Rain riding

[aldend123]

Noob time. While it obviously sucks riding in the rain, I'm not super worried about it. Well maybe I am and I just don't know it. I was out riding the other day in some pretty solid rain and found myself being extremely cautious. In a car, we all know you can feel it slide and you know you've found the limit. I can't do that on the bike. And because of that, every turn I was trying to stay as up right as possible, avoiding all painted surfaces etc. But doing things like tight slow turns, I was trying to be so upright that I wouldn't need to counter-balance at all. Especially ones that had dirt or slick looking pavement types. I kept noticing people behind me were really close, obviously aware of the fact we were crawling around the turn. But do I need to keep this habit?

It seems to me right now that a motorcycle in rain is forced to drive much slower than a car, or at least be much more cautious. I also found the simplest analogy is that it's kind of like driving in the snow. Move slow, no dramatic changes in force or direction.

Also, my biggest problem with rain riding has been a lack of wipers on my face shield. Any tricks? I found tucking down behind the wind-shield and opening the helmet improved visibility, but are there any products that could help this? Same problem with fog building up in the helmet. I read the typical RainX products are a no-go on helmets so is there anything else out there?

[Kurlon]

Get your head in the airstream, and turn to the side. You'll clear one half of the visor that way. Turn the opposite way to clear the other half.

[PhilB]

You do need to be aware of surfaces -- painted lines and arrows, steel plates and manhole covers, tar strips, etc. However, most of those are small, so if you slide a couple inches it's not a huge deal, as long as you can learn to relax and not panic and upset the bike when it happens. For the bigger ones, avoidance is best if there is room, otherwise, just do your turning and braking before you get to the slippery part, and go through that upright and straight. And you have a lot more traction on the regular pavement than you think you do.

So yes, you have to slow down a bit, but you don't need to crawl. Being smooth is best (which is always true), and leave yourself some extra braking room. The main thing is to learn to relax; even if the bike does get a bit squirrelly, odds are best that it will sort itself out right away if you don't do anything at all and let it do so. You do need to be more cautious than in a car (again, this is always true), but you don't generally need to be going slower than in a car.

I just reach up and wipe my face shield now and then with my glove; that works well enough. Fogging is a more serious issue. There are products that help with that. Cracking the shield partly open can help. At stops, open it all the way and wipe the fog off. Learn to breathe only through your nose; breathing (especially out) through your mouth makes fogging much worse.

Like most things, practice makes better, and everyone will have a slightly different experience so you need to experiment some and find what works best for you.

PhilB

[RandyO]

I read the typical RainX products are a no-go on helmets so is there anything else out there?

I've found that rainx works great, sure it may yellow yer face shield in 5 years time, I find they typicly are replaced for other reasons long before rain-x does any damage

[aldend123]

I've found that rainx works great, sure it may yellow yer face shield in 5 years time, I find they typicly are replaced for other reasons long before rain-x does any damage

Ah. I have an old pitted clear mask I'm going to replace soon. Perhaps I should keep it, coat it with rain-x and call it my rain shield?

PhilB, I guess my statement that I "can't slide" on the bike like I can in the car is where I'm wrong? Little slippage is possible on the bike? Keep cool, throttle position the same body position the same and try to ride it out? You're talking more about speeds where you are leaning though, correct? Because I'd imagine slow speed counter balanced stuff, one slip and you're going down. Cracking the shield open a little so far has been my most effective option but that means you're getting wet after a little while.

As for the rain on the shield, I was surprised 70mph winds don't blow the water off. I found as you approach 90, it starts to slide off but I never tried turning the head. And doing 90 in the rain everywhere is not an effective windshield-wiper substitute. Some of the worst times I've had wasn't straight rain, but mist. That stuff doesn't bead up, so your shield is always covered in a layer of water.

[DucDave]

Most street tires that are at 50% or greater of tread give better traction than you might believe. However, finding that limit is scary! I know this sounds like a cliche, but doing a track day in the rain is the absolute best way to make you more comfortable.

And yeah...new shield, rainex, and turning your head left and right in the airstream is you best bet for your visor.

(I once told a cop in Newfoundland the reason I was going 80 in the rain was to keep my visor clear. I don't think he bought it but the only reason he really stopped me was to see what kind of bike I was on. It was a Ducati ST2 - he'd never heard of Ducati...and didnt know where New Hamshipre was! No ticket...!)

[DaveZX6r]

Most rain gloves have little squeegees on them I keep a pair of joe rocket rain gloves with my rain gear just change if it starts raining. Also as far as your tires go you have to be care full because you only have two wheels however the fact that you have round as opposed to flat contact patches makes bike tires much more resistant to hydro plaining. As far as caution goes like was said before being smoothe is the most important thing.
If you've got frame sliders on your bike it wouldn't be a bad idea to find a parking lot and just mess around in the rain, carefully, to get a feel for it. Rain braking is deffinately something everyone should practice at the least.

[aldend123]

Because my bike is older and not very popular in the US, getting parts like sliders or bars is hard. I think I have to do custom. Because believe me, I'd love to be able to drop it over and over playing with it.

I'm used to the concept that in a car, most people are so far within the safe limits of their traction and they have no idea how much more is left, and I guess I've come to wonder the same about bikes. Because right now, I'm probably well within the limits, but still trying to slowly expand them.

Trackdays are deff. in my future. But I need to acquire a little more gear, and get my bike sorted out. It has a very slight oil leak (1 drip per day) that I can't track down just yet. And I know that's not cool on the track. Realistically, it's probably going to be next season, not this one.

