Motorcycle Safety & Driveability: ruts in the road, motorcycle safety foundation, harley davidson soft tail

Question
My husband recently purchased a harley davidson soft tail.  He went for a ride yesterday and while manouvering a curve in the road he hit a rut. He almost lost the bike. He was going 50mph.  What is the proper procedure when you hit a rut in the road?

Answer
Hi Judy and thanks for your question.  I'm not sure exactly what you mean by a "rut" in the road.  I assume you are referring to a groove or depressed portion of the road?  Usually when talking about a rut one is referring to an unpaved road and ruts worn in the dirt or gravel by the tires of other vehicles.  I assume we are talking about a paved road here?  A rut in the road would be treated the same as any other obstacle one might encounter in or on the road.  Normally when crossing an obstacle you want to cross it as close to 90 degrees as possible and raise up off the seat slightly to use your legs as shock absorbers.  I realize this may not be possible with a rut that would more than likely run parallel with the direction of travel on the road.  In this case my advice would be to use "SEE", Search, Evaluate, and Execute to spot and identify such hazards as soon as possible and avoid them.  If you or your husband are not familair with "SEE" then I would strongly advise him (or both if you ride also) to take a Motorcycle Safety Foundation Basic Rider Course or the Experienced Rider Course.

Judy, I hope I have answered your question to your satisfaction, if not please feel free to ask me for clarification.

Thanks again, Michael