As many of you know, I ride in the rain A LOT. It has gotten to the point where weather forecasters call me in the mornings to see if I'm taking the bike in order to give out the day's forecast. Apparently, I'm cheaper and more accurate than a Doppler.
Seriously, if I'm on a bike, water will fall. That said, I don't prevent something as petty as a Cat 5 Hurricane impede my two-wheeled enjoyment. I spent most of the summer of 2009 riding through the amazing east coast mountains. At one point, I had a storm system chase me from Massachusetts to Louisiana; it was also some of the most enjoyable riding I've ever done. Yes, when done properly, riding in wet conditions can be just as fun as riding in the dry.
Don't believe me? These were taken in the rain:
(http://lh6.ggpht.com/_U50QCYjwKxo/TT5UPTFGtJI/AAAAAAAAAew/Zi3SGYIrV9o/Picture%2033.png)
(http://lh4.ggpht.com/_U50QCYjwKxo/TT5UOks34zI/AAAAAAAAAes/X1nXgnCnoA0/Picture%2035.png)
Or hell, just ask this guy:
SBK 2008 - Donington Park - Kiyonari Show (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KycZk1M7g24&feature=player_embedded#normal)
The first and most important thing while riding in the rain is to not be afraid. Seriously, don't be scared, it's just water. The main mistake I see people doing over and over again is that they tense up as soon as they hit the tiniest amount of moisture and seem to forget everything they've ever learned about riding. It's like water transports riders to the first time they ever got on a bike, from deathgrip on the bars to locked elbows and jerky throttle control. The worst part is when riders don't realize this when they crash and blame the accident on the conditions, which only makes them more nervous and accident prone next time they hit water. Don't be afraid, it's just a little water.
Preparation
Like any good boyscout knows, it pays to be prepared. It makes all the difference in the world. There is nothing quite as uncomfortable (this side of a proctologist's office) as putting on wet gear. Specially putting on wet gloves, it's about as pleasant as a surprise visit from the IRS. The whole point of having rain gear is not to keep you dry because water impedes your riding, it keeps you dry for the sole purpose of keeping you comfortable so you can enjoy your riding.
You might have the bad habit of leaving your peripherals in your pockets when you're riding (like me), but you really need to make sure to put them away in a weatherproof container (Ie: baggie) whilst enjoying a moisture filled ride. Having to worry about weather or not your iphone is being turned into a shiny paperweight while hitting an apex is quite counterproductive, so do yourself a favour and put it in a bag. Wet bills suck too, so put your wallet with it while you're at it.
Treating your helmet's visor with an anti fog or rain repellent is invaluable, being able to see where you're going is usually a positive thing. Just make sure that whatever product you're using wont damage the visor. The visor that came stock with my Suomy is actually really impressive at repelling fog. But there are a myriad of product out there for your enjoyment.
And now we arrive at tyres. Tyres are just about the single most important external factor when riding in the rain. Make sure they're properly inflated and not overly worn. My favourite rain tyre is the Pilot Road 2. It's awesome. It makes wet pavement feel like dry sandpaper. Supreme stiction, grip galore, faithful friction! It's everything the snake oil vendor promised you and more. If you haven't noticed by now, I love those tyres. Just make sure you have a good tyre with plenty of tread left so it can displace water. If you're going out with worn tyres in the rain you might as well just beat up your bike in the garage and shoot yourself in the shoulder. It might be cheaper and less painful that way.
Riding
And now for the actual riding. Like I said before, the most important part is to not be afraid, STAY LOOSE! Tensing up will only end in tears. I know it might be hard to do, but you really need to will yourself to relax, your natural instinct will be to grab the bars harder in an attempt to have more control, but just the opposite would be the effect. Smooth really is the name of the game when you're in a reduced friction environment. You really need to make sure to be gentle but assertive with all your inputs, from shifts to braking. No jerky or overtly harsh input, so guys, not like dating in high school.
Throttle Control
Let me stress this again, SMOOTH, like Fonzi. Unless you want to engage in super happy lowside funtimes, don't ham fist the throttle, open linearly, close linearly. That doesn't mean that you can't drive out of corners, just do it a little more carefully than you usually would.
You rear-end is gonna slide and step out, that's normal. When this happens, decrease the throttle SLIGHTLY until you get it back in line and then hit it again. Do not, under any circumstances, chop the throttle entirely; you will loose a lot of control over the bike if you do.
