Grooved Pavement

[TheSquee]

On some of the highways around here they put grooves into the pavement, and riding over them on the bike can be very unnerving, as they make the bike very squirrely as it works back and forth between grooves.

I've tried slowing down, I've tried speeding up, and neither one has really tamed the squirrely feeling.

Are there any techniques for making the ride more comfortable?

[wvninja]

Pretty common complaint from all of us who ride. Unfortunately the only action I can offer is to just get use to the unnerving feeling.

[2WheelGuy]

We've got a lot of those roads around where I live. It really bugs me when a bike feels like it is doing a hula dance under you as it follows the grooves. My recommendation is to change your tire type. Tires with a groove down the middle, like most stock tires have, will follow the groove. Get an aftermarket tire without the center groove and your problem should be gone.

[Alex]

I think one technique that can help is to loosen up on the bars and let the bike do its thing. If the rider tries to overpower the front end to force the bike onto one side of the grooves or another, it can get unsettling. But letting it wander as it wants, within reason of course, can help us keep things under control until reaching better pavement.

[wvninja]

grooves like this?

[tjkamper]

We have a lot of roads like that here in Utah.

I've learned to loosen my grip and let the bike do it's thing, This really helps to lessen the swaying sensation.

[want1sobad]

michael - i'm relatively new to riding and the first time i hit some grooved highway it freaked me out too. just like riding in the wind - if you relax, let the bike do it's thing, and maintain your speed you'll be fine. i don't even notice/think about it anymore....

[CC Cowboy]

Relax and enjoy the ride.

You can pretend you're riding a race bike. If you ever watch a race in slow motion the bikes are actually squirming all over the place.

[ninja250]

Originally Posted by 2WheelGuy

Tires with a groove down the middle, like most stock tires have, will follow the groove. Get an aftermarket tire without the center groove and your problem should be gone.

Right on the money.
The BT-016 tires do not follow grooves at all.
You still need to loosen up a bit too.

[TheSquee]

Originally Posted by wvninja

grooves like this?

Yep, exactly like that.

I've tried to stay loose, I figured the bike would stay upright on its own with centripetal force. I could probably use some practice loosening up a bit more.

Honestly wind gusts bother me a lot less than the pavement grooves. I'll have to look into new rubber eventually, but the tires on the bike are nearly new, not original rubber, but they both do have groves down the center.

Thanks for the advice.

[BlueRaven]

I squeeze the gas tank with my thighs like my life depended on it and that forces me to keep my grip loose on the handlebars and just let the bike dance.

[dimeified]

i love when im on the highway up there at speed and i hit patchwork with the front tire but not the rear as im switching lanes, and i feel the whole bike frame oscillate from front to back, sort of the way a fish swims. But yea over rough asphalt or bridge grading i do what blue raven does. Loose on the bars, and let the bike find its way.

[road_rascal]

Grooves I can handle. It's the rubberized crack filler (tar snakes) on a hot day that puckers my rear. Especially on curved roads.

[capt_bugaloo]

Originally Posted by road_rascal

Grooves I can handle. It's the rubberized crack filler (tar snakes) on a hot day that puckers my rear.

Especially when they are freshly made! Around here the road crews cover that fresh tar with a fine sandy brownish powder.

I'm not sure what that brownish powder is for, but when you come around the corner and feel your back tire sliding sideways on the powder it is fun, fun, fun...

Also in the fun category: metal-grate bridges. Here there is such a bridge with the decking in a kind of diamond-grid pattern. It really puts a shimmy into your tires. You just relax, take it easy, and ride it out.

[2WheelGuy]

Originally Posted by road_rascal

Grooves I can handle. It's the rubberized crack filler (tar snakes) on a hot day that puckers my rear. Especially on curved roads.

Yeah, they put those on the clover-leaf exit from the freeway to my house for traffic sensors. A year later and I still get small slides when I go over them. Little to no thought of motorcycles is given when roadwork is done.

[00NissanNinja]

I just let the bike do its thing while I hold on to it lightly, and i hate tar snakes never knew they could be so annoying, and where I live they seems to love putting real long ones right down the middle of the lanes
Can't wait for some new tires though!

[addy126]

Thats one of the reasons I drop my stock tires in the 1st month and slap on the Pirelli's. In addition I loosen my grip, increase the tire pressure a tad which gets rid of most of the "wandering" and just ease thru the grooves. It ain't 1/2 bad once you get used to it.