraska) and needed to top off so I stopped in Kennard, Nebraska (population around 50). I should have just backtracked my way back onto the highway but decided to explore a little bit (Nebraska is hard to get lost in...just go N/S/E/W and you should hit an artery highway). I was doing a tad over 45 on a nice paved road East of town. I headed up a fairly steep road and right at the top it turned to gravel. When I hit the crest it took a mere second for me to realize that my road was no longer paved and gravel. I was able to put the MSF gravel and other knowledge to the test but unfortunately the bike was dropped. I was able to slow the bike down to about 25/30mph before jumping ship. The Damage: I was wearing all my gear so personal injuries include some slight burns/road rash on my right leg, side, and arm (a little neosporin did the trick), and a dislocated knee cap (you know how the knee cap is supposed to be in front of your knee?). When I dropped the bike, of all the people that i could have come across, was the local EMT doing his nightly fitness jog (how much of a coincidence could this have been....). He checked me over and set my knee back and wrapped it. As for the bike..........the fairings took the blunt of the force while the right peg was snapped (only about 1 inch of it so my foot could still rest on it) and the brake pedal bent a tad (still usable...just bent...need to find a new one). The one issue that I am afraid of, however, is that my handlebars seem bent (my left hand is in front of my right hand and not parallel). My cousin, who is a mechanic, is coming over to look at it tomorrow to see if there are other unseen damages. In summary, I am extremely thankful that I was wearing my gear as when I called my brother, who is an EMT himself, said he sees motorcycle accidents weekly where they have been dropped on gravel roads. -Jay

June 17th, 2013, 09:09 PM	#2
csmith12 The Corner Whisperer Name: Chris (aka Reactor) Location: Northern KY Join Date: May 2011 Motorcycle(s): 2010 250 (track), 1992 250, 2006 R6 (street/track), 2008 R6 (track) Posts: Too much. MOTY 2015, MOTM - Nov '12, Nov '13	Glad your good and all, gear rocks and bummer about the bike. But you sir.... need to ride a dirt bike for a weekend or two. And to ride it in the dirt, mud and yes.... gravel. Do NOT let this be a fear that you keep feeding. Beat it! Good luck with your repairs and I wish you speedy healing. __________________________________________________ Goal: Shake A Million Hands \| Look through the corners \| Track Day Prep \| Closest track? \| The Mid-Ohio School

June 17th, 2013, 10:25 PM	#4
Aurodox ninjette.org member Name: - Location: - Join Date: Mar 2013 Motorcycle(s): - Posts: 139	Yeah I can say that with 15 years being on a dirt bike, a gravel road sounds completely doable. Of course, anything can happen....Glad to hear that you are alright. Best of luck with the bike. Last futzed with by Aurodox; June 18th, 2013 at 12:36 AM.

June 18th, 2013, 11:25 AM	#6
Motofool Daily Ninjette rider Name: Hernan Location: Florida Join Date: Mar 2011 Motorcycle(s): 2007 Ninja 250 Posts: A lot. MOTY - 2016, MOTM - Dec '12, Jan '14, Jan '15, May '16	Sorry about your accident, Jay. Your riding error: Good riders are always looking for trouble; not to get into it, but to stay out of it. You did over-ride your field of vision; what applies to blind curves also applies to top of hills. __________________________________________________ *Motofool* *.................................Never ride faster than your guardian angel can fly* "Mankind is composed of two sorts of men — those who love and create, and those who hate and destroy. Love is the bond between men, the way to teach and the center of the world." - José Martí

