by Jackie Vaughan
It’s that time of year again. It begins in the evening and continues until mid morning. That misty gray stuff that covers the landscape and coats the road with a thin film of moisture. Carl Sandberg wrote poetry about it; motorcyclists curse it. It’s fog.
Fog can turn the best road into a slippery beast whose breath blinds the rider. While there are some techniques to control the monster, there are times when it’s wise simply to get off the road.
Some riders measure the density of the fog by how far they can see ahead. They use the stripe method. If they can see twenty stripes ahead, the fog is only moderate. Ten stripes mean a fairly nasty fog. When it gets down to two or three stripes, it’s time to pull off the road.
One technique some riders use it to tuck in close behind the vehicle ahead. This is great unless the car suddenly slams on the brakes and gives the biker a tour of his trunk and back seat. And what does it mean when those tail lights suddenly vanish? Perhaps that he’s closed the garage door. It is better to increase following distance to four to six seconds. This will allow the rider to react to any unexpected hazards.
Since visibility is limited, it would seem better to use high beams to see further. However, fog is composed of millions of tiny droplets of water, and each of these is like a minuscule mirror, throwing the full power of the high beams right back into the rider’s eyes and further limiting his ability to see. Low beams allow the rider to see.
It is easy to overdrive a motorcycle’s headlight under the best of circumstances. When it is foggy, there is only one thing to do—slow down!
Fog is made of water, and that gets on the road, making it very slick. Riders should avoid sudden changes in direction and speed. Braking and acceleration should be done slowly. Corners and turns should be made as close to vertically as possible.
And keep the gray matter in the brain working at full power.