advice for riding in rain

[razteo]

Please feel free to advice me for riding in the rain - I have to admit I almost never did it. I am spoiled by the weather here where it rarely rains
But this weekend I have to take a medium sized trip & they forecast rain .

I only know the very basic about riding in the rain, like:
- avoid sudden acceleration & braking
- avoid painted marks on the street
- avoid sudden turns
- ride slow, leave room ahead
- etc.

Any advice you think will help is welcome.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Hutchmaster34]

I was taught to stay out of the middle of the lane, because of cagers leaking oil especially at hi traffic areas where there's a lot of stop and go action throughout the week

 

[deeptekkie]

You and Hutchmaster34 pretty much nailed it. My first two priorities: Avoid sudden velocity changes and avoid sudden directional changes. My second two priorities: Avoid paint stripes and the oil strip. (Always keep good rubber on the ground)
Other than those, (which you named), personal comfort has a lot to do with it! If you can't see or if you are cold you do not fuction as quickly or as well.
Cagers will look straight at you and still not see you, (because they can't believe what they are seeing). Often, if I catch myself coming into a curve a little too fast I will do what I used to do when I rode knobbies on the street: I'll try to keep the bike perpendicular and I will do all of the leaning. This seems to help tremendously. Good luck and "drive way out there".

 

[Dennis in NH]

I'm sure you'll get the standard replies about stuff you already listed.

I will add that you should learn at what position the wind hits the top of your helmet where the top of the visor meets the helmet. This is useful because in the rain, your visor will get wet on outside (obviously) but it will most likely get wet on the inside (when you open the visor to defog). I found that if you open your visor (assuming full-face helmet) to the first click and position your head into the wind stream where air can enter the top of the helmet, the water will be forced down and automatically defog the inside of the visor. You will see drops stream downward -- I call this "defrost" mode .

Depending on your windshield, I think you can stick your head out from behind it (at speed) and the wind will blast/clear the water off the outside of the helmet.

A little rubber strip on your left glove finger is nice and can act as a windshield wiper; I move my finger across my visor in the motion of a windshield wiper to entertain the drivers around me .

With my Road Smart tires, I went close to 85mph (GPS speed) straight line in the rain -- ok maybe 80mph -- but still the bike felt very planted. I still kept things close to vertical on turns. My point is good rain tires help in straights but I'm still not sure on turns.

Avoid following cars because the rain they spit up is worse than the rain itself for visibility.

I keep a set of velcro (bright yellow) strips with me and if it's raining, I put them on my wrists for added visibility. If I'm in traffic, I will periodically tap my brake so my light will flash. I want to provide something flashing to alert drivers of my presence.

I rode through a torrential downpour one time; I realized that my bike did not have pariscope and so was probably not a submarine so I pulled over after about .25 miles and sat it out for about 20 minutes until it was just rain.

Practice riding in the rain so that any apprehension is reduced and you can concentrate on being safe. Some of my best rides have been in rain.

Dennis

 

[CHEMIKER]

...In addition to the above

Weight your outside peg in turns, and lean your body in to keep the bike as upright as possible.

Go easy on the front brake and give yourself plenty of room to stop.

If you feel a slide coming on in a turn don't do anything, ride it out. Almost anything you do to correct can make you even less stable.

As said before, watch out for paint, metal grates, and wet leaves - both turning and when putting your foot down.

Relax and enjoy. It's fun to ride in the rain.

 

[Jez]

Try to avoid riding in the first half hour or so of a downpour after a long dry spell, as there will be grease all over the road. A good 30 minutes of rain should wash most of it off and traction should improve to around up to 70% of dry pavement, depending on the road surface.

When you brake, use both brakes in more of a 50/50 system between front and rear, rather than relying on front alone. And just smooth everything out a bit more. Brake lightly and earlier than normal to help dry off the disks.

If you are braking and you see a white arrow or similar that you're about to cross, ease off the brakes until you are over it. I did a magnificent fishtail on some roadpaint a while back in the wet because of exactly this.

Keep yourself waterproof. If you get wet you'll get cold, and could end up making silly errors of judgement because of it.

