Almost low sided tonight.......... | GTAMotorcycle.com

Almost low sided tonight..........

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vadasz1

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Was riding in to work tonight on Trafalgar Rd. going north of Hwy 7. Passed thru Ballinifad and noticed that rain passed thru not too long before. I get to Hwy 124 and gear down to I think 2nd gear at the lights and as I took the right turn, I give her some gas and the next thing I know my rear end is moving about 3 feet to the left as I am still negotiating the turn. I was applying some gas in the middle of the turn like I usually do but tonight really gave a bit of a scare. Luckliy I snaped off of the throttle and the back end came back and the bike came upright. Collected my thoughts for a second and gave a big "WWWHHHOOOOOOOOO" and put her into third and continued on.

I think it was a combination of the rain not washing the slickness off of the road and also that I am nearing the end of the rear tire's life. I think it has enough still for this year. Next time I take a corner in the wet I think I will wait a bit longer to apply the throttle.

Like I said, this hasn't happened before and I have ridden to work in heavy downpours before. So I am counting my blessings and glad that I am more experienced now.
 
Luckily, it sounds like you weren't going fast enough to high side which is what has a tendency to happen when you snap off the throttle while the rear end is sliding.
 
Some tires work a loooooot better in the rain compared to others.
Just curious, what tire do you have and what kind of bike?
 
Obviously I was going slow as I was negotiating a 90 degree right hand turn at a traffic intersection.

The rear tire is a CHALLENGER made by Kenda size 110/90/18 and date code is (3107). I had the tire put on by a friend in February of 2009. It was brand new at the time. Currently I think I have about 17000 Kms on the rear tire. The front tire is a Metzler and has much less wear on it. So I think the front will last another year or two. Bike is a 1982 Yamaha Vision XZ550RJ
 
I know the feeling, though mine was more of the "bike wobbling" feeling. Don't know what causes that but....=/
 
The worst times, for traction, are if there has been just a little rain, or if the rain has just started. This will lift the goo off the road, but not wash it away. The result can be a road that's as slick as snot on a doorknob, as the old saying goes. It's when you should be the most careful.
 
OP: Glad to hear you're ok

Like everyone else said, on a light rain or just when it starts, I tend to baby around corners.
 
I remember reading an instructional piece regarding riding in the rain back in the late 70s when I was getting ready to go for my license. The author noted that riding in the rain was no big deal but it was one comment in particular he made that has stuck with me all these years. The article said if you are riding and it starts to rain, take a ten to fifteen minute coffee break to give the rain enough time to wet the road surface thoroughly and wash away the oils and other slippery contaminants dislodged by the rain. Not sure if there is anything to this or not, but makes some sense.
 
Scob said:
I remember reading an instructional piece regarding riding in the rain back in the late 70s when I was getting ready to go for my license. The author noted that riding in the rain was no big deal but it was one comment in particular he made that has stuck with me all these years. The article said if you are riding and it starts to rain, take a ten to fifteen minute coffee break to give the rain enough time to wet the road surface thoroughly and wash away the oils and other slippery contaminants dislodged by the rain. Not sure if there is anything to this or not, but makes some sense.
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The premise for the advise is definitely sound. Surface contaminants (recent oil, antifreeze, etc) can get lifted by the rain and will make parts of the road extra slippery. Especially near intersections where most cars leak. A light rain will make is slippery, a heavy or long rain will wash away the contaminants and clean the road.
 
redridernl said:
Luckily, it sounds like you weren't going fast enough to high side which is what has a tendency to happen when you snap off the throttle while the rear end is sliding.
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Try counter steering hard, at 20-25 Kmh. You'll most certainly go over the 'high side.' Trust me on this :lol:
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