Rain Riding

I had a question about riding in the rain.

Ive got an 09 VFR800. The bike is brand new, new tires, just had its 600 mile service.

I know about not riding after it first starts raining because of oil and other stuff coming to the surface.

My question is about leaning. Im always very nervous going around corners, or leaning the bike on the interstate and/or around town, around corners when the road is wet or its raining out.
I dont have alot of rain experience and dont really want to wreck the bike testing it out.

Is this something to worry about or am i just being paranoid? I guess im just freaked out about wrecking, i dont want to lean into a corner (counter-steer) and have the bike just slide out from under me and crash.

I use the bike as a daily driver to commute to/from work, and have driven in the rain before, but ive never really heard an answer about if you drive differently in the rain verse dry road. Of course, you slow down and such, but i just wanted to get input from the veterans here with any advice they had to give.

I normally try to avoid the interstate when its raining, and take back roads, and just go slow and try to keep as upright as possible, but it does get a little hectic trying to turn like that

Thanks for the input.

Nick

 

Welcome aboard and congrats on thew new bike, computergeek. I mean computernick!

Take a look at a few of these other threads. Maybe they will help.

http://vfrworld.com/forums/anything-goes/18329-so-you-think-youve-got-rain-riding-skills.html

http://vfrworld.com/forums/general-vfr-discussions/9541-whats-deal-riding-rain.html

http://vfrworld.com/forums/general-vfr-discussions/24976-rain-training.html

http://vfrworld.com/forums/gear-accessories/16434-michelins-rain.html

 

most of mastering riding in the rain is all about overcoming your fear.
you can ride the bike just the same as you do in the dry, you just need to be smooth.
the more you ride in the rain the better you will be at it.
Once you are comfortable then find a place to practice and try stuff like panic stopping. start well below your comfort zone and slowly work you way up.
I love the rain because you will lean more about feed back from your bike in one day vs a few months of riding in the dry.

If you want to see how much you can push a bike in the wet, watch any rain race or go to a local track and watch some club riders handle it.

Good luck and ride your pace. :vtr2:

 

Thanks for the welcome, what can i say, im a geek.

I actually already read through all the threads on here about riding in the rain, and watched that amazing video on youtube. I was just kinda looking for personal opinions and suggestions on what they do in the rain, and if there was anything special or extra i needed to do when riding the rain. That video was amazing though, it really got into those corners on the wet pavement, and also knew what to do when the rear wheel started to slip. Im just not assuming my bike can do the same thing. Not trying to get killed here is all ;-)

I guess i cant wrap my brain around the fact i would still have good traction on wet pavement, and a 600lb bike is alot to loose control over.

I guess practice makes perfect, and builds confidence. Just didnt want to practice in rush hour traffic. heh.

Thanks for the info.

Nick

 

will get back to you on some of that, when I'm not at work

 

The big things to watch for in the rain are painted lines on the road and manhole covers. Both are very slick when wet. The other thing to remember is in crappy weather cars can be even less likely to notice you.

As for the bike I find being smooth is the key, smooth on the gas & smooth on the brakes.

 

The worst time to ride in the rain is a light drizzle. That stupid mist that sticks to your face shield like fog and it doesn't dissipate even with the wind hitting it. Drizzle and damp roads are worse than complete down pour rain storms. Reason? The oil is literally just sitting on top of the surface of the road. Usually I either get a drink or something and wait for it to actually rain! lol Regardless, rain riding is really fun and the main thing is to keep you bike straight as possible, you got the most traction up right. As for turning, do your slowing down before the turn and ignore traffic behind you. Focus on the exit and keep a very very smooth throttle. If you brake during a turn in dry, you will find out braking in a turn in wet isn't the best idea. Again.....brake before and bleed enough speed before hitting the turn and your worries about your front slipping out on you should be curbed. Smooth throttle and bleeding speed before the turn should curb fears of your back wheel slipping out. Also, to make rain riding enjoyable, always have a jacket that is water proof or carry water proof slip over pants just in case you get caught in a down pour. Trust me, I never ride out when its raining, but I rode out plenty of times when it wasn't raining but came home when it was a down pour. Regardless, rain riding is really fun and you should enjoy it and be safe.

 

Another thing, get gloves that are water proof too! lol Nothing more uncomfortable than cold hands with the wind chill factor.

 

Can't agree more with this statement.

Heated grips can help in that situation but you want water proof for sure.
I've got a pair of large snowmobile goretex gloves that actually fit over top of my leather gauntlets. Got to try it out today even and hands and leather were still dry.

Find something that is going to make sure you wont get wet hands.

 

Rainy weather is not a worry so long as you keep your head about you. I ride year round and most of the Fall, winter and Spring, it is raining here. Here are a few things in addition to the above that you should consider.

