Cornering on wet pavement

I have only been riding about a year and when I ride on wet pavement I don't know how much I can safely lean into a turn. I don't want to dump my bike to know I've gone to far. Thank you for any help.


Doc

I've only been riding for about a year too as a returning rider, so most of this stuff was new to me all over again. Bikes and bike equipment have changed out of sight (and for the better) to what we had back in the late 60's and early 70's. I can do stuff in the rain on my FZ6 that would have spelled disaster on my Triumphs or BSA's.
I don't think it's the leaning that will cause the problem...it's what you're doing WHEN you're leaning that's important. IOW, regular bend swinging on a wet road shouldn't cause you any problems, as long as you're "soft" on the throttle, brakes and your movements. Don't accelerate quickly around a turn at or from an intersection....they are like a minefield of hazards, what with painted lines (deadly) and unseen fluid spills all over the place.
Read the road ahead...plan your braking and manoeuvers well ahead of time.
I'm sure some of the more experienced riders will chime in here for you.

I have come to really enjoy riding in the rain. Just practice. Its just one of those be smooth type of things. No sudden movements, and smooth control inputs and its easy. If you set out from your house one day intending to ride in the rain, and just practice at it, it becomes fun.

I've been riding only 9 months, but riding in the rain is currently on the "too dangerous" list for me. I'm concerned about slickness of paint and other markings on the roads. Quite a few instances on this forum of people riding in a manner that would be very conservative on a dry road, but dangerous on a wet. Losing traction on a slow turn, or skidding in a straight line stop.

Riding in the rain is fun. Just make sure you have good tires and ride smooth...and don't forget, people race in the rain (really good tires).

Riding in wet conditions depends a lot in what region you live in. Riding when its wet in the Northwest, where it rains frequently is much different than riding here in the Southwest, where it does not rain very much. As consecutive days a road experiences dry pavement increases, the next time it rains will determine how slick the roads will be as the accumulation of fluids, such as oil and grease from vehicles will be greater. There hasn't been an opportunity for the rain to wash out the hazards. So here in Vegas, the roads litteraly becomes like an ice rink! The slightest acceleration or moderate braking, the tires will slide. Therefore, as Onetrack mentioned, you must plan your turns and braking well ahead of time. Unfortunately, when it rains here in Vegas, I find it necessary for me to run yellow and red lights rather than trying to stop, because braking will result in an immediate slide, which I will end up going through the intersection anyway. So it's best for me to throttle out. But like I mentioned, your riding condition in wet weather will be much better since your roads will be in much better shape.

Cornering, Turning, Leaning in the wet is always good fun... Done well!

After a year of riding you should have now developed a good feel for the grip your bike has, don't think about slip-sliding out, look into the bend and concentrate on leaving the bend in a decent shape... When approaching a bend try to remember the following...

I -Information (Look at the vanishing point, look in your mirrors, are there any junctions on the bend, any cars ? etc...)

P - Position (where do you want to position yourself to attack this bend (if there's a car up your arse (Information) you don't want to move over in case they see it as an overtaking opportunity, are there any drain covers (Information) - you dont want to be over in the gutter)

S - Speed (am I going to drop it going this slow? am i going to straight line and end up in the tree's going this fast? get out there and experiment in the dry, see how you cope with grip and bends... try to hang off a little to keep the bike as upright as possible and on the fat part of the tyre)

G - Gear (Select the right gear before your turning point, you want the best drive out of the corner asap)

A - Acceleration (Keep the throttle on around the bend gradually easing it on as the bed opens up... you want to get onto the fat part opf the tyre asap to get the best grip and drive out of the corner)

I've always found the front to twitch more in the wet... try putting the bike into the bend by Countersteering a little and don't overload the front with braking as you enter the corner... you're looking to be as smooth as possible... try changing down gears before you get to the bend instead of slamming on the anchors!

At the end of the day, it comes down to comfort & confidence... get out there in the dry and get to know your bikes... go on track days etc... all of this will build confidence and you'll be a hardened all weather rider in no time! (I've just spent winter riding everyday on a CBR125... what an experience)

Hope this helps... and I really hope it doesn't read as being a little condescending!

I've just passed my bike test, so it's all fresh in the memory... but I've been riding on a restricted licence (<= 125cc) for the past 5 years.

WbN

DefyInertia said:

Riding in the rain is fun. Just make sure you have good tires and ride smooth...and don't forget, CRAZY people race in the rain (really good tires).

Click to expand...

There...fixed it for you.

Make sure you warm up the tyres, it will take a bit longer in the wet.

I've been riding for ...about 2 weeks now. I live in the great northwest which isn't so great BECAUSE it's raining all the damn time. I've hit some slick spots that really got my body tingleing and my heart racing. <---Of course that's what I ride for. The one thing I've used to keep me out of trouble is by taking it easy until I "develop a feel" for different situations and how the bike reacts to them. With that I can determine what my bikes limitations are as well as my own and then I always try to ride within them (just shy of...) Just my thought for what it's worth.

OneTrack said:

There...fixed it for you.

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You ever see that GP race where Rossi just absolutely dominates in the rain and is shaking with cold by the end? SMOOTH is king.

I agree with the previous posts. It's a situation that has to be read and anticipated. VEGASRIDER is correct, here in the northwest, the worst is when it rains after a dry spell. That first day is slicker than snot. The cages have to be careful too. The second day on is nearly as tight as dry days.

Always watch intersections, painted lines are always low traction areas.

I thought the paint on the roads was used for drifting?....

Smooth and steady.. and keep alert of everything around you. I just drove through torrential downpours on I93 going south from Northern NH into Boston at 4pm in the afternoon. Not tight corners but plenty of corners...Rain was one of my biggest fears.. not now. I averaged 70 miles an hour in the rain.. keeping in the tire tracks of the cars in front, trying to allow enough space in between vehicles, but in Boston they will squeeze in any chance they get.... when a car would get in between my husband and me, he would slow down and make them pass him. He was more worried for me than I was. hehe Anyway, always just take it easy don't put pressure on yourself go at a comfortable pace.

Also, make sure you have riding boots with good slip-resistent soles. One little slip at stoplight will damage your bike and your ego.

Before I got my Fizzer and the proper gear I was riding my XT225 with basic tennis shoes (sneakers.) I almost went down countless times. That bike only weighs 240 lbs so it's easy to recover.... That is not the case with the FZ6.

my technique if ever i need to corner on wet pavement, is to get off the bike just like motoGP racers do and lean is as little as possible, thus conserving as much traction as possible.