uphill gravel drive crash and burn : V-Twin Forum: Harley Davidson Forums

BlueGlide05 · 11-28-2008, 10:03 AM

This may be a shot in the dark since you may have to see the drive to give advice. I'm a "returning rider" after a 20 year layoff. All my other bikes were Honda the biggest being a 305 dream. Started riding in my teens. Bought a 05 Super Glide in August. Biggest bike I've ever riden. Put 1400 miles on it before crashing comming out of my drive last of October.

The problem is my drive is I guess about 15 degrees going up hill. It's 60 foot long from where I park my bike. I had came out of it a couple of times on my sons Kaw 250 before he bought a bigger bike with no problems neither did he. He just got a 650 but hasn't been back up. So the first time I take out I'm fish tailing up the drive then I have to top the drive and do a sharp right turn on the road. After making the turn I'm barely on the left side of the road. My neighbor is stopped his truck with a "what the heck was that" look.

So I try to clear a track on the left side of drive and parking spot. When I moved in I had 2 dumps of gravel so the drive would last. I've had to get my wives girlfriends out because they had dug in. The followering weeks I take off, as I pass the house I look both ways for cars then maintain speed staying left, then do a arc across top of drive then top the road. This was working with a little fishtailing and ending up towards left of road but ok.

then one day I take off and everything seems alittle fast. I somehow end up in the middle top the drive in a hard arc fishtail out hit the edge of the road and went thru a fence. Hit one foot on a fence post and bent the other one under the bike. Did small damage to bike its getting fixed now. Feet are starting to get better didn't break anything on crutches for awhile.

My question is should I try to walk the bike up (feet and engine). I stand 5'9 weigh 150 and 58 yrs. Always been strong for my size but have found out the bike has a point of no return as far as leaning over at stop. If I'm in tight spot I use clutch and engine to move bike. The guy who came and got the bike moved it easy he is taller and heavier. If there's nothing anybody can tell me at least I may have gave you a good chuckle while reading all this.

lschultz · 11-28-2008, 10:47 AM

Hmmm glad you are ok. Bike can always be repaired but man takes longer to heal up especially when you getting some years on you. I speak from experence on this. Can you take a picture of the drive and put it on here. It's kinda of hard for me to picture what you are saying. I live about .3 mile off the highway and its gravel from the highway to the house but its all flat.
Going up hill on a gravel drive can get exicteing especially it you got loose gravel.

george248 · 11-28-2008, 03:32 PM

Sounds like you came out of it pretty good. The only suggestion that I have is: never take your feet off the pegs unless you are making a controlled (planned) stop.

If you think you are going down, putting a foot or both feet down always makes things worse.

oh, and stay on the gas... the rear brake is your friend, especially on gravel...

I have come closer to dropping my bikes more times by "walking it" around in the garage then I ever have sitting on it... imagine walking it up a nasty driveway is just asking for trouble.

arealinvestor · 11-28-2008, 03:47 PM

Dude,glad to hear your ok!!! Do us a favor & stay of the throttle to heavy!!! Lol!!!

sonoffatboy · 11-28-2008, 04:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by arealinvestor

Dude,glad to hear your ok!!! Do us a favor & stay of the throttle to heavy!!! Lol!!!

speed is your friend..the correct continous momentum will do the trick...

Faast Ed · 11-28-2008, 04:56 PM

Take one of the abate rider courses. Inexpensive and they have dedicated teachers that care if you learn or not.

Mr Cujo · 11-29-2008, 09:23 AM

Subtle items in your story..Well..really one item, subtle, but significant.

The fact that you have had to dig folks out of the gravel in your drive tells me that it's very large stone..or.. there's too much of it..or.. both.

In any case, managing this would be a handful for even the most experienced rider on a significantly heavy touring model.

Short of paving the apron of the drive, or pulling out the large rock and re-doing with crush & run I have no real solution.
What I can say, given what I read above, is that it's great and fortunate that you are not more seriously injured..and that you need to consider some significant driveway work.

BlueGlide05 · 11-30-2008, 08:51 AM

Appreciate all the responces. The gravel in drive is large rock. Paving is not in the picture at the moment just did major inside stuff. Guess I need to work on the drive someway. Been looking and maybe if I scrape it down on the far left so I can do a slow arch to the right it will help. Buddy at work told me to let the bike completly warm up and not be running on the choke. It's in the shop getting new shifter shaft which was broke off. Told the mech to do the yearly. He said the clutch needed some adjustment. Could have been a combination of factors. For not riding for 20 odd years on the side roads I'm really comfortable getting out of the drive is like launching the space shuttle.

Coolmaker · 11-30-2008, 09:10 AM

Sorry to hear you got hurt. Gravel can be a rascal to say the least, especially if it is large stone and thick. The tires tend to want to mush thu it. Keep your feet on the floorboards and NEVER use the front brake. Practice will help some, however riding on gravel is never easy. I would add some dirt to part of it to stabilize the gravel. At least then, the gravel won't move around so much. Good luck.