Ride In Rain?

[ionbeam]

If it occurs on a trip, no prob. Have rain suit, will travel. I won't, however, purposely head out into it if I can avoid it.

What he said. Rain creates some safety issues which I will avoid if it is in my control and I don't enjoy washing Feejer after a rain ride.

Tire tread design and to a smaller extent rubber compounding determine how well a tire behaves on wet roads. Tire tread is in part designed to actively 'pump' water out from under the tire. When the tire can no longer clear the water away the tire will then float on the water, a.k.a. hydroplane. As your tires wear they start to loose some of their ability to pump water away and safety starts going down hill quickly. Motorcycle tires are designed to work in front/rear sets where at speed the front tire squeegees the water away so the rear tire has less water to deal with. This facilitates having less siping (tread cuts) in the rear tire, allowing more rubber contact for better performance. The wider 285-40-17 tires on my car actually do a better job in the rain than the 255-50-17 that came on the car. Tread design and rubber compound makes the difference.

Snow is another matter. Big tires are like snow shoes, you float on top and go no place. Small tire width cuts through the snow. There is one exception to narrow tires and snow and that is motorcycle tires. I have had to ride my street bike with street tires in deep snow several times and it is basically impossible to do. :cold:

Alan

 

[Mr Bill]

Alot of folks, yankees and yuppies mosly, ask me about this alot on rainy days.

Hmmm I thought this was a troll post at first, but now I realize you must have a lot of Yankee/Yuppie friends <_<

Ionbeam has it right...I hydroplaned once on the interstate (going to the 2003 EOM in the hurricane remnants). I thought the front tire had a lot of tread, well it did except on the sides. I am one lucky dude to have not dropped the bike. I'm changing front tires much more often now!

 

[BobbyBlue]

Hey Guys,

Thanks for the awesome input so far. I was just curious.

@Mr Bill, Yes Sir I do have alot of YY friends, comes with being an engineer I guess and I'm not quite sure what a "troll" post is but I meant no derision I assure you, they just told me they dont ride in the rain very much at all due to road condition etc.

@ Colin, Take it easy in Limeyland man ! They drives kinda crazy from what I remember and Thanks a bunch for the GO SPURS !!! They were fantastic this year !

As an aside I own no "rain gear" and never have, Everythings air-conditioned so I dry rather quickly and the FJR has outstanding weather protection compared to my Ducati 900 monster or the old CB 750k. I do own winter foul weather gear as I ride year round, but mostly for the cold at highway speeds.

@ Stan, Thanks for the outstanding info dude! Man tires sure are better than what we had in the '70's....I used to drive my RD's like flat-trackers in rain !

Blessings,

Bobby

 

[Woodstock]

Here in Seattle, according to Bill Cosby, it rains at least 365 days out of the year. Therefore even the fair weather rider have to ride in the rain.

But this entire week has been _great_ riding!! B)

 

[Groo]

My only real qualms about riding in the rain are protecting my electronics. The V1 and XM receiver arent waterproof, so I have to make sure to take them off, or put on a cover before the downpour hits. Similarly with my tankbag, for which I carry a raincover to keep the contents dry. If it's already pouring outside, I'll cage it. If I'm out and it rains... I'll deal with it.

 

[FJR Bandit]

I ride rain or shine unless I'm going to work in the rain. Then it is the car's day for duty. I too carry my rain gear at all times in the saddle bag.

FJR Bandit

 

[zorkler]

if its raining and i am riding no big deal . but if its raining and i am home i go for the car .

 

[yanktar]

I used to ride in the rain all the time--had no choice. I learned to really hate it. Now I avoid it.

Riding in snow on anything but a dirt bike, ice racer or Rotal (2wd) is, IMHO stupid unless you have NO other choice.

I've hit water up to my front axle without hydroplaning--it's important to stay off the gas AND the brakes and just coast.

But, again IMHO, if you hydroplane and it's due to your tires being bald, well, it's your own damn fault. Bald tires should be replaced.

Having ridden both my FZ1 and my FJR in the rain, I have to say both bikes are by far the surest-footed wet-road bikes I've ever had. And the FJR's ABS gives you a complete additional level of confidence.

 

[ionbeam]

When riding my Honda V-4 in the rain, in 6th gear (no need for another 6th gear thread) at 65 mph I discovered that abrupt opening of the throttle results in major rear wheel spin. Haven't tried that in top gear with Feejer. Will someone let me know what happens :bigeyes:

Alan

 

[RonC]

It rained on about 40% of my trip from Colorado, through Wyoming, Idaho, NE Oregon and part of Washington. It was a good lesson to me that riding in the rain isn't so bad. I had more grip from my Avons than I expected; when the windshield is 1/2 way up, the wind parts the water (the Moses effect) on my helmet shield; and my raingear works just fine.

I also loved the fresh smell of the rain on the fields and forests.

Would I chose to ride in the rain? Probably not. Am I troubled about it? Not at all.

Ron

 

[throttlejockeyTJ]

I commuted on my first naked bike in the rain all the time. I got tired of slabbin it naked and got a 750 with a windjammer. It was more comfortable in the wet. My first ride on my XS1100 was in the wet 70 miles to my parents house. My XS 1100 leaving work entering the highway uphill in the wet ( as gently as I could open the throttle) would spin up at 2800 rpms in the first three gears. I have never hydroplaned on a bike. I could spin up at speed too when I wanted. I never found it scary. Right after I got my 750 WE got snowed in, in Reno. They took the chain requirments off so we left. Riding in the snow (with pillion) with Conti Twin 112's on six inches of packed snow the bike never moved around at all. The cagers were a problem. The worst thing was the road would open up to two lanes and then merge back into one. I didn't want to run over 50 on the snow, so crazy lane changes were a PITA. My Wife was a great pillion. I left work in the snow several times. I am a useless eater now :bleh: I am not afraid to ride in the wet, but won't go out and get messy in the wet for no reason. TJ

 

[fastersilverfjr]

I have the cage for rainy days. Like yesterday and today in fact. Woke up to rain yesterday and drove to work. Woke up to rain this morning and drove to work.

Now, if I wake up to rain the morning of the first day of a planned weekend ride to somewhere, I will take off in the rain. If I wake up and was planning on a little 100-200 mile ride for a few hours, I will stay home and play online poker instead.

 

[Hotboot]

It will not usually rain here (n. tex) until October. I'll take what comes my way if I am out riding. Hell, it smells so good it's worth the slippery risk.

I like practicing my Rossi slides anyway....

 

[RebelRider]

What rain gear do you use?

 

[speedjunkie]

I'll normally only ride in the rain when I have to. You know, the weather man missed again? We rode last year in the rain for an entire day, it was miserable. The next day it rained as well, I watched from the motel room window. I've gotta concentrate enough on the road and everyone around me, don't need the reduced visiblity and traction to deter from my focus.

Mike