The Mechanic
Guest
So we now have to endure grit and salt thrown about at random, (usually its the councillors roads that get done first) in some sort of futile attempt to stop people sliding about on the frost and ice.
We KNOW its cold therefore we should EXPECT ice and act accordingly, great piles of grit and salt can be almost as slippery and just as dangerous as the ice itself to two wheeled transport.
Before people say I'm a fair weather rider I will tell that I have ridden in blizzards, some so bad that the only way to locate the road was to nudge the kerb with the front wheel, and no amount of grit and salt would have helped.
My point is that just because the gritters have been out it doesn't mean that we can carry on travelling at our normal road speeds a.k. Mr Car driver, so it is we get lulled into a false sense of security and forget to be extra careful - then we go down...hard.
In some other countries they don't put anything down to counter the ice, figuring that common sense should prevail and most vehicle drivers and riders will take the necessary precautions and slow right down or not travel on the roads. I know this is essential for most of us - me included - but I sometimes wonder at the sense of some road users when thay insist on maintaining as higher road speed as possible.
After my rant here's a tip (its also in the BMW hand book) do not wash off your machine with warm or hot water, this just activates the salt more. Use only COLD water to wash off the salt.
We KNOW its cold therefore we should EXPECT ice and act accordingly, great piles of grit and salt can be almost as slippery and just as dangerous as the ice itself to two wheeled transport.
Before people say I'm a fair weather rider I will tell that I have ridden in blizzards, some so bad that the only way to locate the road was to nudge the kerb with the front wheel, and no amount of grit and salt would have helped.
My point is that just because the gritters have been out it doesn't mean that we can carry on travelling at our normal road speeds a.k. Mr Car driver, so it is we get lulled into a false sense of security and forget to be extra careful - then we go down...hard.
In some other countries they don't put anything down to counter the ice, figuring that common sense should prevail and most vehicle drivers and riders will take the necessary precautions and slow right down or not travel on the roads. I know this is essential for most of us - me included - but I sometimes wonder at the sense of some road users when thay insist on maintaining as higher road speed as possible.
After my rant here's a tip (its also in the BMW hand book) do not wash off your machine with warm or hot water, this just activates the salt more. Use only COLD water to wash off the salt.
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