Riding fast in the rain

[James Deuce]

Hahahahahahahahahahah.......... Like fuck ya can.

You might want to work on it then.

Get a G Meter. Attach it to your bike. Head to a dry track and measure peak G.

Wet the track. Your peak G reading should be damn near the same.

It's how you get there that is different.

[Sketchy_Racer]

You might want to work on it then.

Get a G Meter. Attach it to your bike. Head to a dry track and measure peak G.

Wet the track. Your peak G reading should be damn near the same.

It's how you get there that is different.

Yep, If you can do a stoppie in the wet, then you can brake has/near as hard in the wet as the dry. The biggest difference if the wheel momentarily locks up (over a bump or something) in the wet, you have to release the brakes much more and once the wheel is starting to gain traction again, that also takes more time than in dry conditions.

I hate riding in the wet due to the fact that I get cold and wet, but the riding side of it has grown on me quite a bit, and it's surprising how much grip there really is and lap times only drop about 8-9%

http://skachillracing.co.nz/gallery....lay=2009-05-08

[Thunder 8]

You might want to work on it then.

Get a G Meter. Attach it to your bike. Head to a dry track and measure peak G.

Wet the track. Your peak G reading should be damn near the same.

It's how you get there that is different.

Wouldnt you say Peak G has nothing to do that. you said you can brake as hard in the wet as in the dry. Yes you probably get a similar PEAK reading but that only reflects the moment of braking not the rest of it .

[James Deuce]

What I said is completely correct. You can brake as hard in the wet as in the dry. It's how you do it that matters. You can generate the same force between tyre and tarmac. The amount of negative acceleration you generate has everything to do with braking force.

[Muppet]

Oh, and don't forget to add: Make sure there's no sudden obstacles, no surprise puddles, no tar snakes, nobody changing lanes suddenly etc and you should be alright...

Or trees falling over in front of you!

[caseye]

Lots of good advice here for any new riders.Mainly, as always, ride to the conditions and learn how hard you can brake in the wet before you actually need to do it in a real life situation.
Nice thread carver.

[FROSTY:Me]

What I said is completely correct. You can brake as hard in the wet as in the dry. It's how you do it that matters. You can generate the same force between tyre and tarmac. The amount of negative acceleration you generate has everything to do with braking force.

On the ROAD I try to avoid hard braking or cornering in the rain. I know full well as Jim has stated above that yep I can in IDEAL conditions stop about as fast in the rain as in the dry. To me the issue is that all the stuff that makes conditions far from ideal seem to rear their ugly heads. Like Big dave said tar snakes seem extra nasty. White lines,diesel spills, running water,manhole covers and a heap of other nastys are not so easy to spot and avoid.The worst part about em is that in the dry they pose no issue at all Loose gravel on intersections is a pet hate of mine in the wet so I'll tippy toe arount an ntersection I'm not familiar with.

[jrandom]

My main bugaboo is the surfaces other than tarmac. Tar snakes, road marking paint, etc. Like Frosty just said.

And who likes being wet and cold? Blehhh.

Working as a bicycle courier has definitely helped me to get comfy on dodgy surfaces, mind you. In the Auckland CBD, it's all diesel slicks from buses, manhole covers and road markings. Not to mention V-brakes that simply don't work on wet rims. Rainy days are hilarious.

I recommend Vittoria Randonneurs to anyone riding a bicycle throughout winter, by the way. They're good.

[James Deuce]

There's a lot of myths about motorcycle braking. The top three are:

1. The front brake will make you crash.
2. Bikes can't out-brake cars.
3. You can't brake hard in the wet.

The top myth about accident avoidance is:

1. Brake really, really hard when you see something scary.

If you ride everywhere at 200km/hr plus, you need to be able to brake hard at that speed to a complete stop, or be able to accurately steer around a hazard.

I've howled the front tyre in heavy traffic, in the wet, at an ambient temperature less than 5 degrees C, more than once without falling off.

The most important thing about braking is practice. Most riders don't know how quickly they can stop in the dry from 100 km/hr, let alone in the wet.

[jrandom]

The most important thing about braking is practice.

True dat.

One thing I've noticed is that many road riding focused 'practice and training' folk seem to be all about braking in straight lines.

Turning under hard braking is a crucial skill. Perhaps more crucial than simply standing the bike on its nose.

And trackdays are the place to learn that. Go forth and learn how not to die, folks!

[BMWST?]

What I said is completely correct. You can brake as hard in the wet as in the dry. It's how you do it that matters. You can generate the same force between tyre and tarmac. The amount of negative acceleration you generate has everything to do with braking force.

but the same force is generated over a longer period of time,so you cant stop as quickly

[BMWST?]

There's a lot of myths about motorcycle braking.


2. Bikes can't out-brake cars.

thats not a myth.Thats a fact

[James Deuce]

but the same force is generated over a longer period of time,so you cant stop as quickly

There's very little distance in it, if you know what you are doing. Single figure percentage points for people who practice consistently.

[Thunder 8]

but the same force is generated over a longer period of time,so you cant stop as quickly

Right on.

[Thunder 8]

thats not a myth.Thats a fact

Youre probably wasting your breath.People who beleive their bike can out brake a car are apt to find out the hard way that 99.9% of the time thats utter crap.