Riding in the rain

[windchaser1942]

I don't mind getting wet on occassion and rarely do with my current riding clothes and I can deal with having to wash the bike down as necessary. However, I have yet to come to grip with just how much traction I really have. Based upon what I have read to date, most articles tend toward "what to wear" but not much on the traction issue.

Assuming new or near new tires of at least OEM quality how much grip can be expected? One article I read suggested locking up the rear wheel in the wet a couple of times to get a feel of what to expect but with ABS that is hard to do.

I realize this is a subjective subject and that there are alot of variables but what and how do you experienced "rain riders" deal with this issue? I do understood that things like painted roadways, manhole covers, railroad tracks and the like can be really dangerous. The amount of rain that has fallen and the extent the surface has been washed is a factor. Riding and shiftng gears smoothly is also important but with that said, is there any way to get a "grip" on this issue without damaging your bike? Is there such a thing as a "rule of thumb" that applies to riding in the wet?

 

[SPORT]

I don't mind getting wet on occassion and rarely do with my current riding clothes and I can deal with having to wash the bike down as necessary. However, I have yet to come to grip with just how much traction I really have. Based upon what I have read to date, most articles tend toward "what to wear" but not much on the traction issue.
Assuming new or near new tires of at least OEM quality how much grip can be expected? One article I read suggested locking up the rear wheel in the wet a couple of times to get a feel of what to expect but with ABS that is hard to do.

I realize this is a subjective subject and that there are alot of variables but what and how do you experienced "rain riders" deal with this issue? I do understood that things like painted roadways, manhole covers, railroad tracks and the like can be really dangerous. The amount of rain that has fallen and the extent the surface has been washed is a factor. Riding and shiftng gears smoothly is also important but with that said, is there any way to get a "grip" on this issue without damaging your bike? Is there such a thing as a "rule of thumb" that applies to riding in the wet?

The article you read about 'locking the rear wheel' is what I use as well. Although the term 'locking' is a bit misleading, the idea is present.

The goal is not to lock the tire, but to see when that tire begins to give way. Whether ABS or not, you learn real quick when and how your tires give out. Learning to feel your tires is knowing how much that tire can take before it lets go. I practice continually and throughout the tread life to know what my tires are telling me.

I've gotten to a point where I also try to accelerate a little too hard through familiar corners (even during the rain) and get my rear tire to break loose just to get some aggressive feedback. Now I'm not encouraging this in any way shape or form, for I know I'll be dogpiled for even mentioning it; however, you get the idea of how I learn to read my tires in various conditions.

just my $0.02

 

[El Toro]

In heavy rain, a big problem for me is visibility. If the rain is at a rate that it doesn't affect visibility too much, then its probably at a rate that will clear from the road, so you're riding on wet pavement, rather than in standing water. Standing water can be nasty at speed.

As for tires, most modern road tires will clear water pretty well if they have adequate tread grooves remaining.

I don't go exploring or experimenting to see what the grip break points are. Its pretty meaningless unless you're doing it all the time as you change pavement surfaces. If you really want to feel a slide even with ABS, kiss the paint with your rear wheel....

I just ride at speeds that conditions allow.

Watch out for the other folks who may be wondering how close to the limits they can get in the rain.

Wear a Class III safety vest to enhance your visibility to others.

The front brake is not your friend on any surface with compromised traction. Try to continuously plan the next 3 seconds of your ride. This is always good advice, but its even more important in the rain.

 

[03HiYoSilver]

Wind,

You will learn as you get experienced with conditions. As a rule of thumb, I only use about 75% capacity (less with poor quality tires) of what I would do on dry pavement with special attention to the following:

1-Yellow Road Stripes/Tar Snakes- they get more glassy like

2- Leaves-Debris in road that get slippery

3- Special attention on 1st rain days where oil comes to the top of the road surface

4- Give myself much more braking distance than on dry and more room for turns

With good tires, the FJR handles rain pretty well

https://www.fjrforum.com/forum//index.php?s...st&p=290297

Hope this helps.

 

[dbvolfan]

I commute to work daily (60 miles RT) whether it rains or not and visibility is my biggest issue. That is, being seen by others and occasionally seeing others. I have had more close calls with that than any other issue while riding in the rain. Like mentioned before, wear a bright, reflective vest and drive defensively. Dont ever let someone ride alongside you because chances are they dont/wont see you.

As for traction, well, each biker is gonna have different experiences here. Hydroplaning has never been an issue for me even in the heaviest rain. It's those darn lane stripes and accelerating from a stop. Watch the corners and soon you get a feel for what you/your bike can handle. I personally dont even try to test any limits if it's wet. I just want to get from A to B in one piece while taking it easy in corners. My PR2's while great for wear have been a little shaky in the rain. I still like them but I've had a few pucker moments in them I didnt get with the Azero/Storms. Oh, and lay off the brake. If use use it like it's dry outside you will get to test your sliders.

 

[just roy]

the only thing i don't see mentioned is temperature. tires like to be warm and rain wont let the rubber stay warm. and the colder it is the slicker it gets. i remember an article from Motorcyclist mag from the seventies where a tire manufacturer said that the biggest loss in traction wasn't the water but the cold rubber. not that this answers your question, but the colder it gets in the rain the slower i go.

 

[Checkswrecks]

Another commuter here. There are actually two ways to break traction. Like Sport, I'll occasionally push the back tire out with the throttle, but it's progressive and I'm controlling it. The nasty way to lose traction is when it simply goes away and does it right-NOW. Unless there's standing water, it's pretty rare on an interstate. But because this can happen on tar-snakes and oily spots that you don't even see on the rest of the roads, I just ride like a Grand Ma on those days.

