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Detour Dumping

Sooner or later, you’ll find yourself riding off pavement.

You’ve had a great road trip so far, and it’s only another hundred miles from home when you see a big orange construction sign and a line of cars. You don’t like riding on gravel, and you’re incensed that the highway department would tear up the whole road and expect a motorcyclist to ride through a dusty detour. You don’t have a choice here. If you want to get home, the only route is through the construction zone.

Fortunately, the flagger sees you and waves you up to the head of the line. Later, you’ll appreciate that following directly behind the pilot car keeps you out of most of the dust and flying stones. When it’s time to go, you try to keep up with the pilot car, but the driver sometimes goes faster than you would prefer on the loose gravel and soft sand. At one point, the surface turns to deep gravel, and you slow way down and hold your boots out to help maintain balance. To little avail as your front tire suddenly tucks and down you go. The driver of the pilot car helps you get the bike upright, but you’re angry at the highway department and embarrassed at dropping your bike.

When you need to get through a surface hazard such as deep gravel or muddy ruts, it won’t help to go too slow or to stick your boots out like skids. Place more of your weight on the footpegs, to help balance, and roll on enough throttle to keep the bike moving.

Sooner or later, all of us will encounter a situation that requires riding off pavement. A good way to prepare yourself for off-pavement riding is to borrow a lightweight dirt bike and get in some saddle time. Many of the “dirt” skills learned on the smaller bike will transfer to your roadburner, giving you more confidence and better control.