rain riding...!

[sasha18yug]

Originally Posted by VxZeroKnots

I know this has very little to do with the subject at hand but holy shit. Reminds me of watching Senna drive right at the edge of catastrophe.

Hes got some awesome skills... if i can remember correctly the fastest guy in rain in Moto Gp vas Chris Vermeulen...he has amazing skills on wet race track....

[DAKEZ]

Minor rider injuries, major motorcycle injuries. The "wrong" thing was the gas that someone else spilled. Ride Aware!

[sloperut]

It took me a track day in the wet to figure out that rain riding wasn't as scary as I imagined it to be. Trust your tires and ride smooth.

Proper gear cannot be emphasized enough. Also, having the gear with you is important too. Nothing is more frustrating that running into rain and realizing that you left some or all of your rain kit at home. Check the weather report in advance and be prepared (or stuff it all in your bags and have it at hand).

Jeff

[outlaws justice]

[QUOTE=sloperut;20184283Proper gear cannot be emphasized enough. Also, having the gear with you is important too. Nothing is more frustrating that running into rain and realizing that you left some or all of your rain kit at home. Check the weather report in advance and be prepared (or stuff it all in your bags and have it at hand).

Jeff[/QUOTE]

My everyday gear is waterproof, try to always be prepared.

[Aj Mick]

Slow down.

Increase the gap between your bike and other road vehicles.

Anticipate well in advance.

Be gentle with the inputs; avoid sudden changes of direction and braking.

When cornering, lean less; shift your weight toward the direction of the turn.

Keep warm; carry appropriate gear when is rain is possible........ Keep an umbrella handy!

[GordoS]

It is not the rain that I worry most about -- it is rain and sand, leaves or grass. Turns things slick as snot very quickly, regardless of how good your tires are supposed to be in the rain.

[mjydrafter]

Originally Posted by DAKEZ

Minor rider injuries, major motorcycle injuries. The "wrong" thing was the gas that someone else spilled. Ride Aware!

They were working on a building addition across from where I work this spring. One day after they picked up some piece of equipment out in the street. Either it or the truck leaked oil starting right across the street and in a trail about 1.5 miles (I followed the leak on my normal route). I initially found the oil slick with the throttle leaving the parking lot (thank goodness it wasn't the brakes). I got a little sideways and luckily kept it up. It really freaked me out though. It looked just like the stripes of water that leak out of the back of a pick up or other piece of equipment that has collected rain water, but went on much further...

I called a manager and told him about it, then ate lunch. When I went back the oil was still there and the manager I talked to had left for lunch. So, i said fuck it and called the city street department. They came out and put down oil dry in about 10 minutes. At least they saw the seriousness of the situation.

I wish I would have seen the truck. I seriously hope what ever it was fucking burned to the ground due to oil starvation.

[BanjoBoy]

N remember boys & girls; make sure ya have plenty of tread on yer tires whilst ran ride'in.

[MADurstewitz]

Originally Posted by VxZeroKnots

I know this has very little to do with the subject at hand but holy shit. Reminds me of watching Senna drive right at the edge of catastrophe.

Skills, courtesy of wet grass. ;-)

[viverrid]

How much cornering grip I have on wet pavement with my dualsport tires is something that I don't have such a great feel for.

I have been a dirt rider since 1968 and am totally used to lack of grip and sliding. And also crashing. Crashing is par for the course in dirt riding, I've probably been down over 1,000 times. Push it 'til ya crash it, then don't push it quite so much next time lap.

But it's NOT considered normal in street riding to crash on "difficult' spots. Pavement grip is so much higher than dirt grip that many times even reduced pavement grip (like on wet roads) is much more than good grip on dry dirt. Kinda like how on dirt there isn't as much of a concern with highsides, you can routinely slide the rear and then straighten up and ride on.

I don't have all that much pavement seat time compared to some of you FFs, and I back off more than I really need to on wet roads. Compared to dirt the 'break' can be a lot more sudden. Wet asphalt has way more grip than typical woods dirt, and if ya let the bike roll over a wet manhole cover or even a wet slippery pavement marking, there is a much bigger sudden change in traction than going from, say a little muddy to a lot muddy in the dirt.

Okay, so I'm just rambling here, but bottom line having experience riding to and even past the limits of grip in one set of circumstances doesn't necessarily tell you how much grip you have in a different circumstance. Falling down on my dirtbike in wet grass isn't necessarily going to tell me how hard I can lean my big bike on asphalt.

[Geriatrix]

I may have missed these amongst the good replies above.
On the central highland plateau of Southern Africa we in one of the lightning hot-spots of the world, that is, one of the great Flash/Bang play grounds. A biker is not protected by a Faraday Cage like a motorist is so get into safe protection if at all possible. If you can hear the thunder you are at risk, both before and after the storm. If there is no protection get off the bike and squat down with your feet together. If you have to ride enjoy the fireworks and be aware of sudden gusts of killer wind.

A huge problem and danger here is the fast breeding pothole, invisible under a few millimetres of water and up to a metre deep. Enjoy the flight as you go over the bars, but at least the road will be slippery when you hit it.

Hail can be lethal and fall during a storm without warning. It can drift in the same way that snow does and make ice cakes without any traction. ( I have ridden in snow only once so I shall not comment on that ).

I find that the main problem is not the rain, but the drivers here go totally mad when it rains and all thoughts of safe driving ( if there were any in the first place ) are lost and chaos is supreme.

[corndog67]

I didn't have a car or truck for 9 years, and commuted several of those years from Monterey to Santa Clara in CA. 72 miles to work. It sucked in the rain. Sucked out loud.

Now, if it's even cloudy, I take my truck, or if I'm feeling like I want some luxury, I'll take my Escalade (or my wife's Escalade to be perfectly honest).

[Pantah]

Originally Posted by viverrid

Okay, so I'm just rambling here, but bottom line having experience riding to and even past the limits of grip in one set of circumstances doesn't necessarily tell you how much grip you have in a different circumstance. Falling down on my dirtbike in wet grass isn't necessarily going to tell me how hard I can lean my big bike on asphalt.

I vote with viverrid, as that has been my experience too. But I can say that after days on end in sub 40 degree Alaskan drizzle aboard a KTM 950 with TCK80 DOT Knobbies; you eventually find a comfort zone that is much faster than the first day. You also learn that riding over the center line in the turns can give you an unnerving little slip. Even on simple downshift!

But alas, just a small slip since it catches past the paint.

[SoSlow]

If it's easy to do, I try to avoid riding for about 15 minutes after it starts raining. When the road first gets wet I find it slick but after all the oil and dust and whatever is lifted off the pavement it seems to be a lot better. If I can't avoid it or it starts raining while I'm already out there, then I take it easy and leave lots of room in front of me. I always take corners pretty slow in the rain - never know what's hiding under even the thinnest sheet of water...

[dirtyron]

rain is no big deal as long as you have descent tires and don't do anything stupid. 75 mph no prob. i am more cautious in the corners though.biggest problem is visibility in monsoon season.