Its summer ! Open roads and scenic views. Its also cracks in the road and tar snakes. Those gummy, looking your little nephew squeezed a tube of toothpaste into a crack in the road and then allowed it to partially dry. Good times on a motorcycle. You will hit a snake though, eventually.
One minute your spacing out , looking at the bar you keep forgetting to stop at, and the next minute, your bike is jiggling like your riding on the Swiss Alps with an ice covered road underneath you. What the holy hell??
They look simple enough. The road is smooth and there is no traffic, but all of the sudden, you question even your basic motorcycle skills and life flashes in front of you in a 2 second blip.
Ok, maybe there is a bit of drama associated with this post, but be aware. The dreaded tar snake will show it’s self during your road trip and test your level of chill.
Size Matters
I small snake wont cause much of an issue. A larger snake though, that’s a different story. There is a dramatic shift in texture and traction. The tar could even sink by an inch or so depending on how deep the crack is. Your bike doesn’t want to flop over, but for a split second, you’ll be thinking otherwise.
Its during this moment that you must remain calm and not over react with too much tension on the bars, upper body rigidity, or erratic speed changes. With a panic response, your chances of wrecking go up significantly. Combine that with a corner and you have a recipe for one of those “solo-rider” accidents.
Check out my other post on staying relaxed on your bike!
So the next time you are out hanging with your buddies, ask them how big the snake was they hit today? If you’re lucky, they may even have stopped to grab a pic . Who doesn’t love an “S” pick.. Not likely to get you in any trouble at work either..
Ride safe , ride smart, and watch out for those snakes.