 

[VEGASRIDER]

Try to avoid riding in the first half hour or so of a downpour after a long dry spell, as there will be grease all over the road. A good 30 minutes of rain should wash most of it off and traction should improve to around up to 70% of dry pavement, depending on the road surface.
.

This is the most important piece of information that anyone of us can give you.

The roads are most slippery after the initial rainfall, especially if you are in an area that doesn't rain very often. The longer it has gone without rain, the slippery it will be. BE CAREFUL! It's like ICE!, NO JOKE!

What others have suggested or listed are great, but it begins here.

 

[BusyWeb]

I only know the very basic about riding in the rain, like:
- avoid sudden acceleration & braking
- avoid painted marks on the street
- avoid sudden turns
- ride slow, leave room ahead
- etc.
.

Hi, there.
You seems know everything already...

I only have few times in here CA, ha ha ha

Some of my experiences..
My major problems were VISION and WET.

Vision is well reduced, so slower speed for me.
Try not to use HARD REAR-BREAK even at the very slow speed if road looks water spot on them.
I had bad experiences with it. ha ha ha (rear break locks very easily on hydro)

Wet >> even if I have semi-water proof gears,
I always wear Rain-Gear which not only prevents WET but also cuts WIND; so I could keep warm during the ride.
Waterproof glove was my essential for the heavy rainy day.
Wet and Wind will lower the hand temperature very fast, and dis-comporting for the longer riding.

If rain scatters (little rain), you may find your helmet-visor would keep rain(water) on him; which distracts riders vision.
>> so be alerted if you are in the city. (at the midiium to high speed, I felt O.K.)

Safe riding.....:thumbup:

 

[Ridgeback]

We get a lot of rain here and in the last few months its been raining every day on my 20 mile round trip to work.
Apart from the things mentioned above,just relax when you riding.Your tyres have a lot more grip than you imagine in the wet.I still lean the bike over,but don't scrape the hero blobs on the pedals

Keep dry and warm and you'll be sweet as a nut.
I've been riding with a head cold recently and my perception,balance and awareness has been badly affected.

(Probably all the bloody rain I've been riding in)

 

[Kriswithak]

Few things some of which are already mentioned.

• Avoid centre of road at/near intersections
• Careful on throttle and braking, and cornering
• Never open your visor, once water gets inside it you have to take it off to clean that water away, your better getting an anti fog of some kind to put onto the inside. (Good practice anyway)
• You need to be extra careful of general spillage on the road, in the rain you should be able to identify and avoid any kind of obstacle on the road, grease pools, sand, gravel, leaves, etc.
• No one seems to have mentioned extra stopping distance that I noticed? Maybe just missed it, but its extremely important. I'd say the 6 second rule as opposed to the dry 3 second rule.
• Be particularly careful of your buffer zones, and staying visible, that means riding visible, not rely on people seeing you, you need to make yourself seen.
• Give your tyres extra time to warm up, its often colder when it rains so they take longer, and you just won't have the same grip till they are totally warmed up, this goes for even a light frost, or dampness in the mornings in non rainy weather.
• Don't push it.
• Ride to the conditions, not necessarily the speed limit.

Other things to keep in mind is that most people who drive cars are morons normally, in the rain they can't see as well, can't stop as well, and are generally less aware on the road. You need to be able to make up for this.

 

[Airhead]

A few more things:

Avoid manhole covers/drainage grates and the like.
Don't run over Botts dots.
Ride a gear higher than usual as it will help smooth out power inputs.
Use an old rag to pat dry your chin after riding in the rain.

 

[HenryPeng]

I found clean ur visor inside-out before ride in the rain is very helpful.
Sometimes I even give it a very good wax job, that helps the water slides off easier.
Also bring a few pieces dry cloth with you, you will need them when your visor got muddy water marks from the traffic infront of you.

 

[Senior]

I found clean ur visor inside-out before ride in the rain is very helpful.
Sometimes I even give it a very good wax job, that helps the water slides off easier.
Also bring a few pieces dry cloth with you, you will need them when your visor got muddy water marks from the traffic infront of you.

