Motorcycle people, do you ride in the rain?

[DVad3r]

I've read and heard that riding in the rain sucks, not only is it super dangerous, but it physically messes up the bike too. I realize that riding in the rain probably means 3 hours of time wasted on detailing your bike, but Im curious as if serious grime and mud can get into more exposed bikes like a Harley?

 

[MDE]

I don't have one, but I'd never ride in the rain, just because I'd be afraid of losing traction.

 

[angry hampster]

3 hours of detailing time wasted? Who the hell cares? A bike's not a damn mantlepiece. It also does not physically mess up the bike. Whoever told you that is an imbecile. Yes, there is *potential* for hydrolock if water gets sucked up into the intake. However, this won't happen unless you're splashing tons of water at the air filter.

Last summer I got caught in a rainstorm in the middle of a 300mi roadtrip across southern Iowa on my old Harley. I wound up riding in pouring rain, 30mph wind and 60*F temps for over three hours. Cold rain stings like a thousand needles at 60mph with a thin t-shirt. However, my bike ran perfectly and got the normal 50-55mpg that it does in dry weather.

As for losing traction and hydroplaning, it's not a huge concern. As long as your tires aren't bald and you're not pushing the limits, you'll be A-OK and won't notice much of a difference in handling at highway speeds. I'm more afraid of wind gusts than I am rain storms.

 

[WisMan]

You should probably oil/wax your chain after you ride in the rain too, assuming you have a chain.

 

[theApp]

Yea, I just worry about the chain. Besides, the rain keeps me from having to wash the rest of the bike anyway I don't go out of my way to ride in the rain, but it's not an issue. The only traction issues are across some painted lines (so I just treat them all as bad) and when it first starts. With sportier tires you have excellent traction in the wet, not as much as dry, but a whole lot more than people think.
Of course, it will suck if you aren't geared for it, but that's another story.

 

[angry hampster]

Originally posted by: WisMan
You should probably oil/wax your chain after you ride in the rain too, assuming you have a chain.

This is true. It's pretty regular maintenance anyway though.

 

[jagec]

Yup, I ride in the rain. Just take it easy, watch for metal grates, manholes, paint, and leaves, and wax your chain more often.

 

[eBauer]

Ad long as your tires are good, traction shouldn't be a concern.

With full rain gear it is actually quite fun.

 

[thegisguy]

If I'm just riding back and forth to work and it's raining I take my car. If I'm out on a trip and it's raining I deal with it. Like eBauer said with the right gear it can be fun. 3 hours to detail? My bike is for go, not so show...

 

[MiataNC]

Even in dry conditions you can hit gas/oil/coolant/wet leaves/water/sand/gravel etc on the road, and these things are all worse to ride on than rain water. Anytime you are on two wheels you have to be constantly aware of available traction. Professional riders drag their knees in the rain on the track, so it isn't like riding on ice if you only have two wheels under you.

If you have ever driven a car hard in the rain, tossing it around a bit and playing at the limits of traction, then you have a pretty good idea of what it is like on a bike. You still maintain grip as long as you take your time and do not push past the limits of the tires.

I try to avoid riding in the rain to keep the risk to a min, but I won't skip a chance to ride on a cloudy day that has the potential for rain. I just pack a rain suit and give myself more time to get from place to place.

 

[Arkaign]

One of the two times I've dropped a bike has been in the rain. I was riding down 121, following my buddy to the shop, taking his bike while he rode his new one, and it had just started raining. The light turned yellow, and he blasted through it, and I was going to but there was someone already jumping into the intersection to take a right onto 121, so I applied the brakes ever so slightly, which with the crappy tires on the bike and oils coming to the road surface, caused that horrible shimmying feeling, I went back on the throttle slightly to even it up, and aimed the bike straight for a muddy field off to the right. It was either that, plow into an F250, or lay it down right there. About 30 minutes of messy work later, I managed to get back on the road, with a nice layer of mud on my leathers

So yeah, I really don't recommend riding on the wet stuff, as you don't have much margin for error, either yours or anyone else's, if you can avoid it. If you must ride in the rain, just go slower and plan ahead as much as possible.

