Riding in the Rain

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Thanks for this! I am a very new rider and I ride with a very advanced rider and he doesn't get my fear of riding in the rain... gonna give it a try now though :)
 
After taking my M1Exit test in the rain, snow, and high winds, I gained confidence in riding in the rain as I didn't lose traction. I continued riding in the rain after I got my license comfortably and didn't have a problem until a close call I had when I was making a left and my rear tire came out from under me as it hit a manhole mid-way through the turn. I didn't go down but I was shaken up as that was my 2nd or 3rd week riding. I am more cautious in rain now but am not scared of it as I have lost traction and had the rear swing from side to side launching from a red light(I gave it about 1/4 throttle in 2nd gear on a cbr125...).

Although I am not scared of riding in the rain, have developed a fear of man-holes rain or shine...
 
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skip said:
Its a healthy fear, keep it.
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Yes but like many tings in life you have to face the fear and do it anyway or you will never be able to move to the next level or improve beyond that fear.
 
of course you shouldn't let it stop you but should be more cautious :)
 
I picked up my first bike on my M1 licence in the rain. My riding career was practically born in the rain. I was afraid at first but I realised, after a few rides out in the wet, that I normally ride at a speed that is well below a level that my bike's traction can handle with water on the road. A month or so ago I had to do my M2 exit test in the rain and I was well prepared for the weather.

On a slightly related note, I led a group ride years ago which included a section of scenic gravel covered road. Afterwards a couple of the riders indicated that they had never been on gravel before, but were surprised about how stable it was. They inflated their fear of gravel much like a lot of people inflate their fear of rain. There's no better way to get over your fears than to face them. You'll usually find that things are not nearly as bad as they seem.
 
Red695 said:
Thanks for this! I am a very new rider and I ride with a very advanced rider and he doesn't get my fear of riding in the rain... gonna give it a try now though :)
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And has the advice helped?
 
MPS said:
I'm a new rider just 2 weeks
And I got a taste of rain 2 days ago rly bad
I made it out okay but i was a bit tense
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MPS said:
And I ride a ZX10
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2 weeks experience and riding a ZX10 in the rain? Okay, I can understand you getting a bit tense. Can't say as I can understand your purchase decision but...

I didn't noitce Outlaw mentioning it but the thing that worries me most riding in the rain is the reduced visibility for the CAR drivers. They have a harder time seeing you. You really need to ride like you're invisible to them. Increase your stopping and following distances and stay relaxed, even when your bike skips a bit going over a road snake or road paint - the bike will not fall down because it wiggled going over a snake unless you blast the crap out of the throttle and lean off the side of the bike :D. Just go with it and try not to tense up. Keeping your visor from fogging or getting too covered in crap including pulling over if you need to.

Oh, and another thing, be very cautious if you pull over under a bridge to don gear or wait out the rain. It is a VERY hazardous place to stop. Ridiers are killed every year when a motorist goes out of their lane and takes out a group like a bunch of skittles. Results are not pretty.
 
afelotreyu said:
ugh streetcar tracks I fear even when dry, take my sweet time making turns, changing lanes and all that...
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Street car tracks aren't a big deal. When in a straight line just dont hesitate and do it all at once. When going around a corner over them keep the throttle open and you'll keep the front end light enough that you'll never have a moment. Trying to trail brake over them, probably a bad idea.
 
rawr said:
Someone needs to make gloves with a squeegee blade in the edge of the index finger though...
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They already do..sorta.. but it's thumb, not index finger..
http://clearvisiongloves.com/?product=roadracer-cve-rr-ae-598

When i first started riding the first time i took a highway trip it was to the Falls and on the way back i was in a torrential downpour. So both my first highway experience and first heavy rain experience happened at the same time. Since then i've had no fear at all riding in the rain on regular roads. Just use common sense, and go slow on turns. On the highway though it's still a bit scary taking turns at 100k or more. You don't always get the option to go slower when there is heavy traffic and all the cages are still flying at 10-20k over the max without a care in the world that you are in front of them on a bike..:mad:
 
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those gloves dont look very high quality. Held puts a wiper blade on the thumb of all their higher end gloves. My buddy also found a version for like 10 bucks that velcro's around the thumb of any glove.
 
Outlaws Justice said:
Yes but like many tings in life you have to face the fear and do it anyway or you will never be able to move to the next level or improve beyond that fear.
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It is cool to motivate ppl to make overcome their fear, but it is a great danger at the same time to (already) over-confident people, IMO.
 
Griffin said:
I didn't noitce Outlaw mentioning it but the thing that worries me most riding in the rain is the reduced visibility for the CAR drivers. They have a harder time seeing you. You really need to ride like you're invisible to them. Increase your stopping and following distances and stay relaxed
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True. I have re-wired my rear turn signals into marker lights. My Wife commented one day that following me in heavy ran on the thruway she could not see me through the water spray I was making. After adding the turn signals as full time marker lights she could see those two lights even when she could not see me or the tail light. You are much harder to see and wearing bright colors does also help in this situtation.
 
ive always said it's safer to be doing 10-15k faster then the flow of traffic. Sounds like in the rain its an even better idea ;)
 
THe wiper blade on the glove is next to useless.

I am going to see if I can get some rainX on my visor or something.
 
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