I just wanted to hear some experiences from you guys about the first time you rode over a metal grated drawbridge span.  I took the MSF course last weekend and am now ready to get in some hours riding.  One thing I'm worried about are metal grated drawbridge spans, since there is one on a place to where I would like to ride.  I've heard the metal grate will wobble the bike a little, or make it feel like it wants to move around a good bit.  I know you're not supposed to panic, lock your arms, etc.  And I figure I'll get a few hours under me before I attempt to go over the bridge...

but...as I said, I would like to hear some experiences about the first time you rode on a metal grated drawbridge.

Thanks.

I think the first time I went over one I was on a scooter with big off road tires, so it didn't really affect it. I've been over a few on an HD, and I didn't really notice much drift. Just stay relaxed and straight, if the bike starts to drift don't jerk it back. Nice and easy, and you'll be fine.

Hi there,
An excellent question, and welcome to our board.
I remember when I was learning to ride back in 1975 and rode with a group of older dads of friends. I was 16 and had just bought a bike. There was NO MSF class back then. I learned by riding and asking a lot of questions.
I would ride and then stop if I had a question about what to do, similar to what you are doing. That's a good way to learn, so let me share what one of them shared with me back then.
We were riding in beautiful Dane County, Wisc., around Madison, in the spring of 1975, and I was on my restored black and chrome 1966 Honda CB160 Super Sport. The road ahead changed from finished asphalt to loose gravel and as I approached it, I pulled over to the side of the road. That's when one of the dads, Jack, pulled up next to me on his lovely new 1975 Honda CB750F and asked what was wrong.
I told him I didn't  know what to do about the gravel ahead, and he told me to just ride smoothly, keep my arms loose and let the bike "wiggle" over the gravel, which it would likely do. No front brake, no sudden movements, and all would be OK, he said.
Well, I did what Jack told me to do and all was fine.
And that same advice is what I would share with you for the steel-deck bridges you are asking about. Take it easy, no front brake, and relax your arms and body. In a bit, you'll be used to the sensation of "floating" over the surface and it will seem natural.
It's great that you asked about this. I mean that.
That's how to learn.
Be careful, have fun and again welcome to this great site.
Best wishes,
Todd
P.S. Where are you located? I'm in central PA if you are around here.

yeah, I've done it. It's probably the scariest thing you could ride on, but it's perfectly safe. It just feels scary. The MSF course told you the right thing

The bike will be a little loose feeling like you're riding on ice.Especially if you have a sport radial tires.The narrower the tire the worse it feels.Best thing to do is ride through the area when traffic is at it's lowest.If you feel timid,get a friend with a truck to follow you.Sounds goofy but it may help you to push a little further across the bridge.If it's safe to do so or the speed limit is slow enough,ride across at half the speed limit.Bridges were built with motorcycles in mind even tho it doesn't seem like it.Good luck ride safe.

Relax, hold your arms loosely, make your inputs (steering, braking, throttle) gentle and deliberate.  Don't ride too slowly - I'm not saying you have to blaze across at twice the limit, but if you go too slowly (if you're dabbing your feet, you're going too slowly), the bike is going to be unmanageable.

Same is true of dirt, gravel, any situation of imperfect traction.

If you have the chance, I highly recommend dirt riding to every rider.  It's simply the best way to become more confident and comfortable on a bike, and to manage situations of traction loss with calmness instead of panic.

Quote from: Trwhouse on July 16, 2008, 04:14:56 PM
We were riding in beautiful Dane County, Wisc., around Madison, in the spring of 1975, and I was on my restored black and chrome 1966 Honda CB160 Super Sport. The road ahead changed from finished asphalt to loose gravel and as I approached it, I pulled over to the side of the road. That's when one of the dads, Jack, pulled up next to me on his lovely new 1975 Honda CB750F and asked what was wrong.
I told him I didn't  know what to do about the gravel ahead, and he told me to just ride smoothly, keep my arms loose and let the bike "wiggle" over the gravel, which it would likely do. No front brake, no sudden movements, and all would be OK, he said.
Well, I did what Jack told me to do and all was fine.
And that same advice is what I would share with you for the steel-deck bridges you are asking about. Take it easy, no front brake, and relax your arms and body. In a bit, you'll be used to the sensation of "floating" over the surface and it will seem natural.
It's great that you asked about this. I mean that.
That's how to learn.
Be careful, have fun and again welcome to this great site.
Best wishes,
Todd
P.S. Where are you located? I'm in central PA if you are around here.

heh...funny you mention a driving on gravel story.  That's how another rider I know explained it...riding on a sttel span/metal grated bridge is the closest thing to riding on gravel/sand you will come across when riding on street.

