I learned something new today

As you guys know I'm a pretty inexperienced rider.

Well my Seca is up and running, it's been raining here for two weeks, I couldn't stand it any longer! I took my bike out for a spin in a light drizzle.

So... you know those white painted arrows in the turning lanes? Those are REALLY slick when wet!

I didn't fall, but the back end about to pass up my front end scared the $h!T outta me!

 

Glad you got the experience at no cost other than a good scare. It makes an impression. Train tracks are another to watch for.

 

AHHH...maybe thats what they are for....so you can see where you're gonna crash.... wait til you try a wet metal cover the city puts down over excavations in the road... WOOOO EEEEEEEE thats excitin' stuff.

 

And don't forget about 'Tar Snakes' -- they get plenty slippy in the wet too

 

Oh, yeah. I heard that; they don't even need to be wet, just freshly plopped and still covered with loose sand and dirt...

This post belongs here: http://xjbikes.com/Forums/viewtopic/t=1 ... t=105.html in our ongoing susbstitute for a "Safe Riding" forum; hopefully new members will go back and read the whole thread if we keep "bumping" it.

 

Man hole covers are another good thing to miss, wet or dry.

 

So to review, for Southernbelle:

Slippery stuff to be careful around when dry and avoid when wet:

1. Steel deck Bridges. This is probably the number one rain hazard. Be EXTREMELY careful riding over one of these in the rain. Go straight, steady throttle. Don't brake or accelerate hard while on one. Penalty for non-compliance is severe.

2. Road paint. This is stop stripes, lane arrows, lane stripes, shoulder stripes. When dry, be cautious over them. When wet, they're like ice. Plan to stop well before the stop stripe in the rain and don't have much lean in the corners when forced to ride over them.

3. Man hole covers. Similar to steel bridges, but penalty is less severe.

4. Tar snakes. These are those semi-soft strips that road crews "paint" into cracks in pavement to seal cracks. They weave all over lanes in random directions and look like black shiny snakes, thus the name. I HATE THESE THINGS!! Not only do they offer less traction than the pavement in ALL weather, but when the hot sun beats down on them they turn to grease under your tires. And they cause a slip in traction for just a second, which upsets your whole bike's balance if you're cornering when you hit them. As an added annoyance, if the sun is hot enough your tires will pick them up as goo and throw it on to your pipes, where it promptly burns into igneous rock that's a joy to remove. (kerosene and a shop rag, followed by 000 steel wool and polish.)
Hate 'em. I just hate em.

5. The center of any lane at a stop sign or light. During dry times, this isn't as important. But think of this. When cars sit at red lights, if they have any oil or fluid leaks, where are they going to deposit those fluids? Right in the middle of the lane, where you plan to stop. Now, what happens when you have an oil covered center of a lane and you spray water on top and then try and stop your motorcycle there? Not a lot of good things. If it's raining, plan on stopping in the TIRE TRACK locations of the lane.

In the rain, good tires and SMOOOOOOTTHHH is the key.

I don't write this to discourage or scare a newbie. Follow these tips and riding a little cautiously and you'll have a blast riding and it won't matter as much if it starts to rain while you're out.

These things are all reasons that set us bikers apart from our caged cousins.

Cheers,
christopher.

 

Those "Tarsnakes" are wery slippery,and here in Finland that is common
to repair roads after wintertime wearage with that method,if I understood
that right.
In the springtime all of us finnish motorists go for a little spin just to make a research of those deadly dangerous routes,and inform all the others
for undriveable sections.

Sad,but true

 

I caught one of those on a turn with my front tire.I didn't go down,but it certainly made an impression.

 

Stuff I learned today:

The waterproof qualities of the Tourmaster Transition Series II jacket are inversely related to the number of zippy-vents you have open when you get caught in a downpour;

The Dunlop D404 does VERY well in the wet, and if it is going to slide, does so with great predictability and gives plenty of warning.

The 550 Seca needs a mud flap or a 2" longer rear fender.

I gotta get a pair of rain pants.

 

Let us not forget the black top surfaced roads on 100*+ days when all the oil seems to rise to the top. Add to that a crowned road surface, and you've got a very interesting ride on your hands.

Just cinch up and be careful!!!

 

I always find it interesting when you go through an intersection where an accident was and there is still wet antifreeze on the ground. Seems like it likes to stay on your tires for awhile.

 

Once a long time ago, I was riding on my roommate's pillion, we were turning left thru an intersection, back tire hit a puddle of tranny fluid. Down we went, just like that!
Morale of the story: If your car is leaking something, please have it fixed, or replace the car. PLEEEEZE??? Thanks.

 

one of my buddy's hit a wax slurpee cup while turning into a 7-11 parking lot it looked like someone pulled the road out from under his front tire he was ok but the pavement showed little mercy to the plastics on his crotch-rocket!
Shaun

 

Ok I knew of all the other hazards, but never knew slurpee cups were dangerous!