Earlier today I said "hey, there's only a 41% chance of rain, and I've only been able to put 30 miles on my bike since the massive overhaul/rebuild - screw it, I'm going riding."
That sure feels like 100% when you're throtteling down the highway,
garbage bags taped around your legs, a raincoat over your riding
jacket, trying (unsuccessfully) to dry your visorwith a soaking cold
hand.
(this was the first time I've been on my bike in the rain)
I was very very concerned about traction. I felt like at any second a
road snake or a manhole cover was going to jump out and get me. What
did I do? I just concnetrated on paying very close attention to the
ground and ensuring everything I did, every movement, every
correction, every shift, every stop, was as smooth as possible.
I couldn't see a f%$king thing, even after trying to dry my visor with
my glove. Every oncoming headlight was about a million little
octagons of light in the fog.
Have I made it clear I did not enjoy myself?
A wise man once told me "remember the 7 Ps - proper prior planning prevents piss poor performance."
SO outside of making sure I don't get caught in the rain - what are
the best tips and trick for riding in the poop?
~erica, who is just starting to dry out and warm up
get good waterproof gear, like my joe rocket meteor 4 jacket and pants, and rain-x your visor... the rain isn't all that bad then (good way to wash the riding suit)
What helmet do you have? They vary in their rain sheddability. It beads up and flies off of my Shoei, while my Vega needed constant wiping. I hear Rainex helps.
And... there's no replacement for the proper gear. I remember a miserable 3-hour journet from Portland to Seattle, in heavy rain the whole way, sopping wet in leathers that get heavier and colder with every mile. And if your gear isn't waterproof, you get that thing where all of the water dribbles down and collects in your crotch... not fun.
GS500s are very competent in the rain. Ride slowly and carefully, don't lean as much, and allow for increased braking distances - but in this as in everything else in bikes, practice makes perfect. Or at least adequate, in my case. I remember my first rain ride - I was scared &^%$less. Now I ride in it regularly...
I know exactly what you're talking about. 2 weeks ago I was riding back from a huge motorcycle rally in Port Dover in the pouring rain. It was about 9 degrees Celsius (48 degrees Fahrenheit for you American kids) and I was wearing jeans, 2 shirts, my leather jacket and gloves. It was about a 45 minute ride with nowhere to stop for shelter. I was stuck behind a transport truck for about 20 minutes of the ride. I was so wet and cold I thought I was going to die soon.... Needless to say, I now have a rainsuit.... live and learn!
rainex has been known to blur some windshield, i find that riding at 70+ the rain will bead off my noodle proctor faster than it comes down and for times whare I am riding slower my left glove has a extra flap of leather on the seam of the index finger just for faceshield wiping.
Very clean visor; waterproof gloves; rainsuit; water resistant boots; and a small fairing... in that order.
The clean visor is the big thing, and it's free. Wash it carefully, and if you like, add a little something to help the rain slide off (any nonabrasive plastic-safe oil product should help).
The gloves are a pretty big help. Wet hands = no fun. I have a pair with a 3-inch squeegee on the left thumb (sure wish they had one on the right thumb too). You can at-least get a $12 pair of cowskin gloves at Home Depot/Lowes, and waterproof them. You may have to tape your wrists shut with duct tape for real wet riding (you do carry duct tape, right ;) ).
When I started riding, I just wore a $15 zip-up rain shell over my riding jacket. It had elastics at the wrists, and was pretty dry. I wore a water-bottle-carrier web belt, to keep it from blowing around. That worked OK.
Pants are less of a problem. If you have nylon shell pants for skiing, you can use those, with some camp-dry or Nikwax wash-in waterproofing.
Boots will get wet, but it takes a while for it to get through to your feet. But you need your pants over the boots for rain, not tucked-in!
If you have even a small fairing, then you can get out of the worst of the water by laying down forward onto the tank. The rain comes up off the fairing, and hits your helmet, then goes up and to the sides. Not too much water will hit your torso. It's a bit awkward to do head-checks if you're leaned way forward, so this is mostly useful for cruising with no traffic. A larger fairing means that you don't need to lean forward so much to get the same effect.
