Do you ride the Monster in the rain?

[Arimaul]

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.

What do you have to clean after riding in the rain? My monster is my daily driver and I just let it dry off in the garage when I get home. Is there something special to do? I've heard that water can be bad for the electrical system (like be careful when you wash it but I thought that was the pressure of the hose.)

[Spidey]

You don't *have* to clean anything after riding in the rain.   That said, when I was riding in the rain constantly, I got in the habit of having a towel in the garage (or my messenger bag), just to quickly--like 15 seconds) wipe off some of the muck from the cowl and back of the bike.  I was riding without a hugger and with a tailchop so it'd get messy fast.  It was just cosmetic.

[somegirl]

It's probably a good idea to clean and lube your chain more often if you are frequently riding in the rain.

[He Man]

depends on where you are. I quickly hose my bike down if i ride in the rain (10 seconds)

Im worried about salt water and acid (live in major city)

[CairnsDuc]

I don't mind riding in the rain, living in northern tropical Australia, we are coming up to the wet season and for the best part of 2 months, if you want to ride, you will get wet.
Those big tropical downpour sting like hell rain drops!

I use less front brake and a little more rear, smooth on the throttle, avoid the rainbows on the road (diesel and oil) always check your tyres are healthy, I just put on Bridgestone BT016's front and rear, and while they are not a really good tyre in the wet, I have to say so far I have been impressed.

Take it easy and don't try to get your knee down in the turns and you'll be fine.

[D8]

I've owned a lot of dual sport bikes, which are ready for any weather, surface, etc.
Q: Do you ride in the rain on your Monster?  How are the Dunlops in the rain?

I try to avoid riding in the rain but sometimes you get caught.  It won't harm the Monster.

You have previous experience....you'll be fine.  Don't overthink it.  Be smooth.

[Henecton]

I didn't see this posted but at intersections just after the rain has started are VERY slippy. All the oil that has been deposited by cars while waiting is now coming up onto the road surface making it slick. If it has been raining for a while this is usually not an issue.

[Monstermash]

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

HELL NO!!!!!
















Unless I'm following DP on a group ride that is.   

[jsanford]

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

+1.  Although the BMW's tires handle the rain better than the Monster's.

[BastrdHK]

I think it rained the entire ride to Indy GP and back.......and during the damn race as well   Coming through the NC mountains on the interstate, water was shedding off the road perpendicular to my direction of travel.  There wasn't a straight section for miles and as I'm heading downhill at 70mph the back end(mich2CTs) would step out ever so slightly as I crossed the watersheds.  Slowed it down a bit and stayed super smooth with no more incidents, but it woke me up alright

I gained a lot of confidence in the wet on that trip!



The michelin 2CTs handled a drizzle on the dragon with ease.

[duc996]

What do you have to clean after riding in the rain? My monster is my daily driver and I just let it dry off in the garage when I get home. Is there something special to do? I've heard that water can be bad for the electrical system (like be careful when you wash it but I thought that was the pressure of the hose.)

The cleaning part of it is a pain sometimes,esp the small areas in the bike where you have to get in and get some dirt out.;-)

[peanut_man]

Question for you guys...

I owned MTS before.  Surprisingly (well maybe not) the cluster is not waterproof.  Riding in the rain will cause some leak and condensation on the LCD. 

Are the Monster's gauges pretty much water-tight? 

Thanks.

[He Man]

The michelin 2CTs handled a drizzle on the dragon with ease.

which 2cts roads or powers?

[giordy]

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

These are the tires that came with my Monster:


This is my first bike; I am used to car tires, and compared to car tires, these don't look like they would do well in the rain at all. They basically look like slick tires to me.

Do you think that they are fairly safe in the rain?

Giordy

[Spidey]

Those stock street tires are not like slicks.  Slicks will give you pretty much no traction in the rain.  They're terrifying.  I've taken a bike with slicks onto the track before in the rain.  I soiled myself.  In each corner. 

That said, no tire is "safe" in the rain.  Just take it easy.  You can still lean the bike a bit, but make sure you hang off.  And get used to it sliding around.  Be really careful of painted lines, the middle of the lanes where oil gathers, and of the roads when during the first rain when all the oil and muck comes to the surface.  If you have questions about rain riding techniques specifically, that's worth starting another thread.  Here are some suggestions I wrote up for mucky roads:  http://ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=14341.0