My CB hates tar snakes ...and gravel

[the Ferret]

Riding with my younger brother yesterday. We had stopped for lunch in the next county over. After lunch we decided to hit some of our favorite curvy roads. Mind you we are not road racers. We ride at the speed limit +- 5 mph. Just a nice pace for us. One we are both comfortable with. We have been riding together for 45 years, ever since he turned 16 and got his 69 CL 350 Honda...red and white.I had a 68 CB 350 Honda..green and white. We've both had a gazillion bikes since and still manage to ride together at least once a week.

Anyhow, at one point I came around a corner and the turn was covered in gravel and the bike did the getting all squirrely thing, which required several quick corrections to stay up. Jezzalou, glad I wasn't hot dogging it, that could have been bad. As close to ending up on the ground as I have been.... for many years, but I managed to stay on 2 and we continued on.

About an hour later we hit our absolute favorite road. It's 8 miles of perfect snaking curves, not tight, what I call rhythm curves, where you just get into a back and forth rhythm..no need for brakes, just left sweep...flip it...right sweep...flip it...left sweep...flip it...with small elevation changes thrown into the mix. The speed limit is 55. I have found if I run it at 52 I don't have to touch the brakes for the entire 8 miles. It's a rhythm thing.

Well apparently the state did a crack fill job on it and there were a million tar snakes. Very disconcerting under the wheels, never felt planted. Felt like riding on marbles. THEY HAVE RUINED MY FAVORITE ROAD..... Arrrrgggghhhhh
Oh and I got gas on my way to little brothers house and got my first guy to walk up and ask what year the bike was. When I said 2013 he got this dumbfounded look on his face, and says " I thought it was an old one..didn't know they made them like that anymore" then proceeded to tell me about the 72 CB 750 he had and how fast it was etc etc lol

 

[meowguy_imp]

I have noticed the tar snake squirliness as well. I don't think it's this particular bike, but rather the nature of the beast in general. I did have a chance to get my bike out on the Maine Turnpike for the first time and found anything over 70mph to be not to my liking. The bike becomes very light on the suspension at that speed and I suspect also that it is just in the nature of a 550 lb. machine to feel that way. At 55 to 65 the ride is very stable and controllable and that's my comfort zone.

 

[Randy_S_imp]

Riding with my younger brother yesterday. We had stopped for lunch in the next county over. After lunch we decided to hit some of our favorite curvy roads. Mind you we are not road racers. We ride at the speed limit +- 5 mph. Just a nice pace for us. One we are both comfortable with. We have been riding together for 45 years, ever since he turned 16 and got his 69 CL 350 Honda...red and white.I had a 68 CB 350 Honda..green and white. We've both had a gazillion bikes since and still manage to ride together at least once a week.

Anyhow, at one point I came around a corner and the turn was covered in gravel and the bike did the getting all squirrely thing, which required several quick corrections to stay up. Jezzalou, glad I wasn't hot dogging it, that could have been bad. As close to ending up on the ground as I have been.... for many years, but I managed to stay on 2 and we continued on.

About an hour later we hit our absolute favorite road. It's 8 miles of perfect snaking curves, not tight, what I call rhythm curves, where you just get into a back and forth rhythm..no need for brakes, just left sweep...flip it...right sweep...flip it...left sweep...flip it...with small elevation changes thrown into the mix. The speed limit is 55. I have found if I run it at 52 I don't have to touch the brakes for the entire 8 miles. It's a rhythm thing.

Well apparently the state did a crack fill job on it and there were a million tar snakes. Very disconcerting under the wheels, never felt planted. Felt like riding on marbles. THEY HAVE RUINED MY FAVORITE ROAD..... Arrrrgggghhhhh
Oh and I got gas on my way to little brothers house and got my first guy to walk up and ask what year the bike was. When I said 2013 he got this dumbfounded look on his face, and says " I thought it was an old one..didn't know they made them like that anymore" then proceeded to tell me about the 72 CB 750 he had and how fast it was etc etc lol

Which county was this? I'm originally from Preble county and I do ride over there when I get the chance.

 

[the Ferret]

Brown. We ate at the Country Kitchen in Georgetown , then went down 221 to 52 in Higgensport, turned west and picked up 505 up to 125 in Hamersville. from the west again to 774 and took 774 over to 743. 743 south to the river rt 52 in Moscow. Then 232 back north to 222 and 222 to home.

 

[Offroad]

Question about tar snakes.

Do you avoid them in turns?

Had anyone crashed from tar snakes?

Are they slippery regardless of temp and moisture?

I've felt them make me slide but traction has always caught on the other side of the tar snake.

Trying to decide how much respect to give them.

Right now the speed at which i take a turn is based on tar snakes, rock, sand, breaks in pavement etc

 

[Cormanus]

offroad, I make no claim to being an expert, but I find tar snakes more dangerous in really hot weather when they seem to melt a little and become really slippery. I've also hit one in the pouring rain once and had an unpleasant wiggle as a result. I treat them with respect and caution these days.

