When I geared up to go for a ride yesterday the outside temperature was 38 degrees and the sky was blue and getting sunny. I thought other than damp roads and cool temperature it should be a great day for a ride. While rolling the bike backwards out of the garage and down the steep incline of a driveway I feel an odd unsteadiness as my feet begin to slide slightly on the asphalt. In a heartbeat I recognized this as being black ice and I continued - very cautiously - to maneuver the 700+ lb. machine too the street and off the incline.
I dismounted and found the road too was glazed over with black ice after testing the surface using a technique that resembled "The Twist." Although above freezing, the cooler overnight temps and damp and foggy weather combined and caused lots of black ice, especially in the higher elevations like where I live – and in the direction we would be headed. I left the C14 at the end of the driveway and waited 30 minutes allowing the roads to defrost.
Once under way we diligently watched road conditions, knowing that any surface that appeared damp and in a shady area might be black ice. When we approached dubious road conditions we rode slower than normal with minimal lean angle, keeping our rides as upright as possible. I periodically monitored the outside temperature displayed on my console to know if we hit any place where the air temperature may be unexpectedly cooler. As the sun got stronger the temps increased slowly, the roads began to dry, and the “pucker factor” began to subside.
I dismounted and found the road too was glazed over with black ice after testing the surface using a technique that resembled "The Twist." Although above freezing, the cooler overnight temps and damp and foggy weather combined and caused lots of black ice, especially in the higher elevations like where I live – and in the direction we would be headed. I left the C14 at the end of the driveway and waited 30 minutes allowing the roads to defrost.
Once under way we diligently watched road conditions, knowing that any surface that appeared damp and in a shady area might be black ice. When we approached dubious road conditions we rode slower than normal with minimal lean angle, keeping our rides as upright as possible. I periodically monitored the outside temperature displayed on my console to know if we hit any place where the air temperature may be unexpectedly cooler. As the sun got stronger the temps increased slowly, the roads began to dry, and the “pucker factor” began to subside.
I know yours is silver!