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Tourer
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Albuquerque, NM | Temps been hitting the mid 90's here in Albq. Our city road repair crew decided to throw down some tar in the cracks on my street without telling me ;>) I was rounding the 90 deg turn on my street when I hit one thick snake and the front end started to slide out from under me. I caught it and went back upright after hitting some dry pavement. Instead of just filling the cracks, their filling about 2 inches on either side. Be careful out there!
Edited by nailer 2014-06-25 2:20 PM
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Cruiser
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Albuquerque NM | Hey nailer, it's nice to see another rider in ABQ. I think ours might be the most represented city on the forum (three of us).
You're right about the duke city being too cheap to fix these things right. I had a similar experience turning from west bound Menaul onto northbound 12th street, the manhole cover is smooth! Now whenever I go through there I am hyper careful to watch. |
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Visionary
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New Bohemia, VA | Yeah, we got stuff going on here in Va., they like to use that stuff in WIIIIIDE patches and I felt like I was on ice the other day. They like to do it on the back roads alot so on a rainy day I have to really ride like an old geezer on a wal-mart scoot. Speaking of snakes, I was going down the back road on a dry day and I was moving along good on a straight-away and I see a 4-5 foot black snake heading off from right to left. I started to swerve over and get him before he hit the woods, but he had already made a slight turn around and get into position to strike. I just stayed on my side of the road. |
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Cruiser
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flagstaff, AZ | I LOVE TAR SNAKES... there is a 7 mile twisting road to our ski slopes that is full of them, it's like a big cup of caffeine. 
Gotta ride very alert. |
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Tourer
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Albuquerque, NM | I'm looking real hard for them now. It brings new meaning to the term "pucker up". ;>)
Edited by nailer 2014-06-25 4:56 PM
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Visionary
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| if there were more groves in our tires the problem would be way less. |
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Glendale, AZ United States | roundtwig - 2014-06-25 3:08 PM
I LOVE TAR SNAKES... there is a 7 mile twisting road to our ski slopes that is full of them, it's like a big cup of caffeine.
Gotta ride very alert.
I know exactly the location you are talking about. The back way coming into Prescott from Yarnel also has some serious tar snakes about the last five or six miles. The first time I went over those I thought my front tire went flat and it was all I had to keep the bike upright. I know they have since repaved, but I'm sure a few folks ate a turkey dinner going over those or they wouldn't have signs posted "motorcyclists drive with care"  |
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Cruiser
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LaGrange, GA | I don't like the idea of fearing tar snakes. I've never had to on any of my previous bikes (all sport/sporty, sticky tires.) Is it the high mileage design of our tires that make them bad for us? Are any of our options better suited to handling them gracefully? I don't ride nearly as many miles as most of you, so I put grip as a priority over longevity. |
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Cruiser
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flagstaff, AZ | I honestly don't think any tire is going to make a big difference, mostly because of the weight of the bikes. I was running a section of road here in AZ ( hwy 191) that was tar snake central with a xcountry and two-up dual sport. We were all being affected by the tar, probably the dual sport more because he wasn't used to it. Not afraid, let's call it respectful. I just accept that my tires will "washout" with every crossing of a tar snake. |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 802
| BrandonM7 - 2014-06-26 8:48 AM
I don't like the idea of fearing tar snakes. I've never had to on any of my previous bikes (all sport/sporty, sticky tires.) Is it the high mileage design of our tires that make them bad for us? Are any of our options better suited to handling them gracefully? I don't ride nearly as many miles as most of you, so I put grip as a priority over longevity. Not to start a tire thread but I find the Avon Cobras to be way better than the E3s on any kind of slick surface including water, snow and yes, tar snakes. Some will say it doesn't matter which tire you're using on tar snakes but my experience shows otherwise. I'm guessing the actual makeup of the tire compound is what makes the difference. Something about silicone?
John, sipes in the tire tread are there to give a conduit for water to escape between the tire and the roadway. More of them are not going to help with tar snakes I don't believe.
Marc |
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Visionary
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New Bohemia, VA | take in consideration what's in the tar snake. It's like walking on a wet wax tile floor. You can move about, but you have to walk differently to maintain balance. I think all of this is speculation by the rider. I've riden on E3s for ever, 9 years to be exact, and for me, personally, they are the best all around tire there is. I don't know if they are truly better or worse, but the minute times I actually encounter tar snakes in a day, week, month or year migates any need to change out the tire to sacrifice anything else. While they give you the bejeebies riding, I say suck it up and ride on. |
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Cruiser
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ROCHESTER,NY | I'd like to punch the asshole that thought of doing this right in the throat !!!!!!!!!!!! |
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Tourer
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New Mexico | Wow, Nailer, glad you're ok! Seems like in our neighborhood the tar snakes are horrible, but then once I get out onto the main roads they are not so bad. Still have them, but maybe a different material, because they don't bother me nearly as much.