I agree with Ferret that letting them loose all over a good road is to ruin it.

 

[MaFiHa_imp]

"Tar snakes". Now I know the English word for this sh'*t things!
I hate them. In the town I live in they put it right in the middle of the
curve (ideal line)
Very tricky when rainy AND when it's hot like this weeks ( > 30°C)...

 

[Gumby 1100_imp]

My 2014 CB, even with new Bridgestone EVO tires, got very squirrely on gravel-covered or sandy sections of asphalt, and especially on TAR SNAKES. Either the front or rear tire would laterally slide off the tar snakes, even at low speeds...very unnerving!!!

My 2018 Road King, on the other hand, has no problems on the very same sections of road...admittedly, a much heavier bike with wider tires.

I think that the CB's higher center of gravity, steering geometry, suspension and narrower tire contact patch all contribute to the problem. Slightly reducing the tire pressure from the recommended settings seemed to help a bit.

 

[misterprofessionality]

the standard reccomended upgrade from the stock Bridgestones to the Micheline PR3 tires (probably PR4 these days) really helped with my CB's behavior around gravel and tar snakes. I think it was just the increased contact patch. I still treat gravel, sand, and **especially** leaves with a huge amount of respect though.

 

[HansenCB_imp]

I really dislike tar snakes and avoid them at all costs. My 2014 Honda CTX1300 is big, heavy, and has much larger tires than the CB yet it still slips and slides every-time I run over those mother truckers! I have not encountered them on the CB yet.

Tar snakes are worse in hot and wet whether. They soften up in the heat. On a hot day you can mess with them with your fingers and see how 'playdough-like' they get.

I understand that applying tar on cracks is the cheaper option than complete road repair, but the DOT is inadvertently creating hazardous driving conditions.

 

[LongRanger_imp]

Around here you tend to encounter them only on curvy stretches, never on straight stretches. I think it's intentional. They make for a very effective speed deterrent, especially in areas favored by motorcyclists.

 

[CA200_imp]

Up here we have a lot of roads with blind corners because of hills etc. so I really watch for gavel in the corners. I think the large milk haulers going way to fast on the corners push it up.

 

[SportsterDoc]

I posted this in early February, re the south end of Death Valley:

Lots of tar snakes on highway 178 near Jubilee Pass. Not good for aggressive cornering in hot weather.

Be interesting to see how the new scrambler tires handle the tar snakes, but that probably won't be until October.

 

[rickcb]

On Sunday Jennifer and I were on one of our favorite roads and I saw fresh, narrow tar snakes. The first corner is marked 35 mph and we normally take it at 50 mph. I felt the rear of my CB1100 dance a bit as we approached the corner and thankfully we slowed down to about 35 and I went through the corner OK. But Jennifer wasn't so lucky. I had the terrible view in my mirror of her going off the road on her CBR500R. She said she slipped sideways about a foot before getting some traction and did some braking, but then ended up off the road (upright, not crashed). There was no shoulder, but thankfully there wasn't a big ditch or drop-off, just grass. Later in the ride we encountered another road that is really tricky also just covered with fresh tar snakes. For about 5 miles we irritated the locals queued up behind us because I was riding 45 mph or slower in the corners until we got off that mess. I'm going to think about it for a few more days, but may put the new bikes up for sale. Seeing Wifeums off the road was pretty traumatic.

 

[Nortoon_imp]

My favourite roads are in cottage country. They are hilly, curvy, somewhat narrow with soft (gravel and sand) shoulders. In the spring they can be treacherous because they may have been sanded during the winter.

Boat trailers can also pick up gravel or sand from the shoulders on tight turns. As can crossroad traffic from gravel or sandy roads, especially large trucks. I have one of these marked on my maps because it is a 90 degree corner with a gravel side road. It always has gravel on it, so even first gear it can be an adventure.

 

[SportsterDoc]

On Sunday Jennifer and I were on one of our favorite roads and I saw fresh, narrow tar snakes. The first corner is marked 35 mph and we normally take it at 50 mph. I felt the rear of my CB1100 dance a bit as we approached the corner and thankfully we slowed down to about 35 and I went through the corner OK. But Jennifer wasn't so lucky. I had the terrible view in my mirror of her going off the road on her CBR500R. She said she slipped sideways about a foot before getting some traction and did some braking, but then ended up off the road (upright, not crashed). There was no shoulder, but thankfully there wasn't a big ditch or drop-off, just grass. Later in the ride we encountered another road that is really tricky also just covered with fresh tar snakes. For about 5 miles we irritated the locals queued up behind us because I was riding 45 mph or slower in the corners until we got off that mess. I'm going to think about it for a few more days, but may put the new bikes up for sale. Seeing Wifeums off the road was pretty traumatic.

