Really need help!!!!!

Folks,


I want to do a ride up to my in-laws place in the Kern River Valley, on the SWing of course. It is 175 miles one way, but it is the last .25 mile that is the problem. My in-laws place is on a dirt access road . I need some pointers on how to negociate this last bit of road. All opinions/ideas are welcome. Thanks SWing2010

I've ridden mine on some loose gravel/dirt. I just let a little air out of the tires, and kept my wrist out of it. She rode fine.
Brian

1. Ride slowly.
2. Keep a light touch on the steering.
3. Relax.

Try not to twist and turn too much but try to keep straight and upright, i.e. gravel's not the place to try and lean into turns! Like Sweeney said -- RELAX.

SWing2010 wrote:

My in-laws place is on a dirt access road . I need some pointers on how to negociate this last bit of road. All opinions/ideas are welcome.

What kind of dirt/gravel ... loose or packed?
Is there any grass area on the side of the road that you can drive on??

If the dirt gets wet and muddy, if it gets into the small amount tread on the motorcycle tire ... then it would be the same as if you were driving on ice with no traction or steering.

Unless it's wet "dirt", it's not even an issue - just drive as the road condition permits, slower if necessary (pitted/potholes for example) - if it's loose gravel, then maybe a little slower still - no need to let air out of tires, buy "spiked" tires, or ask GOD for guidance and special protection traversing the drive - I've driven on all sorts of gravel - fresh gravel of all sizes might get your full attention, but it's definitely "doable" - fresh gravel that might be somewhat deeper, then not packed, can even slow up jeeps - just drive reasonably... It certainly can move you around a bit, but just keep going at a fairly constant speed and have a plan for any hills on this driveway - As others have mentioned, no sudden movements of the right hand, easy does it... Jeez, it's only a quarter of a mile - go 15 or less and you're still crossing a quarter mile in 4 minutes or so...

Our local WA gravel, note shape of stones... yup spherical and usually in deep drifts. Lovely stuff to find in a corner.

On Thursday I rode 20 miles on gravel ,with a side wind gusting to 50 MPH
it is no problem .The big thing is stay off the brakes ,it is way easier to lock up the wheels on gravel .Loose gravel is a little scary ,so slow down for that . Be sure to wear your best protective gear ,just in case .

All that has been said is true. The only thiing I can add is: pull your feet back on the floorboards, so they are under you and sit up straight. You can do it!

Excell wrote:

... Be sure to wear your best protective gear ,just in case .

ALL the Gear, All the time!!! You NEVER know!!

A good friend & one of the best riders I've ever encountered, summed it up this way:

"I'd rather sweat than bleed"!!

djevanstn wrote:

Unless it's wet "dirt", it's not even an issue

It could be dry when he arrives and wet when he leaves.

honda_silver wrote:

djevanstn wrote:

Unless it's wet "dirt", it's not even an issue

It could be dry when he arrives and wet when he leaves.

Good point ,if it rains while you are there wait until it gets dry enough
to ride .These things are not good in mud .There is very little space between the fender and tire ,it fills up real quick .
Don't worry about it ,it will be easier than you think .

SWing2010 wrote:

Folks,


I want to do a ride up to my in-laws place in the Kern River Valley, on the SWing of course. It is 175 miles one way, but it is the last .25 mile that is the problem. My in-laws place is on a dirt access road . I need some pointers on how to negociate this last bit of road. All opinions/ideas are welcome. Thanks SWing2010

I read this kind of thing and wonder how Lewis and Clark ever made it over the Missisippi River. If they lived today we'd wrap them in bubble wrap and pack 'em in shipping peanuts, slap reflective tape over every available inch of their exposure and put a revolving amber light on their heads... Idiots, they didn't even have a map, much less a GPS. Morons by todays over cautious girlie culture - and yet I have mad respect for these MEN!

It's 1/4 mile of gravel. Ride - take care, but ride. Wet / snow / mud / gravel, take a deep breath pull up your big boy pants and ride the dangerous, treacherous and deadly 1/4 mile like a man. My wife and I rode a bit over 7.5 miles of gravel mining road in Canada to get to a amethyst mine - we lived. We didn't realize it was going to be a gravel road until the asphalt played out. And we survived the ride back out. Didn't stop and script a plan, just rode.

