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Road Tar Snake

larryjmiller

larryjmiller

Junior Member
I think I picked up a chunk of road tar seal the other day. It was pretty hot up in Ojai and I was in the twisties and made a pretty tight turn on a switchback (no sand). It felt like the rear tire had come off the wheel on my 09 RK or I had a blow out. Only 3K on the bike and I had just checked the pressure before the ride. When I got home I checked pressure again and it was a tad higher (tires were still a little warm). When I jacked her up, there was a round black mark (but no tar on the wheel or inside the fender) the size of a tennis ball on the back tire. Strange thing was that the front wheel was acting squirrely too. No marks on the front tire that I could see. I was riding with some other guys and they said my tires looked fine. Sure scared the bujeebers out of me as it seemed to last for about three more miles in the twisties although I was taking them pretty slow after that. By the time I got home (another 20 miles) bike seemed to handle fine.

Anyone else ever experienced something like this? :newsmile063:
 
Yep, had it happen in nearly identical circumstances. Hot day, tar snakes, on a turn, rear wheel momentarily loses traction, etc. I've only been riding for a few years so I'm very careful on roads with lots of tar snakes. By the way, were you on Highway 33? Lots of curves on that road in the hills and I rode it the first week I had my bike. I was veeerrrrryyyy careful.
 
Yeah, Hwy 33. It was on the last leg of a trip up to Frasier Park and then up to SLO Co. and Kern Co. for a mile or so. Had lunch at the Pistaccio place in SB Co. By the time we got to Ojai, we were pretty tired and hot. That was a lot of twisties for one day. I'm a fairly new rider on a Harley also and you're right. Them's some pretty steep cliffs at the edge of those turns. So I take them with a lot of caution. Also, there was quite a bit of sand on the curves near the steep canyon walls. I'm ready to do it again though! Next time I'll take that road that cuts across from Frasier to SB. The guys said that is a great ride too. See you around...
 
I notice a lot more roads are being "repaired" this way, by pouring liquid tar into the cracks in the tarmac. Plenty of them on Hwy 33, and Route 34 in Camarillo...tires sort of make a "patter" sound when run on when they are cool, but sort of "sputter" sound when they are gummy when hot, actually pick small bits periodically out of the fenders and swing arm area. Have been lucky I guess not getting a big chunk stuck on my tires or such.
 
They love them here in Georgia, too. Good thing it doesn't get hot around here! :p
 
Watch HWY 69 anywhere near Flint Mich. They are out there daily spraying that garbage into the cracks
 
They have that here in Illinois too. I know I work for the highway department and I'm one of the guys that puts it down occasionally. Before you beat me up just doing what the boss says, well most of the time. It's actually rubber that we put into the cracks. We have to heat it up to almost 500 degrees to liquid form.
 
Trek, good to know that they were rubber, but sure seemed like tar when I sometimes have to clean the gooey mess off my tires and wheels after a hot ride on Hwy 34...
 
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