Best surface for riding a bike is freshly poured and brushed concrete. Worst surface in any weather but compounded dramatically is worn concrete. Asphalt is middle of the line both on dry and wet days.

On any hard surface, the slipperiest time is just when it starts to rain. A little dampness is far worse than a wet road. The Oil slick that you speak of should only be a concern when it rains after a prolonged, like a couple months, of dry weather. That is when the oil dripping from poorly maintained vehicles, builds up on the road surface. We all know what happens when you mix oil and water on a surface. But after a good down pour, that road surface will have been cleared of this oil build up so gauge yourself until that time.

It goes without saying that a wet road of any sort has less traction than a dry road. That is called coefficient of friction. A little tid bit that will mean F-A to most people. Just call it traction. So ease up a bit, slow down a bit going into the corners, and watch really close for standing water on the road surface as in the tire wear troughs. They are deadly at highways speeds.

Most people hate road snakes at the best of times. Many complain about how greasy they are on really hot days. But let me tell you. Hit one of those fuckers at high speeds in the rain, and you will pull every muscle in the rectal area and will scream every time you need to pinch off a loaf when you take a dump. Is that understandable?

I have yet to find a waterproof glove. I have tried many. Gortex is great for a short ride to the corner store, but highway driving for any period of time, and your hands are going to get wet. You want water proof, use rubber gloves which I have yet to find. Same goes for your clothing. Gortex is fine for a casual drive to the store in the light rain. Heavy rain at highway speeds requires nothing less than a rubber lined rain suit which is cheap all things considered. They too wear out but they will last the vast majority of riders several years. I get about 2 years out of mine before they start to leak.

Probably the biggest problem I have riding in the rain is the fogging issue. I have tried everything under the sun ( or clouds for that matter) to over come this. Nothing sold on the market as an anti fog product works at all as far as as I am concerned. It is vital that you keep your head dry before you put your helmet on. Put it on before you walk out into the rain. If you have a wet head, you are going to have a foggy shield. And make every effort not to work up a sweat before you put on the lid. Again, a wet sweaty head means foggy shield. The best thing I find for combating the fog is to smear dish washing liquid on the inside of your visor. Wipe only enough of this off to allow you to see. Get used to the dirty look you get. That film of soap is great at preventing the visor from fogging. Also a proper breath shield for rainy weather is worth its weight in gold. They are relatively inexpensive. When you can, and at lower speeds, try to crack the visor ever so slightly at the bottom to increase air circulation inside. You can rest assured that if you do this at highways speeds, water will find its way inside the lid. Trial and error will allow you to find where and when to do this.

The vents on your helmet need to remain open to keep the circulation going inside. Unfortunately, some lids, and very good ones, are designed to allow maximum air flow. But the air flow is for keeping the lid cool inside and not dry. Water makes its way inside through some of these vents. I am running into this problem with the new SHoei X12 helmet. It is just totally the shits in wet weather. And I have been dealing with the techs at Shoei and there is not much that can be done. They are built for cooling, not rainy weather. My Sharke was great in the rain.

But keeping your mind about you and slowing down a bit until you gain a little more experience and confidence in the wet riding. In any event, riding the bike is far better than driving the cage regardless of the rain or shine.

 

Flashback March 1977. Me on my 1972 Honda CB 750 with WindJammer fairing and four friends riding a Kawasaki 900, 2 Guzzi 850's and one Suzuki 750 Water Buffalo.

Left my parents house in Chicago headed for Daytona. 9am 38 degrees and raining. Rain predicted to turn to snow in afternoon. Time to head south and beat the snow!

First day made it to Elizabethtown KY. All rain!! Checked into hotel and later learned it was a dry county. All rain.... no drinks!

Day two. Wake up to sunny sky. Knock off 50 miles before breakfast. Finish breakfast and rain begins. Ride the rest of the day in rain to Macon GA. Check into hotel. Dry county again! (Note to self. Ask about cocktails before signing for room.)

Day three. Wake up to rain and 40 degrees. Head south. Cross Florida state line and sun comes out and temp goes up to 75 degrees. Stop at first rest area and peel off rain gear, rubber gloves, rubber boots (Totes) long johns etc.

Spent the next six days in perfect weather at the races (except for the 250 on Sunday shortened by rain.) and rode in shirtsleeves all the way back to Indianapolis. Last 180 miles to Chicago in light leather jacket.

Bottom line..... Best trip ever!! 2 1/2 days of rain makes us laugh to this day!

 

Tagging on to Randy's comments about the shield fogging: It's not a pretty look, but you can take your visor, crack it open "X" amount, and then use clear packing tape along the top and sides to keep the water out. This will obviously allow a lot more air to flow through keeping the fog down. I actually have a second helmet for this - its my "not-so-pretty" one. As long as your chin is tilted down, there's actually not too much water that comes in from the open visor.

