| Tour Information | Tour dates | Contact Information | Riding Style | Equipment |
|
|
|
|||
| Home Page | ||||
| Riding Tips | ||||
| Tyre Information | ||||
Riding in the wet. If you ride in the UK, it doesn't matter if you're a 1000 mile per year weekend biker or a 20,000 mile a year "hard man" at some point your going to get rained on. Knowing the affect this will have on you and your bike should help you select the best riding techniques to cope. |
 |
|||
|
|
Although many advanced riding texts argue that your approach to riding in the wet should be no different than dry, (you should be riding safely wet or dry) it doesn't mean that you shouldn't take extra care. Often car drivers make relatively few adjustments, simply opting to switch their lights and wipers on and continuing at the same speed despite the extra hazard (they feel safe, warm, and dry inside their metal box). However, given the statistics for accidents in poor weather its fairly obvious that there are one or two adjustments we should all make.
|
|||
| As a motorcyclist it's harder to ignore the changing situation, as both you and the bike will react very differently in the wet. The reduction in tyre grip will be the most obvious difference, typically around 50% but it can be significantly more with soft compound sports tyres (having a dry weather bias). Although this is not to say that a hard compound touring tyre will produce more grip, just that the change will be less noticeable. We are all taught that braking distances are doubled in bad weather and that we should compensate appropriately, but it is easy to forget how it also affects acceleration and cornering. The tyre grip works as a three way balance between cornering, acceleration and braking. The key focus when riding in the rain is smooth control and planning well ahead. | ||||
|
|
Smooth
Control This is not just about being easy on the brakes and throttle, but also ensuring that you balance your need for grip. In dry weather it is easy to accelerate out of a corner even when the bike is cranked over, but the risk of a slide dramatically increases in the wet. Your available grip is split between cornering, accelerating and braking . If you aim to complete the turn before you accelerate, your demand for grip will be reduced. The tyres only offer so much grip, as long as the forces being exerted by cornering, braking, accelerating are less than the grip then all is well. When the forces being exerted on the tyres is greater than the grip then the tyres will slide, what happens next I will leave to your imagination. |
|||
|
|
||||
| Plan
Ahead Last minute reactions should always be avoided, particularly in the wet ( I know its difficult to avoid reacting to a situation, so you have to avoid the situation). If you plan ahead you should be able to anticipate where you need to brake, position and accelerate. This will enable you to make better use of engine braking for corners and junctions, rather than just relying on the brakes. Engine braking reduces the risk of skidding, as your wheels are unlikely to lock up. However, it is important to be sympathetic to your bike, by allowing the revs to drop before changing to a lower gear. If you change down too early, you risk momentarily locking the back wheel and could potentially strain the engine, gearbox and chain. It's also important to note any following traffic, which may be expecting to see a brake light before you slow down, so a very gentle touch on the rear brake just to bring on the brake light may be wise. |
 |
|||
|
|
How
does bad weather affect you ? If you remembered your waterproofs, then you will be able to proceed in relative comfort. If you didn't, then very shortly you will be soaked through. Apart from being unpleasant, you will start to feel cold and will be more reluctant to move about on the bike( a cold wet crotch is not nice). It is important not to underestimate how this affects you. You can get very cold very quickly, being able to concentrate and keep full control of the bike in those conditions is difficult. Don't underestimate what a 70mph wind can do to your body temperature. Visibility is also reduced in bad weather, so riding with your lights on and wearing some high visibility clothing is also important. Personally I ride with the lights on all the time as my bike is an American import, I believe in letting people know I am coming. To sum up the situation, Wet weather riding doesn't have to be avoided. If you give yourself more space, compensate for other drivers who don't adjust and focus on smoothness and planning, you will reduce the risks. Buying and carrying a good set of waterproofs will also help ! This information on this site should be taken as a guide only and is open to interpretation.
|
|||
| Tour Information | Tour dates | Contact Information | Riding Style | Equipment |