 

[DVad3r]

Originally posted by: Arkaign
One of the two times I've dropped a bike has been in the rain. I was riding down 121, following my buddy to the shop, taking his bike while he rode his new one, and it had just started raining. The light turned yellow, and he blasted through it, and I was going to but there was someone already jumping into the intersection to take a right onto 121, so I applied the brakes ever so slightly, which with the crappy tires on the bike and oils coming to the road surface, caused that horrible shimmying feeling, I went back on the throttle slightly to even it up, and aimed the bike straight for a muddy field off to the right. It was either that, plow into an F250, or lay it down right there. About 30 minutes of messy work later, I managed to get back on the road, with a nice layer of mud on my leathers

So yeah, I really don't recommend riding on the wet stuff, as you don't have much margin for error, either yours or anyone else's, if you can avoid it. If you must ride in the rain, just go slower and plan ahead as much as possible.

God Id hate for that to happen to me, but I guess you got lucky. And those F 250's are tough, one just collided with a Toyota corolla a few months ago here head on, not even a scratch on it, the corolla 2 people dead and totalled beyond recognition.

 

[bruceb]

I feel for the family that lost 2 members in that crash. But that is an outcome that happens all to often when a very heavy vehicle collides with a much smaller one, or hits them at the wrong angle, in this case, head on, which is the worst other than being T-Boned.

 

[JDub02]

I try to avoid riding in the rain. A light drizzle doesn't bother me, but I've been caught in downpours before and they're downright awful. I don't have a windshield or rain gear, so I wind up completely soaked. Gonna have to get a set of saddlebags to keep rain gear around.

 

[DVad3r]

Originally posted by: JDub02
I try to avoid riding in the rain. A light drizzle doesn't bother me, but I've been caught in downpours before and they're downright awful. I don't have a windshield or rain gear, so I wind up completely soaked. Gonna have to get a set of saddlebags to keep rain gear around.

Ya Im definetely going to have a removable windshield on mine, along with some bags + gear. Probably won't be riding in the rain by choice though, unless I am on a long trip somewhere.

 

[Saga]

3 hours of detailing time? You people crack me up. Do you not go out if your Harley shirt hasn't been washed, too?

A bike is for riding. I ride a pure crotch rocket (ZX10R) and I don't hesitate to ride in anything but snow. A car wash for me consists of two dollars in quarters at a spray wash and a microfiber towel and my bike is scratch free and shines.

It's not a goddamn showroom piece it's transportation, jesus.

 

[theApp]

Yeaaa, the last time I actually washed my bike was a long time ago, heh. I still protect my tank in the rain though, because I want to preserve my boot marks on it from when I highsided myself to the moon. It's like a little reminder.

 

[angry hampster]

Originally posted by: Izusaga
3 hours of detailing time? You people crack me up. Do you not go out if your Harley shirt hasn't been washed, too?

A bike is for riding. I ride a pure crotch rocket (ZX10R) and I don't hesitate to ride in anything but snow. A car wash for me consists of two dollars in quarters at a spray wash and a microfiber towel and my bike is scratch free and shines.

It's not a goddamn showroom piece it's transportation, jesus.

3hrs isn't that much for a very thorough detailing. I spend 8-10 on my Jeep.

 

[jagec]

Originally posted by: angry hampster

Originally posted by: Izusaga
3 hours of detailing time? You people crack me up. Do you not go out if your Harley shirt hasn't been washed, too?

A bike is for riding. I ride a pure crotch rocket (ZX10R) and I don't hesitate to ride in anything but snow. A car wash for me consists of two dollars in quarters at a spray wash and a microfiber towel and my bike is scratch free and shines.

It's not a goddamn showroom piece it's transportation, jesus.

3hrs isn't that much for a very thorough detailing. I spend 8-10 on my Jeep.

Umm...dude? You own a Jeep. Spray some Rhino Liner on it and off-road the thing. If it's clean, you're doing it wrong.

