Riders!!!! Caution!!!!! Oil Slick!!!!

[glhs837]

Right at 235 shangri-la, as you turn. Someone spilled some fluid, gas, diesel, oil, not sure what, except it gives the asphalt the traction coefficient of teflon. Ask me and my freshly scratched up ride how I know. Trail leads south on Willows, couldt follow too far.

Oh, and to the corvette driver who whipped a u turn to come help me, thanks man.

 

[itsbob]

Right at 235 shangri-la, as you turn. Someone spilled some fluid, gas, diesel, oil, not sure what, except it gives the asphalt the traction coefficient of teflon. Ask me and my freshly scratched up ride how I know. Trail leads south on Willows, couldt follow too far.

Oh, and to the corvette driver who whipped a u turn to come help me, thanks man.

Thanks for the heads up.. I'll be going that way tomorrow.

 

[aps45819]

Thanks for the heads up.. I'll be going that way tomorrow.

60% chance of rain tomorrow, take 4 wheels

 

[twinoaks207]

Maybe this is a stupid comment and if so, please forgive me, as it's not my intent to be a smartazz. Were the police contacted & told about it? There is some sort of something that they can put down to soak that stuff up so no one else gets hurt. I'm glad that someone stopped to help you and putting it out here on the forums is a wonderful way to notify people about the possibility of a dangerous situation.

Sorry you and your ride got all scratched up!

 

[Star_Rider]

Not sure if you've reported it or not but here are some way you can

TO SUBMIT A SERVICE REQUEST:
Customer Service is very important to SHA. With a few exceptions, SHA owns and maintains all non-toll roads in Maryland that have a number as well as a name, such as I-495 (Capital Beltway), MD 355 (Rockville Pike) and US 40 (Baltimore National Pike), except those in Baltimore City. Roads without a number are maintained by the county or municipality. Toll roads (including I-95, the Bay Bridge, Fort McHenry Tunnel) are owned and maintained by the Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA).

• Submit a concern/issue involving a State route using SHA's Service Request Form.
• Request an Update on My Service Request
• Click here to view the phone number or address of an office or maintenance shop
• View the County Roads Department contact numbers.

SHA’s online Customer Service system is monitored 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday (excluding State observed holidays and service reduction days).

Contact Communications@sha.state.md.us only if you experience a problem using the Service Request form.

For more information about the Maryland SafeZones automated speed enforcement program:
visit Automated Speed Enforcement in Work Zones
email WZASE@sha.state.md.us
or call toll-free at 1-888-963-0307.

Thanks for the heads up and glad you made it through with only a few scrapes

 

[itsbob]

I'd guess you were wearing more than shorts and a wife beater??

 

[glhs837]

Yep, called State Police dispatch on my way to get my shoulder x-rayed. Bob, had hard soles, jeans and my Tourmaster mesh jacket. Took no abrasive damage, jacket shows a slight tear over the right elbow armor. Right knee has a slight red mark, less than a rugv burn. Jeans have a stain from whatever petrochemical was soaking the pavement.

I suspect maybe a boat with a loose or missing gas cap?

 

[itsbob]

Yep, called State Police dispatch on my way to get my shoulder x-rayed. Bob, had hard soles, jeans and my Tourmaster mesh jacket. Took no abrasive damage, jacket shows a slight tear over the right elbow armor. Right knee has a slight red mark, less than a rugv burn. Jeans have a stain from whatever petrochemical was soaking the pavement.

I suspect maybe a boat with a loose or missing gas cap?

Sucks about the bike, but great you got to walk away.

 

[glhs837]

[YQUOTE=itsbob;4294111]Sucks about the bike, but great you got to walk away.[/QUOTE]

Yeah. Got one side of the fairing scratched to hell, handlebar bent, along with the brake pedal. Saw the wetness, slowed to account for that, you know at the end of the long week end, lots of folks bringing water toys home. Didn't figure on it being as slick as a San Fransisco road on the first fall rain. First input on the steering, back just went. That gut wrenching split second between that and impact was intersting. As was the call home..."honeyiwentdownonthebikebutimokay". She just now asked if I had any nervousness about getting right back on. Really didn't occur to me. A quick lap aroud the parking lot for control checks was it.

 

[glhs837]

Bumped for Larry....

And a quick update. Insurance (Progressive through USAA) was fantastic. Not long after crash, adjuster comes to house, we idnetify parts that need replaced or repaired, use a computer in his car to figures prices, asks me I concur, gives me info on who they have used in the past for repairs, cuts me a check right there. Shoulder is okay. Oh, and they bought me a new Tourmaster Intake.

 

[Larry Gude]

Bumped for Larry....

And a quick update. Insurance (Progressive through USAA) was fantastic. Not long after crash, adjuster comes to house, we idnetify parts that need replaced or repaired, use a computer in his car to figures prices, asks me I concur, gives me info on who they have used in the past for repairs, cuts me a check right there. Shoulder is okay. Oh, and they bought me a new Tourmaster Intake.

