Wet Pavement / Rain

[Jer]

As a newbie and having read a bit in books I am of course scared to death to cross any wet pavement.

I'm sure my fears are warranted some, but if I maintain speed and keep going straight, am I safe crossing wet patches of pavement?

Bikes don't just fly sideways of fall over from a straight even line do they?

[music man]

I personally have rode my GZ in the rain several times, and it seems to handle pretty well, the thing I watch for the most is when it is really hot outside and just showers for a little bit and quits, makes for nice oily slick pavement. But as far as hydroplaning, i haven't experienced any of that yet, And also when it is raining i slow down my normal speed quite a bit, for the rain on the road, and also because obviously I can't see as good with all the water on my face shield, which is still not as bad as when I used to ride with a half-helmet and just got it right in my face, OUCH!

So I think as long as you stay cautious and you are already pretty experienced and confident on dry pavement you should be O.K.. I would say that someone that has never rode in the rain should treat the experience just like when they first started riding period, slowly and catiously.

later

[Dupo]

Rule #1

Wait 10 minutes AFTER it starts raining to ride. If you are on the road, pull over and wait 10 minutes then continue.

As it starts to rain, all the oil, grease, contaminants from vehicles slicks the road surface. Ever notice when it rains quickly that there is a rainbow effect on the road? That stuff makes for a very slick surface for us 2 wheelers. Its a general rule of thumb to give the rains 10 minutes to wash all that crap off the road before venturing/continuing on your way.

Heres a few great articles on riding in the rain:

http://www.msgroup.org/Tip.aspx?Num=199&Set=
http://www.msgroup.org/Tip.aspx?Num=204&Set=
http://www.msgroup.org/Tip.aspx?Num=035&Set=

[Sarris]

:plus1: to MM's and Dupo's comments, with a couple additions. Avoid the center part of the lane like the plague. That's where all the oil and crap from cars accumulate. So drive in either the left or right tire rut. Also, be very cautious of the lines and arrows in the road. In some states, they're a reflective vinyl and can be very slick. Use the same prudent driving techniques as driving in a car. SLOW DOWN, brake gently, reduce your following distance, and reduce your lean angle in turns. First and foremost, don't panic. Relax and don't tense up or you'll gorilla grip the bike and start driving in a choppy manner. Bike tires with good tread have amazingly good grip in the rain. So as long as you take it easy, you should have no problems.

:skull:

[Jer]

I've read those tips as well.

Good stuff.

Thanks!

For small patches of wet pavement. Like water running into the street from a nearby car wash or something, just roll on thru it in a straight manner?

[Sarris]

Yep :biggrin:

[Easy Rider]

For small patches of wet pavement. Like water running into the street from a nearby car wash or something, just roll on thru it in a straight manner?

Yes. It never hurts to slow down a bit.

[Jer]

Sure.

But doesnt that remove some traction? So you dont want to slow by much.

Does engine braking cause LESS traction loss vs using the brakes?

[Sarris]

You loose some adhesion when the tire has water between it and the pavement, but traction is effected by hard braking and fast acceleration/deceleration. Just slowly releasing the throttle and lightly braking, done properly, shouldn't effect your traction. You'll feel it in your ass when/if the tire gets loose.

:biggrin:

[Easy Rider]

But doesnt that remove some traction? So you dont want to slow by much.

Does engine braking cause LESS traction loss vs using the brakes?

The ideal situation is to slow down BEFORE you get to the hazzard and then crack the throttle just enough that both wheels are "free wheeling" when you cross the slick spot. I think you're being a little paranoid here though. Simple water is usually NOT a real hazzard, if you are riding like you have half a brain.

And yes, engine braking is usually preferred because, in general, it is less abrupt and affects only the back wheel. Locking/sliding the front will take you down MUCH faster.

[Jer]

Great info.

Yeah I dont want to be paranoid. And books like Proficient Motorcycling, while great, leave me thinking that I'll explode if I cross an oil patch.

Its better to be over cautious than under cautious I suppose.

But good to know that the bike is designed to be able to cross these things as long as you arent attempting maneuvers over them.

[Jenny]

I had my first wet roads experience last week. I left the house for work on a gorgeous, sunny day, and an hour later it started to rain. It rained all day. I contacted my partner (who had also biked to work) and asked that he please meet me in the parking lot after work for moral support. Before we pulled out of the parking lot, he made me sit through the "how to ride safely on wet pavement" speech again (which is fine, I'd rather get that drill several times than no times). Oh, and there is at least one instance where this applies to the type of riding we were doing but might not apply to other times (we were doing residential streets).

Here's what I got:

1. Wait until it's rained for a little while (which wasn't an issue in that instance).

2. Make sure that the bike is sufficiently warmed up so that you can turn the choke off. This stops your bike from having any unexpected power fluctuations.

3. Take turns less sharply than you might on dry pavement.

4. Accelerate and decelerate less suddenly. You can ride at the same speeds (we were going to be on 25-35 mph residential streets), but you need to get up to speed and slow down less severely. He did say that the acceleration wasn't an issue for my bike because I don't have the power to accelerate very quickly from a stopped position. He said that if I ever got a more powerful bike, that's when I would worry about that more, but at the speeds I am currently able to accelerate (I still haven't done that sprocket change over), he said that wouldn't be a problem. So coming up to a stop sign, if I would start slowing down a certain distance from the sign, I should start to do so sooner.

5. If the bike does start to skid on wet pavement, try not to panic. That being said, straighten the bike up (if it's in a turn), hold the handlebars firmly but don't fight with them, and do NOT slam on the brakes.

6. I'm pretty sure that I'm missing something. I don't remember what, though! Bad me!

[Dupo]

I remember my first pucker moment in the rain.

Rounded a curve a little too fast while it was still wet/drizzling ... felt the back end start to give. Thank god i remembered to just ride it out and ease off the throttle. Did a wonderful powerslide through the turn and recovered without sliding across the oncoming intersection. I do think i soiled my underwear, but it looked like i knew what i was doing.

[Jer]

O_o O_o O_o

[roncg41677]

Would it be a practical idea to do parking lot practice in the rain?

I'm usually pretty relaxed when I ride, but my first one in the rain I was a wreck (thankfully I didn't have one :) ). At every curve I didn't trust the tires to hold traction, I tensed up if I went over a spot of water more than a few mm's deep, every black spot on the road had me visualizing the worst. I was riding behind a couple of VERY experienced riders, and they were as relaxed as ever. They gave me much of the advice given here. My next ride in the rain was actually fun! I enjoyed the feel of the cool rain, and the smell. The key for me is to stay relaxed and be more conservative in all of my actions. Sounds weird, but having faith in your tires is important too.

P.S. I am in no way an experienced rider. I'm just sharing the lesson I learned in my few hundred miles, so take it with a grain of salt :whistle: .

[alanmcorcoran]

I think it might have been the Proficient guy, but somewhere the concept that the tires have X amount of traction. Normally the traction is used to make the bike go and stop. When you are turning, a percentage of the traction is used to mke the turn (that's why you don't want to brake in a turn - you "run out" and down you go.)

The big problem with rain is that you lose traction, but it's not consistent. I don't like riding in the rain. Regular wet pavement is not usually a problem - it's the X factor stuff, like, leaves, and paint, and grease and other stuff. Some of these things reduce your traction to zero and if you happen tohave the bike leaned over when you hit them, good night!

I would say the most important thing is to be vigilant when approaching and performing turns.