The Art Of Safe Riding

Slipperier than water and oil combined, ice on the road is the ultimate challenge and the worst nightmare for a motorcyclist. Fresh snow, the first of the season, is not all that bad. About as slippery as wet mud, it is still rideable at a reasonable pace, using the same tactics as in rain. Though heavy snowfall does reduce visibility far more than rain does and could make finding out where the road goes, under that ever growing white mass, a tricky business. Ride slow, keep clearing the visor and focus in the distance as it is easier to make out the road when seeing the bigger picture of the surroundings. Wind driven snow is bad and you shouldn't be riding in a blizzard in the first place. Look far shelter and warmth and wait for the wind to die down.

Hard ice is a different animal altogether. First of all, be ready and alert for that inevitable slide or two. The secret is to ride slowly, very slowly, keeping the bike vertical and make all control inputs – steering, stopping and accelerating – as gently as possible. Begin your stops very early, primarily using engine braking, no front and using the rear brakes sparingly. Slow way down for those turns and take your time. If you have to turn or slow down suddenly, you are sure to slide and fall. The good news is that the impact will be softened by the snow and ice and the layers of clothing you would be wearing. The bad news is that the vehicle behind you can't stop either. Don't be embarrassed in keeping your feet stretched out as outriggers, heels skimming the surface, ready to counter the first hint of a slide. Because even though a fall is not that dangerous when you are riding very slow, raising the bike upright again, alone in those zero-friction conditions, can become very frustrating if not downright impossible.

Apart from the traction trouble, it is the cold weather that can be another major threat. Cold is usually a comfort problem , but if you let yourself get chilled enough, you can loose your ability to ride safely. The key to staying warm lies in layers of clothing and wind-proofing the cold out. Dress in layers, soft wool inners followed by warm lined tracksuits. A heavy jacket finally covered by a wind and rain proof top suit (remember, water conducts heat away 200 times better than air, so don't get wet in the cold) can take you through the coldest of rides. The layers trap warm air next to the body and the wind proofing protects it from getting blown away. Quilted jackets provide the necessary dead air space and are very effective as insulation. Double socks, one cotton and followed by a woolen pair with heavy ankle high boots keep away those cold toes. And fleece lined leather gloves with a waterproof nape covering takes care of those paws. Use a double layer of cotton balaclavas inside the helmet and a muffler wrapped around the neck, its extra length tucked away inside the jacket. But avoid bundling so tight that it impairs your circulation. While riding, keep your muscles relaxed, wiggle your toes and fingers, squeeze the tank between your knees periodically. To stay alert, sing or shout of you have to. A mind that is not alert is a prime target for hypothermia. If chilled and wet, get out of the cold, get something hot to eat, or better still drink but avoid alcohol. Hard drinks will make you loose heat faster as they dilate your blood vessels. Exchange wet clothing for dry and keep moving around. Nothing works better than physical exercise to get that circulation going. But don't over do it. perspiration and subzero conditions are a lethal combination.

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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.

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