I took the last line in the OP seriously, hope it was true.

SWing2010 wrote:

... All opinions/ideas are welcome. Thanks SWing2010

Or just walk the last 1/4 mile .

I read it wrong, I thought it was 25 miles on gravel!

Just take it easy and you'll be fine. A quarter mile is nothing.

jdeereanton wrote:

It's 1/4 mile of gravel. Ride - take care, but ride. Wet / snow / mud / gravel, take a deep breath pull up your big boy pants and ride the dangerous, treacherous and deadly 1/4 mile like a man.

With no analysis of road condition and/or rider abilities ... this advice could be more than dangerous and life threatening.

For a PGR escort, I drove a compact dirt road for 0.0019 mile which is 131 times shorter which was wet from constant drizzle. By the end of the 0.0019 mile my front and rear darkside tire ( which has more tread and traction than a motorcycle tire ) was completely packed with mud. At the very end with my front tire on concrete pavement and the rear still in the mud I had to put my feet down because the rear tire was would only slide sideways and throw mud. My foot started sliding from the mud on the concrete pavement which effected my balance, I was able to gently lay the SWing down.

I had to pick up the SWing on the muddy concrete pavement even though I could barely plant my foot without sliding from the mud.

My kevlar pants with suspenders did not save me.

Wait, are we talking about a dirt road or a gravel road?

My driveway is gravel, and no amount of rain makes it too dangerous to ride through. It doesn't turn into a mud bog, it's not dirt it's gravel.

honda_silver wrote:

jdeereanton wrote:

It's 1/4 mile of gravel. Ride - take care, but ride. Wet / snow / mud / gravel, take a deep breath pull up your big boy pants and ride the dangerous, treacherous and deadly 1/4 mile like a man.

With no analysis of road condition and/or rider abilities ... this advice could be more than dangerous and life threatening.

For a PGR escort, I drove a compact dirt road for 0.0019 mile which is 131 times shorter which was wet from constant drizzle. By the end of the 0.0019 mile my front and rear darkside tire ( which has more tread and traction than a motorcycle tire ) was completely packed with mud. At the very end with my front tire on concrete pavement and the rear still in the mud I had to put my feet down because the rear tire was would only slide sideways and throw mud. My foot started sliding from the mud on the concrete pavement which effected my balance, I was able to gently lay the SWing down.

I had to pick up the SWing on the muddy concrete pavement even though I could barely plant my foot without sliding from the mud.

My kevlar pants with suspenders did not save me.

Well I guess I need to fess up -

1. What!??

2. I am sincerely sorry for all of the lives I endangered. I suggest you call ahead and have a cab and transport truck waiting for you at the mud bog you must traverse to get to your in-laws place. But don't take your helmet off while in the cab and carry a fire extinguisher with you. What if the cab in spite of having four car tires (that's 4 times the number honda_silver has on his bike) slides wildly out of control, flips end for end 83 times and catches fire? Your big boy pants won't save you in that instance.

Just took a ride up Roxy Ann today. Roxy Ann is a mountain that looms over Medford, OR. The road up is paved about half way with loose gravel and dirt the rest of the way. I've been up there a couple times before on the SW, the going up is easier than the coming down when you need more brakes but still no big deal just go easy on the curves and brakes. Much easier than riding my Goldwing on loose gravel though I've ridden that bike over a lot of miles of gravel and dirt roads. Neither bike is much use in long stretches of mud which I avoid. Don't worry about that quarter mile it really isn't a big deal, the SW's low center of gravel and it's relatively light weight (compared to a big bike) makes it pretty easy. Best bet is not to worry or over think the situation.

"Quote"

Don't worry about that quarter mile it really isn't a big deal, the SW's low center of gravel and it's relatively light weight


Freudian slip...


still giggling, now thats cool!!!


Sorry Ex, cant help myself sometimes.

Today I'm going to go measure my driveway to see if it's .0019 miles or longer. Should I bold that to make it look more scary?

You must, and dont express the distance in feet because - 10 feet (0.0019 miles = 10 feet) isn't scary.