its getting slippery again.

[Ixion]

Well my brakes tend to be less sharp and then grip a bit more abruptly rather than progressively.

Yep. 'Tis cos of water of the disks. The pads slip a bit initially, cos water is a good lubricant (and turns to steam, which can actually try to force the pad back in). Then the water is all swished off , and the pads bite. Of course, cos of the initial " WTF , where's me brakes", you've applied a lot more pressure to the lever. And suddenly all that pressure is working - ohh errr !

Just be prepared for it. Or, just give the brakes a tiny squeeze every so often, just to squegee the water off the rotors.

[justsomeguy]

JSG, i will be out your way tomorrow and may just have a go at this Scenic drive your always on about. If you want the learn then I'll see yo there, If i dont see ya your just chicken shit. no excuses.

OK See you at 8pm at Shell Titirangi - there's a New World there too and some restaurants opposite - so you can't mistake it.

I don't want a group of KB'ers turning up unless you're a bunch of experienced riders. No bitching and moaning allowed either. What happens on Cheenic Dwive stays on the Dwive

[Jantar]

Guys not wanting to sound like a cracked record but we need to take extra care right now. Its getting dark so early cagers arent used to night commuting. With the wet oily slippery roads its getting pretty nasty out there.
lets be extra carefull hu folks

Is this a continuation of the "Frosty is Slippery and Shady" thread? http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/sh...ry+when+frosty

Seriously though. A good reminder.

[justsomeguy]

Just be prepared for it. Or, just give the brakes a tiny squeeze every so often, just to squegee the water off the rotors.

Yeah thanks.

That's what I do at the moment. Just have to take extra care to make sure I don't enter a corner too hot.

[Cookie]

Yes - timely. My back tire slipped a bit while braking the other day in rain.

I guess I was being too heavy on the rear brake without enough in the way of front brake and although going slow at the time, I just hit a smooth patch of tarseal or something and felt the back squirm for a foot or so.

No harm done except I got a little reminder that all it takes is a wee smooth patch or paint or a cow turd or diesel, or .....

Take care Pilgrims.

[Blairos]

OK See you at 8pm at Shell Titirangi - there's a New World there too and some restaurants opposite - so you can't mistake it.

I don't want a group of KB'ers turning up unless you're a bunch of experienced riders. No bitching and moaning allowed either. What happens on Cheenic Dwive stays on the Dwive

Did this Scenic Drive ride (albeit unintentionally) with Terbang late last Friday afternoon about 5:30ish

Had its fair share of excitement, including a big brown dog that decided it wanted to scream out of a driveway (just past the Transmitter heading south) and try and take a chunk out of us as we rode past - what a great road!

One thing I have noticed is the pine needles/leaf debris that is starting to appear on the roads, as well as some areas of moss waiting for the unsuspecting rider too

[Lou Girardin]

Just be prepared for it. Or, just give the brakes a tiny squeeze every so often, just to squegee the water off the rotors.

Or buy the latest Merc that does that for you.
I sometimes wonder what the driver does in modern luxo cars.

[Blairos]

I sometimes wonder what the driver does in modern luxo cars.

Ummm - let me see... Texts people, does their hair/makeup etc etc, maybe they should automate all cages so things end up being safer for us!

[moko]

We get shitty weather 10 months of the year so all this stuff you guys are worrying about is everyday to us.Wet weather isnt a problem,keep everything smooth,get in the habit of drying your brakes with a bit of pressure every so often and keep your eyes open.Good thing about riding in lousy conditions is that it really sharpens up your throttle,brake and clutch control,plenty of guys ride 12 months of the year here and our weathers a lot worse than anything some of you guys ever see.I use Bridgestone 020`s because they`re brilliant in the wet,sports riders sneer at them,same guys who crap themselves when it rains and I can leave for dead on the big roundabout on my way home from work.One thing that might seem irrelavent at first is make sure you`ve got proper riding gear,if you`re cold and wet you`re distracted and that`s always asking for trouble on a bike.I enjoy riding in the rain,clears all the crap off the road and only difference is I leave a bigger gap between me and other vehicles.

[Unit:Me]

Well said Moko. Is anybody here moving to 'winter tyres' and do people consider such a thing? I know the Strada I have on the rear of the TL right now is Hopeless in the wet and if the road is cold but dry not that much better. It was a great summer tyre and get plenty of mile out if it, but honestly I'd rather go through two good tyres that I know will stick than one the I have to nurse in trying conditions.
And yes its time to make sure we will stay warm and dry as well. Your right about this distracting your focus, its all about good gear in the end. I dont choose to go out in the rain, but if I do have to its nice to be as comfortable and relaxed as possible.

[Streetwise]

tell me about it, It took me till 3rd gear today befor the bike stopped spinning the rear. wet, oily, Slippery, it a bugger of a time of year but it does keep the skills up. Take care all

[thehollowmen]

Well said Moko. Is anybody here moving to 'winter tyres' and do people consider such a thing?

I stick with the well treaded ones, I'm using the trailmax but that comes with the bike and I'm pretty happy in rain and light snow.

"Winter tyres" makes me think of the studded tyres in Northern Europe. Like Norway. They're illegal to drive in the summer over there because of the damage they do to the road.

[FROSTY:Me]

winter tyres on a sprotbike aint a bad idea.I definitely wish Id fitted a set of P powers to my racebike on sunday.Racers choose tyres to suit the conditions the tyres are MOSTLY gonna be used for--thesame applies to road riders -more rain means bigger grooves more water pumping and quicker/easier tyre warm up.
Also during winter id suggest slightly softer suspension setups.

[notme]

Guys not wanting to sound like a cracked record but we need to take extra care right now. Its getting dark so early cagers arent used to night commuting. With the wet oily slippery roads its getting pretty nasty out there.
lets be extra carefull hu folks

Well, this thread was started in March and it's now past the middle of winter, so the weather can only get better! However, it's not the time to get fooled by the occasional patch of great weather - I rode out of Auckland over this weekend and was almost fooled into thinking it was a crisp spring day on the ride south - but I had a couple of instances of a tyre wriggle on slippery roads due to that moss/mould that grows on the crown of some roads and tar snakes with just a touch of moisture on them (valleys, shaded roads).

It's going to get better from here on in people, but don't get complacent! Heed the advice in this thread and enjoy your winter riding

P.S. Metzler Racetechs - nice tyres but CRAP for winter riding!

[paturoa]

Went to picked up my daughter this arvo just after a big shower and going along titirangi rd (by where JSG and Speedie were going to meet this morning) was a 100 meter long diesel or oil trail.

Finding it was easy, I thought I had two flat tyres!

It was then that I saw the line of the "rainbow" on the road.