Stopping on Metal Bridge

[kbankovi]

Any suggestions on braking technique when crossing a metal grated bridge?  If felt like I was on ice last night in downtown Chicago when I tried to stop.  I also hate riding on roads where they scrap the blacktop off and leave those nasty grooves.  Any thoughts or techniques from anyone??  Is it all in my head?

[dry_humor]

maybe use some heavier engine braking with a combo of more rear brake than front if it feels slick. as for the other road conditions, i think we all just have to bite the bullet one time or another when it comes to crappy roads. jacksonville is terrible with the upkeep of their roads.

[Shaddow]

maybe use some heavier engine braking with a combo of more rear brake than front if it feels slick. as for the other road conditions, i think we all just have to bite the bullet one time or another when it comes to crappy roads. jacksonville is terrible with the upkeep of their roads.

+1

Slower speed, engine braking first and gentle application of rear brake.

[craigs449]

Stop being a puss.......loosen the grip on the bars and ride as normal.

[Buckeye4Life]

as far as riding on grooved pavement, try more slack on the bars. also, you could try tracking inside- outside and outside-inside of your lane to cut diagonally across the groove. we have it on lots of bridges here in OH.

[yamahonkawazuki]

as far as riding on grooved pavement, try more slack on the bars. also, you could try tracking inside- outside and outside-inside of your lane to cut diagonally across the groove. we have it on lots of bridges here in OH.

ive ridden in chi town. ( lived there too) and even here in tn theres that graty shaZam!. depends on the depth of hte grooves or grates if wide enough to grab a tire, crosee @ angle, if not, loosen grip on bars with GENTLE applications of both front and rear brakes. and ye shall be fine. if i can do this a few hundred mile son a bicycle, a moto is doable as well

[mister]

kbankovi:

Metal bridge... as suggested, engine braking and rear brake only.

Lines in the road created by a road profiler. Do NOT try to muscle the bike straight. Loosey goosey arms on the bars, grip the tank with your legs, let bike follow the lines. 

Michael

[ohgood]

Any suggestions on braking technique when crossing a metal grated bridge?  If felt like I was on ice last night in downtown Chicago when I tried to stop.  I also hate riding on roads where they scrap the blacktop off and leave those nasty grooves.  Any thoughts or techniques from anyone??  Is it all in my head?

those are strange things indeed. street tires can wander, grip, or just skip depending on how new the grating is. subscribed to learn from people that have experienced this more than me...

[SAFE-T]

Spring and Fall are good times to look for an alternate route in winter cities that have steel bridge decks that can get icy/frosty from condensation as they are above a water source.

[SAFE-T]

Early morning / late evening / overnight surfaces can be sketchy; midday everything will be normal. I've never found stopping on a metal deck bridge an issue on a warm day. I no longer commute by motorcycle in the morning but recall a couple of times even the car feeling skittish over grated bridges in the late fall.

[SAFE-T]

My first bike was a 750 Honda Nighthawk 'S', and it's combination of 16' front tire seemed to wander a lot on road grooves and grated bridges. Later bikes including a VF750 and VFR700 Interceptor that also had 16' front wheels seemed to be less nervous on these surfaces, so I don't know if it was a characteristic of that particular bike or just my inexperience. I have found that things like proper tire pressure and irregular tire wear can make a motorcycle handle worse than it otherwise would. 

[jestercinti]

There is one of these bridges from Cincinnati to Covington, KY.  Go slow, and loosen the grip a bit.  You'll notice your bike wants to "weave" a bit.  Don't fight it, and you'll be fine. 

It takes some getting used to, but I only ride on those bridges when it's dry.  Wet, they become very slick.

[Suzuki Stevo]

Let the bike float around underneath you (loose grip as mentioned) and whatever you do don't look down at the water!