As far as traction: good pavement gives plenty of traction, even when wet. But manhole covers, "zebra crossings" and other white painted surfaces become slick. Gravel can get, um... more gravelly.
tonight also showed me exactly why i DO need the front fender on, even if I'm going to paint it next week.
:oops:
I remember hitting a rainday for the first time... i loved it.
Given i had no rain gear and was soaked head to toe, i was a very happy motorcyclist. I never mind getting caught in a downpoor unless im on my way to something important. Once your soaked thats it...can't get any more wet, so just laugh it up. I just think its fun to peer into the cagers cars past the rain and fogged up windshields and they look back like you are insane...perhaps i am,
for me i use an alter ego jacket cortech rain pants rainx joe rocket ballistic gloves with windshield wiper on the thumb....as for the feet, i just leave a trail of water in class or work :mrgreen: :thumb:
Make sure there are no scratches in the visor, this may be why your vision was bad. You can get water off your visor by turning your head sideways at a safe opportunity and let the wind blow it off.
I think you just have to be a bit more careful but don't obsess about crashing or you will get nervous and make a mistake.
Like Roadstergal said it - practice makes perfect.
I'm used to driving in the muck; Gore-Tex (or its cheaper siblings) keep me happy - and dry - no matter what weather; I don't leave home without it - unless I'm driving a cage... and I don't think that rain is a good excuse for not riding bike... just have to wrap my laptop into plastic bag before stuffing it in the backpack.
Downside is the price... but then again, any good-quality riding gear will cost you some, but if you go waterproof (like Gore), you'll never go back to leather, unless you race or *know* that it won't rain.
If you're tight on budget, see if you can find some used gear; that's the way I got mine recently. If buying used gear, try them on to see how they fit and check the seams for tears and obviously, knees & elbows for wear.
When riding in rain, the initial 1/2-1 hours are the worst, after that the rain washes off the dust&stuff that actually makes asphalt slippery when wet. Be aware that if you ride longer hauls, the rain might not've lasted as long just where you are now...
Also in the rain, newly paved-over roads will be slippery throughout about the first 6 months of their use, depending on how hard they're used.
Be careful in crossings, the paint-jobs will be *really* slippery; 'been there, done that, got the t-shirt :) - or actually, I lost a pair of perfectly good jeans and some knee-skin got scraped.
Slow down a bit, so that you'll have more time to react to things, as your stopping time extends a bit. Also be aware that disc-brakes might collect a sheen of water between the discs and pads, and not brake as good as on dry weather; no accidents, but a couple of good scares on a rainy summer 10 years ago... :)
Edit:
Oh yeah, I forgot to mention the IMPORTANT thing:
Keep your wheels in shape! There should be at least 2-3mm of the "figure" (don't know the right term in english) in the CENTER of the tire. This will help to channel the water out from under the tire, so that you'll have contact on the road... very important :) Tried losing it with a cage couple times and believe me, I don't want to do it again when I've only 2 wheels under me.
Be safe!
Quote from: '04gs500fI remember hitting a rainday for the first time... i loved it.
Once your soaked thats it...can't get any more wet, so just laugh it up. I just think its fun to peer into the cagers cars past the rain and fogged up windshields and they look back like you are insane...perhaps i am,
:mrgreen: :thumb:
lol. Thats exactly what i think.
Quote from: stefman722Quote from: '04gs500fI remember hitting a rainday for the first time... i loved it.
Once your soaked thats it...can't get any more wet, so just laugh it up. I just think its fun to peer into the cagers cars past the rain and fogged up windshields and they look back like you are insane...perhaps i am,
:mrgreen: :thumb:
lol. Thats exactly what i think.
its even better when its snowing
but yeah i love to ride in the rain
maybe thats because here in Reno it almost never rains
so when it rains, we go outside
Hehe I love going out to splash in the puddles with my little GS ;)
:cheers: