Riding On Gravel

Quite often I’m asked what is the best technique for riding on gravel roads. In fact, just today, I received an email from a Sherry Nealson, she states, “I have a long gravel driveway with a long down hill slope and a 90 degree turn at the bottom, I’ve dropped my Harley 3 times in the past month going both up and down the driveway no matter how slow I try to go, what should I do?”

I must admit, I am tempted to reply, “how about paving the driveway”, but since this question comes up so often, here goes. Why gravel appears to be such a problem on a heavy bike is because the tires tend to sink into the gravel. The deeper the gravel, the more you can sink. The best defense is a little momentum. In other words, rather than following your instincts, pick up the speed a little. This will keep the tires from sinking into the gravel and have the bike more or less float above it on the surface. Turn your handlebars as little as possible since a sharp turn of the front tire will have a plow effect and will cause a tip over. Also, rely on the rear brake for stopping as well as control. I can’t say exactly how fast to go but if you’re having a problem on a particular road or your own driveway, pick up the speed a little at a time until you find the bike easier to control. Oh, and whenever possible, pave that driveway.

Remember, all it takes is a little practice.  Good Luck!

By Jerry “Motorman” Palladino, ridelikeapro.com

Comments:

From: Laura
Hi,
I live in the mountains at the top of a canyon and I ride an ‘05 Honda VTX 1300 Retro.
In order to get my bike home, I have to be able to get it up here and it’s all gravel and ruts as well. And I have a very hard right (nearly hairpin) turn into my driveway. But the road in front of my house actually circles the top of this part of the canyon, and my house is just over half way up before it starts going down the other side… so I can go either way when I come out of my driveway.
I have found it’s much easier to be going UPHILL than it is down hill.. if you have that option.
When you’re going uphill, you can use your feet if you need to, and your front brake. I’m so used to it now I just zoom on in… and yes, believe it or not.. you need just a bit of throttle to maintain the momentum. Keep practicing! And good luck