gsferrari

Thanks for starting this topic Sandeep...

The technique for riding on ice is impossible to teach someone. It is something you get a feel for when you are IN such a situation. A lot of what needs to be said has been said already but here are some points I feel add value to this thread:

1. Riding uphill and downhill require different techniques when you are riding on a layer of ice on the road. You cannot build momentum on ice and in the same way, you cannot bleed off speed on ice. Just imagine a delay mechanism for your throttle, brake and steering operation and you will get an idea of what I am talking about here.

Keep an eye out for patches of clear ground where you can accomplish throttle/brake/steering control. These are the patches where you can safely make changes to the vehicle's attitude without upsetting your balance. This means planning the following well ahead of time:

a. The positioning of the vehicle for the next part of the trail
b. The speed you want to be at for the next part of the trail
c. The weight balance you want for the next part of the trail

With all this planned out your body just does the executing while you are mentally planning the subsequent part of the trail.

Riding downhill the priority is to control speed with as little braking and steering as possible. A combination of both brakes is a must and you use a lot less front brake than you would in ideal riding conditions. If the F-R ratio was 80-20 in the dry then on ice it becomes 50-50 because it is easier to control a rear end that has stepped out a bit (with steering and throttle) than to pull up a front end that is sliding away from you.

Riding uphill the priority is to maximize momentum and this involves shifting the weight balance to the rear, using your legs to keep the bike upright under heavy acceleration and to control the rear from swinging sideways. Sometimes on thin ice you can hop on the foot-pegs to let the tire dig in and get a bit more traction. There is usually a lot more steering inputs on the uphill ride and a lot less on the downhill ride.

What really worked for us in ice is to get off the bike and push it uphill while in 1st gear with throttle open. Thanks to the slip in the ice the bike doesn't shoot away from you and the combined effort can help get ahead. Don't get off the bike while doing downhill because you won't have the strength or the control to hold the weight of the bike as it strains to get away from you.



2. Cornering in the hills on ice is treacherous and if you fall, some places are better to be in than others. Stay as far away from the cliff as possible. This can be the inside of the path in some cases...or the outside of the corner/path in some cases. The idea is to give yourself and the bike time to grind to the halt before going over the edge in case you fall.

In Ladakh, after crossing the summit of Wari La, we had a slippery layer of ice on the path towards Karu. This series of hairpin loops was quite dangerous and after scratching around a couple of them we decided to "shortcut" down the hill in a straight-line cutting across all the loops. This path was rough off-road terrain but it was clear of ice so was the safer option in this case.

More often than not, stopping and evaluating the path and alternative paths is better than blindly following a road covered in ice.

3. The best technique for low traction surfaces like wet roads, sand covered roads and ice is about the same. Knees tight against the tank to hold the bike, arms loose, legs stretched out as supports to keep the bike upright. Any inputs to the bike controls have to be 10-15% of the input you would use in dry conditions. Feather every control (throttle/brake/steering) and use a gear that doesn't cause the tires to lock up but also doesn't allow too much build-up of speed without braking.

4. Some tires are better than others at dealing with ice. In very awful ice conditions you may need to resort to a tire chain or adding studds to the tires to improve traction. Don't abuse the clutch in ice...help may not come your way for several hours and in those conditions and altitude (Ladakh) that can be fatal.

__________________