Riding in the rain (tips/suggestions)

I like riding in the rain, no bugs.

Not a torrential downpour like you guys are talking about, just a normal summer rain.
 
(semi @ May 15 2007,04:39) if it gets to the point where you can't see well enough to keep your speed up, get off the road...as you slow down, you become very vulnerable to being run over from behind...drivers in cages think they can still see with their wipers going but there is a very good chance that they will never see your small motorcycle tail light until it is too late!
Never thought about that. Great point. Back to the bridge; oh yeah, did I mention walking up into the top of the bridge to stay dry and safe, when that cager takes the Busa out.
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I've been caught in a heavy downpour where I could not see going faster than 10 mph. There was no place to pull over so had to ride it out. Even had to go through a stretch of road with 6" or so of standing water once. Anything faster than say 3mph caused the water to come up and over the windscreen.

In general, tuck and speed up works for me in most rain situations. My bike is very stable on wet roads at 80 mph. Most of the water will go right over you.

Such is the life of someone who is determined to ride everyday.
 
Last month I rode from Houston to Atlanta and 720 miles of it was in the rain. I had no choice I had to be there for a funeral and had to make the trip.

My suggestion is to be smooth. Use your rear brake more than the front. In most cases I used the engine to slow the bike and used the rear brake with that.

Use your flashers. Keep them on when passing cars and when the rain is really coming down. Expect that every car you pass is going to hit you and just give them room.

I would also suggest using Metzler M3 tires as I have found they stick like glue even at speeds over 100 mph in the rain.
 
Ah Rain riding. One of my favorite topics! Not that I enjoy riding in torrential downpours or anything but I have had some truly memorable rain rides. I agree with most of what everybody has stated here. The biggest one for me is never, ever, ever open your visor in a downpour unless it is absolutely critical. Because the second you open it… Game over! Water on the inside of the shield is a beeotch. This is where a fog shield pays for itself! I always ride in waterproof riding gear anyway so that is not a big issue. Gloves are an area for improvement though. I always ride with my trusty Held Akira Gloves and in a mild rain they are fine but when it dumps they are soaked so I am thinking about getting a set of Held Rain gloves to stash in my Tank bag. Living in the great Northwest you either ride in the rain or you don’t ride so you gotta be prepared. Like Clint says- â€￾Improvise, Overcome, Adaptâ€￾!

I gotta throw this in here as well. A while back my older bro and I were crewing a Formula Atlantic car (SCCA) for a guy who used to teach at the Bob Bondurant driving school. He was telling us that in formula cars when they run in the rain the car is typically sitting higher than it would in the dry and that they usually just crank all the wings flat for minimum down-force and drag. The reasoning being that you aren’t going to pass anybody in the corners in the rain so you might as well make it fast on the straights! Seemed logical but this guy was kind of a questionable source when all was said and done so who knows.
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(PaNDeM1C @ May 15 2007,01:05) I had ridden in the rain before on my Katana back in like 98 or so... but I was totally UNskilled and didn't know jack shid.

Ok, so let's fast-forward to this past Fri. night... I rode in the rain on the Busa.... not by choice, but by... uh, ok... by choice. Because I could have pulled over after I saw the massive lightning bolts coming down due East as I made my way down I20 from Anniston, AL to Atlanta. Still, I chose to keep going hoping I'd miss the storm. I didn't miss it. I got nailed bigtime! And I'm talking about a huge downpour!

So... I have a few tips to give and some questions.

Tips: Stay calm. Stick to your same riding knowledge as if the roads were dry... but know they're wet!!!! Stay back away from cars because your stopping distance will decrease. Overall... be cautious. Be smooth.

Questions:
1. After riding in the rain (storm) should we do any kind of special cleaning/work on the bike? Just wondering.

My tip: Stay out of the rain. It's not fun. Well...ok, I can admit that it was sorta fun. But only fun because I had noplace to be and I was in no hurry or some job to go to. I was just riding home....
I think you meant to say stopping distances will "increase" vs decrease.

Good info in the moto safety book too for riding in the wet stuff.
 
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