Simple tips to riding in the wet......

Discussion in 'New Riders' started by braceyoself777, Jan 26, 2012.

  1. braceyoself777

    braceyoself777 New Member

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    [video=youtube;f_oWR9eJH6U]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_oWR9eJH6U[/video]
     
  2. monk69

    monk69 New Member

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    As much as that's a nice idea to give newbies a video to learn to ride in the rain....... THIS ONE..... doesn't really cover much. Also there should be a mention, that rider was mostly staying in the middle of his lane, which I find to be a place to stay away from even when it's dry, much less wet. Gas/diesel/radiater fluid/etc., then there's parts falling off the cars(mufflers)nails, and where do they go after being dropped and hit till they come to rest..... In the middle.

    Then there is the usual safe place to ride and that's the left tyre track of our lane as a base to work from depending on exceptions. But when it's raining,since everyone tracks there, the pavement wears and compresses so that it leaves a channel in the pavement for water to collect, so that's not good either. So riding at the edges/banks of the channel would be a good place to work from for wet travel lines. Stay off painted lines as well........ Hope this adds to the help of this thread.......
     
  3. FoothillRyder

    FoothillRyder New Member

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    I'm with Monk on pretty much everything, and since no mention has been made yet of corners let's go there. Remember the middle-of-the-lane issue? DON'T FORGET IT when you're approaching a turn, whether it's at an intersection or anywhere else. If you must cross the middle of any lane, do it carefully and plan on the bike moving around a little (don't panic, because it WILL happen). No sudden control inputs of any kind.

    Oh yes, and slow down. :cool:
     
  4. John451

    John451 Member

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    Wasn't bad in covering the very basics calmly for beginners which most on this forum are not, stated the importance of wearing the right gear and keeping the bike as upright in the wet as possible, he appeared to keep good spacing and to me riding mostly off centre except maybe the left turn at the very end when stationary and it does deserve marks for containing a VFR as well being a positive riding video rather than youtubes normal stupid stunting squids...
     
  5. braceyoself777

    braceyoself777 New Member

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    I will leave the advance course video for you to make :)

    Majority of the mine I was either on the left or right hand of my lane. Also, its been raining for awhile so much of the gunk and junk on the ground has been washed off.....so it won't be as slippery compared to a drizzle.

    I figured alot of the riders on here are matured riders. Squids and noobs don't really tend to veer towards the VFR as a super awesome chick magnet bike. Hence, I posted this in the new riders forum to help out anyone that needed the tips :)
     
  6. 34468 Randy

    34468 Randy Secret Insider

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    I like tip # Three the best. Cause it was free. But seriously, this cannot be understated. If there has been prolonged dryness, then the oils do build up, and not just in the centre. But it really does not take that long to wash away. I supposed depending on where you are from.

    There are techniques you can use to avoid the fogging of the face shiled. Many anti-fog sprays out there, none of which I have had any luck with. But anything that is soap based, works well if you leave a slight residue on the inside. Personally, I liked the dish soap. You just have to get used to the slightly dirty view. But with my most recent helmet, I bought the Pin Lock Shield. And was very pleasantly surprised at how effective that was. I didn't have confidence as I had tried a similar product in the past which failed quite miserable. But the pin lock works very well. And you can get different coloured inner shield so on outer suits many purposes.

    One huge consideration to keeping the fog away, is to keep as much moisture out of the inside of the helmet. Avoid putting your helmet on if your head is wet. You have to find a way to deal with that. I have gone for longer walks across the parking lot at work wearing my helmet to keep the head dry. With this keeping the head dry in mind, to open the visor slightly does keep air circulating inside which of course reduces the fog. But it also allows water to get in. So be mindful of that too.

    Many helmets offer more complete breath deflectors you can get for your helmets. They fit more snug to the bridge of you nose so re-directs the breath down and out the bottom of the helmet. This piece is usually very reasonably priced. So if you do ride a lot in the rain, then a worth while acquisition.

    Naturally I am told about these things cause I do not ride in the rain....ever....anytime....not....nadda
     
  7. John451

    John451 Member

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    Thought you had R2s or R3s because you fear wet snakes ? :smile:
     
  8. pacemaker

    pacemaker New Member

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    Increase your braking distance, Tin tops either slow down to a crawl or drive like maniacs when it rains, so it helps if you have more space. Don't tense up, just stay as relaxed as possible, if its cold & miserable (+ you don't have the right gear), stop frequently & get warm. Unless its pissing down, I'll ride on through rain as often it's better further on. If you have to pull over, make sure your in a good spot that other drivers/riders can see you. As much as its better not to ride for a while if it hasn't been raining for some time, its also true that if its been raining on & off for weeks (like it is here). Then some of the roads are going to be full of potholes & debris.
     
