Tar snakes prove poisonous

Black and flat, waiting to strike

They are evil, cheap, sloppy and dangerous. They lay flat against the pavement, coiled and curled and, when you least expect it, the knock your tire sideways with the slick and slippery force of petroleum goo.

Tar snakes.

They're the simple sealant used to smooth roadways and cover cracks on the cheap. They're the highway department stop-gap between repaving and crumbling and they're used extensively in states with declining income such as Michigan.

And they're deadly.

In Lakeville, Minnesota, they took out a cop.

Lakeville police Sgt. Brigham Strole died early this month when his motorcycle swayed on the open road and threw him highside off of it.

The Minnesota State Patrol is considering tar snakes a possible factor in the death.

According to a story in the St. Paul Pioneer-Press, the snakes have snatched a couple of Twin Cities riders.

To do the repairs correctly, from a motorcyclist's view, the cracks should be filled and the excess scraped off. It seldom happens.

Usually the tar runs over the crack and onto the pavement. It hardens up, but in heat can become banana-peel slick. The snakes are usually tame when ridden across straight up and down and not under accel or decel situations. But slam on a brake and the snakes can send a skidding rear tire either left or right or both for a split a second. When the tire h its dry pavement, the traction causes it to snap back into line with the front tire and can create the highside crash that killed the Minnesota cop.

Snakes running longitudinal to the road can decrease traction for and cause strange handling characteristics in both front and rear tires and, again, result in highsides.

In one Michigan trip, I took the Old Man's Yammie 650 on a road that was literally slathered with snakes for several miles. It resulted in a swishing, swaying ride, especially on the back tire, but also vague front-end steering feel. Very disconcerting, but manageable, if you pay attention.

So here's what you do:  Search, evaluate  and execute.

When you see the snakes, accept that you have to slow down. On a road filled with filler, you need to back off and make no unnecessary sudden movements. These suckers will bite. If you're braking and the back jacks to the side, hold it steady and keep a loose grip on the handlebars. It will come back in line, but prepare for odd behavior and hope to be disappointed.

Keep lean angles up, easily on the throttle and smooth on the brakes.

They're dangerous, but no where near as dangerous as 17-year-old boys texting or 16-year-old girls chatting or 80-year-old men sleeping. Like all hazards, they can be handled if you prepare yourself.