A few disco questions

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Elwoodpdowd

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What percentage of disc braking use do we likely loose in rain conditions, and what to you folks use to remove the disc brake dust/dirt, thanks. Never rode in rain yet. Would bell bottoms help.

I mean not that rain we slide more but how does the water on disc pads effect overall braking, thanks

epd
 
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I pump both brakes regularly when riding in the rain. When you're not moving the discs get slippery very quickly, but if you apply light pressure once in a while, you can keep your brakes working almost as well as in the dry.
 
Matt Rain said:
I pump both brakes regularly when riding in the rain. When you're not moving the discs get slippery very quickly, but if you keep applying light pressure once in a while, you can keep your brakes working almost as well as in the dry.
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That makes sense, thanks for quick reply..
 
Wet discs effectively increase your reaction time. When you start braking, there is a film of water that gets wiped off but while that's happening the brakes have much less power. Exactly how much less, and how long it takes for the brakes to get cleaned of water depends on the design of the rotor & pads. (E.g. currently my GS500 basically does not brake whatsoever with wet brakes, haven't figured out why yet).

Not sure what bell bottoms are in this context. To clean brake dust off the rest of the bike, I just use the same car wash soap I clean the rest of the bike with. Cleaning braking surfaces is normally not necessary.
 
TwistedKestrel said:
Wet discs effectively increase your reaction time. When you start braking, there is a film of water that gets wiped off but while that's happening the brakes have much less power. Exactly how much less, and how long it takes for the brakes to get cleaned of water depends on the design of the rotor & pads. (E.g. currently my GS500 basically does not brake whatsoever with wet brakes, haven't figured out why yet).

Not sure what bell bottoms are in this context. To clean brake dust off the rest of the bike, I just use the same car wash soap I clean the rest of the bike with. Cleaning braking surfaces is normally not necessary.
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ok thanks, sooner or later will have to ride in rain to get back home, just kidding about bell bottoms :)
 
Your brakes will be fine, it's the road (and your own reaction to rain) that can cause the biggest problems.
You're going to get wet. Rain will seep in places. Get over it. It's only water and once you're soaked, you can't get any wetter. Focus on your riding, not how wet you are.
The first 10 minutes or so are the worst; all the oil on the road has now floated to the top and hasn't yet washed away. Obviously 10 minutes is a rough estimate. Don't assume that at minute 11 all is good. It depends entirely on the amount of rain falling and the amount of crap on the road.
Painted lines, manhole covers, leaves, cardboard and just about everything else will be very slippery when wet. Intersections and traffic lights are horrible; vehicles sit there for extended periods and do nothing but drip oil, coolant and other evil things.
BE SMOOTH. Your bike can do 90% of the same things wet as it can dry but it needs you to direct it properly. Plan your moves and give yourself time to execute them. Sharp stops and turns will likely result in you finding out wet pavement is just as hard as dry.
PRACTICE. Next time it's raining, go for a quiet ride somewhere that has minimal traffic. Get used to the feeling of being rained on so it doesn't distract you. Find out what your controls feel like with wet gloves. Learn how your bike rides on wet pavement.
 
CanadianBiker said:
Your brakes will be fine, it's the road (and your own reaction to rain) that can cause the biggest problems.
You're going to get wet. Rain will seep in places. Get over it. It's only water and once you're soaked, you can't get any wetter. Focus on your riding, not how wet you are.
The first 10 minutes or so are the worst; all the oil on the road has now floated to the top and hasn't yet washed away. Obviously 10 minutes is a rough estimate. Don't assume that at minute 11 all is good. It depends entirely on the amount of rain falling and the amount of crap on the road.
Painted lines, manhole covers, leaves, cardboard and just about everything else will be very slippery when wet. Intersections and traffic lights are horrible; vehicles sit there for extended periods and do nothing but drip oil, coolant and other evil things.
BE SMOOTH. Your bike can do 90% of the same things wet as it can dry but it needs you to direct it properly. Plan your moves and give yourself time to execute them. Sharp stops and turns will likely result in you finding out wet pavement is just as hard as dry.
PRACTICE. Next time it's raining, go for a quiet ride somewhere that has minimal traffic. Get used to the feeling of being rained on so it doesn't distract you. Find out what your controls feel like with wet gloves. Learn how your bike rides on wet pavement.
Click to expand...