+1 on making sure that your visor is spotlessly clean and having a waxy finish to help the water "bead".

As mentioned before ride smooth and if you gotta be somewhere allow at least double the time and be prepared to stop and wait it out if it's raining too heavy or you need to clean your visor.

Riding in the UK in winter we have to also contend with SALT on the roads. As well as rotting our bikes it get stuck on your visor real easy, so I carry a small spray bottle of visor cleaner and a soft cloth

Make sure you are waterproof, perhaps invest in an oversuit or even 2. I bought an oversuit from Lidl (cut price supermarket) last year and IMHO it's better than other "branded" oversuits that are 4 times the cost (well made and doesn't leak), so when they come around again I'm going to buy another and leave at work, just in case.

Most textiles arn't really waterproof and rely on a waterproof liner, so you end up with a wet heavy clothing that will cool you down. So my preference is oversuit for a ride in rain.

Check that you have zipped shut any vents in your jacket and trousers as the wet will get in (it was rather unpleasant 1 day when I forgot about the inner thigh vents on my trousers (pants) and ended up with VERY soggy "bits" :eyebrow: )

 

[Erci]

One more visor trick: when a lot of water collects on the outside, making it hard to see and you're going 20mph or faster, turn your head to the side momentarily, without taking your eyes off the road. The water should slide right off... works well for me
Of course if you have monstrous windscreen, this won't work, but then you probably wouldn't have water on your visor in the first place.

 

[ozzieboy]

Preparation. This includes ,making sure you've got the right gear and that it's ready for the demands about to be made of it. Anti fog the visor. Check that your tires are up to it...that kind of thing.

Be smooth. Don't bag it or mash the brakes.

Stay out of the slow lane on hills etc. as this is where the trucks and busses drive and it can be extremely slippery (just like the centre of all lanes but worse).

Every now and then (especially if you've just gone through a large puddle....you know, the one where water fountains out from the sides of your vehicle) you should feather your brakes. Water can get trapped between the pads and disk and they will not work at once, when you really need them. So just lightly apply front and rear brakes (up the throttle to maintain speed) and they'll be ready to rock for you.

Don't be too stubborn or proud. If it comes down really hard and your helmet fogs up and you can't see or similar problem occurs. Pull over and wait it out or fix the problem. The alternative sux.

Above all. Enjoy the ride. You can ride safely in the rain, so don't sweat it too much. As for leaning and traction, I've ridden with Pilot Road 2ct's in the wet and had the pegs down (select corners of course) so don't panic if you think you are gonna slip and slide everywhere. Unless you've got the wrong tires.

Cheers
Mike

 

[mstewar1]

If I think I may get caught in some rain, I'll clean my visor well with Plexus then spray it with Lemon Pledge furniture polish. The water just beads right off. And I avoid using my hand to clear the visor for as long as I possibly can so that I don't wipe off the wax. Once it's been wiped off you have to wipe it much more regularly.


Aerostich sells little plastic finger squeegee's that you can put onto the finger of your glove. They work ok, though they only really clear a small swath.

And it's definitely easier to stay dry than to get dry.

 

[Norbert]

Yaay! I use Plexus too. I like the smell. I reminds me of the dealership showroom, since many of them use Plexus to polish their bikes.

I've heard good things about Cap Crap.
You can buy it at REI. I friend of mine told me about it. He uses it when he snowboards.
Here's a review, I like the "boiling tea torture test".
Cat Crap Visor Anti-Fog - webBikeWorld
Here it is at REI:
EK Ekcessories Cat Crap Anti-Fog Lens Cleaner at REI.com

I will probably pick some up myself.

 

[Hellgate]

Rain gear, Rainex, good tires, and a smooth throttle. As mentioned stay away from metal on the roads and paint lines. Other than that tires actually stick pretty well when the oil and stuff has been washed away after about 15 minutes of rain. I recall racers turning laps within a couple of seconds of their dry times once the wet started.

 

[chokeslam512]

Not sure if it was mentioned yet but I always turn on my brights. You can never be too visible. Wear a bright rain suit too.

Take pictures of your bike at its dirtiest too...