By keeping on the throttle, you can control when and how the rear end comes back into place You can help the rear of the bike get in place with your hips but you don't have to, by keeping positive throttle the bike will eventually right itself. Having your rear tyre spinning is not necessarily a bad thing, it's just different. It's actually kinda fun once you get the hang of it. I really recommend most riders to go out on a dirt bike to get used to the feeling of the rear stepping out.
Throttle control is one of the reasons why it's so important to stay loose on the bike. If you're tense, you wont be able to be smooth, and you'll be prone to losing traction at the most inopportune moments. So always remember, hold the bars like a twinkie.
Body Position
Most people make the mistake of hanging off less in the rain when it's actually counterproductive to do so. Hanging off less will reduce your contact patch, which in turn reduces available grip. Reduced grip in a reduced friction environment spells s-u-f-f-e-r-i-n-g.
You just have to be really careful with your transitions as you really can't muscle the bike around like you can when it's dry. Be sure to be properly positioned before tipping in and try not to adjust your position mid-lean. And make sure you have good footing , slipping off pegs is not an enjoyable experience.
It's important to be light on the seat, when the bike loses grip for a fraction of a second, it will want to buckle to right itself. Keep your weight on the pegs and let the bike do it's thing under you. By keeping your weight down, the movement will affect you a whole lot less and you'll have much more control over the bike if you lose traction.
(http://lh4.ggpht.com/_U50QCYjwKxo/TT5UObGEthI/AAAAAAAAAeo/R3tH0M3jMyc/Picture%2036.png)
(https://lh5.ggpht.com/_U50QCYjwKxo/TT5UOGdq88I/AAAAAAAAAek/UnWO04R7jC4/Picture%2037.png)
As you can see in the pictures, i don't really do anything different when I'm riding in the rain, it's all just mental.
Braking
I don't like to use my rear brake at all when I'm riding on wet pavement, unless it's at parking lot speeds. The rear is just too easy to lock up and loose control over. Unless you've got Haga-like braking skills and control, I'd advise you to stay away from the right pedal as well. Or if you're insane, like Kiyonari on the video above, you can slam on the rear and back it into corners like a motard.
Obviously, your brakes will be a lot less effective in the wet, so plan accordingly and brake well before you usually would. The most important thing here is to be progressive and smooth. Don't slam on the brakes, don't grab a handful. If you brake too hard too soon, you probably wont recover from a front end slide; whereas if it happens during progressive braking you can recognize the point at which you lose traction and recover.
Shifting
I like to use a lot of engine braking, regardless of surface conditions. It's always a good practice to rev match when downshifting, the only problem is that if you don't do it properly, the rear will want to step out. When you're on a wet pavement, the probability of that happening goes up exponentially. If you haven't mastered it in the dry don't use tons of engine braking in the wet, please, Darwin might claim you. But if you do have good mastery of rev matching, engine braking can be a very valuable tool to help you slow down the bike. Just be prepared for the rear to want to go sideways.
As for upshifting, I would actually recommend short shifting a bit to soften the torque curve, it really helps to avoid driving out a little too hard and ending up as a hood ornament.
Line Selection
I always try to ride inside of one of the “grooves†carved out by the cars or bikes that went in front of me. That pavement will be dryer than the less traveled middle of the road and offer better traction. I try to stay on the outside line as dirt and debris will tend to collect in the middle, and cleaner pavement leads to happier tyres, which in my experience leads to less road rash.
Always remember, keep the shiny side up and have fun!
Follow these tips at your own peril; any comments, additions, or scathing criticisms are welcome.
Great thread! Living in the Pacific Northwest, rain is an issue over half the year. I have ridden in a couple showers but not much else mostly due to the fact that I have only logged a couple thousand miles and feel slightly intimidated by the wet stuff. I will study this thread a bit more and try and practice your tips. I also feel better having picked up a set of PR2's a couple weeks back. Thanks! [thumbsup]
Quote from: dark_duc on January 26, 2011, 06:14:36 PM
Great thread! Living in the Pacific Northwest, rain is an issue over half the year. I have ridden in a couple showers but not much else mostly due to the fact that I have only logged a couple thousand miles and feel slightly intimidated by the wet stuff. I will study this thread a bit more and try and practice your tips. I also feel better having picked up a set of PR2's a couple weeks back. Thanks! [thumbsup]
In the PNW (I'm in Seattle), no visor treatment is going to keep your shield clear. It's just too wet, and the cool morning temps. lead to severe fogging even if it isn't raining. I've tried it all.
