Flood?

[chunkygoat]

So I had quite the experience today. I headed out on my bike at 10am, 78 degrees and rising. So being the squid I am, I decided to head out without my jacket.

So around 4pm the skies are turning grey and thunder is rolling in the distance. The forecast was sunny and 80 so I wasn't expecting rain. I decided to ride home through the storm to get my car and head back down to town.

Well, half way through my 20 mile ride through hell....it became so treacherous, I almost sh** myself. The sky was black, the wind was blowing hard, and the rain was coming like a mother. Visibility was maybe 20 feet, and the hail started.

So I'm in a t-shirt (luckily had my helmet, gloves, and boots) rolling through pebble sized hail. You thought rain hurts? Try chunks of ice hitting your shoulders and arms at 40mph. So all is good, I get to the last mile of the ride home and I come to an intersection. Little did I know the river flooded over into the street. I see it at the last second and hit about 2' of water hydroplaning immediately, and shooting muddy brown water all over my previously white t-shirt.

Never have I experienced something that insane before. I don't know if any of you have driven through a river at 40mph on your fizz before, but I would highly suggest avoiding it if possible.

I got back safe and sound, with an extra 30lbs of water on me, but lord only knows how I didn't drop her, or ruin myself. So after riding through torrential rains, horrid winds, hail, and a river - I figured I'd share my experience with you guys. Definitely the most intense ride I've experienced yet.

What do you do though when you hydroplane? I never encountered that before on a bike. I assume just keep it straight and steady. Don't lean or roll hard on or off the throttle. Any other tips would be warmly welcomed.

I'm just glad I'm alive (and the bike is still in 1 piece!).

 

[Wiz]

This is just my experience, your findings may be different.

(There now that the legal stuff is out of the way.)

Riding in severe rain is not a problem with the correct gear and some tips or previous experience. Tip 1 you already figured out, wear the right gear. I've been riding a long time, and I always "dress for the crash", even when there is a good reason why not too. Tip 2 If you are "doing the hydro" roll off the gas try to keep the bars straight, but DON"T get stiff armed or hold the bars super tight or hit the brakes hard as your gut will be telling you. Hopefully you will roll through the deep spot and out the other side. Tip 3 If you have to continue riding, remember most tar roads have truck traffic. Trucks are heavy. There is a good chance that the center of the lane may be the highest point on that stretch of road, therefore, it would have the least amount of standing water. Having said that, you must be careful when using this area in a rainstorm. There will be oil in the center of the road, if it's just wet, it will be very slippery. If it has been raining for a while this May have washed the oil away and make that area the safest to ride through. This has saved me on a couple of rain soaked rides, as I like to ride the county/back roads that may not be "crowned" the way they were when first tarred. I cannot advise enough caution on this though, do be careful. If the road is in good condition and properly "crowned" the highest place should be the center of the road. If so, and traffic permits, ride there. Tip 4 Be careful of painted lines on the road. I've found that some of the stripe paint used today can become very slippery when wet. Try not to ride on or over a stripe, especially when turning while its raining. And lastly, slow down in the rain, if you can, find a bridge or some other cover (good leafy trees are much better than nothing) and pull over to wait it out. You might be late, but you will get there, and that's the important thing.

Ride Safe,:thumbup:

WIZ