Jennifer handled the situation well, so it was a non-injury learning experience. How does she feel about continuing to ride?

Circa the winter of 1974, near Mt. Pinos at ~6,000 feet elevation, I watched my wife standup a 1972 175cc CT3 enduro on end and slide off the back, but hang onto the handle bars. It did not go over backwards, due to a small tail rack. She brought it to a stop to avoid hitting our 2 year old eldest daughter, playing in the snow, nearby. For a 5' 6", probably a ~120 pound (not sure about that, as she was expecting our #2 daughter) , 23 year old, I thought she did well, although the bike was only about 230# wet. She continued to ride, mainly in the Mojave Desert and never had another mishap.

 

[rickcb]

On Sunday Jennifer and I were on one of our favorite roads and I saw fresh, narrow tar snakes. The first corner is marked 35 mph and we normally take it at 50 mph. I felt the rear of my CB1100 dance a bit as we approached the corner and thankfully we slowed down to about 35 and I went through the corner OK. But Jennifer wasn't so lucky. I had the terrible view in my mirror of her going off the road on her CBR500R. She said she slipped sideways about a foot before getting some traction and did some braking, but then ended up off the road (upright, not crashed). There was no shoulder, but thankfully there wasn't a big ditch or drop-off, just grass. Later in the ride we encountered another road that is really tricky also just covered with fresh tar snakes. For about 5 miles we irritated the locals queued up behind us because I was riding 45 mph or slower in the corners until we got off that mess. I'm going to think about it for a few more days, but may put the new bikes up for sale. Seeing Wifeums off the road was pretty traumatic.

Jennifer handled the situation well, so it was a non-injury learning experience. How does she feel about continuing to ride?

Circa the winter of 1974, near Mt. Pinos at ~6,000 feet elevation, I watched my wife standup a 1972 175cc CT3 enduro on end and slide off the back, but hang onto the handle bars. It did not go over backwards, due to a small tail rack. She brought it to a stop to avoid hitting our 2 year old eldest daughter, playing in the snow, nearby. For a 5' 6", probably a ~120 pound (not sure about that, as she was expecting our #2 daughter) , 23 year old, I thought she did well, although the bike was only about 230# wet. She continued to ride, mainly in the Mojave Desert and never had another mishap.

Jennifer handled the situation well, so it was a non-injury learning experience. How does she feel about continuing to ride?

Circa the winter of 1974, near Mt. Pinos at ~6,000 feet elevation, I watched my wife standup a 1972 175cc CT3 enduro on end and slide off the back, but hang onto the handle bars. It did not go over backwards, due to a small tail rack. She brought it to a stop to avoid hitting our 2 year old eldest daughter, playing in the snow, nearby. For a 5' 6", probably a ~120 pound (not sure about that, as she was expecting our #2 daughter) , 23 year old, I thought she did well, although the bike was only about 230# wet. She continued to ride, mainly in the Mojave Desert and never had another mishap.
She's not worried about it. We stopped to rest about 40 miles later and I gave her some super-helpful pointers about picking your line through the snakes and staying to the inside of the corner to give yourself room to correct. But then 30 miles later we had a major butt-puckering experience for about 5 miles where I was terrified it would happen again (to either of us). She *loves* to ride and there would be major marriage-demerits if I sold our bikes. No divorce, just demerits.

 

[the Ferret]

I have had many oops or oh crap moments in 53 years of street riding, from sand, gravel, ice, tar snakes, speed wobbles while accelerating and decelerating, etc and I learned if you make it through the moment unscathed, forget about it and go on, because there are millions of moments of riding that are a pure joy. Just be cautious of things you KNOW will upset you/bike and continue enjoying the ride.

The absolute WORST tar snakes I have encountered have been in Indiana, I think they mix their tar with antifreeze or something lol. Stuff that gives you no traction at all.

 

[suhawk305]

Glad you are ok Jennifer. Rick, I had similar experiences where I slid off road, and it does get you thinking about continuing motorcycling. But I have a very short attention span and I forget that thought real fast.
Seriously, I hope you make the best decision that you both are comfortable with. On a selfish note, I hope you guys continue riding and attend future rallies, I really enjoyed spending time with you guys in Berea!

 

[Offroad]

Sure glad Jennifer is ok, she is a very smooth rider, I'm glad she kept it upright.
Saying she slid a foot before she got traction was exactly what I was wondering.
Options:
1.
If you just ride the slide out and prepare for the friction to grab again would that be the best option like motocross?
2.
Try to correct for the slide, counter steer, throttle on and maybe high siding when traction does grab?
3.
Get off the throttle and hit the brakes?
I'm sure there will be no time to think, just react....but doesn't hurt to think about it ahead of time.
In the mean time I will continue to pick my lines to avoid them.
Weird, in Indiana I have even felt them slip changing lanes on the interstate going 70+!