Get out of the Middle!!

Ugly rainy day here in Seattle, so I was driving around doing some morning errands.
I saw 3 different motorcyclist riding down the streets & freeway lanes - Right down the MIDDLE of the Lane.
----Please - don't do that!! That is the SLICK SPOT - where oil drips accumulate and are not cleared away by traffic.
A quick stab at your front brakes may lock 'em up instantly and you are in a world of HURT.

Next time you are in a parking lot, look at all the gunk sitting in the middle of the parking spaces where cars drip, drip, drip. Then realize that this is going on to an even greater amount when the engine is running down the road. There is a huge oily slick mess in the center of the lane, just add water & LOOK OUT!!

Stay SAFE out there....

 

i hate to see people riding that way even on dry roads. Just to slick even when dry.

Rob

 

I'd like some advice from those of you with more experience:

I've ridden in the rain twice (if you don't count my MSF class which was in pouring rain 6 of the 8 sessions).

First time I got caught after dark about 40 miles from home. Ride went well until almost home. On the freeway, in the "tire tracks" bike started to feel like every bolt on it was loose. Stopped for a minute, then started again. It was bad enough I got off the freeway, checked my tires and suspension. Rode the last few miles on the surface streets. It was quite unnerving.

Having looked at that stretch of road - and that lane - in the daytime I realize that there were cracks in the freeway that had been patched with tar. These cracks run parallel to the road.

Those types of cracks are fairly common in Michigan. We allow very heavy trucks and get a lot of freeze-thaw cycles. These cracks are almost always in the tire "ruts".

So my question. Are those tar patches as slippery as they felt? If so, wouldn't I be better off on the crown to avoid them?

 

I had the same problem when I had my first bike years ago...changing the rear tire helped tremendously. Back then I didn't realize how much of a difference there were in tires.

 

You should always ride in "blocking position" as we call it (I'm a riding instructor). On a two lane road, this is in the driver's side wheel track -- gives you the best visibility to all traffic around you, and keeps you out of the slick crud in the middle as the OP stated.

MiCarl - I've ridden there too and know what you felt - and yes, they are. Those "tar snakes" can be a problem when it's wet out. Luckily most of them are at close to right angles, so it's more the bumpity-bumpity you have to deal with -- I think I'd take secondaries too.

Another thing to keep in mind and watch out for when you're riding in the wet are the painted lines themselves -- those get amazingly slippery when wet, and if you happen on one when you're leaned over in a curve, you will not like the result.

 

For sure and mostly those fat white painted lines/bars at crosswalks are real bad when your turning across them.