June 18th, 2013, 02:16 PM	#7
voidrider ninjette.org member Name: Sam Location: Klamath Falls, Oregon Join Date: May 2010 Motorcycle(s): 1996 Kawasaki Ninja 250, 2000 Kawasaki Super Sherpa Posts: 79	I've been street riding for over a decade, but just recently got a dual-sport. I wanted to share an experience and some impressions, but it other people want to offer different impressions, that is great. Not intended as a threadjack, but some thoughts for the OP to consider. Okay, on my Ninja I have probably been up near 50 MPH on gravel. Smooth, hard packed, well graded gravel. No problem! Its a bit like riding a bicycle on snow, no sudden turns, no sudden braking, no sudden throttle inputs. When you brake on gravel, I find it makes a lot of sense to use the rear brake...it doesn't upset the steering. I have found that gravel tends to "grab the wheel" - front wheel more at low speeds. The sensation I found is that on gravel, the rear wheel slews around a bit, but its not going to "suddenly have traction" so the whole high-side event on pavement is a non-issue. The front wheel is what gets me though...especially at slower speeds, if I hit some deep fine gravel it feels like it is going to dig in, especially on turns. Now when I was little I rode a mini-bikes on dirt for years...but I only recently got a dual-sport, which is letting me revisit off road riding. Okay, so under acceleration the rear wheel slews around a bit but I found myself laughing in my helmet rather than feeling nervous on the Ninja. The most different sensation is that the front wheel felt like it was "floating" over the gravel. Inputs did cause response, but it was just more comfortable. The sense that the front wheel would "dig in" just wasn't there. As others have said, there is no reason NOT to ride a Ninja on gravel. I probably have several hundred miles on gravel forest service roads under my belt. ONE drop, when I was newly back into riding, and that was when the bike had a starting issue and the drop was due to a very poorly executed push start. My only real advantage is I don't have issues or fears with riding on gravel. I respect it for what it is, take it easy, and adjust my riding for the conditions. A friend dropped his bike on a gravel road, and had a real mental block about it for a few weeks. I ended up taking him on a route where the only short route home was a well groomed firm hard packed gravel/dirt road. He said he cussed a blue streak for the first couple miles, but afterwards thanked me for helping him get over his fear.
	2 out of 2 members found this post helpful.

June 17th, 2013, 09:55 PM	#3
JELY1990 Boring is my middle name. Name: Jason Location: Bay Area, CA Join Date: Aug 2011 Motorcycle(s): '09 Ninja 250r Posts: 258	Sorry to hear about your accident. That was pretty lucky an EMT was running by. Heal up quick! And Chris' advice on riding a dirt bike is good. I've been trying to get my hands on a dirt bike to get some dirt experience for situations like the one you found yourself in.

June 18th, 2013, 11:11 AM	#5
Dano ninjette.org sage Name: Dan Location: Perryopolis, PA Join Date: Mar 2010 Motorcycle(s): 09' Blue Ninja 250R and 07' Honda 919 Posts: 605	Gravel roads are ok to ride, it does help to have prior dirtbike experience. The real danger is running into gravel on a paved road, especially on a corner when you are leaned way over. That happened to me years ago and caused me to lowside.

July 9th, 2013, 02:42 PM	#8
JWarren ninjette.org newbie Name: Jay Location: Lincoln, NE Join Date: Mar 2013 Motorcycle(s): 2007 Ninja 250r Posts: 9	I learned my lesson and decided to call up my buddy with dirt bikes while waiting for my replacement parts to come in! I definitely believe that the drop was caused by my panic breaking as soon as i hit the gravel. The ninja has been repaired and I took a 250 mile jaunt with her "just to make sure everything was working right" Happy riding!

July 10th, 2013, 07:35 PM	#9
MegaManX Taco Monster Name: Tito Location: Los Angeles, CA Join Date: Nov 2012 Motorcycle(s): 2012 Ninja 250R SE (Red/Black), 1997 Ducati 916 biposto (non-op) Posts: 15	Awesome that you're all fixed up. Gravel doesn't have to be the end of the world - stay off the front brake, because the front end WILL tuck in quickly on gravel. Rear brake is good - so is standing on the footpegs in a slight crouch. Dirt bike experience will help. __________________________________________________ I'm blue and cyan. The creation of Dr. Light. (or Right, if you are from Japan). Also known as Rockman.