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Iron Butt
Posts: 612
| marcparnes - 2014-06-26 1:31 PM
BrandonM7 - 2014-06-26 8:48 AM
I don't like the idea of fearing tar snakes. I've never had to on any of my previous bikes (all sport/sporty, sticky tires.) Is it the high mileage design of our tires that make them bad for us? Are any of our options better suited to handling them gracefully? I don't ride nearly as many miles as most of you, so I put grip as a priority over longevity. Not to start a tire thread but I find the Avon Cobras to be way better than the E3s on any kind of slick surface including water, snow and yes, tar snakes. Some will say it doesn't matter which tire you're using on tar snakes but my experience shows otherwise. I'm guessing the actual makeup of the tire compound is what makes the difference. Something about silicone?
John, sipes in the tire tread are there to give a conduit for water to escape between the tire and the roadway. More of them are not going to help with tar snakes I don't believe.
Marc
Except that in hot sunny weather, you don't slide "ON" a tar snake, you sink into it. Brand of tire makes absolutely no difference, nor does the siping. It's not like ice, snow or water, it's like silly putty. While it's hard for some to get this, the tire is literally being carried by the goo (tar snake). The only thing that can make a difference, is if you can get part of the contact patch simultaneously onto concrete. This is where a car tire can make a little difference, as long as the contact patch is wide enough to straddle the tar snake and get some dry contact.
In cold wet conditions, the tar snakes behave differently. They become hard and slippery, and there are more "normal" adhesion and friction principles in play, similar to snow, wet paint, or wet metal covers and joints. But no tire is immune to the hot gooey version of the black critters!
Edited by Turk 2014-07-01 10:55 AM
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Visionary
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New Bohemia, VA | I love a good tar snake debate...it's reason for all of us to go with mudders front and rear.... |
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Tourer
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Albuquerque, NM | Boots - 2014-06-26 5:12 PM
Wow, Nailer, glad you're ok! Seems like in our neighborhood the tar snakes are horrible, but then once I get out onto the main roads they are not so bad. Still have them, but maybe a different material, because they don't bother me nearly as much.
Thanks Boots and the rest of you guys for the great discussion! I don't fear them anymore. I got the eyes looking for them into every turn, always scanning, never let your guard down and you won't go down. 12 yrs of riding luck so far. Better not say anymore so's I don't jinx myself. Where's some wood to knock on. |
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Visionary
Posts: 1436
| Hi guys been a while, glad to see some familiar guys. Anyhow to the question/discussion... It is the bike inherent nature to REALLY move around on the tar snakes. Ridden just about every type and brand of bike and the Vision is without a doubt the worst on tar snakes. I tried the Avon tires and they didn't help one bit, still just as bad on the TS as the E3's. I noticed my Vision (08) really began picking up the TS's after breaking the 24k barrier for mileage, WHICH suggests to me that spring sag in the front is the culprit. So maybe a heavier weight fork fluid, or heavier fork spring, or maybe adding a little fork preload would improve the handling of TS's back to the New Bike feel? It was the main reason I got off a Vision.
Personally if you like the Vision (assuming your do since you own one), I'd do a fork oil change with a REALLY good flush. Step the oil weight up to 10 and see if it helps. You could add some preload by adding a shim to the fork springs, but getting the top cap back on will be tougher than normal. Last option would be replacing springs with something heavier. Best of luck with it. |
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New user
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| Hello fellow Albuquerquens, that makes 5 of us in the Duke city at least. My buddy rides a 2008 and Im on a white 2011. Im wondering if one of you is my westside neighbor, he rides a black chromed out vision. |
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Tourer
Posts: 599
New Mexico | tobiasmg - 2014-07-03 5:28 PM
Hello fellow Albuquerquens, that makes 5 of us in the Duke city at least. My buddy rides a 2008 and Im on a white 2011. Im wondering if one of you is my westside neighbor, he rides a black chromed out vision.
That would be me...
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New user
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| what a small world. have a good 4th im off to loveland colorado for a ride in a couple days of R&R. |
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Tar Snake almost got me