Kawasaki KLR Forum banner

How to handle uneven lane changes

3K views 12 replies 8 participants last post by  grasshopper green 
#1 ·
Hello All,
Complete newbie question. I was riding my KLR from Flagger Beach back to St Augustine last night and came upon a slow moving car. They were repaving one side of the road so there was that dreaded uneven lane height going on.

I so wanted to pass but honestly had no clue what the bike would do crossing down to the lower road then back up to the higher part once I passed the car.

So I just coasted behind grandpa for a few miles until the road finally evened back out.

My question is How do you handle such situations? Im a new rider and this never came up in the MSF course.

Thanks in advance.
 
#2 ·
Cross it at as wide an angle as possible.

I move to the far side of the lane and attack the bump, actively turning into it. I find that it helps to have a bit of lean going for you.

Dropping down is not a problem, it's the riding back up over the bump that will fight the tire.

There's nothing wrong with taking Grampa's six for a few miles, either.

T
 
#3 ·
Tom is spot on as usual. No harm in cruising. Going down=easy. Anytime you need to go "up" while not moving in a straight line you want to hit it as close to perpendicular as you can. So, Tom's swoop and change is a good call.

Yes, I realize I just said what Tom said. I just wanted to know if I could spell perpendicular. I can't. Thanks spell check.

PS - I'd find a big open parking lot and try to create some scenarios you encounter. Practice until you feel a little more comfortable. :)
 
#4 ·
Stand up on the pegs, slow down a bit, hit it as much "head on" as you can.

In short, treat it as if you were riding off-road. It's what a KLR is made for.

On a side note, I was coming up from Baja this weekend. I hit a stretch of highway between Ensenada and Tijuana that is ripped up; it's an earthquake zone and the San Andreas Fault runs right through it. The area is constantly torn up.

I always smile and rip over it at 65 MPH as if I was riding the Dakkar.

You'd be surprised what this bike will do if you let it.

Good post.
 
#6 ·
Oh, and it would help if you had Scrapper and Cap'n Inappropriate riding right behind you. "Just in case" said pegs fell off.

But I mean, how often does THAT really happen?
 
#7 ·
I'm not altogether sure that a brand new rider should be standing up on the pegs at freeway speeds.

That's a skill best learned off-road at lower speeds, then built up to higher speeds and progressively more challenging situations. First standing up and going in a straight line, learning throttle control on the transition from sitting to standing, then going on to standing and maneuvering.

The issues of throttle control and steering involved that might be considered a more intermediate skill, especially at highway speeds.

T
 
#10 ·
Best to just don't do that but if you have to attack it like Tom Schmitz suggested. I had a situation on my Goldwing like that. Was behind a dump truck and when an opportunity to pass came up I took it, about the time I got beside the truck suddenly there was a 4" slab of new pavement on the right lane. By then I was doing at least 80 and my choices were slow down significantly, let the truck pass and swing left and hit the rise at a sharp angle or, I could see the other end of it about 1/8 mile away but there were cars coming the other way. I did some quick figuring and nailed it and got past the new asphalt just in time. Don't know how fast I was going by then but way past the looking at the speedometer speed. An 1800 wing will haul a$$ in case you are wondering.
 
#11 ·
An 1800 Wing? Nailed it at about 80? For an eighth of a mile? You were well into three digits ;^).

T
 
#12 ·
A few years ago, in Vermont just after roads were washed out, I was riding a gravel road on my GL1800 Wing. I Came up behind a grader that was leaving a foot wide, and 3 - 4 " high trail of loose gravel down the left side of road. There was about 3 feet (wide) section of clear road to the left of that loose gravel berm. I was able to cross it ( from right to left ) and pass the grader on that 3 foot section of flat road.

As mentioned above, just take it at as sharp an angle as possible, and hold the bars tight, don't let the front wheel pull you. Keep your power constant, shifting down may help as well. Slight force on the foot pegs, ( just slightly lift your butt off the seat.) will give you lower center of gravity.

As mentioned above, a KLR can take on some rough ground. Find a grassy field and practice. If you drop the bike, less chance of hurting yourself.
There's no better way to get good at handling a bike than riding off road, or gravel roads. Pay particular attention to what ever surface you're riding on, and learn to adjust your techniques accordingly.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top