 

@ Randy. I agree with you about anti-fog sprays and such... but have you ever tried a Pinlock visor?

PinlockUSA | PinlockUSA

They are AMAZING. I live in Seattle and ride year round as well. You and I are dealing with the same temp/humdity issues. It is a two part system where there is the visor, and then on the inside is a clear gel pad which creates a temperature barrier between your breath/head and the visor's plastic. It works 100%. I can literally close my helmet all the way on a cold/muggy day, zero airflow, and breathe as hard as I want and it refuses to fog. There is about 1/2 inch around the edge of the plastic visor part that isn't covered by the gel and you can watch that part fog like crazy. But the gel part in the main area of the visor is 100% clear. Pretty amazing stuff.

 

Just bought a clear and tinted Pinlick today so we will see. I ride in some pretty bad shit though. Stay tuned.

 

Many years ago I had a motorcycle accessory store and I found out that there is a huge difference in rain gear

advertised as "water proof" when in reality it was "water repellent." What I use in the rain is a cheap pair of cotton

gloves inside rubber chemical gloves with gauntlets. If you think your gloves are water repellent then put them on

and then put your gloved hand into a full bucket of water for 10 minutes. I also use rubber bootys over my

riding boots. For the rain you cannot beat rubber (wow, that sounds kinda kinky). Your rain jacket should have

a hood that can fit inside your helmet so that rain does not go down the back of your neck. Your helmet

should have a face shield that can be cracked open just a little bit to prevent fogging.

Of course our friends up north probably could add to this ~

 

Try baby shampoo. Dad has been using that since the 60s on the inside of his gas mask while training. Same principle as the dish soap but, if it gets wet and in your eyes for whatever reason, it won't burn. I've been trying Fogtech. It works sort of. Same principal as above, just puts a film of the stuff on the visor and prevents moisture from accumulating on it. It's hard to apply smoothly and will give a smeared look if its not done right. Not good for riding at night as headlights and street lights become a massive glowing glob of light. It's bad enough with glasses...

Another thing I tried and it works, again sort of, is Raincoat. Have to say I like it, it keeps the visor relatively clear in a light rain. I have to turn my head side to side to get the water to fly off otherwise the water in the center of the visor remains stationary. Heavy rain beads and rolls right off, much like RainX on my truck's windshield. Bugs come off real easy when raincoat is applied to the visor as well.

As for gloves, my Kombi snow mobile glove shell over my leather gauntlets (goretex but treated with Techwash/wax) worked flawlessly for 2 hours of highway rain riding today. The outer shell is still damp, but the inner is dry.

The Joe Rocket ballistic 10.0 stuff I have with the rain liners, also worked well. Outer shell was damp, but I was dry and warm inside. Again, everything I had was treated with the Techwash/wax so maybe that had something to do with it?

I've also got the new Michelin pilot road 3s. Rain riding felt like it was dry (I don't drive very fast or corner aggressively, about 10kph over posted), I just reduce speed going into the curves, and kept distance from cars in front to reduce road spray. Other than that... Take your time, and if you don't feel comfortable riding in the wet and you don't have to, use an alternative.

 

Thanks for all the helpful replies, i really appreciate the input.

 

My Joe Rocket RKT-101 (OEM'd by HJC) is apparently Pinlock-ready but when I look at the Pinlock website and my visor, I appear to be missing the pins and a location to lock them in. I also have a tinted HJC-09 for the helmet as well...same deal.

Am I missing the obvious somewhere?

../Mark

 

When I first started riding, all I had was the information i got from the Motorcycle Safety Foundation class. Its kind of like a motorcycle bible. It has a lot of tips on riding in all conditions. Once I started riding and felt really comfortable in the dry, I pushed myself to ride in the rain. Its not as scary as it seems. For me, I rather be caught in the rain riding on the freeway. Using back streets have more debris and uneven tarmac. Not to mention the frequent stopping and going over the stop areas where oil tends to accumulate. You just have to be more conservative in every way in the wet. If you're use to riding at 80% of your skill on the road, kick it back to 40%.. ride on a higher gear to avoid sudden surge of power to the rear wheel. Use the front brake primarily-- on abs models I believe it links front and rear brakes when using just the front brake. If you use the rear brake, you're more likely to lock up the rear tire and slide across the road. I understand that there are videos of people dragging knee in the wet, it just lets me know it is possible to do it, but is it necessary to ride at that level in the wet? Id rather be a little slower than end up on the side of the road waiting for the medics. :crazy:

 

Here in Ireland it rains most of the time. Other than going slower, and taking into account it's going to take longer to stop, and where the road has 1/2 an inch or more of surface water you are likely to aquaplane, so take it really slow there, generally you can ride along with no issues. I agree there are no such thing as truly waterproof gloves or boots for that matter.