The rest of the replies seem to convey the same sentiment...it's scary, the bike floats, don't freak.  So I guess I'll get some hours under my butt, build a little confidence, and then go for it.

Ben, tonight I got on the road after work.  A friend of mine drove with me in his car.  we alternated with him driving in back of me, me riding in back of him.  Figured it was a good idea to have a big target riding with me while I build confidence.  Still found a few people wanted to come over on me...it's easy when you can anticipate what the idiots will do.  Also, I have stock tires, so I assume they are not as apt to get into the grooves as sport tires.

Bucks and arbakken...thanks.  So just don't freak, go with the float, and don't give any hard inputs.  Control the bike, but not overcontrol.  Works for me.

Roadstergal...speed limit is 40, so I figured taking it maybe 20 or 30 would be fine.  Didn't want to crawl across it.  hehe. 

Oh...and I'm in New Orleans.  The ride tonight was actually great.  Rode down Canal Street, then hit St. Charles Ave (so I passed along the edge of the French Quarter for those not local), then Magazine Street, then River Road (good twisties for those who are experienced...I kept the speed limit), then Causeway.  Scariest thing was coming up to the Streetcar/Trolley tracks.  Same fear of getting the front wheel caught in a groove.  I guess Roadstegal is right that it would probably be a great idea to do some offroad to get used to loss of traction.

Quote from: Roadstergal on July 16, 2008, 06:33:47 PM
Relax, hold your arms loosely, make your inputs (steering, braking, throttle) gentle and deliberate.  Don't ride too slowly - I'm not saying you have to blaze across at twice the limit, but if you go too slowly (if you're dabbing your feet, you're going too slowly), the bike is going to be unmanageable.

Same is true of dirt, gravel, any situation of imperfect traction.

If you have the chance, I highly recommend dirt riding to every rider.  It's simply the best way to become more confident and comfortable on a bike, and to manage situations of traction loss with calmness instead of panic.

yup besides youll be on and off of teh grid in short order. be confident, do like RG said, and youll be fine. hell once you do it, youll think damn that was easy

+++++ on the off road riding.

I used to ride exclusivly street and the only off road was on quad bikes (good experience for inducing and controlling 4 wheel vehicle slides) also do alot of off road driving in large agricultural vehicles (second job!) we got a field bike on the farm and ever since i leave the quad bike at the barn and take the bike everywhere, its great when you have to travel around acres of farm land and get to do it on a motorcycle sliding round the bends and wheeling down the streights flying off the jumps and such but the experience you gain is huge.

Ive noticed a massive increse in my on road abilities on the bike, i ride all year round in snow and thunderstorms and what have you but you end up making it up as you go along. After all the riding off road ive done these past couple of years im much more confident when the bike loses grip of how to regain it and ride it out. There is a bit attitude out there of if your bike loses grip your going down whether you go low or high or end up standing it up and going into a ditch. This isnt true and what you see on the Moto GP and WSB when Xaus is litrally sideways in a corner is actually possible lol. Once you know how to control it and not panic it makes things a hell of a alot better. Even people who have been riding 20 years can benefit from practising off road control on loose surfaces.

Definatly think about it if your wanting to build confidence.

I learnt to ride in the country where we have cattle grids on some country back roads.  Works well keeping cattle in but bloody dangerous for motorcycles at night time.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e2/Cattle_grid.jpg

Quote from: Trwhouse on July 16, 2008, 04:14:56 PM
Hi there,
An excellent question, and welcome to our board.
I remember when I was learning to ride back in 1975 and rode with a group of older dads of friends. I was 16 and had just bought a bike. There was NO MSF class back then. I learned by riding and asking a lot of questions.
I would ride and then stop if I had a question about what to do, similar to what you are doing. That's a good way to learn, so let me share what one of them shared with me back then.
We were riding in beautiful Dane County, Wisc., around Madison, in the spring of 1975, and I was on my restored black and chrome 1966 Honda CB160 Super Sport. The road ahead changed from finished asphalt to loose gravel and as I approached it, I pulled over to the side of the road. That's when one of the dads, Jack, pulled up next to me on his lovely new 1975 Honda CB750F and asked what was wrong.
I told him I didn't  know what to do about the gravel ahead, and he told me to just ride smoothly, keep my arms loose and let the bike "wiggle" over the gravel, which it would likely do. No front brake, no sudden movements, and all would be OK, he said.
Well, I did what Jack told me to do and all was fine.
And that same advice is what I would share with you for the steel-deck bridges you are asking about. Take it easy, no front brake, and relax your arms and body. In a bit, you'll be used to the sensation of "floating" over the surface and it will seem natural.
It's great that you asked about this. I mean that.
That's how to learn.
Be careful, have fun and again welcome to this great site.
Best wishes,
Todd
P.S. Where are you located? I'm in central PA if you are around here.

