Do you ride the Monster in the rain?

[when the road bends]

Experienced rider, but New monster owner.

I've owned a lot of dual sport bikes, which are ready for any weather, surface, etc.

The monster is different, totally road oriented.  I have dunlop sportmax d220 on front and back.  I commute on it, but have avoided rainy days. I have a 10 mile stretch of highway during the commute.  Should I worry?

Q: Do you ride in the rain on your Monster?  How are the Dunlops in the rain?

[Spider]

guessing (hey the only experience I ever have is through my own body and mind)....

but....

rider ability and attitude plays a greater part in wet weather riding than equipment (these days).

Be smooth (throttle & brake), be attentive, be proactive (don't wait for them to hit the brakes before you're already doing it), extra space, stay warm and dry so that your comfortable and can concentrate properly.

I live in Australia and we're in a draught at the moment and yet I'm still running at about 70% rain on my rides - that is, it will rain in some form 7 out of 10 rides that I do.

2 days ago I got caught out with a new front tire (slippery), new brake pads (bite hard), re-bleed brakes (more powerful) and rain (after 10 days of dry)....still made it home....but mentally I was knackered!

I never think about whether the bike is suitable or not - I think about whether my mind is up for it or not...all systems have to be green light before I'll throw a leg over.

no FHE with your tires, so no comment.

[somegirl]

Rode through rain all last winter long.

[He Man]

2+hours in tropical storm @ 75mph highway speeds.

Good tires, good setup, believe in your tires and you shouldnt have a problem.

this is where having a good suspension and tires can make or break your confidence.

[Buckethead]

If your tires have more than their wear bars for tread, you should be fine.

As mentioned, try to ride smooth. If you're like me you will probably ride more cautiously in the wet than you have to.

That's not a bad thing.

Using regular street tires, even ones that are close to done, I have yet to reach traction limits.

My biggest issue with wet riding is visibility.

[Ducatista]

I did my 35 mile each way commute on my Monster every day that there wasn't snow or ice on the ground.  We had a tropical storm blow through at one point, and it was just fine.  My bike had Michelin Pilot Road shoes on, and I've never had any problems with them. 

[when the road bends]

Great, thanks all for the feedback.

Now I just have to get my rain gear straight and I'm set.

[Buckethead]

With enough rain, hydroplaning is a definite possibility. Ask herm about riding to DIMBY.

Then again, that was some serious rain. Like 3"+/ hr rain.

[DesmoDiva]

Motorcycles can most, definitely hydroplane.   

Here is a great article about riding the rain by AMA racer and CSS instructor Misti Hurst, also a DMF member.

She has a bunch more  [moto] related articles on her website www.mistihurst.com under the news tab. 

[somegirl]

Motorcycles can most, definitely hydroplane.   

+1

Don't ride in the worst storm of the winter with brand-new tires across an extremely windy bridge.


(Yes I made it in one piece.)

[wbeck257]

Rain -- easy.
Smooth throttle control, smoother brakeing. Everything been covered.

When I'm coming to a stop I lightly get on the brakes, then release, then get back on them. It clears off the inital wetness on your rotors.

(Then again, I also like to jam on the rear brake, kick the back out about two feet and come sliding to a stop. And I also like doing powerslides up to about 50 when I start... but I'm a squid.)


Now ice, ice was a differnt beast. But the 20 miles was fun.

[MTBryan]

Now ice, ice was a differnt beast. But the 20 miles was fun.

I used to have a Honda XR650L dual sport mostly configured for the dirt. My buddy and I (he had the same bike) would take them out in Colorado after the first big snow storm. We would ride the twisty paved roads in the Denver foothills with about 6 to 12 inches of snow on them, before the plows came by. It was a complete blast, and the dirt tires work great in the snow. However, the hard packed ice was a little sketchy and we both had some interesting get-offs that ended with bike and body sliding down the street for quite a while. One time I looked up to see my buddies bike sliding down the pavement with him sitting on top (or on the side of the bike since it was on the ground) waving at me. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Aw, my younger, stupid days!

I would never do that with the Duc though.

Sorry to hijack this thread. Just making a comment about ice riding.

[duc996]

I've been cought in the rain a lot with my monster and i never had any major problems,except for the cleaning part of it.I ride with bridgestones bt150 and it's pretty good on wet roads.My two cents.

[the_Journeyman]

I ride in the rain, it's not so much what tire you're running but having good tread on it.  I've not had any water related problems as of yet.  I've ridden in some really really heavy rains, recently, I passed a line of animals headed for a big boat it was raining so hard ~

JM

[Jetbrett]

 [moto]  Being up in Seattle, I've got to ride in the rain if I want to ride.   [moto]