Today I took the Wing to visit family on the other side of the state and decided to take one of my favorite river routes. We’ve had a lot of snow and rain already this year and rain as recently as last night. When I got to the start of the road they had “road closed” signs across it which didn’t surprise me because the start of the road is on a low section next to the river. I knew I would be able to access the road further down so using my GPS I set off to find a connecting road. I chose one that looked like it was the most direct route to the river road. As I approached it I saw that it was a gravel road. I’ve ridden quite a few miles of gravel/dirt roads before so I didn’t think much of it because it only looked to be about a mile until I connected with the road I wanted to be on. The road was wet from the previous nights rain but it looked firm, so off I go down this road which went down in the valley. The start of the road was pretty steep but again I convinced myself that it was firm. As I’m heading slowly down this road and I’m coming around the first bend I see the road turns to greasy mud. Before I know it I can feel my front and back end sliding around. Granted at this point I’m probably going less than 10 mph but it was a bit unnerving to have a heavy bike like the Gold Wing sliding around underneath you. I just tried to hold a steady line as I’m going down and around two bends not knowing what is coming up next. Miraculously I made it through and the road firmed up a bit but I did not know what it was like around the next corner and I really couldn’t turn around at this point because I knew I would never make it up the greasy section. So I pressed on and fortunately I was able to make it to the paved road I wanted to ride. After I collected myself I thought that that was really a stupid thing to do, to hop on an unfamiliar road after a night of rain. I think the only thing that kept me upright was the fact that the Gold Wing has such a low center of gravity and that I didn’t panic. The DCT did what it was supposed to do and I would have probably had the same outcome with a manual transmission. That was my adventure for today.
Pucker moments- DCT in mud
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Thanks UncleJohn. They only had a small section of the road blocked off. I just routed around the blocked off section and didn’t ride on the section that was blocked off.
In any case it wasn’t the smartest thing I ever did. Would have been interesting trying to pick up that pig in the mud ?
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I've reached the point in my life where I have to test myself on some things that I have been able to do in the past. Picking up the wing is one of those things. I have reached the point where I can not pick it up with out good footing. Slippery mud would cause me to get my phone out without even trying to pick it up.
Richard
Richard
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320 Posts
I hate you cannot turn off the Honda Traction control without coming to a stop. If you hit areas that lose traction (Rear wheel spins at a different rate from front wheel) ... traction control cuts power ... sometimes you need to keep the power on in sand and loose road conditions ... Would love someone to develop a fast way to turn traction control off ... $100 would be fair price for a on the fly button
I agree Richard. It’s bad enough picking a GS up in slippery mud. I’m at that age also that I would just call for help if the Wing goes down in that situation. My problem is the adventurous side of me thinks I’m 20 years younger. ?
Yep but some of us have to learn the hard way ?
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Dmattys, my RF cartire would have cruised right through that muck! :kiss:
Ha! No doubt Gold Winger. The stock tires don’t leave a lot to be desired in those conditions.
You’re not trying to start another tire debate are you? ?
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No, Dmatt, just the truth! Hehe!
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I made the big mistake of riding my DCT to the Motocross of Nations, October 6-7, 2018 in Red Bud, Michigan. I rode from Ohio with my brother and a friend and we did not realize that it had rained (poured) there for most of the week leading up to it.
To get to the parking area for motorcycles, we had to ride probably about a half-mile in ankle-deep mud. We stayed Saturday and Sunday, so we had to do the entire thing again on Sunday. I was terrified, but we were already there so I followed along (I was never at the track before - my brother and friend led the way).
It turned out to not be a problem - I put the bike in rain mode and it was quite manageable. That said, it was not a problem for my brother on his 2010 Goldwing and his friend on a 2001 Harley either.
I wish I would have taken a picture of the bikes parked there. There was one other 2018 DCT Tour parked there on Saturday - it was white and had several stickers on the rear (can't remember what they said). Wonder if it was anyone on this board?
I attached a picture of the track area - it was worse than it appears in that photo.
To get to the parking area for motorcycles, we had to ride probably about a half-mile in ankle-deep mud. We stayed Saturday and Sunday, so we had to do the entire thing again on Sunday. I was terrified, but we were already there so I followed along (I was never at the track before - my brother and friend led the way).
It turned out to not be a problem - I put the bike in rain mode and it was quite manageable. That said, it was not a problem for my brother on his 2010 Goldwing and his friend on a 2001 Harley either.
I wish I would have taken a picture of the bikes parked there. There was one other 2018 DCT Tour parked there on Saturday - it was white and had several stickers on the rear (can't remember what they said). Wonder if it was anyone on this board?
I attached a picture of the track area - it was worse than it appears in that photo.
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I got the same issue.
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On US 52 in southern WV I encountered a wreck on a small bridge. Traffic built-up quick and it was going to be a good wait. Return trip the way I came was a LONG haul and it was late afternoon with rain predicted. I noticed off to my right that the locals were using a dirt road to detour. So, there I went. The dirt soon became swamp mud (Oh, that is why the bridge, its a swamp) with discarded household junk everywhere! The front B'stone was plowing and I was really glad I had that Michelin Alpin DarkSider tire on the rear with that heavy winter tread to keep me moving along the nearly half mile trek to get back onto pavement. The car behind me got stuck and the pick-up ahead of me was astonished that I made it.
prs
prs
Wow Pigeon Roost you may have just convinced me I need to try the darkside. ?
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