Close Call...High Side Part II

A couple of weeks ago on a ride, Scot got really close to high siding his dual sport bike (Close Call...High Side). After going over it many times, we could not figure out HOW that almost happened. We have driven these roads so many times without incident. So we decided to find the answer by returning to the scene of the crime.

Last Saturday was a VERY nice day so we headed out and one of the routes we planned to ride was the same route that almost took my bike out. I have the GoPro and was recording the ride (just in case something exciting happens). When we got to the area where I knew it happened, I had Kirk drive first so it could be filmed.

We rode through the winding roads and we knew what we were looking for. And then it happened again (but not as bad). Kirk hit that same spot and felt the bike move/slide. We purposely were driving slow (ie: no leaning hard on the turns) and it paid off. Here is what it looked like on film. We turned around to make a second pass (to film it) and also point out how hard it is to see the loose gravel on this speckled type of asphalt surface.

The video slows down and as Kirk drags his foot, you can see the tiny gravel get kicked up. The speed limit is 45mph. The surface of the road is not smooth and it was very hard to detect with the naked eye. So now I know why it happened. But how to prevent this in the future?

I am not sure if anyone can prevent this from happening at any time, but it points out the fact that you MUST always be observant. Notice how the roads turns to the right. Since the road is not very wide, it looks like cars, trucks, and/or trailers slide off the road onto the shoulder regularly (you can tell by rut just off the asphalt). When they go off the road, gravel and dirt get kicked up on the road. Lesson learned: when approaching a corner, look for items on the road but also pay attention to the shoulder.