Don't ride through mud.

[CManT1914]

Just don't do it. Ever. It's not good.

[IncubusIncarnate]

Tell me you didn't hit mud on a Gixxer... I could see, maybe, on a cruiser. But, you ok?

[inspiron]

Hey, that's what KTM's are built for!

[CManT1914]

I live down a dirt road. It rained this weekend so it got muddy. My mom told me it was dry last night before I came home, and it wasn't. My legs a little messed up, but my bike is jacked. I gotta replace the lower fairing, and either get the upper painted or replace it too.

[Louis]

You lowsided?

Edit: Forget it, I found the thread http://www.motorcycle-journal.com/fo...ad.php?t=13200

[CManT1914]

Yep.

[RampageRider]

I love to ride in the mud, but only on the quad. I did fall through the ice sunday and that was very cold, but we all had a good laugh......

[CManT1914]

Originally Posted by Night_Wolf

I was involved with a lady who lived a mile down a dirt road. If I wanted to see her I road that road and that was rain or shine. I did it on a VS1400 Intruder, so it's not exactly the proper bike for those conditions. She owned a BMW F650gs

How'd you manage to not crash?

[CManT1914]

Originally Posted by Night_Wolf

I learned to ride properly

Want to enlighten us with some of your "proper" techniques? I might end up having to ride through it again someday.

[Time4me2ride]

CmanT1914,
Night_wolf is right. Take every drop, crash, or near-miss as a learning opportunity. If you approach each one with an attitude of "What can I do better to reduce the chance of this happening again?" then you will be able to improve your riding over time. You will also be taking your safety into your own hands by assuming control and responsibility for the situation. It isn't always easy. Last summer I got rear-ended by a cage and I only wanted to be mad at her for not paying attention. But, once I took control, I got a whole new appreciation for following distances in thick traffic, keeping focus on escape routes, and one eye on the rear view mirror. If you focus on being in control of the bike and the situation and then practice, practice, practice... you will achieve greater skill much faster. It is easy to play the blame game, but it is better to just focus on improving skills.

Ride safe friend.

[Rickster]

Riding in mud isn't really that big of a deal. A guy on a dirt bike would have gone through that mud you crashed in with his front wheel in the air. There's basically two ways to ride dirt/mud/sand roads. The first way is with the power on. How much power depends on how much experence you have with riding in dirt. It's something you can only learn by doing it. A dirt bike in motion is almost always at a loss for traction, you are either slipping sidewise, spinning the rear tire, or sliding with the breaks on. A street bike rider that's use to always having traction, can easily freak out. The other way is to go very slow in first gear with both feet down, and duck walk your way through. Try not to freak out when the bike slips a little sidewise on you. Rent, or barrow a small dirt bike, and go and practice.

[Rickster]

Originally Posted by Night_Wolf

I'll disagree with the feet down advise. As a teacher we tell the students they will have better balance if they keep their feet on the pegs and look down the road as far as possible. Legs duckwalking is not good advice IMO

That's true if you are moving faster than 5 mph, but there are some people that will never go out and learn how to ride mud, so there speed is going to be walking speed. I can balance my bike when I am stopped, but not everyone can do that, for those people, the only way they are going to stay up, is to put there feet down. I'm not trying to say that duckwalking is the best way, but for some people, it is the only way they are going to get through. Keep in mind, I'm only offering this as an alternative for those people that arn't interested in taking a class, or learning how to do it the right way.