After the Doc Wong riding clinic class (I could only go to the class, after all it's Easter and I needed to get back home), I rode up Woodside Road to Hwy35/Skyline Blvd. to 9 down towards home, and it was wonderful!  Nary a soul on the road.  It was pouring rain, I discovered some leaks in my gear (gauntlets, figures, but they're 14year old gloves), but generaly stayed warm and dry.
Since it was raining pretty heavily, Doc switched the topic to wet weather riding technique, and we went out to our bikes so Doc could see how we 'hang off'.  Well, if I didn't learn something new...I don't hang off far enough!  Even to the point of kissing the mirrors (or looking between the bottom of the mirror and the handlebar!!!), one of the things I couldn't do was counter-countersteer; my outside arm was already extended.  I needed to be able to stand the bike up with my outside arm, and I couldn't do that if I didn't lean forward more, bending the arms more and ensuring that I'm loose(r) on the bars.
Practiced this all the way home on roads that I'm familiar with, and wouldn't you know I was going nearly as fast as I would when it's dry!
Happy me!

Hmm... good idea. Lean forward more so that your arms are bent. I'll have to try that.

I've got a question for you: When you're hanging off on the right, how do you deal with your wrist being at a weird angle? Or am I doing something horribly horribly wrong?

this thread is worthless without pics 

sounds like a fun time scratch 

I recently picked up a pair of Fieldsheer pants from SC Cycle Acc. that seem to be doing pretty well in the wet weather.  I'm still skeptical because I haven't actually been caught in one our recent downpours but they've well in the light rain

Quote from: AlphaFire X5 on April 16, 2006, 02:45:06 PM
Hmm... good idea. Lean forward more so that your arms are bent. I'll have to try that.

I've got a question for you: When you're hanging off on the right, how do you deal with your wrist being at a weird angle? Or am I doing something horribly horribly wrong?

Inside elbow should be straight down, inline with your wrist and shoulder (!! I just had an epiphony!  So, that's what Doc was trying to tell me!!  I must practice that tonight on my commute home...I hope it rains!!  WooHoo!), again this should be so that you are able to push on the outside bar (to counter-countersteer), and be loose on the bars (you should be able to flap your elbows and do the funky chicken!).

Quote from: JetSwing on April 16, 2006, 03:37:12 PM
this thread is worthless without pics

Camera not waterproof...it was raining that hard (at one point I thought it was hailing)!

Andy - Which Fieldsheer pants?  The overpants, or the Astros?  The overpants are selectively waterproof; my old set was waterproof, the new set gets me wet in the crotch.

Quote from: scratch on April 17, 2006, 10:43:47 AM

Quote from: AlphaFire X5 on April 16, 2006, 02:45:06 PM
I've got a question for you: When you're hanging off on the right, how do you deal with your wrist being at a weird angle? Or am I doing something horribly horribly wrong?

Inside elbow should be straight down, inline with your wrist and shoulder (!! I just had an epiphony!  So, that's what Doc was trying to tell me!!  I must practice that tonight on my commute home...I hope it rains!!  WooHoo!), again this should be so that you are able to push on the outside bar (to counter-countersteer), and be loose on the bars (you should be able to flap your elbows and do the funky chicken!).

I must not be understanding you completely. So, when you're off to the right, pivoted around the tank hanging off, my wrist is at a weird angle as if it's cocked all the way to the right. I keep it parallel with the bars, but the angle just isn't comfortable. I don't feel as if I have as good of throttle control when I'm hanging off to the right as when I do on the left.

Am I hanging off too much, do you think, or do I need to get over the bars more, or perhaps move my body to a more "correct" location?

Maybe hold the throttle like a doorknob, so that you are twisting the throttle by pivoting your wrist/forearm, instead of rolling your hand/fist back/wrist down.

Quote from: scratch on April 17, 2006, 10:43:47 AM

Andy - Which Fieldsheer pants?  The overpants, or the Astros?  The overpants are selectively waterproof; my old set was waterproof, the new set gets me wet in the crotch.

the hang tag says Booster Pant.  I guess that's the overpants (3/4 zip).  All the zippers had me worried about how waterproof it is but I think that liner is where a lot of the protection is.  I think they are this year's model and FS didn't put the waterproof tag like it does for some of its stuff.  I'm still happy though because anything is better than those junky Joe Rocket pants I used to wear

ah well, it seems we'll have some nice weather for this week at least

Quote from: AlphaFire X5 on April 17, 2006, 02:11:57 PM

Quote from: scratch on April 17, 2006, 10:43:47 AM

Quote from: AlphaFire X5 on April 16, 2006, 02:45:06 PM
I've got a question for you: When you're hanging off on the right, how do you deal with your wrist being at a weird angle? Or am I doing something horribly horribly wrong?

Inside elbow should be straight down, inline with your wrist and shoulder (!! I just had an epiphony!  So, that's what Doc was trying to tell me!!  I must practice that tonight on my commute home...I hope it rains!!  WooHoo!), again this should be so that you are able to push on the outside bar (to counter-countersteer), and be loose on the bars (you should be able to flap your elbows and do the funky chicken!).

I must not be understanding you completely. So, when you're off to the right, pivoted around the tank hanging off, my wrist is at a weird angle as if it's cocked all the way to the right. I keep it parallel with the bars, but the angle just isn't comfortable. I don't feel as if I have as good of throttle control when I'm hanging off to the right as when I do on the left.

Am I hanging off too much, do you think, or do I need to get over the bars more, or perhaps move my body to a more "correct" location?

are you dropping your shoulder? which should casue your elbow to go in and keep your wrist pretty strait as you hang off...

Quote from: allmtrslut on April 18, 2006, 10:02:22 AM
are you dropping your shoulder? which should casue your elbow to go in and keep your wrist pretty strait as you hang off...

Yeah, I am. I think I might be hanging off in turns not necessary to hang off in  which means I don't have enough counter steer to make much of a difference in the angle of my wrist. Not sure. I'll have to figure it out next ride I go on.

Quote from: allmtrslut on April 18, 2006, 10:02:22 AM
are you dropping your shoulder? which should casue your elbow to go in and keep your wrist pretty strait as you hang off...

Thank you.  A much better suggestion.