 

[ponyfool]

With the exception of oil/water soaked roads (first 5-10 min of a fresh rain), you can expect 75-80% traction from dry with decent tires. So, if you ride normally at 75-80% of the bike/tire's capacity, you are at risk. If you aren't hitting the curves and are just riding to get to a destination, the only thing you really have to look out for is YOUR reduced visibility to other drivers, and of course, getting wet.

Oil/water soaked roads can reduce traction significantly, but it's typically a very short window. Oh, another MAJOR traction reducer is diesel fuel. Trucks and transit buses frequently have leaks. It's also damn near invisible too.

As for ABS on your 06, take it out on a wet highway (alone, closed course, etc), and do nothing but anchor the rear brake. You will be amazed at how well the bike stops, straight, true, and with great confidence. The bike even nose dives a bit due to the linked system.

 

[v65]

Watch out for the other folks who may be wondering how close to the limits they can get in the rain.

Exactly. With proper technique you can ride through just about anything. Last year we had a report of a rider getting taken out when a SUV crossed the divider in bad weather. You can't control the actions of stupid cagers; I am much more apt to pull off now.

 

[oldryder]

you might be interested to know that club racers often run on wet racetracks on DOT tires. I was amazed the first time I saw it. I subsequently took a training class to get a roadracing license and the training was conducted on a rainy day with temps in the low 40's. (tough day)

anyway I was amazed at how much traction is still available on wet pavement (in this case blacktop). since that training day I worry much less about traction on wet pavement. the track at BIR has a long right sweeper at the end of a mile long straightaway that experienced riders take wide open even in the rain.

street riding, even at a 'brisk" pace; shouldn't come close to exceeding the traction available on wet pavement with good tires. One surprising thing was that even the rubber 'snakes' weren't that big of a deal; the tire might slip for a fraction of a second which the rider could feel but there was never any danger of losing the bike.

the one caveat to this is very hard rain where enough water might be collecting on the roadway to cause hydroplaning even with good tires. then you MUST slow down but you probably would be anyway due to the poor visibility.

 

[El Toro]

One surprising thing was that even the rubber 'snakes' weren't that big of a deal; the tire might slip for a fraction of a second which the rider could feel but there was never any danger of losing the bike.

I don't mind kissing the paint or the tar snake with the rear because recovery feels pretty certain.

I feel less good about loosing the front end, even for a fraction of a second.

In either case, you've just got to ride it out. Rider error is often in the form of grabbing front brake or over correcting after some friction (or lack of friction) event.

 

[zorkler]

If it possibile ride after 15 minutes of rain have fallen . This will wipe away most of the slippery stuff the cars and truck left behind . The visibilty issue sucks if its raining to &^%$#hard and there is a underpass boom i am there .some say rain x works . I have been buying a bottle for 7 years now and cant seem to get it .

 

[oldryder]

Rain plus toll booths = as slippery as ice. watch out for it!!

 

[El Toro]

Rain plus toll booths = as slippery as ice. watch out for it!!

+1

Toll booths suck on so many levels, starting with the literal "highway robbery" that was their original basis. The engine droppings from every vehicle that's ever run through is just the icing on the cake, but a dangerous one nonetheless.

Every year when I ride up into the northeast, on my return I do a little dance once I'm out of toll booth country. I don't think we have any toll roads in TN. I know of one or two easily avoided toll roads in KY. If I drive west on I-40, I don't think I hit a toll booth for a couple of thousand miles. The once a year trek to the northeast is enough to kindle gratitude in my heart for the rest of the time I ride or drive toll booth free.

 

[odot]

Ya wanna check out rear wheel skid? Don't use the brake, use the clutch and the engine. Be careful out there, pups.

 

[3dogs]

[SIZE=10pt]Talk About Wet Traction![/SIZE] Here is a picture of one of the Total Control Advanced Riding Clinic instructors dragging his knee in the rain. This Total Control class was being taught in Seattle--so it always rains. In general, with clean pavement, and enough tread on the tires, about 80% of dry traction is available in the wet.

 

[El Toro]

Sort of interesting since the knee pucks look normal size. In MotoGP the rain knee pucks I've seen are a bit thicker than normal.

 

[windchaser1942]

As a follow up I would like to say thanks to all who have responded to my question. The input has been great and I appreciate the time you all have taken to respond.

Ride safe!

 

[Tim05fjr]

As an everyday commuter here on Long Island I can say that the FJR handles wet weather very well. As stated by others, I worry more about the knuckle heads around me than the wet roadway.

I did however, find out last week that snow is a different story all together.

On New year's Eve day I had to bring my company work van back to the office. I had ridden the bike in the day before and took the van out on a service call. It had gotten late so I drove the van straight home and figured I would just drive it in the next morning and cut out early and ride the bike home. Weather reports called for the snow to start after lunchtime. Well, they were wrong. Snow started just as I arrived at the office, 42 miles from home.

The ride started out OK. Snow was melting as soon as it hit the road surface. About half way thru, it started to stick and that was when things got scary. I was on the highway in the far right lane with my flashers on. Was able to maintain 40 mph. I made it to my exit and that is when I knew I couldn't go any farther safely. I managed to get about a half mile up the road where I could pull off without having to make any sharp turns and pullled under an overhang in front of a hardware store. That is where it stayed until the roads were cleared later the next day.

Next time I'll take the van home and not even think to chance another white knuckle snow ride. Yes, I am stupid. :dribble:

Tim