- This topic has 8 replies, 8 voices, and was last updated 13 years, 10 months ago by Max.
Dirt road or packed gravel road…
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June 9, 2010 at 6:05 pm #4033madjak30Participant
I found a great road for a ride, lots of twisty bits and great scenery. It’s an alternate route to a resort that I will be meeting family at this summer. One catch, half of it or more is just a graded road.
My question is, with my GS500 should I completely avoid non-paved roads, or just take it easy?
I don’t mind taking an extra hour to ride through nice scenery at my own pace vs doing 120kph down a straight freeway with all of the traffic and hazards that they bring.
I know guys that have gone places with their sport touring bikes (concours) that I wouldn’t have thought about going…forestry lookouts, long stretches of gravel road, etc…
Just wondering what you guys think about this…
June 9, 2010 at 7:27 pm #26950owlieParticipantI take my Saturn on Jeep trails, so don’t listen to me.
June 9, 2010 at 7:29 pm #26949Gary856ParticipantHaving dirt bike experience would make all the difference. Graded dirt/gravel roads are considered “easy” by dirt riders, but you need to know what you’re doing, how to position your body/bike and manage traction in turns to not wash out. It’s pretty different from pavement riding.
I took my GS500 on a dirt/gravel road, hilly and twisty, about 10 miles long, that would have been easy for a dual-sport or dirt rider, but difficult for a sportbike rider. I rode mountain bike a lot and love dirt, but on a motorcycle (way heavier) with street tires it’s a whole different ball game. I was practically crawling in the beginning, going 15-25 mph, where a real dirt rider could easily go twice that speed. I was a little scared the whole time, but I liked that. My biggest worry was the GS not having enough suspension to deal with the big bumps, but that wasn’t too bad on a graded road.
I rode the same road on my DRZ400sm, thinking it would be easier, but not really because that time they laid down some deep gravels in some sections of the road. Again, it’s a matter of learning how to ride dirt.
June 9, 2010 at 8:35 pm #26952eonParticipantIf you ride it at a leisurely pace there is no reason why you would not enjoy yourself. I ride gravel roads all the time and it’s great fun getting the back tire to slide out. Admittedly I have it relatively easy on my 3 wheel scooter but my cruiser friends tag along and non of them have fallen off yet (though they do bitch at me). If nothing else you will get a little experience riding gravel. When I first started out I would freak out at the first sign of gravel mid corner after all the horror stories I have read. Getting that experience under your belt is a great help I think in knowing what to expect when you come across it unexpectedly.
June 9, 2010 at 8:38 pm #26953TrialsRiderParticipantTwo things are in your favor, nice wide handlebar stance and mid positioned foot pegs, can’t see you running out of suspension as long as you don’t run out of tire grip. Avoid thick sand, don’t enter the corners too hot, be ready for it to wiggle a little and you should be just fine. Remember that transfering your weight to the pegs actually lowers your center of gravity, that might be handy if you need to ride any washboard rough road stuff.
June 9, 2010 at 9:52 pm #26956AParticipantSpeed can be your friend when riding off-pvement, too low of speed there won’t be enough momentum to keep your ride stable on rough surface..
If you encouter sand, point your front wheel where you want to go and give more throttle, play in the grass field to practice if you need to..
Keep hands/arms relaxed, no death grips, be flexible in your riding position.
Look where you want to go, not obsticles that you’re trying to avoid.
June 10, 2010 at 2:09 am #26964madjak30ParticipantIt is actually a hiway if you look it up on the map, but it is not paved for parts of it…large parts, but it should be graded and fairly smooth. I don’t expect there to be loose gravel, at least not large sections of it. It should be like a Range Road or Township road…if you live near farm land you will know…
I think I will just head out this weekend and drive around the Range Roads near home to see how it handles it…if it feels decently stable, or at least managable, I will give it a shot…if not, I will wait until I get my V-Strom…could be a couple of years though…
June 10, 2010 at 2:57 am #26965gitchy42ParticipantOne of the guys I work with has an FZ1, with sport touring tires, and he goes up a lot of mountain roads that have long stretches of gravel without any issues. Although, he has been riding for about as long as I have been alive, maybe longer. I have only been on gravel in a driveway, and I was going super slow (about 8 mph)….so it felt pretty solid. I’m along with everyone else, just do it, but start out slow, probably not as slow as I was going. By the time you get to the other end of the road, it’ll be old-hat for ya
June 23, 2010 at 7:37 pm #27151MaxParticipantA good article on riding street bikes on gravel. http://www.max-metal.com/riding-tips/riding-on-a-gravel-road/
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