Road Hazards

Motorcycle riders, especially Learners, need to be more aware of road surface conditions than drivers. What normally wouldn't be an issue for car drivers often is a big issue for motorcycle riders. Bikes simply have far less available traction than cars.

You wouldn't think twice about driving in your car through a corner with loose gravel on it. But approaching that same corner on your motorcycle without taking the precautions would see you lose traction and come off.

Scan the road surface

As in the Rider's Mindset section, constantly scanning your environment even includes scanning the surface of the road. Just keeping an eye on any changes in colour and texture of the road will help you adjust your riding to suit the surface.

Some examples of road surfaces that affect riders:

• Wet roads - caution is needed for any vehicle when driving or riding in the wet. These conditions can affect your braking, acceleration and especially cornering.
• Potholes – hitting one of these at speed on a bike will often jar the front wheel violently, threatening to throw the rider off or damage the wheel.
• Painted lane markings (including bicycle lanes) – these often become quite slippery in the wet.
• Gravel – gravel (to varying degrees) on a normal bitumen road can reduce your traction greatly, becoming very dangerous on corners, risking a slide-out.
• Slick Surfaces – like polished concrete floors of car parks provide far less grip for your tyres, especially when using the front brake.
• Ice – This is far worse than wet roads, especially black ice, which can appear invisible to the eye.

In the wet

Learner motorcycle riders will quickly realise surfaces get slippery when wet. Reducing your speed, braking smoothly and keeping the bike more upright on corners, is a good way to ensure safe riding in the wet.

Gravel

Gravel acts like little marbles. When they get under your tyres they can lift the rubber off the road surface, significantly reducing traction. This applies to mud, sand and dirt, too. Keep an eye out for hot-spots on the road, like construction areas.

Corners

Corners put your tyre traction under stress, increasing the chances of losing control. Potholes, uneven surfaces, gravel, oil, water or other hazards on a corner make things far more dangerous for the rider than on a straight road.

Curbs and surface edges

Raised edges, or even small grooves, in the lane can be very hazardous to bike riders. Keep an eye out for them, especially at road works. They can also commonly appear at road shoulders and even on normal-looking roads.

 

LEARNERS - What you can do

The number one thing to keep in mind is to conserve your traction.

Techniques often used include:

• Reducing your speed – The slower the speed, the less the demands on the traction of the bike, especially on corners.
• Keeping the bike as perpendicular as possible to the road surface in some situations, like in the wet.
• Avoiding the surface – Sometimes, the rider can safely choose to avoid the surface hazard. This could include gravel patches, and debris in the lane.