  9. 34468 Randy

    34468 Randy Secret Insider

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    Yeah. Those road snakes are just a bitch when wet. Careful there. At a constant speed at the posted or near posted speed limits, they usually are not a problem. But even very, and I mean soft as a baby's bum acceleration, while going over those, is likely to cause your back tire to slip out a bit. Easy enough to correct but it gets the heart thumping for a second.

    Rainex on your face shields outside is great. Doesn't really do much at city speeds but it is great at highways speeds. Mind you, if your visor is older and has become the slightest bit rough to the feel, then the Rainex does not work. I go through a shiled a season due to the time spent in the saddle.

    Now to ride in an electrical storm is to make your ole' arshole just clamp down and bight a big hole in your seat....so I am told. Cause of course, I don't ride in the rain. Nope.
     
  10. Gbam

    Gbam New Member

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    Good post, it started a great conversation. Now, I have some input here as well... My VFR get's A LOT of attention from chicks... Just sayin.
     
  11. monk69

    monk69 New Member

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    I went to YouTube after watching the OP's (BYS) post, and watched the whole 1st page on rain riding. BYS, I most say was the best and only one that stayed on subject, and did cover things that we need to know. BUT... I can see where a lot more needs to be brought up, especially for new riders.
    Sorry if I sounded negitive to you, everything I do is done in accordance with "Operational Command Directives" (AKA; OCD), so I like to fill in a lot of blanks. Don't even want to get into our great LEO's that don't signal, cross over the curved dotted line and ending up in the right lane from the middle lane, all done with-in less than 50 feet....... These ppl are suppose to set an example.

    Anyway, you spoke well and covered for the time you had, some points we need to work on. Thanks for your efforts.
     
  12. Gbam

    Gbam New Member

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    The best advice I can give someone who gets stuck in the rain for the first time is, take it easy and always brake early. In the rain or on a wet road, I tend to use the rear brake and balance the braking between the front and rear. The rear is better controlled in a slide than the front (Obviously), if the front is sliding LET GO OF THE BRAKE! or you're probably going to drop it. Most of all, give yourself a lot of space in traffic and don't get all tense and stiff, stay loose and relax, it's not ice and your tires will hold the road better than you think.

    Have fun, I enjoy riding in the rain when there isn't too much traffic.
     
  13. Badbilly

    Badbilly Official VFRWorld Troll Of The Year!

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    The first thing to do before riding in the rain is to buy a Tourmaster jacket.
     
  14. John451

    John451 Member

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    One of my best riding memories was riding at full tilt on a high altitude Alpine plain just in front of an ugly storm front with short loud lightning bolts from low altitude clouds smashing into nearby wet paddocks, was exhilarating to say the least. :biggrin:

    Surprised no-one has mentioned sense of smell being important for clues to go along with keeping an eye out for road rainbows.
     
  15. braceyoself777

    braceyoself777 New Member

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    I know how the more experienced riders can find holes in the videos, which is fine with me....I was expecting it. But with that said, I appreciate everyones input, especially if new riders do end up reading this after a search from google. lol

    Gawd damnit.....I have a Joe Rocket :(
     
  16. Maggot

    Maggot New Member

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    Let the perfect rider cast the first stone! I'm glad someone cares enough to make a video to give us his opinion. I know it causes me to think about my riding. We all should strive to become better riders.

    So I say "Thanks!"
     
  17. dougk35

    dougk35 New Member

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    Yea. Me too.
     
  18. Big_Jim59

    Big_Jim59 Member

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    Years ago my old boss and I were riding in the panhandle of Oklahoma headed for Colorado. We were ahead of the rest of the group by several miles. We had watched the storm move in and it started to rain. All of a sudden there was a huge BOOM as a bolt of lightning hit in the ditch just beside us on the road. We were pretty shaken and pulled in at a gas station. I said "Rex, did you ever hear of someone on a bike being struck by lightning?" "No" he said. I said "well, we were on rubber tires." He looked at me funny and said "they was wet!"

    Thanks for the video.
     
  19. BXZ

    BXZ New Member

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    Also when wet, lane markings and any paint used for the arrows, Lane dividers or anything that is paint on the roads. Watch out for them, they become very slippery. Also pot holes. When it rains they fill up, sometimes blending in with the road.
     
  20. coucours grad

    coucours grad New Member

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    My best tip for riding in the rain is look at the forcast before ya leave the house....



    if its 40% chance or better leave the clean Pretty bike in the GARAGE and take the truck.

    IMHO YMMV
     
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