Dealing with tar snakes

[oaks]

Any tips on dealing with tar snakes? They're extra slippery around here with the arrival of summer. I slow down (to the annoyance of drivers around me) and go at them as straight-up as possible (making for some awkward, overly wide turns.) Just changing lanes on this road is an adventure of little micro-slides.

[youtubevid]r4C4kBxS0vw[/youtubevid]

 

[Motogiro]

As long as you're on a straight section of road they shouldn't cause a problem. I've hit them in a turn on a hot day and they'll cause a problem for sure.

 

[Yamma~Tiger]

Yeah, and try not to tense up... especially when the bike wiggles a little. relax, concentrate and take it easy.

 

[REO Scorpio]

I treat them just like those bridges that are like big cheese graters in the city: straight as possible, loosen the grip, and keep steady speed. When possible, that is...

Scorp

 

[iSteve]

These things can be a nightmare especially when you don't expect it. It takes many weeks after they put it down before you can ride on them at speed without sliding all over the place.

Last year I hit a stretch of road that they just finished. It was the slipperiest ride I ever experienced. I've been dirt biking for 35 years and many years ago would stud dirt bike tires and ride on frozen ponds. But fresh road snakes still top my list of most hazardous surface.

 

[Botch]

Drat that flat black crack crap!

 

[mrphotoman]

wow that video is crazy, i have never seen so many tar snakes. We really do not have them around here but we do have plenty of half @ssed road patches, pot holes and plenty of gravel in all the curves where the locals can not drive and run off the road constantly throwing gravel on the road.

 

[MHS]

Drat that flat black crack crap!

Say that five times fast.

I can't think of anywhere around here that has that many of them, so I can't imagine going over that - but I agree with steady speed and relaxed handle.

 

[gpostarmy]

Say that five times fast.

NO, tried to read it to my wife and barely got out a cohesive sentence.
Best thing to do, is to be aware of what you are riding on or what is coming up, and how to ride that surface. We all know that the surface quality of a road can change five times on the same street inside of a mile/ 1.6 kilometers. You are aware, you are ahead of the game. When I first started riding, NOBODY TOLD ME! I was riding with my permit and my friend who had his endorsement as per the law. I was taking a turn at a pretty good lean, and there goes the back tire. Luckily I had a dirt bike that I abused when I was a kid and the muscle memory was there to stay up, because the only thing going through my head was..... hey some people read this with their kids (self edit):Flip:

 

[oaks]

Thanks for the tips, guys. I'll try to use a lighter touch. Thankfully that is a fairly straight road and haven't encountered others like it. I only started riding last fall and this was a new experience. I've ridden that road many times in cooler weather and never felt a slip until it got hot recently.

First time it happened I was making a left turn at speed off that road and felt the front tire slide out a bit. I was checking the bike over with a torque wrench and tire pressure gauge before I realized what was going on.

This is on MD-176 between I-97 and Ridge Rd, on the south side of BWI Airport, btw. Ironically, right past a big State Highway Administration complex. :Flip: You know the tar snakes are bad when you can see them from space.

Aviation Blvd & Dorsey Rd, 5, MD to Dorsey Rd & Ridge Rd, Hanover, MD 21076 - Google Maps

Say that five times fast.

Toy boat. Toy boat. Toy boat.

 

[Cloggy]

Thanks for the tips, guys. I'll try to use a lighter touch. Thankfully that is a fairly straight road and haven't encountered others like it. I only started riding last fall and this was a new experience. I've ridden that road many times in cooler weather and never felt a slip until it got hot recently.

..........You know the tar snakes are bad when you can see them from space.

..........

Wow that road is unbelievable

I always try to avoid tar snakes, as you say they are worse in hot weather. We had an uncommonly hot day last Monday (above 30 degrees C) anyway due to road works my normal route was shut off, so I took the diversion. In the middle of one of the junctions there was a large recently laid tar snake, I turned left here and my back tyre slid a good foot it even left a streak in the road (I noticed the following day) .

Take it easy out there guys :thumbup:

 

[Esra]

Make sure you keep even pressure on the throttle and roll on during the turn.

