ride report - skyline drive

[Rex Hefferan]

Nice story Zack, I was stationed at Andrews AFB in the early '70s and never realized such a road was so close. I would've taken my SL350 there, had I known. Your tires were working fine as any serious sport biker will attest. The rough surface is typical of working your tires hard through turns. However, don't make the error of thinking you can wear them all the way to the edge of the tread surface without crashing. Higher cornering speeds will likely result in sudden traction loss due to sand, oil, water, ect. left on the corner from a previous vehicle. It could have happened at the speeds you were doing under possible conditions. I've crashed several times in the past on other bikes because of this. Being older and wiser has caused me to slow down some on public roads unless I can test the road surface by riding it back and forth first, working up speeds. Even then you're pushing the limits of safety. One thing you might remember is that a car might corner just over the inside edge of the pavement which can spread a fine layer of loose dirt or sand over the line your tires might take and you likely won't be able to see it as it may be the same color as the pavement. This bit me once and it can ruin your day. All that being said, I say go for it. Make sure your Medical coverage is adequate. Rex (Hoping my experience will save someone some misery) A7