 

[Larry Gude]

Is this recoverable? Anyone ever hit a slick and make it?

 

[Pushrod]

Is this recoverable? Anyone ever hit a slick and make it?

Not so much a slick, but I came around a corner on a downhill dip a few years back on I-95 NB in Richmond after a heavy rain, I was doing about 65 and the roadway ahead of me had about 6 inches of water in it with cars piled up into the jersy wall from hydroplaning around the curve. I hit it as straight and upright as I could and somehow made it through to the otherside upright. That got the ol' adrenaline rushing. That was on my old '98 Road King, it was a good bike.

 

[Larry Gude]

Not so much a slick, but I came around a corner on a downhill dip a few years back on I-95 NB in Richmond after a heavy rain, I was doing about 65 and the roadway ahead of me had about 6 inches of water in it with cars piled up into the jersy wall from hydroplaning around the curve. I hit it as straight and upright as I could and somehow made it through to the otherside upright. That got the ol' adrenaline rushing. That was on my old '98 Road King, it was a good bike.

That is another one that occured to me a week or so ago as I was riding home in a steady rain!.

You said "As upright as I could..." does that mean you were a little not upright? What happened? Walk me through it! I wanna learn, preferably as much as I can from other peoples experiences.

 

[glhs837]

Low grip in a straight, if ya just keep your control inputs from going too far, you can make it. If you hit it after you have initiated a turn, odds are low. My saving grace was that it was a straight tight 90. In the masp linked, I was turning from Three Notch Road southbound onto Shangri-La. So my speed was low. After talking to a boating coworker about it, he mentioned some boaters will let the bilges drain on the way home.

Google Maps

 

[Pushrod]

That is another one that occured to me a week or so ago as I was riding home in a steady rain!.

You said "As upright as I could..." does that mean you were a little not upright? What happened? Walk me through it! I wanna learn, preferably as much as I can from other peoples experiences.

This was a turn in a highway and I couldn't see the condition of the road until the hazard was there in front of me. Normally around a curve the bike is leaning, I tried to pick a bee-line around the curve without hitting the jersey wall between the NB and SB lanes, to make the curve I still had to a little bit of lean, it was a trade off. I didn't want the bikes tires to loose traction and slip out from under me at that speed, so upright as possible in a straight line was my only recourse.
Of course, all of this happened in a fraction of a second.
When I was a member of a motorcycle club riding long distances in large groups, you learned to refine your response times until it was mostly muscle memory.

 

[GWguy]

Is this recoverable? Anyone ever hit a slick and make it?

Yes, and to this day I have no idea how.

I was maybe 17, riding a Honda CB-160. Car approaching me, puddle in the road between us on a narrow, wet, unmarked road. We move slightly to the right for each other. The front wheel on the bike just broke loose before I hit the puddle, quickly going down. In that instant I realized that if I fell, I would be directly in the path of the car. Absolutely instinctively with no thought whatever, I stuck my leg out and slapped the ground as hard as I could with my foot. The bike stood up and continued in a straight line.

I attribute that save to all the years of dirt riding. Definitely not something they might teach you in bike course, and not something that would work on a 900 pound bike.

 

[sanchezf]

Whoo glad to hear you are ok.

I just got my license and have got caught in the rain twice and thats a little scary being new. Also two weeks ago I went over grates (on a bridge) for the first time, my whole back end fish taled, but I kept it up straight. That was a new experience. I am sure I'll run into more as I go along...

 

[Larry Gude]

Yes, and to this day I have no idea how.

I was maybe 17, riding a Honda CB-160. Car approaching me, puddle in the road between us on a narrow, wet, unmarked road. We move slightly to the right for each other. The front wheel on the bike just broke loose before I hit the puddle, quickly going down. In that instant I realized that if I fell, I would be directly in the path of the car. Absolutely instinctively with no thought whatever, I stuck my leg out and slapped the ground as hard as I could with my foot. The bike stood up and continued in a straight line.

I attribute that save to all the years of dirt riding. Definitely not something they might teach you in bike course, and not something that would work on a 900 pound bike.

Ok, so, the foot stabilized you enough for the rear to get through the slick and then find traction or the slick just kept going and this was a miracle?

 

[Larry Gude]

Whoo glad to hear you are ok.

I just got my license and have got caught in the rain twice and thats a little scary being new. Also two weeks ago I went over grates (on a bridge) for the first time, my whole back end fish taled, but I kept it up straight. That was a new experience. I am sure I'll run into more as I go along...

Kinda exhiliratin' ain't it? Especially when your drawers come back from the cleaners?

That's where what GW is talking about really comes into play; riding dirt bikes and not being much bothered by a little fish tailing. I don't much worry about it until the saddle bags are trying to pass me.