 

[Drift3r]

Originally posted by: theApp
Yea, I just worry about the chain. Besides, the rain keeps me from having to wash the rest of the bike anyway I don't go out of my way to ride in the rain, but it's not an issue. The only traction issues are across some painted lines (so I just treat them all as bad) and when it first starts. With sportier tires you have excellent traction in the wet, not as much as dry, but a whole lot more than people think.
Of course, it will suck if you aren't geared for it, but that's another story.

You forgot leaves, metal/plastic grating found on some bridges/road ways, metal slabs laid down during road work, man hole covers, etc... basically anything made out of plastic or metal becomes ub3r slippery during heavy rain conditions.


OP - Even if your tires are brand new you can lose traction in the rain if you hit the wrong surface and have to brake hard or accelerate way to fast.. This is a good reason to slow the down when riding and keep even more room between you and other vehicles then you would normally do if it were not raining. Also in heavy rain the rear brake is more beneficial to use then front brake. Of course you shouldn't slam on it when braking. Developing smooth usage of both front and back brakes is advisable in all types of weather especially during rainy periods. Always try to keep the bike as upright as possible when accelerating, corning or braking. Motorcycles can really only successfully do one action at a time though you might get away with doing two things at once if you are skilled or lucky enough.

 

[JulesMaximus]

I try to avoid it simply because I don't own rain gear and riding wet sucks ass but I have been caught out in the rain on my bike a few times. It really isn't that difficult to ride safely in the rain...it just sucks.

About the only thing you really need to do after riding in the rain is clean and lube your chain. I clean my bike and lube the chain about once or twice a month anyway so riding in the rain doesn't really affect my maintenance schedule at all.

 

[Pariah]

A former co-worker of mine was riding his bike home on the highway in a heavy rain when he hit some standing water he didn't see and lost control of the bike. He fell off the bike and skidded down the highway a bit, and would have been fine except that he slid into a support pole for one of those overhead highway signs. He crushed his hip, broke numerous bones including a few ribs which collapsed one of his lungs and had him on life support. Over a year after the accident, and he still requires crutches just to stand up.

It's probably not a bid deal to ride a bike in the rain at slow speeds on local roads. If you're taking a long trip at highway speeds, for your own safety, you should avoid the bike.

 

[Greenman]

Getting soaked sucks, getting soaked at 60mph sucks ten times worse. Spending an hour cleaning grime off my bike isn't what I'd call a joy either.
It's a beautiful machine, I enjoy simply looking at it, I'm sure as hell not going to trash it riding in the rain when I have a truck and two other cars to drive.

 

[Black88GTA]

In college, I had a pair of old 50cc scooters. I rode those through everything year round except deep unplowed snow. Probably not the smartest thing to do, but...a ~4 minute ride was much better than a 30 min walk, especially when it's 10F out. I quickly learned not to use the brakes at all in the snow, and to be gentle on them in rain / slush. They weighed less than 100lb apiece and didn't go very fast, so momentum / stopping on slick pavement wasn't as big of an issue as it would be with a real bike.

That said, I probably would have thought harder about it if they went over 30 mph.

 

[DVad3r]

Originally posted by: Pariah
A former co-worker of mine was riding his bike home on the highway in a heavy rain when he hit some standing water he didn't see and lost control of the bike. He fell off the bike and skidded down the highway a bit, and would have been fine except that he slid into a support pole for one of those overhead highway signs. He crushed his hip, broke numerous bones including a few ribs which collapsed one of his lungs and had him on life support. Over a year after the accident, and he still requires crutches just to stand up.

It's probably not a bid deal to ride a bike in the rain at slow speeds on local roads. If you're taking a long trip at highway speeds, for your own safety, you should avoid the bike.

Wow that really sucks, pockets of water like that are bad enough for cars, could only imagine a bike.

This is probably a long shot but has anyone riddin over mini mount everast with their bikes on the QEW in Toronto near park lawn? For those that aren't native, it's basically a crazy bump on the highway which is famous to all, where everyone does 100 + going over. In a car it's bad, you get tossed. I've ridden over it in an 18 wheeler truck and I almost hit the ceiling. I have a feeling going over it with a bike almost means certain doom.