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Rain Riding....Do you dare?

I was scared to ride in the rain but after 3 AMFs I feared nothing. With the added weight of the girl on the back I was even able to pull off some wheelies.
 
I found that the top speed of my naked ratbike CBR929 was traction limited to around 120 in pouring rain, a bit faster if I tucked.
 
Junkie said:
I found that the top speed of my naked ratbike CBR929 was traction limited to around 120 in pouring rain, a bit faster if I tucked.
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That suggests that the rear was beginning to aquaplane at that speed. You'd have thought the front wheel would have aquaplaned first.

One of the most interesting rides I ever had was on my '99 VFR in the pouring rain. I could just feel the front wheel begin to aquaplane when cranked over at 80 mph and yes I know that sounds like bullshit. However, if you live here in sunny ol' Scotland you get used to riding in the rain or you'd never ride at all.

Trackdays in the rain provide a great opportunity to calibrate the traction control in your ass....
 

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I've had to ride in the rain many times and every time that I had to I hated it --especially if I was on the freeway.

Recently I have done it a few times by choice by the beach and it can be a very atmospheric / Black Metal experience >:]
 
For me the worse part of rain riding is getting the bike clean afterward.
Riding in the rain makes you a better rider youve got to feel your way around and you develop a sensitivity for what the bike can do and is doing under you. once you get used to it its a blast eoofrtless burnouts sideways everywhere almost as good as dirt riding. I commmuted for about 20 years on a bike from Pacifica and Burlingame to SF didnt even own a car for many of those years. This was back in the days before global warming when winter was wet,nasty and long.
 
VFRweasel said:
Title should read "Rain Riding....Do you have a choice?" Cuz I don't :D

sport-smiley-12.gif
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This.


:rofl
 
codger said:
For me the worse part of rain riding is getting the bike clean afterward.
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Agreed ...... but here's the 5 minute drill that I've learned makes it pretty quick/easy, and provides sufficient clean-up to prevent longterm effects to the bike from each of my deliberate weekend outings of rain riding.

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  • 1) Park the bike outside and give it a thorough spray-down with a garden hose, getting up under the fenders, inside the fairing, under the engine, and all around the rear shock and linkages; to displace the heavy debris (tree needles, leaves, dirt, etc)

    2) Put the bike up on a rearstand (or centerstand if equipped) and rotate the rear wheel while spraying a liberal amount of WD-40 to displace standing water

    3) Wipe down the chain with a dry rag to remove the excess

    4) Chamois off the outer surfaces of the main body panels and use a rag to wipe off the wheels, brakes and such

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

If I'm planning on riding the bike in the rain again soon (within a week or two), that's all the prepping that I'll do, as anything more is just a wasted effort.

The bike ends up looking 90% as good-as-new after each quick 5-minute session using these steps, and makes the dread of the after-ride no longer an issue in keeping from getting out and enjoying a good rain ride! :ride
 
The worst part of commuting in the rain for me is storing my wet gear at work. and then getting back into it at the end of my day. OTOH, it beats hell out of taking public transportation and snuggling up to other peoples wet gear and breathing in the stale moist air that they exhale. :green
 
[circlejerk]

I'm doing a rainyday trackday this weekend at the Stockton Motorplex

[/circlejerk]
 
I don't do it because I have a car! Although I'd like to do a trackday in the wet to learn better throttle control. I'm sure I'll have my boy doing it so he's conditioned for it. At 7 years old he said the other day " Dad, I want to be a pro rider".
 

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Gary J said:
Here's a link to a recently added thread with some ideas on Rain Riding Survival skills, for anyone interested:

http://bayarearidersforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=350690
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Help me with this -

Gary J said:
• STEERING:

o Steering inputs through bars done in more of a “tricycle” steering fashion (steering into the direction of desired turn), using subtle eased inputs through the bars to almost “will” the bike in the desired direction of travel.
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Schtum said:
Help me with this -
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normally you just lean in the direction you want the bike to go. In the rain you subtly turn the bars in addition to your lean. Odds are you instinctively do this when you ride in the rain or on wet roads, and just never analyzed your riding.
 
AOW said:
normally you just lean in the direction you want the bike to go. In the rain you subtly turn the bars in addition to your lean. Odds are you instinctively do this when you ride in the rain or on wet roads, and just never analyzed your riding.
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Ehh no.....if you don't countersteer at anything over the threshold speed of 15-20 mph, you're not going to turn the bike. I've never seen a convincing argument that the laws of physics somehow change in the rain.

You might think you're doing something different but in reality...

And if you don't believe me, try Keith Code....

http://www.mistermotero.com/bodysteering.htm
 
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