Gravel - frequently encountered and seldom discussed...

[Bill-RST1000]

I'm curious as to how other sportbike riders handle it... the last 1/4 mile to my house is a bit curvy and a mix of dirt and gravel, so is my driveway. Reducing speed and riding straight up has kept me out of trouble but last year my dog decided to play "suicide rabbit" right in front of me on my driveway. To avoid the dog I grabbed full front brake which caused me to go down real quick. After repairing the bike I've been experimenting how I could have done it better and here's what I've found...

Full front brake causes a front tire skid with ineffectual steering and an unpredictable direction of travel.
Full rear brake causes a rear tire skid with a more predictable direction of travel however the ass end usually comes around.
Applying heavier rear brake action and limited front brake seemed to be the best to stop or control the bike in a gravel section while minimizing the angle of the bike.

Suggestions and techniques are welcome because even in summer I've seen gravel wash onto the road from the high side of curves and driveways.

[pilot]

A little bit of dirt-bike, dual-sport riding off road goes a long way toward using proper technique when a street bike encounters gravel/limited traction conditions on the road. There are several riding camps around the front range that cover these things very well.

Personally, I've always enjoyed the little bit of dirt and gravel on State Hwy 67 between Deckers and Sedalia. Pretty much every street rider that rode on it said, yah, not much "fun" but it sure did show them how the bike handles in limited tractions conditions. Of course, the first thing you have to deal with is saying to yourself that you can "handle" it if something happens to you and or your bike.

[pauliep]

Dean told me once how he used to intentionally go through gravel and lose traction to dispel the pucker factor your normally get. Once you can handle it and not freak, you're able to react properly.

[Slo]

As far as braking goes, you will never catch me with more than one or two fingers over the front brake lever. You will almost never catch me even in the street without at least one finger over the brake lever either.

As far as gravel goes, with my limited use of gravel roads, I tend to just sit straight up and just like in rain, never do anything sporadic. Braking, well I stay very light (one finger) on the front brakes if they are needed. Just my $.02

[pilot]

Recently, several of us road from Grant (Hwy 285) to Georgetown (I-70) That was like 35 miles of BAD road and great training. Tons of gravel, washboards, potholes, sand piles. etc. Not for everyone though.

Agreed on the Dean method. Conditioning is the key. Ever seen a racer loosen up the back end and come out of it clean. They are exercising their muscle memory and doing what they have trained themselves to do at such times.

Repsol can add two cents here. We, Ty, Patrick and myself, went through a nice big patch of sand at speed. We were traveling up hill just to the south of the hamlet s/e of pine (you know, where the speed goes from 25 back up to 50ish) and toward the top of that hill in a right hand sweeper there was a wash-out of gravel that was all the way across the road and 10 feet wide. I went through it without flinching, and they did the same. Sure, they saw it and wondered for a moment, but when they saw the lead bike roll right through, they kept it steady.

[Ricky]

As far as braking goes, you will never catch me with more than one or two fingers over the front brake lever. You will almost never catch me even in the street without at least one finger over the brake lever either.

As far as gravel goes, with my limited use of gravel roads, I tend to just sit straight up and just like in rain, never do anything sporadic. Braking, well I stay very light (one finger) on the front brakes if they are needed. Just my $.02

Funny, that's something my MSF instructor got ALL over my ass for. Kept telling me "Either all fingers or none, even if you're just covering it" To me that was a habit I developed from mountain biking because you never take all four fingers off the bars cause that hand won't stay there long.

[Mista Black]

learn to slide and not freak out as stated... but ABS is nice too

[pilot]

Funny, that's something my MSF instructor got ALL over my ass for. Kept telling me "Either all fingers or none, even if you're just covering it" To me that was a habit I developed from mountain biking because you never take all four fingers off the bars cause that hand won't stay there long.

Instruction provided for the Basic Rider Course (I'm not an instructor for that--yet) does teach that method. But they are teaching that for beginner riders that are trying to learn how to use a brake for the first time. Experienced riding tech is different and more complex. The stopping power of a GSXR can be quite dramatic. Grabbing a handful of brake can cause some fast things to happen. Alls one needs to do is try a buddy's bike out for a bit and see how different rides brake differently.

learn to slide and not freak out as stated... but ABS is nice too

ABS/linked systems are a charm, for some, not all. I recently rode a linked Interceptor and that bike stopped quickly and with less nose-dive than would the same bike with non-link. That being said, some riders never use their rear brake.

[Mista Black]

Mine aren't linked but they are ABS... I would not them linked. I do use both and there are times I DON'T want both brakes applied (on wet grass at a bike rally comes to mind....)