The 2 most effective options are 1) foggy inserts for about $20, or 2) pin lock visors (~$100 for new visor and the pinlock insert). I prefer the foggy insert since it can be easily removed and keeps your face warm as well. The pin lock system works very well too; however, it seems like their shields are inferior to OEM ones as I scratched the shit out of mine...but I've NEVER scratched an OEM one. IMO owning one of these systems in the PNW is a must.
http://www.respro.com/products/racing/road-racing/foggy_mask/ (http://www.respro.com/products/racing/road-racing/foggy_mask/)
http://pinlockusa.net/ (http://pinlockusa.net/)
I will look into those as well JJJ. Do you guys know if there is any relief for fog mist on the outside of the shield? Many mornings I ride in and hit a couple miles of thick morning fog with mid to upper 30's in temps. This combines for fogging and misting the outside of my shield really bad. So much so that I have to occasionally throw it open and hope I don't catch anything in the eye. At least in the rain, a turn of the head will clear the shield...fog seems to be quite another story.
Quote from: dark_duc on January 27, 2011, 07:56:01 PM
I will look into those as well JJJ. Do you guys know if there is any relief for fog mist on the outside of the shield? Many mornings I ride in and hit a couple miles of thick morning fog with mid to upper 30's in temps. This combines for fogging and misting the outside of my shield really bad. So much so that I have to occasionally throw it open and hope I don't catch anything in the eye. At least in the rain, a turn of the head will clear the shield...fog seems to be quite another story.
Get a glove with a squeegie on it. Held gloves have the best ones (and location) IMO. Aerostitch also sells cheap ones that you can use with any glove. Mist is a bigger pain in the ass than rain.
The one problem I've had with the Foggy inserts (despite a lot of re-positioning, cutting & reshaping) is that they direct breath away from the visor ... and onto the glasses I have to wear.
If your vision doesn't need correction or you wear contacts, the Foggy is a splendid solution to visor fogging.
Quote from: triangleforge on January 28, 2011, 09:34:05 PM
The one problem I've had with the Foggy inserts (despite a lot of re-positioning, cutting & reshaping) is that they direct breath away from the visor ... and onto the glasses I have to wear.
If your vision doesn't need correction or you wear contacts, the Foggy is a splendid solution to visor fogging.
Ya, they don't work with glasses. I don't wear corrective glasses...but definitely no sunglasses with the foggy. Luckily, the sun only makes an appearance for 2 weeks a year here! ;D :-\
great post man, lots of things i'll try to keep in mind if i ever get hit with rain... that being said, if it even forecasts a bit of rain, i just tend to not ride...
but along the lines of the fog issues, i've been using the defog it stuff... found out about it on this review:
http://www.webbikeworld.com/r4/clarity-defog-it/ (http://www.webbikeworld.com/r4/clarity-defog-it/)
it does work pretty well once it's been put on... but it tends to degrade pretty quickly for me. it might have been because of the ridiculous heat and humidity we had this past summer, but i would have to reapply it every month or 2 weeks depending on how much i got out to ride.
that being said, it's pretty easy to apply and does do the job of keeping the visor fog free... you'll see in the comments section about how when it's working you'll see some blurring in worst case scenarios which i can confirm... but it doesnt obscure your vision.
Great write up!! [clap]
Thanks guys!
Good comments about the visor. Cant say I've had the pleasure of riding in the PNW. Oregon has some awesome roads though, I'll hit them thid summer if all goes well
Quote from: El Matador on February 01, 2011, 04:38:22 PM
Thanks guys!
Good comments about the visor. Cant say I've had the pleasure of riding in the PNW. Oregon has some awesome roads though, I'll hit them thid summer if all goes well
There are some fantastic roads in Central Oregon by the John Day Fossil Beds. Hit me up, or one of the OR people like Mother, if you want some recommendations. [thumbsup] They'll probably know more, but I'll give you all the routes I know.
Quote from: thought on January 29, 2011, 11:16:23 PM
great post man, lots of things i'll try to keep in mind if i ever get hit with rain... that being said, if it even forecasts a bit of rain, i just tend to not ride...
