Are Road Surfaces Getting More Slippery

[smedly]

mate trust me when I say this - I would have no problem at all keeping up with you on your 650, the difference here is whether I would choose to put myself at risk to do so and a public road is not a race track - it deserves respect and a lot of caution, I actually prefer seeing you ride well in front of me

as for leather and racing, I come from the home of road racing - yes just like the TT, leathers are good on tracks as there is nothing to hit when you and your ride part company apart from other riders and bikes and if you look back to a recent tragic accident you will notice it was a collision with another bike that caused the fatal injury, tracks are generally safe places to race and if I was on a track here I'd be wearing full gear, now equate that to a public road and you have the picture, leather will not save your life - hitting a solid object at 160kmph or even 50kmph you are not going to survive

[smedly]

Oh, all you great track riders and all you fast street riders. Cornering with 240kmh on public thai streets. Respect! But i hope i will never meet you guys on the street. And i really hope you will not kill anyone

Since I started doing trackdays I've lost the desire to go fast on public roads. That's why I hardly ride my street blade and I'm waiting to buy a more practical bike for Thailand, a mortard.

very interesting idea, it does have merit

[smedly]

you made my point for me, tell you what, put on all your gear and go to the 3rd floor of a condo building and jump, write back here and us know how you got on, that would prob equate to about 30kmph, don't worry your magic leather suit will save you from injury.

and my last comment on the subject, this thread is about slippery in roads in Thailand at the moment, if you want to start your own thread about the merits of leathers then feel free to start your own thread mate.

Edited January 4, 2012 by smedly

[thaicbr]

I have to say.. if the roads are slippery then i would rather ride safely with a leather motorcycle jacket ,gloves and decent helmet than without.

Or with substandard kit. Especially if i was riding a big heavy superbike..

And i have been down and the kit HAS protected me so i know what i'm talking about.

But hey each to their own... And yes the roads are slipperier at the moment.

here in nakhon pathom we actually had a 20 minute rain storm about 3.15pm today

[arnoldjr]

I'm not saying that leathers will save you from a head on collision with a big rig. I'm just saying that I would prefer to wear gear when I ride. Not every crash means 200kmh into a wall. More than likely you're gonna low side or have to drop it to avoid a collision and that's when gear will save you, i.e. sliding down the road. But to each his own. I hear skin grafts are a lot of fun.

[smedly]

agree 100%, I am definetly not saying to anyone here not to wear leathers and a spine protector, it will save you a lot of skin should you be unfortunate to have a spill, it will NOT save your life if you hit a hard object, I choose to limit my risk by not riding like a maniac and inviting disaster on public roads, it's a risk I take by not wearing leather offset by my riding style, that is my choice right now although I am in the market for some gear at the moment but that is my choice and no-one elses. But I am under no illusion that it will magically save me from sudden impact and nobody else should be either.

[William Osborne]

I actually run 2x types of tyre on my bike, I have a soft compound diablo on the front and the BT23 on the rear, this combo works extremely well for me, Tyres actually have oil in their compound and can make for a very slippery surface if not given the chance to wash away

Always a good idea to run different manufactuers and mix compounds ...especially between sport touring and sport compounds

[KRS1]

Just wondering what the temperatures are like where everyone lives.

Cooler up here in CNX since it got slippery about a month ago. Had 3 friends asking me where to buy tires already. Even these Michelins are feeling like IRC's down the mountains.

In the US, gas stations start stocking winter fuel formulations to prevent fuel from gelatizing. I know its no where near as cold in LOS, but i wonder if the formulation is changed during winter time do to cool weather, more power and less profit. Cooler weather is more dense so i wonder if its combining with the exhaust emissions and dropping to the ground.

With all the extra rain this year maybe its more humid than usual as the water evaporates and seeps back up from the ground for a longer duration ?

Just a thought.

[arnoldjr]

I actually run 2x types of tyre on my bike, I have a soft compound diablo on the front and the BT23 on the rear, this combo works extremely well for me, Tyres actually have oil in their compound and can make for a very slippery surface if not given the chance to wash away

Always a good idea to run different manufactuers and mix compounds ...especially between sport touring and sport compounds

Finally someone giving some useful advice.

[Kwasaki]

Tell you what, I'm not going to take this thread down the usual rathole that happens on TV

Hey this is what you wrote on post #22.....those "idiots" as you said, thata our group.

we are pro drivers man, ducatis and R'1s full speed

...and for BigMouthBKK tony, if you ever want to join our group, pls do, its easy mate

Drive a bike that's interesting for a pro, at least Tony rides his bike.

I actually run 2x types of tyre on my bike, I have a soft compound diablo on the front and the BT23 on the rear, this combo works extremely well for me, Tyres actually have oil in their compound and can make for a very slippery surface if not given the chance to wash away

Always a good idea to run different manufactuers and mix compounds ...especially between sport touring and sport compounds

Finally someone giving some useful advice.

Quite right too !!

Whatever you do, do not mix and match tyres, particularly tyres of a difference in construction (radial vs. bias) and even tyres of the same construction from two different manufacturers.

Edited February 8, 2012 by Rimmer
Personal name removed

[smedly]

Guys we all have our views on what is safe and what is not on public roads, I just happen to have my own thoughts on the matter as do all of us, what might be acceptable to you may not be acceptable to me - that is how it is, every time you take to the road on a bike you put yourself at risk, the risk mostly comes from other road users, I reduce that risk by my riding style and what I am or am not willing to do, each to their own I guess, just be safe out there

I'm not sure how you define the phrase "Pro Driver" I suspect that I would have a very different definition than some on here but that is up to me, when riders I'm with decide to use the public road as a race track - that is where I part company.

[metisdead]

An insulting post and replies have been removed, a post containing profanity has been removed as well.

[karlos]

I'm no Moderator, but i think this thread should be locked if it strays any further off topic....

Edited January 5, 2012 by karlos

[metisdead]

I noticed that the topic has been drifting off topic and as suggested if it continues "drifting" off topic will soon to be closed. The topic is about :

Are Road Surfaces Getting More Slippery: rear wheel spin

[William Osborne]

I'm no Moderator, ...

Nail .. on head... so no need for your opinions regarding locking topics especially when its not even your thread

Anyway, back on topic, i have been riding around Pattaya for about 14 years and , no , i don't think roads are getting slippery . Think roads are getting better every year.. tbh

[smedly]

well yes mate but we're prob talking about roads beyond the city limit of patters, nothing much changed here regarding the roads lol, although I do think the general quality of driving here has gone down hill due to the increase in population and heavy traffic to the point where it makes Bangkok easy going - but I guess that could be another topic

[karlos]

I'm no Moderator, ...

Nail .. on head... so no need for your opinions regarding locking topics especially when its not even your thread