Tips for riding in the rain

[sabbath45]

I tried searching for this but couldnt really find anythink. Is there any good tips for riding in the rain? I rode home the other day in the rain for the first time and came up to a intercetion and the back wheel skidded. scared teh crap outa me.

[vifferman]

How about some tips for searching instead? There have been many threads on this topic.
[sigh]

Try clicking on the "Search" button, and typing in some words like "wet" and "weather" and "tips" and "rain". It's amazing what it turns up...
Ride smoothly. Relax. Avoid lane markings, the greasy bits in the centre of lanes, personhole covers, animal carcases, and the oil slicks outside fast-food joints. Allow a larger following distance, except if you're a D'Aucklander, when you should follow more closely in rainy weather. (Why, I dunno. )
That's about it, but someone else will come along shortlyish to go blah blah blah at you some more.

[The Lone Rider]

Or, to learn by doing what you aren't suppose to do...

Slam your breaks on really hard while riding in the rain and over a white arrow on the road.

Very fun.

Try it.

[Sparrowhawk]

Allow a larger following distance, except if you're a D'Aucklander, when you should follow more closely in rainy weather. (Why, I dunno. )

This one had me stumped too when I moved to jafa-land. Then I worked it out...

When it's raining, visibility gets worse.

So, Aucklanders follow closer so they can see the car in front better!

[slofox]

Or, to learn by doing what you aren't suppose to do...

Slam your breaks on really hard while riding in the rain and over a white arrow on the road.

Very fun.

Try it.

You're a rotten bastard Lone Rider, you know that?......

Believe it or not, I tried something kinda similar to this many years ago. Fortunately I was only on a pushbike. The road was iced up with frost. I came peddling furiously round a corner and wondered what would happen if I slammed on the brakes........BOOOOOOMMMMM!!!! Happened so fast I didn't even sense the fall. Just found myself in the gutter mucho quicko...wadda dork! Needless to say I have not tried it since.......

[The Lone Rider]

Yeah well you fellas are all on sports bikes. Its like a frame and engine.

Some of us cruiser riders have your bikes weight in just chrome fittings.

My bike itself weighs in at 250kg. Sorta entry level big boys toy I suppose you could call it. 109R is 350kg.

Slip on a white line and keel over... GAME OVER MAN.. GAME OVER! :P

[madbikeboy]

Yeah well you fellas are all on sports bikes. Its like a frame and engine.

Some of us cruiser riders have your bikes weight in just chrome fittings.

My bike itself weighs in at 250kg. Sorta entry level big boys toy I suppose you could call it. 109R is 350kg.

Slip on a white line and keel over... GAME OVER MAN.. GAME OVER! :P

Well, us sportsbike riders like skinny hot chicks. You cruiser riders have to have beefed up frames and stuff for your fun lovin' momma's.

Seriously, sportsbikes IMHO are better in the rain, and easier to point. They're also easier to turn quickly. The thing about riding in the rain is that you have more grip than you think 90% of the time. Downside is you have less grip than you think 10% of the time. Experience will tell you which is which. Look for slick tarmac, or tar seal strips, or changes in surface. And look for oil and diesel. Often you can smell it too.

Ride relaxed, and don't make sudden or erratic shifts. To be honest, I feel in more danger from cars not seeing me than hitting the deck due to slipperyness - once windscreens get water on them, most motorists lose the ability to think rationally or see beyond the water on the glass..

[vifferman]

- once windscreens get water on them, most motorists lose the ability to think rationally or see beyond the water on the glass..

Sounds just like my camera in Paris - the bus windows were covered in raindrops, and no matter what I did, the camera decided I wanted some photos of the raindrops on the glass. It did a cracker job of that.
Got a beautiful (and deliberate) distorted photo at Calais of the ferry though, once I worked out how to get the camera to listen to me. Shows the crappy weather in a most beautiful and artistic fashion.

