Cost Benefit Analysis of Riding in the wet.

[Skyryder]

Just have not had time to read all the posts so if I sound off like someone before me well like I said time and all. Riding in the wet is inherently more dangerous due to the conditions. I tend to ride for personal enjoyment not out of necessity. So if it is raining I tend to stay off the saddle. Secondly a bike ridden in the wet is going to take a lot more time to clean as against the dry so to speak. So for myself time does play an important role. Now having said that I do believe that the occasional trips in the rain are good. It not only sorts out your riding skills but also allows you to test your riding gear in case you are caught out in bad weather. For exaample do your gloves stand up to the increased cold and are your fingers and hands numb from the cold. How does your body stand up in cold weather are you making small errors due to fatigue etc. Not to sure if you have a full face helmut but one of things I learnt real fast is to carry a small bottle of glass cleaner and a small rag. Get bugs on your visor coupled with water and caught in the dark with headlights coming at you and you will be riding blind. If you have no way to clean up::roblems big time. In other words riding in the wet prepares you for that unexpected downpoor when you are some distance from home. Just a little bit of self preperation will go a long way to self preservation.

Skyryder

[wkid_one]

best thinng to do is hold on tight,

Actually - it is most probably the worst thing to do

[laRIKin]

Is this what you do wkid_one when its cold and wet out side?

[wkid_one]

Yes - but I prefer the left side of the bed

[James Deuce]

Don't mind the wet. Had to go in to work yesterday and today and Saturday at 3am it was raining fairly hard. I take the bike when I'm on call, because I have to miss my customary weekend ride.

The only cost is cleaning it. I'm a little bit anal when it comes to having a dirty bike.

[laRIKin]

Yes - but I prefer the left side of the bed

Just like a bike to boss you around.
I bet that you have to sleep in the oil spot as well.

[jrandom]

Don't mind the wet.

Yeah. What is it with all these people moaning about getting wet? Waterproof plastic to go over leathers isn't expensive, if you don't already have a goretex suit. Bit of nice cool water in the air just makes things bracing IMHO although going into restaurants etc post-ride can indeed be off the cards as pointed out by Spanky.

The only cost is cleaning it. I'm a little bit anal when it comes to having a dirty bike.

What is this 'clean'?

I think I washed the FXR once. That was sometime last year. Anyway, the crud stops things from falling off.

[Two Smoker]

Actually - it is most probably the worst thing to do

My bad, i generally grip the tank slightly more in the wind, not the bars..... sorry for not elaborating

[merv]

Yes - but I prefer the left side of the bed

... and you still haven't told us what bike you are going to bed with these days.

[Posh Tourer :P]

I may have put people a little wrong before, I agree that cold is bad and wet makes cold, but essentially my point is dont be anal about keeping dry, cos its next to impossible in heavy rain...
Jim2 - I have now not only rain marks on my bike, I now have clay splatters as well. Luckily riding home in the rain washed about half that off.... So there you go. If its really dirty ride it in the rain first :P

Note to people who ride scenic drive after rain: Not only is there wetness on the road for a long time after the rain stops, especially in tree shadows, there is also gravel across the road, washed out of ppls driveways, not to mention the slip this morning, which they did a very good job of washing completely off the road, clay and all

[Lou Girardin]

I lost a lot of confidence in the wet when I binned it last year. It's coming back though, amazing what a few power slides can do. Makes you feel like McCoy, only he does it in the dry.
Lou

[Coldkiwi]

ayy.. power slides is fun!! (can't believe this burnout shagged rear diablo corsa has more grip in the wet when its cold than my D207u had in the dry)

If you're worried about the wet, don't be! Enjoy it for the difference it is. you can find out lots about what ever you're riding and it'll make you smoother (and hence faster in the dry)

Get good gear ($125ish for an impervious one piece rain suit, $130ish for some water proof gloves and half ways decent lid/visor and you'll be able to enjoy the experience)

One of my most memorable rides was in the pouring rain down to Tokoroa to drop my zX6R off to a buyer when it was fitted with a semi slick supercorsa front. After I stopped panicking about loosing grip on the front, i relaxed, got much smoother and surprised myself with how quick I could go without any scares.

Wet gear is a pain though. no two ways around it

[Big Dog]

One of the things that have struck me is the number of people who don't ride if it's raining. So I'm to gather as much infomation as possible as to why this is. Obviously there is the wet and cold (person) aspect, increased risk of accident, added gear needed, if prolonged, potential increased wear and tear on bike (rust). Anything else?

And, for those of you who do ride in the wet. How much of it is commuting necessity (bike being only transport)? How much is being obsessed with riding to the point where you have to go for a ride and weather conditions are a secondary thought? Are there any of you who conciously go riding in the wet in order to increase your bike handling skills (sort of like riding on gravel can give you a better understanding of how to recover if things start to go wrong?

I am obssesed ergo I chose to buy a bike before a car.
Wet weather might stop me going for a long pleasure ride but not from going to work/movies/dinner/mates house.

Somethimes I go out just because it is raining on the weekend.... no I am not insane... but if you practice you traction control, emergency braking etc in the wet your skills will exceed their demand in the dry.

Also there is this whole Zen thing you only get riding in the wet.

It is not as dangerous as people make out if you let it rain for 1/2 an hour or so before you go to wash the street clean (this is why so many cagers crash on motorways in the first ten minutes after the sky opens up.)

In fact if you are on suitable tyres your traction one hour in will be better than after a long dry spell (unless you meet Mr Metalplateinstalledrightontheapexofthecorner).

Yes it will be cold if you wear the wrong gear, yes you will get wet even if you wear the best gear but, If you love it enough it won't matter.

[dhunt]

I don't mind riding in the rain. Do it all the time but it an't fun trying to pass big trucks that are spraying up water ever where so you can't see pass them.

Also rain without wind = ok
rain+wind = not so fun

[jrandom]

unless you meet Mr Metalplateinstalledrightontheapexofthecorner

Met him. Touched my arse to the ground shortly thereafter. He tends to have that effect.