Riding in the Rain

I've yet to ride in the rain, and really don't look forward to it.
But I know eventually I'll get caught.
Just how slick does it get on 2 wheels?
I know hitting puddles in my truck will pull the wheel when I hydro-plane.
Is it just a matter of slower speeds and trying to avoid puddles. It just seems with the small amount of weight we have to work with, that hydro-planing would be a big concern for me.

 

I bought a 2 piece rain suit, don't know how good it is. It was fairly cheap.
I also bought a Scorpion EXO 400 helmet with a Everclear no fog facesheild. I've rode in 30 and 40 degree F. weather and have yet for my sheild to fog. You can also change out the sheild in 10 seconds with no tools. I'm really happy with it.

 

Rich
Stay away from the center of the driving lane...the oil and grime from the 4wheelers can float up to the road surface during and after the rain and make it REALLY exciting for a two wheeler. Shallow puddles can be scary at highway or better speeds as well. Use your head and there'll be no trouble!

I feel, the worst thing about riding in the rain is the inevitable wet ass syndrome... I just get downright owly when I get one. I couldn't imagine being happy at any destination with a wet, soggy butt.... except, perhaps , an XJ rally.

 

It's really no big deal.
Aside from getting soaked, there isn't much to worry about.
Ride in the "wheel ruts" from cagers, there will be less oil,dirt,etc in them.
As long as you ride conservativley you'll be fine.
Oh, one more thing, It usually makes the bike filthy...so lots of cleaning if you worry about such things...

Nachoman

 

I've not had any problems with hyrdoplaning - of course I don't aim for the big puddles at highway speeds either.

I don't find anything really changes in the rain... the change in traction is within my safety margin anyhow. As everyone has said already, stay out of the center of the lane especially around intersections were cars drip oil in rushhour traffic...

Also - good gear - the better your gear the less the rain effects you, and that is probably the most important factor. Don't get soaked and chilled... on the hottest summer day if you get soaked through and maintain highway speed you will freeze... it's not pleasant and it gets exponentially less pleasent the further you are from home.

Now - the side note - hail hurts like a motherf... I got some good sized hail in upstate NY... left bruises through my jacket... plus consider hail as little bearings on the highway.

 

Ouch, I'll bet the rain hurts bad enough, don't want no hail.
Like I said above I bought a cheap rain suit, but I really don't plan on riding much in the rain. Mostly just getting home from work, we get alot of late afternoon thunderstorms here.
I don't plan much long distant riding. I"ll try them and see if they will be good enough.

I rode about 200 miles last Sunday and my backside was sore for 2 days.
Is there something you can pad the seat with. I had not riden this far before so I never noticed how uncomfortable these seats are.
Does anyone else have this problem?
I was thinking of going to Ohio in a couple months. But I think I'm going to drive the truck.

 

Well for long distance riding I've been using the stock seat... the trick is to move about as much as possible. If you sit still in an hour your butt will be sore. If you move about and try not to let one spot get sore then you'll be better - think of it as spit roast as opposed to a frying pan.

Other than that - modify the seat - from what I understand of it you want harder foam. Sculp the existing seat into a plowman seat - add the high density foam and recover. There are people out there that will do it but it is pricey.

Many people swear by sheepskin - never tried one but it does have the nice advantage that you can take it to your next bike and not have to do that seat as well!

 

I will speak from some personal experience here, not only do you want to stay out of the middle of the lane when it is raining but be careful of the hot days that let out a sudden downpour. The road is the slickest the first few minutes of the rain storm as all the oils are being washed off.

 

I have both a custom and stock seat. The custom was created with a stepped seat (very slight but noticable) and is about three inches higher from the additonal foam installed. I used to run from Sacramento to San Diego with this rig and highway pegs and did alright (but only if I stopped every hour and took a fifteen minute walk). Custom foam is the way to go for distance. Gel packs are out there, there is a site that has one for Goldwings (I'll find it again soon). Spend the cash, it's worth it.