^^ What he said, x100.
 
Matt Rain said:
I pump both brakes regularly when riding in the rain. When you're not moving the discs get slippery very quickly, but if you apply light pressure once in a while, you can keep your brakes working almost as well as in the dry.
Click to expand...

so if someone were behind you in the rain all they would see is your brake lights constantly going on and off? Or even on for a period of time? That would be annoying. Just do what Canadian Biker says.
 
CanadianBiker said:
Your brakes will be fine, it's the road (and your own reaction to rain) that can cause the biggest problems.
You're going to get wet. Rain will seep in places. Get over it. It's only water and once you're soaked, you can't get any wetter. Focus on your riding, not how wet you are.
The first 10 minutes or so are the worst; all the oil on the road has now floated to the top and hasn't yet washed away. Obviously 10 minutes is a rough estimate. Don't assume that at minute 11 all is good. It depends entirely on the amount of rain falling and the amount of crap on the road.
Painted lines, manhole covers, leaves, cardboard and just about everything else will be very slippery when wet. Intersections and traffic lights are horrible; vehicles sit there for extended periods and do nothing but drip oil, coolant and other evil things.
BE SMOOTH. Your bike can do 90% of the same things wet as it can dry but it needs you to direct it properly. Plan your moves and give yourself time to execute them. Sharp stops and turns will likely result in you finding out wet pavement is just as hard as dry.
PRACTICE. Next time it's raining, go for a quiet ride somewhere that has minimal traffic. Get used to the feeling of being rained on so it doesn't distract you. Find out what your controls feel like with wet gloves. Learn how your bike rides on wet pavement.
Click to expand...


Sounds logical, thank-you
 
Each bike reacts differently to control input.

HD in particular have weak front brakes and compress the front end. The rear can bite and lock up easily if you panic.

With the weight fairly low, you can still use the rear to help bring the speed down and help reduce the front end from diving and washing out.

You can also use the rear brake to help keep things stable with gravel and other surfaces while modulating the clutch and throttle. This is helpful when needing to turn or steer.

It takes some practice but it does help.

Especially if you don't have abs.





Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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First thing I would do to that Harley is put EBC HH sintered pads on front and back and a set of Progressive Suspension fork springs in. Difference in braking and fork dive is substantial, and I find that the pad bite is predictable and linear in the wet.


For the rain I wear Frogg Toggs.
 
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nakkers said:
It takes some practice but it does help.

Especially if you don't have abs.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Most HD riders I see don't have abs but plenty of that mass centralized Molson muscle. Maybe his dooshbags hanging mammary pendulums could help lower the polar moment of inertia for speedy getaways in the twisty bits.
 
inreb said:
Most HD riders I see don't have abs but plenty of that mass centralized Molson muscle. Maybe his dooshbags hanging mammary pendulums could help lower the polar moment of inertia for speedy getaways in the twisty bits.
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You need another swift kick in your tiny bean kahunas's
 
inreb said:
Most HD riders I see don't have abs but plenty of that mass centralized Molson muscle. Maybe his dooshbags hanging mammary pendulums could help lower the polar moment of inertia for speedy getaways in the twisty bits.
Click to expand...

Holy crap I just lol'd :lmao:
 
inreb said:
Most HD riders I see don't have abs but plenty of that mass centralized Molson muscle. Maybe his dooshbags hanging mammary pendulums could help lower the polar moment of inertia for speedy getaways in the twisty bits.
Click to expand...

I see what you did there. Lmao.
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