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Originally Posted by Water Warrior
Gravel is not the most fun with a street bike and street tires. I find a good rule of thumb is keep your feet on the pegs. That is the safest place for them so you won't loose a leg when it touches down. Even at slow speeds you can have your leg pulled back with dire results and have a nasty fall because your balance will certainly be upset. Feet on the pegs, knees tight to the tank and keep your arms loose. Do not get all tensed up. The bike will always want to do a dance under you so be prepared for it. Always have just enough speed to keep your balance. Remember the wheels are gyroscopes. They do not want to fall over after approx 8-10 mph. Just the same as steel decked bridges and pavement grooves. Always look ahead for a better path of travel. Use the other side of the road if you need to and there is no oncoming traffic to avoid.
Practice on the road to gain some confidence in your skills and learn how the bike reacts to varying surfaces. I find sand is the worst and mud is a nasty surface too. Gravel can be a bit of fun but always know there will be something lurking and waiting to spoil your day.
On crappy surfaces always try to be in a gear that will provide some instant power to help stabilize the bike when needed.
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Hi, as someone who lives on a gravel/washboard road I agree with this 100%. Best to keep your feet on the pegs at all times. Don't fret when the front wheel is dancing about in front of you. That's just the bike stabilizing itself.
Ride at a decent speed so that you still have gyroscopic effect keeping you upright, and if the back wheel starts to get loose in gravel, the answer is to apply more throttle, not less. That is a well known skill that off road riders know that most of us street riders don't. The extra gas will bring that back wheel right back in line.
That said don't overdo it. Not too fast in the corners, not to slow... just right.
Glad you weren't injured badly, gcont and that you're back riding. Practice really does make perfect in this instance. Once you've done it a few dozen times it will seem pretty normal. Also, like you stated, certain parts of the road are more "challenging" than other parts, so practice riding on those sections when you have free time and you'll learn how best to take them.