***WARNING LOOK-OUT FOR ROAD GATORS***

[scooterexpress]

with all the talk about the critters coming out to play in the road beware there is a worse enemy to all bikers they are called the road gators and they will tear you up,these gators are "semi tread" now thats its gettng hot those retreaded tires will be falling off the wheels of those semi trailers and having 3 wheels on our bike will make it harder to manuver around them on short notice at high speeds during the summer months you should try to avoid riding next to a semi go by them as fast as you can or keep your distance from behind a lg gap as those nasty gators can come flying off at a moments notice. these babys will tear apart a car proably make a meal out of the spyder. so heads up this summer.

[Bob Denman]

You only need to see ONE retread come apart at speed to realize that you don't want to be anywhere near one when it lets go...

[thehawk]

Thanks for the reminder. I live right off I35 and they are everywhere!

thehawk

[smurfette]

Thank you for the reminder. These gators will bite you in the

[boborgera]

It least in my neck of the woods you don't see that many on the highways anymore, Better recapping technology In years past they were all over the roads.
But if you happen to run into just one it can ruin your day.

[Luckyme]

A great post, and reminder for us all!
All of us that ride on highways will experience these asphalt monsters.
Best advise you gave is to back off from following trucks, and for that matter all vehicles on interstates. You need room to see ahead, to safely swerve and avoid these at all costs.
While riding out west on 2 wheelers, a buddy with a UniGo trailer hit one. We stopped to check to make sure no damage to bike or trailer, and proceeded on, in the middle of Montana. About 60 miles later, his UniGo trailer tire blew. Turns out, a piece of the asphalt gator had lodged up inside the wheel well, and the steel belts wore through the trailer tire. Not much fun out in the middle of nowhere, trying to locate a replacement tire.
It's gator season.

[SpyderAnn01]

Good advice. Thanks.

[5PYD3R]

Funny you should mention this. I was riding to the west side of Michigan a few weeks ago and nearly got taken out by one. I was back just far enough to where it fell and hit the left tire/frunk and went under my spyder. Definitely scared the crap outta me!

[ARtraveler]

Thank you for the timely warning. Drive safely all.

[oldbaldguy]

I definitely agree. Last summer the truck ahead of us lost a retread and it did a number on the front of my wife's SUV. Undrivable. Be careful

[Jeriatric]

Always on the look out for DEAD GATORS in the road but, it's the ones just being born that worry me the most, and causes me to pass semis with "extra caution".

[stutzmason]

I try to avoid super slab whenever I can

Thanks for the reminder. I live right off I35 and they are everywhere!

thehawk

[GLHRN]

I've been following this thread and feel I just have to comment, because of all the posts about "road gators" being retreads. I know that it is the common belief that the pieces of tires on highways are thought to be pieces of retreads. They look like they should be retreads because they are often big pieces of what looks like the tire tread, sometimes in a complete ring! The simple fact is, some of these are from truck tire retreads, but they just as likely are from truck tires that have never been retreaded at all! The reason I know this is because my husband was in the truck tire industry for years before changing careers. (To be clear, neither of us has anything to do with the truck tire industry today so we have nothing to gain from supporting retreads.)

In 2008 the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) actually did a study of the tire debris found along the highway. They were considering stricter regulation of truck tires and particularly retreads. What they found might surprise you. They found that the tire pieces were from NEW and retreaded tires, in proportion to their service on the highway! The pieces they found had little to do with the manufacturing or retreading process. The top types of damage they discovered were the result of road hazards (39%) and excessive heat (30%). (That excessive heat is usually due to underinflation.) Proper tire inflation, maintenance, and repair are the most important way to keep any kind of tire safe and ensure long life.

Fortunately for the environment, retreaded tires are used safely every day by school buses, fire trucks, and passenger aircraft. I say fortunately, because otherwise, an additional 14 million tires would be going into landfills every year!

[elixermixer]

Let me start by saying I feel society as a whole can be a little sue happy but I've always wondered liability wise if a fresh baby gator jumps out an takes a bike outta your ___ ?
Infact I almost want to take myself out back to the ol woodshed but I had to ask. And no it has not happened to me I just was wondering how much is due to "neglect" I guess or is this just a how it is type of thing?
Im just scared to think of one about oh head height at 80mph especially after seeing what a seagul looked like as Ian Hutchinson clipped one on the Isle of Man

[sandrunr1]

A great post, and reminder for us all!
All of us that ride on highways will experience these asphalt monsters.
Best advise you gave is to back off from following trucks, and for that matter all vehicles on interstates. You need room to see ahead, to safely swerve and avoid these at all costs.
While riding out west on 2 wheelers, a buddy with a UniGo trailer hit one. We stopped to check to make sure no damage to bike or trailer, and proceeded on, in the middle of Montana. About 60 miles later, his UniGo trailer tire blew. Turns out, a piece of the asphalt gator had lodged up inside the wheel well, and the steel belts wore through the trailer tire. Not much fun out in the middle of nowhere, trying to locate a replacement tire.
It's gator season.

Yes. The other day, I was behind a pickup and his spare tire fell off. I wasnt on my but in my truck but I just missed it. The car behind me wasnt so lucky.

[scooterexpress]

bump

[scooterexpress]

bumping this up for a reminder for all coming to durango and ev1 else also just a safety reminder

[ARCTIC]

I just returned from a trip to tulsa, ok and back to iowa and the road gators are the worst I ever remember seeing. Everybody in the car made the same comment. ****ty economy must be pushing the truckers to go father on their tires

[Jeriatric]

I just returned from a trip to tulsa, ok and back to iowa and the road gators are the worst I ever remember seeing. Everybody in the car made the same comment. ****ty economy must be pushing the truckers to go father on their tires

Can you imagine what the per mile cost to operate a rig is today.

[ARCTIC]

Can you imagine what the per mile cost to operate a rig is today.

$0.95/mile if you don't feed the trucker.

[scooterexpress]

Bumping this for a reminder

[Harley]

We were heading west on I44 and an eastbound semi threw a gator across the medium and into the front of our Chrysler suv, taking out the front cowl, windshield, etc. Thank God we were not on the Spyder and it made us very much more aware.

[jtpollock]

I am seeing these things all over

[missouriboy]

Yes. The other day, I was behind a pickup and his spare tire fell off. I wasnt on my but in my truck but I just missed it. The car behind me wasnt so lucky.

Couple years ago I was driving north on the 3-lane stretch of 75mph I-35 between Austin & San Antonio in our car. I was in the fast lane at 75, slowly gaining on a dually pickup in the middle lane pulling a large 4-wheel box trailer at about 70. Suddenly the left-front tire & wheel of the trailer separated from its axle and began bounding along in front of me, toward the concrete barrier-wall in the median. I slowed and hit my flashers; all the other traffic slowed and dropped back too, but the dually driver was unaware and kept on truckin'. The 70-mph wheel bounded higher and higher with each bounce and I envisioned it leaping the wall and meeting the opposing traffic head-on (shudder!). Luckily, it struck the wall and began drifting back to the right, without slowing down much at all. It eventually bounded across the road and its shoulder, then across the outer road, and over a fence, still rolling and bouncing very very fast. The last I saw, it was heading toward a house but it was too far behind us to see what happened then.

That was a fun experience. NOT! Imagine any motorcycle in that situation. Whew!

Soon, a hot little Mustang emerged from the pack behind us and caught up with the dually and got him to pull over. We didn't stop, enough other people did.

[scooterexpress]

just bumping for safety concerns.