Just got my first full set of rain gear in my first season with the FJR. Thoroughly enjoying the Feej on dry roads, just set up my suspension (NOW we're talking...
), made 'first contact' (sort of, it was my toe...) and starting to dial it in on the curves. After years of dry-only riding, I've been easing into full rain, took a few gully-washers head on, stayed dry and upright, and all has been well.
I recently took a jaunt up Six Gap early one morning and was rather enjoying the road on the way up the first leg, when it started to mist and spit, just barely even getting the road wet, and I started to notice a sheen in my lane. As I'm twisting up the road at an easy pace, I start thinking to myself, remember they always say 'the first few minutes or just a light spritz is the most dangerous cause of the oil rising up...', and I've dealt with this many times before with no affair. I'm also thinking, my tires are nice and warmed up, they've been sticking like glue for the last 20 miles, and remember they always say 'you've got a lot more wet traction than you realize...'. (Yes, wet as in WATER, not OIL....) But nevertheless, I continue twisting up because I'm thinking, I'm responsible, I'm just going for a morning cruise, I'm practically doing posted speed which feels easy like a Sunday morning, not even really getting much lean on, (this is all within maybe 5-8 seconds) and as I'm then starting to think, wow, that is a REALLY iridescent sheen, HOLY FACK!, on transition from left to right on an easy twist, the rear slides what felt like a foot (it was probably a couple inches, if that) out from underneath me, momentarily stopping my heart, catches, uprights, and as I continue on my no-longer-merry way, all I can hear is the beat of my own heart as the blood returns to my face. Now I'm pretty sure what I saw, and then slipped on, wasnt ordinary street oil, I think someone may have taken a spill or dropped an oil pan plug or something, but that one little moment seems to have severely set back my wet riding confidence. The fact is I have never even gotten close to the limit of dry traction, and I just dont know where the wet limit is, just that it is somewhere (seemingly) far below that. Riding wet in a straight line and on gentle bends is easy, but I'm struggling with how much wet lean is safe and reasonable, and not in any way looking to 'ride fast' or push anything while it's wet, I just don't want to feel like a complete pussy and hold up traffic because I now take corners in the rain more upright than Mary Poppins.
This morning I went and rode the same section of Six Gap, and wouldnt you know it, it started to mist and spit. I had just been carving around quite nicely on they way up on my warm and sticky tires, but as soon as the pavement started to darken from the rain again, I lost all confidence in my cornering, likely over-anticipating another sudden loss of traction. It occurred to me after I had to grab a little brake for a car pulling out in front of me, that I actually probably put more friction on the tire doing just that, than I do when taking easy to moderate corners. I probably have lots more traction available, but I'm just having a hard time fighting what feels like 'phantom traction loss', where I think I am going to lose it, but I'm probably miles from it.
How do you guys alter your riding habits for rain, and what highly-subjective, depends-on-the-specific-amount-of-water/oil/tire/braking/acceleration/leanangle/roadsurface/temperature/compound/etc advice could you offer for building confidence in cornering in the rain? Do you see drastic wet traction differences between tires? I in no way confuse myself with these guys, but was recently watching some old Superbike races, and some were in the rain, and I'm just amazed at the amount of grip these guys have. I get that they're on race-prepped surface with rain tires, etc, but I've got to believe I have room to ride, and I'd like to do it confidently and safely.
Enlighten me, o sage riders of the Feejer.
I recently took a jaunt up Six Gap early one morning and was rather enjoying the road on the way up the first leg, when it started to mist and spit, just barely even getting the road wet, and I started to notice a sheen in my lane. As I'm twisting up the road at an easy pace, I start thinking to myself, remember they always say 'the first few minutes or just a light spritz is the most dangerous cause of the oil rising up...', and I've dealt with this many times before with no affair. I'm also thinking, my tires are nice and warmed up, they've been sticking like glue for the last 20 miles, and remember they always say 'you've got a lot more wet traction than you realize...'. (Yes, wet as in WATER, not OIL....) But nevertheless, I continue twisting up because I'm thinking, I'm responsible, I'm just going for a morning cruise, I'm practically doing posted speed which feels easy like a Sunday morning, not even really getting much lean on, (this is all within maybe 5-8 seconds) and as I'm then starting to think, wow, that is a REALLY iridescent sheen, HOLY FACK!, on transition from left to right on an easy twist, the rear slides what felt like a foot (it was probably a couple inches, if that) out from underneath me, momentarily stopping my heart, catches, uprights, and as I continue on my no-longer-merry way, all I can hear is the beat of my own heart as the blood returns to my face. Now I'm pretty sure what I saw, and then slipped on, wasnt ordinary street oil, I think someone may have taken a spill or dropped an oil pan plug or something, but that one little moment seems to have severely set back my wet riding confidence. The fact is I have never even gotten close to the limit of dry traction, and I just dont know where the wet limit is, just that it is somewhere (seemingly) far below that. Riding wet in a straight line and on gentle bends is easy, but I'm struggling with how much wet lean is safe and reasonable, and not in any way looking to 'ride fast' or push anything while it's wet, I just don't want to feel like a complete pussy and hold up traffic because I now take corners in the rain more upright than Mary Poppins.
This morning I went and rode the same section of Six Gap, and wouldnt you know it, it started to mist and spit. I had just been carving around quite nicely on they way up on my warm and sticky tires, but as soon as the pavement started to darken from the rain again, I lost all confidence in my cornering, likely over-anticipating another sudden loss of traction. It occurred to me after I had to grab a little brake for a car pulling out in front of me, that I actually probably put more friction on the tire doing just that, than I do when taking easy to moderate corners. I probably have lots more traction available, but I'm just having a hard time fighting what feels like 'phantom traction loss', where I think I am going to lose it, but I'm probably miles from it.
How do you guys alter your riding habits for rain, and what highly-subjective, depends-on-the-specific-amount-of-water/oil/tire/braking/acceleration/leanangle/roadsurface/temperature/compound/etc advice could you offer for building confidence in cornering in the rain? Do you see drastic wet traction differences between tires? I in no way confuse myself with these guys, but was recently watching some old Superbike races, and some were in the rain, and I'm just amazed at the amount of grip these guys have. I get that they're on race-prepped surface with rain tires, etc, but I've got to believe I have room to ride, and I'd like to do it confidently and safely.
Enlighten me, o sage riders of the Feejer.
