rafois

98 months ago

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Riding in the moon

Water expands when it freezes. "Doh – you would say – everyone knows that.” When it expands in a crack of the road, it makes the crack bigger. Higher temperatures cause the ice to melt, the water to seep down further into the crack. Freeze, expand and repeat … that’s how we get the ginormous craters that have been adorning New Jersey roads all winter long and beyond. “Well, the state government will surely repair the roads – you would say – with quality material in a timely manner, no doubt.” Well, yes and no. The repairs, you see, are done by patching the hole with a mixture or tar and gravel. It’s usually not very sturdy and workers leave it in a mound, expecting (hoping?) that traffic will eventually even it out. They also leave abundant loose gravel around the repair.

Why, o why, you wonder, am I engaging in a discussion of street repair engineering? Well, my dear fellow rider, the disregard of what happens to motorcycle in such an environment is epic. We have had to contend with tar snakes (slippery when wet, slippery when cold, slippery when hot) with grooves (ever tried to ride without a handlebar? It feels that much out of control…) and now THIS…

Typical NJ potholes

Typical NJ potholes

Typical NJ pothole repair

Typical NJ pothole repair

So, if you happen to ride around the tristate area please be careful. Ok, I’ll quit complaining and go ride…

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