If you chop the throttle the front will dive and you'll slide out.

These are slippery, but with a cracked open throttle you should have enough grip to make the turn easily.

 

[LERecords]

those are soo much fun up here.. especially when they are in the twisties....

 

[novaks47]

My commute takes me across those things everyday. The best part is, they're mostly on the tightest portion of HWY 84. I haven't had much trouble with them honestly, except a few times in the car, where the back end would come around after sliding on the dang things. I don't worry about them too much, as the rear tire is what will most likely loose grip, and it will only be momentary. I wouldn't attack them at full speed mind you, but I won't slow way down either.

 

[granda080]

Those are pretty common in Ohio. I treat them the same as gravel basically. I trust what Twist of the Wrist td me and stay steady on the throttle.

 

[iSteve]

They're not a big problem after they been down a few weeks. When they're fresh and it's hot they're crazy slippery. The oil in them will even stick to your tires.

 

[jrevans]

I've never had problems with tar snakes, but I suppose I've never hit a fresh one in a turn.

A bigger problem for me here in Pennsylvania, is when they "tar and chip" the road. They put down tar and cover it with fine gravel. Then they are supposed to roll it and sweep up the extra gravel. It's a cheap repair to extend the life of the road, but it's plain dangerous to motorcyclists. I'd really like to have the stuff outlawed.

Heck, they did a road on my commute to work two weeks ago, and I'm still avoiding it (riding two extra miles) as it's still squirrely in the loose gravel. And cagers don't seem to understand this and they ride your butt when you slow down for the stuff......

 

[novaks47]

I've never had problems with tar snakes, but I suppose I've never hit a fresh one in a turn.

A bigger problem for me here in Pennsylvania, is when they "tar and chip" the road. They put down tar and cover it with fine gravel. Then they are supposed to roll it and sweep up the extra gravel. It's a cheap repair to extend the life of the road, but it's plain dangerous to motorcyclists. I'd really like to have the stuff outlawed.

Heck, they did a road on my commute to work two weeks ago, and I'm still avoiding it (riding two extra miles) as it's still squirrely in the loose gravel. And cagers don't seem to understand this and they ride your butt when you slow down for the stuff......

Oh yeah, that stuff is the worst. Even in a car that stuff is terrible when it's first layed down. When I was fist learning to ride, that gravel was nearly my first accident! 3 way intersection, on some side streets. I was turning, and there where no cars around, so I went right down the middle of the intersection. The gravel had been worked in already, but there's always a small pile that never gets hit by cars and worked in, and good luck seeing it. The front tire washed out, and luckily I was going really slow, and was able to catch it, and throw myself upright. Scary though, especially as a new rider! They LOVE that gravel crap in San Jose. Glad I don't live there anymore, lol.

 

[iSteve]

I've never had problems with tar snakes, but I suppose I've never hit a fresh one in a turn.

A bigger problem for me here in Pennsylvania, is when they "tar and chip" the road. They put down tar and cover it with fine gravel. Then they are supposed to roll it and sweep up the extra gravel. It's a cheap repair to extend the life of the road, but it's plain dangerous to motorcyclists. I'd really like to have the stuff outlawed.

Heck, they did a road on my commute to work two weeks ago, and I'm still avoiding it (riding two extra miles) as it's still squirrely in the loose gravel. And cagers don't seem to understand this and they ride your butt when you slow down for the stuff......

Is that tar or just a oil. I've seen them do this with a big tanker truck with spray nozzles on the back. Seem to soften up the road and then they toss the gravel down. I also seen them use a sealer like stuff and drop down a small aggregate after.

 

[Botch]

Over the years I'm actually thinking tar snakes "feel" worse than they actually are; the bike wobbles but I'm betting tire/snake grib is actually higher than tire/asphalt; the snake will give a bit but shouldn't let go.
This is only a semi-educated opinion, and lawyer blah blah blah...

Something else to beware of with the "tar and chip": a small stone flew up and lodged in my radiator fan; the fuse failed (or, er, didn't fail) and my $300 fan burned out. Only unscheduled maintenance on my Fiz in almost 25,000 miles...