 

The area of London were I grew up had a lot of little cobbled streets and when wet the cobble stones are lethal. Every spill I ever had was down to them. Shouldn't think most of you blokes would ever ride on them though. Rain after long dry spells can make for problems as well and avoid wet leaves on the road.

Faighaigh.

 

The thing you must watch when riding in the rain is to reduce your speed. Everywhere i drive i speed. As soon as it rains do the speed limit or less. The hardest and most dangerous thing to do in the rain is to stop quickly.

I had my first accident on the bike due to a rainy day. It was wet, and i was doing 55 in a 35 mile zone. The light changed at an intersection and i squezed the front brike to hard. I applied the same breaking power that i would have if it was a gorgeous sunny day, which was a mistake. Just drive catious when it rains, or when the roadway is slick.

 

hmnm i think rain is dangerous because of other people!

i had a little old car once and i stopped behind a bus but the as*****

behind me didnt!

specially in the first rains u see accidents all over the place!

just try and stay out of their way!

 

Like wet leaves, avoid any wet metal - it's slicker than snot. I'm talking about bridge grating, railroad grade crossings, etc. And the LOWER the speed, the bigger the problem with these thigns. Certain pavement marking paint/tape is like this, too.

As for the little slips and hydroplaning, yeah, it happens from time to time. I think the thing to remember (when driving in a straight line, anyway) is that the bike WANTS to keep going straight. If a puddle pulls you to the right, don't fight to bring the bike back - it'll come back on its own. Just go with the flow. Then again, I'm no MSF instructor, so take this advice w/ a grain of salt.

Also, even with a full fairing, my hands are the first things to get cold in a rain. If your hands get cold, they don't work so well at grabbing the clutch and brake. The next thing to get cold is the kneecaps - even with the rainsuit on.

For shield fog, cracking the shield a bit and NOT breathing through my mouth has always worked for me. As for the daindrops, I just got used to looking through them. Sometimes in the cage I'll forget to put my wipers on 'cause I figure I don't have them. Drives the wife batty.

It's be alluded to, but not only do you want to reduce your speeds in the rain, but incerase your following distance from other drivers. Not only will this give your wet brakes and tires more room to stop or avoid, it will keep you cleaner, if not drier and also improve your visibility.

And there is little on this Earth as spectacular as riding though a thunderstorm at night - I don't recommend it, but if you find yourself in one, try to enjoy it while dodging the lightning bolts that seem to be falling around your feet

 

When I was young, dumb and full of stupidity I actually rode through a tropical storm. Puddles were up to my shins, tires were bald, brakes fair, no insurance, shorts and a tee-shirt. If I had a time machine, I would go back to 1985 and slap myself silly.
The key is to avoid man-holes, blue-hairs and rain-grooves and keep the speed low. A bike will hydroplane before a car, so actually obey the posted limit and you will be ok.
FYI, wearing rain gear in a downpour is like blindolding somebody with dental floss. Don't bother.

 

One thing that has not been mentioned here so far and IS the most dangerous and tricky when in the rain is WHITE LINES , they are reel slippery suckers most times , as far as aquaplaning goes in my experience it it not a worry as long as your speed is relative to what is going on , i have aquaplaned only once and i should have [180clicks and pouring down] , at normal speeds i do not think i have had a issue going squiggly in the rain , Watch those whites when wet especially in the city.........

 

I respectfully disagree. Perhaps I just got lucky and bought good gear. I've ridden with and without the gear and was much more cold and miserable without.

 

I'll withdraw that. Huge improvements in rain gear have probably been made in the last 12 years since I rode around. And I was too cheap to buy the good stuff then anyway

 

I'm suffering the ravages of cheap apparel from the late 80's myself. I'd be very curious as to what improvements have been made.

 

I've just bought a Cordura Tourmaster jacket on Ebay for $20 and I'm very impressed. It is cool even in 85F weather, has reflective patches and has a removable lining for winter. It is supposed to be waterproof but I haven't tested it yet.
Ebay has changed biking forever, because you can buy stuff that the 20-something insta-bikers paid good money for but never used.