+1 that's some good advice right there.

The first time I rode over an expanded metal draw bridge it was enlightening. Really enlightening. "Oh my I should really avoid the cheese grater in the future." enlightening.

Remember, if you go down, it's going to be some serious meat removal, and the bike will likely catch and twist or break the frame.

Take the advice, ride carefully, lots of stopping distance in front AND behind you, and no sudden movements.

I just came across this post and I am glad I did.  I have been riding about a year and flipped out the first time I went over a metal grate bridge.  I still hate them but a friend said to relax and the floating feeling was normal.  But as I read the posts I gained some new insight which is helpful.  Thanks. 

oh i heard my friend talking about tires today and he said if u have one vertical line on ur front wheel ur going to get sucked into every knook and cranny on those bridges lol

so moral of the story don't get wheels with one vertical line in the center lol

Quote from: Roadstergal on July 16, 2008, 06:33:47 PM
Relax, hold your arms loosely, make your inputs (steering, braking, throttle) gentle and deliberate.  Don't ride too slowly - I'm not saying you have to blaze across at twice the limit, but if you go too slowly (if you're dabbing your feet, you're going too slowly), the bike is going to be unmanageable.

Same is true of dirt, gravel, any situation of imperfect traction.

If you have the chance, I highly recommend dirt riding to every rider.  It's simply the best way to become more confident and comfortable on a bike, and to manage situations of traction loss with calmness instead of panic.

Completely agree, I grew up riding dirt and greatly improved my abilities as a beginning street rider. There have been a few situations where the rear end has gotten out from under me, but riding on dirt you're used to that so you know what to do and don't panic.

Quote from: bucks1605 on July 17, 2008, 07:04:29 PMCompletely agree, I grew up riding dirt and greatly improved my abilities as a beginning street rider. There have been a few situations where the rear end has gotten out from under me, but riding on dirt you're used to that so you know what to do and don't panic.

Sounds like the rear tire getting loose doesn't bother you.  Is that the main concern?  I thought going over these types of bridges the big concern was the front tire.  Kind of like when you get caught in a rut on an asphalt road that is being resurfaced or a trolley track.

Along the 'vertical line' post, when they dig a channel up in the road to lay cable through it and then fill it in and its never bloody smooth with the road surface is it. Either side where the new tarmac channel meets the original road is a V and if you get a tire in those they really do track. You can make yourself go sideways which is fun if your front wheel is on the old road and the rear in the channel, it tracks for ages before it eventually pulls out.

Quote from: Tang on July 17, 2008, 06:37:03 PM
oh i heard my friend talking about tires today and he said if u have one vertical line on ur front wheel ur going to get sucked into every knook and cranny on those bridges lol

so moral of the story don't get wheels with one vertical line in the center lol

as far as the vertical line in a tire goes, i call bs.

weight your pegs more. all it takes is a tiny bit to pull out of a rut.

check your tire pressures also, if they're too high they'll climb everything, if they're too low they'll push to the bottom every single time.

(ime)

Quote from: ohgood on July 18, 2008, 08:51:45 AM

Quote from: Tang on July 17, 2008, 06:37:03 PM
oh i heard my friend talking about tires today and he said if u have one vertical line on ur front wheel ur going to get sucked into every knook and cranny on those bridges lol

so moral of the story don't get wheels with one vertical line in the center lol

as far as the vertical line in a tire goes, i call bs.

weight your pegs more. all it takes is a tiny bit to pull out of a rut.

check your tire pressures also, if they're too high they'll climb everything, if they're too low they'll push to the bottom every single time.

(ime)

I don't know man, I think that actually has some validity as I've been reading on the different tires and what not, it seems to talk about having a broken line so that it doesn't track into grooves and different wording but the same meaning.