[rice_rocket]

Wow.. didn't notice your bike until you mentioned it.. So cool! I'm trying to get an 89 750r going myself and its certainly hard to find parts!

I have to admit I haven't done a lot of rain riding myself, but the first few times I got caught I did go into a parking lot and did some turning and stopping , and was utterly amazed that it took a whackload of throttle/braking before losing traction. There was probably at least 80% more than I was assuming because I too was deathly afraid of rain. Whenever I'm on a new vehicle, whether it be bike or car, whenever conditions get worse I always go out to "test" it in the parking lot.

I always crack the visor open since it helps immensely with the fogging, and wiping with my glove will suffice if my visor isn't getting enough wind. Maybe my visors are still all new without pits but they seem to bead up enough for me not to be concerned too much with visibility.

[KnuckleBallz]

Couple tricks:

Rain X was added this year & it definitely helps
Cracking my visor about an inch worked pretty well to keep light rain blowing up & out of my vision pre-rainx
EASY on the front brake. After my rain accident last year I stick to mostly rear in we weather.
METAL IS ICE. This is what got me down. Careful on bridges with large metal teeth on either end, i.e. Comm Ave by BU.
Having rain gear makes a HUGE difference. Much easier to focus when you're not soaking wet. I bought this suit. It looks absolutely ridiculous, does a great job, isn't too expensive, and didn't tear at all in the aforementioned accident

http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com...-Rainsuit.aspx

[aldend123]

I ride on to a hwy bridge every day that has expansion gaps during a sweeper on to it. I hold my breath every time

[Marc R]

Just to show what street tires can do with great skills...

(Rain tires are not allowed).

[RandyO]

I don't use the regular rain x product, what I do is use RainX windshield de-icer ($2.99 gal @ walmart) in a small pump spray bottle and microfiber rag when I clean my faceshield

[DaveZX6r]

That was awesome. I deffinately need to practice my low speed turns.

[reks95]

I've read that some people prefer not to put rain-x on plastic.
That crowd uses wax (e.g. pledge).

For example: http://will.mylanders.com/mc/notes/read.pl?file=16

[kawazzr]

These are all great suggestions. Someone earlier mentioned that some gloves come with built in squeegees. I have a pair, but I also picked these up and never leave home without one. They simply fit over your gloved finger and accomplish the same thing. http://www.aerostich.com/aerostich-v...-squeegee.html
I have found that taking your time until you are comfortable in the rain is key. People behind you can go pound sand if they get impatient.

[Cheese]

http://www.amazon.com/Rain-X-5071268...5875541&sr=8-1

Use it every time you clean your visor rather than trying to coat it just before rain riding. I transfer it to a 2oz spray bottle and keep it on the bike for mid-ride bug removal. (Link is from Amazon but you can buy it at Walmart)

http://www.amazon.com/Viking-Cotton-...5875727&sr=8-4

These pads are small, hold up for at least a season's use and are cheap. I think they work better than towels for cleaning a visor. (Link is from Amazon but you can buy them at Walmart)

Cracking your visor for fog in the rain can backfire. Often fog comes from moisture in the helmet so closing all the vents and keeping the visor sealed may be a better option. Once the padding in your helmet is damp, you'll never be fog free.

[OreoGaborio]

For FOG... Respro Foggy. WORKS THE BALLS!
https://www.google.com/search?source...w=1366&bih=643

(the Foggy X is for MX helmets)

[RandyO]

http://www.amazon.com/Rain-X-5071268...5875541&sr=8-1

$9.26 for 23 oz. is outrageously expensive when you can buy the same stuff by the gallon for $2.99 just 2 steps down the aisle in Walmart, especially when yer gonna transfer it to a smaller spray bottle anyway

[Jim]

I've found that rainx works great, sure it may yellow yer face shield in 5 years time, I find they typicly are replaced for other reasons long before rain-x does any damage

try Plexus instead

[aldend123]

I don't use the regular rain x product, what I do is use RainX windshield de-icer ($2.99 gal @ walmart) in a small pump spray bottle and microfiber rag when I clean my faceshield

Well that's convenient. I have a jug of that in the garage right now. I use it in my car. Cheaper than the one-time-application product and it continues to reapply itself with little to no effort.

Thanks for the suggestions guys. I'll have to pick one and give it a try, probably Rain-X first. Cheap and I've already got it, see how long it takes to yellow and go from there.

[Cheese]

$9.26 for 23 oz. is outrageously expensive when you can buy the same stuff by the gallon for $2.99 just 2 steps down the aisle in Walmart, especially when yer gonna transfer it to a smaller spray bottle anyway

I don't remember paying that much for the bottle at Walmart but more importantly it's not the same stuff. Yours is windshield washer fluid so contains a cleaner and de-icer. What I recommended actually includes the Rain-X Rain Repellent which is what others recommended using. So, if we're to compare apples to apples, you're going to need to purchase the Washer Fluid Additive to get the Rain Repellent feature.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Rain-X-Was...itive/16889023

[kb1]

Track days in the rain will do wonders for your wet riding awareness and confidence.

[CBR929RE]

rain race tires and a Suomy for the fog (they don't fog)

and don't worry about damaging the bike if you fall. that thing is a tank and it'll hurt the pavement more than the other way around.

[KnuckleBallz]

Anybody ride today? 93 South was a blast this morning!