Yeah I knwo this has little if anything to do with the topic (apart from the 'rain' bit). So, what's your point?!? I'm farking bored. This has been a very boring month so far.
Hurry up someone and do summat exciting...

[Badjelly]

The thing about riding in the rain is that you have more grip than you think 90% of the time. Downside is you have less grip than you think 10% of the time.

Very wise words!

[madbikeboy]

Sounds just like my camera in Paris - the bus windows were covered in raindrops, and no matter what I did, the camera decided I wanted some photos of the raindrops on the glass. It did a cracker job of that.
Got a beautiful (and deliberate) distorted photo at Calais of the ferry though, once I worked out how to get the camera to listen to me. Shows the crappy weather in a most beautiful and artistic fashion.

Yeah I knwo this has little if anything to do with the topic (apart from the 'rain' bit). So, what's your point?!? I'm farking bored. This has been a very boring month so far.
Hurry up someone and do summat exciting...

Normally you need to over-ride the autofocus, because the autofocusing sees the glass with teardrops as being perfectly valid.

I use a Canon 350D SLR. What did you think of Europe? You were on the bus with my evil ex were you (5'5'", brunette, not unattractive, horns, tail, pitchfork, forked tongue?).

[vifferman]

Normally you need to over-ride the autofocus, because the autofocusing sees the glass with teardrops as being perfectly valid.

Yes, I *know* that. I've only been taking photos of things for ooh... about 40 years or so. (Mind you back then, there was no autofocus - you had to wait for the little imp inside the box to finish painting what he saw, then check it, and aks him to redo it if it was worngA.

I use a Canon 350D SLR.

Good for you! I have an Eos 1000FN, a Sony Cybersnot, and a Canon S5IS. It was the latter that kept trying to do what it thought I wanted, not what I actually did, but I eventually wrestled it into submission. The IS was very useful when taking photos as we rushed past things at 100km/h...

What did you think of Europe?

I'm still not sure... I'll have to go back some more and see if I can come up with an opinion....

You were on the bus with my evil ex were you (5'5'", brunette, not unattractive, horns, tail, pitchfork, forked tongue?).

Sounds a bit like the woman sitting next to me, but she's an inch shorter, I believe, and I've mostly been in her company for the last 31 years, so I don't think there was time for her to have slipped in being your partner along the way.
However, if she's dyed her hair blonde, gained an Aussie accent and is very very good at appearing to be extremely stupid, then she was on the bus. We often had to wait for this woman, and in Italia I caught sight of her in the mirror of the toilet in a truckstop, walking into the Men's.
I was never quite sure if she was incredibly stupid, or extremely cunning. I suspected it might be the latter, otherwise there's no way she could've got to whatever age she was without someone killing her. As it was, her roommate came VERY close...
Or morphed into a very ugly Canadian [shudder] or her satanic mother [SHUDDER]

[slofox]

(Mind you back then, there was no autofocus - you had to wait for the little imp inside the box to finish painting what he saw, then check it, and ask him to redo it if it was wrongA.

Do I sense an influence from Terry Pratchett there......?

[vifferman]

Do I sense an influence from Terry Pratchett there......?

Maybe....

My eldest son has almost all of his books, including some signed by the author.

[Marmoot]

Is there any good tips for riding in the rain?

Yes. Always put sunscreen on your skin.
Even in the rain or cloudy condition, the summer sun can still give you sunburn within minutes, and increase your chance of getting melanoma.

[The Lone Rider]

Well, us sportsbike riders like skinny hot chicks. You cruiser riders have to have beefed up frames and stuff for your fun lovin' momma's.

Seriously, sportsbikes IMHO are better in the rain, and easier to point. They're also easier to turn quickly.

Um... have you not seen the photo of me coddled up with one of the crusaders cheerleaders?

Dunno.. I think cruisers are better in the rain for the fact that someone on it is probably cruising as opposed to..... whatever it is you call hunched over throttling!