<SNIP>
If Jesus didn't ride in the rain he wouldn't ever ride...
it's like Linus and a blanket...or Pigpen and a cloud of dust...
wherever Jesus goes there is precipitation. :-*
Quote from: ducpainter on February 02, 2011, 05:57:32 PM
If Jesus didn't ride in the rain he wouldn't ever ride...
it's like Linus and a blanket...or Pigpen and a cloud of dust...
wherever Jesus goes there is precipitation. :-*
He's also usually accompanied by mechanical issues... Which are usually fixed by kicking and then ziptie-ing things into place ;D
Since we're trying to get all the info in one place, here's a rain-riding post I wrote a while back: http://www.ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=14341.0 (http://www.ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=14341.0)
Quote from: Spidey on February 11, 2011, 08:35:47 AM
Since we're trying to get all the info in one place, here's a rain-riding post I wrote a while back: http://www.ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=14341.0 (http://www.ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=14341.0)
Awesome thanks. It seems we agree on most things except braking. I know you probably have more experience in this than me so I have to ask, Why do you feel it's better to use the rear? I've always found it tends to lock up on me.
Cuz--for me--I'm much more worried about locking up the front and/or having it slide. We're all generally such heavy users of the front brake, it's hard to tell how much less traction there is in the rain. Also, I've found that when it's wet, the traction can vary as you travel in a line (especially in the city where there are paint marking and oil spots). So what can feel like a safe amount of front brake one moment can lead to lock-up the next. Besides, making a mistake with the front has generally has more dire consequences than the rear.
In normal weather, I'll use the front brake (or extra lean) to adjust speed or respond to something sudden. In rain/wet, I'll drag the rear a bit going into turns or if I need to stand it up in a turn. One thing I've done to deal with the binary nature of Ducati rear brakes is totally ghetto, but works. I bleed a little bit of air into the line. It's hard to get the right amount of air, but once I've got it where I like it, it helps soften the brake application.
The discussion may be a bit academic, cuz if you shouldn't be riding so aggressively in the rain that you need to brake so hard that you'd lock up something. But shit happens.
P.S. Kiyo is a bad ass. [thumbsup]
Quote from: Spidey on February 11, 2011, 10:46:30 AM
Cuz--for me--I'm much more worried about locking up the front and/or having it slide. We're all generally such heavy users of the front brake, it's hard to tell how much less traction there is in the rain. Also, I've found that when it's wet, the traction can vary as you travel in a line (especially in the city where there are paint marking and oil spots). So what can feel like a safe amount of front brake one moment can lead to lock-up the next. Besides, making a mistake with the front has generally has more dire consequences than the rear.
In normal weather, I'll use the front brake (or extra lean) to adjust speed or respond to something sudden. In rain/wet, I'll drag the rear a bit going into turns or if I need to stand it up in a turn. One thing I've done to deal with the binary nature of Ducati rear brakes is totally ghetto, but works. I bleed a little bit of air into the line. It's hard to get the right amount of air, but once I've got it where I like it, it helps soften the brake application.
The discussion may be a bit academic, cuz if you shouldn't be riding so aggressively in the rain that you need to brake so hard that you'd lock up something. But shit happens.
P.S. Kiyo is a bad ass. [thumbsup]
This right here is where it's at then. [thumbsup]
I come from a dirt background, so I'm pretty used to having the front slide a bit on me. Very true about riding in the city and the paint lines, though, those mofos get slippery as all hell as soon as someone as much as spits on them .
Quote from: triangleforge on January 28, 2011, 09:34:05 PM
The one problem I've had with the Foggy inserts (despite a lot of re-positioning, cutting & reshaping) is that they direct breath away from the visor ... and onto the glasses I have to wear.
If your vision doesn't need correction or you wear contacts, the Foggy is a splendid solution to visor fogging.
I recently Purchased an HJC Helmet that has the PinLock screen with the antifog lens....and honestly ive put about 500 miles on the helmet in the past week and i actually hit all the weather conditions that you are speaking of (hot,Fridged cold, morning mist, and rain) in the past week or so....and honestly this is the best helmet ive ever owned....the pin lock screen blew me away...i used to use antifog stuff that is known as catcrap by skiers that use it on their googles as to not fog cruising down a mountain....But this pinlock has blown away any expectations ive had....its AMAZING...and it did cost a little extra...but ive ridden in wet conditions with a fogged screen before and let me tell u...its worth the extra money...
Some of my favorite rides were in the wet. Coming home from Ocean City, NJ after seeing a big black cloud building over the ocean. It was like running away from an Evil Force. Even on my little M750 being smooth with your inputs is the #1 thing. I keep a magnetic tank bag with a waterproof cover on my bike at all times. Its too convenient not to and if the rain is close everything goes right in it. I highly recommend one and mines the smallest I could find.
http://www.tourmaster.com/xcart/catalog/Super-10-Liter-Tank-Bag-p-188_31.html (http://www.tourmaster.com/xcart/catalog/Super-10-Liter-Tank-Bag-p-188_31.html)