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Anyone go down in a construction zone?

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That's a big fear of mine. Cone zones are already a huge irritation for me since they always seem to fix what isn't broken and leave what needs repaired to rot.

Anyway, I have come close a few times. I guess I just suck at riding on dirt. Anyone with any experience to share?
 
Yes, and the memory still ticks me off.

I had just installed new tires and decided to take the bike out for a quick scrub-in ride. It was dark out and I was turning a lot of corners in my neighborhood to get them scuffed up a bit.

I made a turn, nothing aggressive at all (I know that new tires can be slippery until they're broken in) and the bike just flew out from under me. I got up and picked the bike up. Then I realized that I was in an unmarked construction area in an unlit intersection. There was loose dirt spread all over the blacktop. That's what causd me to go down.

I called the local municipal office the next morning and gave them a piece of my mind. That night on the way home I saw they had all the construction markers out.
 
Road crew temporary fixes are not mc friendly that's for sure . Down here every road is always under construction or at least coned up to look that way .
 
IIRC, one of us actually had gone down in a construction zone. But I don't remember who or how long ago it was. I think there was a shoulder or curb involved with it. I guess we could read all these CDA threads to find it. Sooner of later it would pop up. 
 
Riding on a loose surface is onenof those special situation riders may have to deal with. Look well ahead to identify any hazards coming up. Slow down, and stay upright without sudden change in speed or direction.

Wouldn't going down like this be a crash, not a CDA? Maybe this is a safety topic.
 
S Smith said:
Riding on a loose surface is onenof those special situation riders may have to deal with. Look well ahead to identify any hazards coming up. Slow down, and stay upright without sudden change in speed or direction.

Wouldn't going down like this be a crash, not a CDA? Maybe this is a safety topic.
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Good point.  Yes I agree. So over to safety we go.  :motonoises:
 
The trouble with large highway construction zones is the lack of escape routes for the cagers behind us if we do go down. Even when the zones are relatively two wheel friendly, there is rarely any shoulder or extra room on the sides to escape an obstacle (us) and mentally for the cager/truck behind us it will occur to them that they should have just turned into the plastic drum barricades after they've bounced over us with their brakes locked.
The reduced speed tends to bunch up the traffic and actually make people decide that now is a good time to make that phone call or unwrap that sandwich.
So when you are in a construction zone, don't be like everyone else: Annoyed by the whole thing slowing down your trip.
You should be a little bit scared, and extra cautious, as it could be the end of your trip.
 
I haven't gotten a C14 yet but I guess this is a good place to ask - Is the C14 a handful in loose construction zones?  My blackbird gives me enough of a headache.
 
It may be a little bit of a handful. It's a big heavy bike which is top heavy at slow speeds. So yes I would use caution riding in construction zones. But I would use caution on any bike in a construction zone. The C14 may require a little more caution than a Ninja 250. But probably less than a GoldWing. But it's that way in maneuvering and of these bikes at slow speeds. It's beneficial to get use to and familiarize yourself with the bike a bit before venturing into more demanding situations (if possible).
 
This happened a few years back and I didn't actually go down, but it sure was both hairy and painful...

I was merging onto I-75 northbound from I-4 eastbound in Tampa.  There was plenty of room with moderate traffic in the lane I was about to merge into.

You know those orange and white barrels they place in construction zones?  The air blast from a semi knocked one over and sent it rolling into my path.  I almost missed it, but clipped my left foot as I scooted around it to the right.  Thought I broke my foot, though the bike wasn't actually damaged.  Glad I was wearing my boots!

Yet another sphincter-clenching moment from which I emerged essentially unscathed.  I really did have a long long run of good luck before May 21st.
 
Here in my area, every year roads are "chip sealed" where the pour about 1/2 inch of pea gravel on the roads, let folks drive on it to "cure" it into the asphalt, then sometimes sweep away excess. It is suposed to help, but for about 2 weeks every year, I drive my cage if they are "fixing" my road to work. This stuff not only is hard to ride on, think marbles on top of cement, but it kicks up like crazy and scratches the heck out of everything including helmet visors.

I went down on my old Ninja due to their lack of cleanup.
 
Brian said:
Here in my area, every year roads are "chip sealed" where the pour about 1/2 inch of pea gravel on the roads, let folks drive on it to "cure" it into the asphalt, then sometimes sweep away excess. It is suposed to help, but for about 2 weeks every year, I drive my cage if they are "fixing" my road to work. This stuff not only is hard to ride on, think marbles on top of cement, but it kicks up like crazy and scratches the heck out of everything including helmet visors.

I went down on my old Ninja due to their lack of cleanup.
Click to expand...

They've been doing that around here as well. This year it seems like they've put it into overdrive; on just about every ride I come across another road that's been sealed. Riding on that stuff scares the be-jeebers out of me.
 
They chip seal most rural roads in PA and I agree with the other posts.  Entire roads are bad enough, but sometimes they chip seal small patches and you can cross an unexpected fresh patch job in a turn with absolutely no warning.   Loose stones and fresh oil can lead to a disaster.  
 
It's not too bad after a few days. But boy can it be treacherous that first day when your riding on a bed of gravel.
 
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