Tips on wet weather riding

dwelby101

I just wanted to pick the brains of some of the more experienced riders out there... this will be my first winter riding as my bike is my main mode of transport now.

If anybody has any useful tips or things to look out for while riding constantly in less than perfect conditions please share them

Interceptor

Buy a pinlock visor for your helmet - nothing beats not fogging up all the time.

Ride smoothly, wear hi-viz if you are commuting in heavy traffic and filter at no more than 15km/h above the speed of the traffic you are passing. Fast filtering is a real threat to your safety and it is just a bad habit.

Keep your bike in good condition, brakes, tyres, engine and lights all in top condition.

As in good weather, treat every other road user as if they are trying to kill you - every second driver has headphones on or is texting or is distracted and they just don't see you. Make sure they can't hit you.

Travel safe and wave to other bikers.

'c

Plopli

Try to leave more space around you and anticipate/plan everything even more.

Smoothness is the key in everything you do.

Try to keep warm and dry as the discomfort caused by the wet and cold distract
you .

Check your bike even more often, oil what needs to be oiled and clean what needs to be cleaned (including the lights, front and back).

serious3

i always ride a gear higher than normal , get a pinlock as said above, revolutionised winter riding, get a good pair of waterproof gloves, nowt worse than cold wet hands

SweetCaliber

Watch out for oil on the roads also, it can be a killer. Also watch out for spray from other vehicles.

Cienciano

Careful when filtering. Pedestrians have a habit of not looking around if rain is blowing into their face.
As mentioned before, smoothness is vital. Gentle on the brakes, gentle on the throttle, especially when coming out of a corner.
Look at the road ahead and try to avoid manhole covers. They can get slippy when the metal has worn so it's smooth.

But don't get too nervous. Your bike has more grip than you'd think in the wet.

CJhaughey

Get good gear for yourself so you are warm and dry.
If you get cold and wet your concentration levels drop and awareness of your surroundings can become lower.
These are critical to your safety so you need to keep them sharp.
When coming up to lights even if you have filtered to the front, don't accelerate as soon as the lights change, other vehicles try and make the yellow and end up running the red rather than brake in the wet, give it a second or two then move off. Safer than being T-boned.
Also watch white lines, especially old ones that have gone shiny

BlackWizard

Use your horn like it is meant to be used. Finger on it when you need to make someone aware of your presence even when in doubt.

I used the stick on pinlock thing. I can't remmeber who makes it but I'm sure its on ebay somewhere. It sticks inside your helmet visor so there is no messing or drilling.

If its raining I wear a hi vis waterproof jacket over my normal one. A bit tight but its dry and warm.

Cuddlesworth

BlackWizard wrote: »

Use your horn like it is meant to be used. Finger on it when you need to make someone aware of your presence even when in doubt.

Don't agree with that. Using a horn like that, is a crutch for bad positioning and awareness.

For me, keeping warm is the most important thing. When you get cold, you get tired and you **** up.

dwelby101

Cheers for all of the good advice! I guess it really boils down to reliable, comfortable gear and common sense so. Thanks again everyone!

the cats pajamas

Cuddlesworth wrote: »

Don't agree with that. Using a horn like that, is a crutch for bad positioning and awareness.

For me, keeping warm is the most important thing. When you get cold, you get tired and you **** up.

There is no reason for these to be mutually exclusive, remember the horn is to show people you are coming, but if they move out in front of you and you sound it it could cause them to brake.

goodlad

Ive a pain in the hole sussing out pinlock for my s900. I can find the pinlock inserts but cant seem to locate a visor to take the insert...

RosieJoe

goodlad wrote: »

Ive a pain in the hole sussing out pinlock for my s900. I can find the pinlock inserts but cant seem to locate a visor to take the insert...

You can buy it direct from Pinlock, http://www.pinlockshop.co.uk/category-pl/pinlock-visors

goodlad

RosieJoe wrote: »

You can buy it direct from Pinlock, http://www.pinlockshop.co.uk/category-pl/pinlock-visors

Thanks man.
This is the first time a google search has failed me.

Robbknoll

BlackWizard wrote: »

you need to make someone aware of your presence even when in doubt.

That's what after market exhausts are for my friend, it does it for you

goodlad

Robbknoll wrote: »

That's what after market exhausts are for my friend, it does it for you

Absolutely. I have twin ART cans and always keep in a low gear when filtering in the morning.

RosieJoe

goodlad wrote: »

Absolutely. I have twin ART cans and always keep in a low gear when filtering in the morning.

The exhaust went on my Bandit and the noise drove me insane! I kept switching the engine off when stopped at lights just to get some respite from it. Was glad to get it welded and have some peace and quiet

dwelby101

goodlad wrote: »

Ive a pain in the hole sussing out pinlock for my s900. I can find the pinlock inserts but cant seem to locate a visor to take the insert...

I had the same problem with my helmet and i found one of those sticky pinlock inserts, it was a complete disaster so i would advise getting the propper pinlock, the ones that have a silicon strip that airlocks as opposed to the ones that rely on the glue to make the seal airtight, the correct ones are more expensive but they are the right job.

BlackWizard

Cuddlesworth wrote: »

Don't agree with that. Using a horn like that, is a crutch for bad positioning and awareness.

For me, keeping warm is the most important thing. When you get cold, you get tired and you **** up.

I just find pedestrians and car drivers hear better than they see sometimes.

Cuddlesworth

BlackWizard wrote: »

I just find pedestrians and car drivers hear better than they see sometimes.

I understand what you are saying but it becomes habit forming and thats not a good thing.

There are three very valid reasons for this.

You shouldn't be in the position in the first place where you have to use your horn to make people aware of your presence. I and many other people ride perfectly without it. What are you doing differently?

If your instinct is to use the horn as a awareness tool, you will eventually meet a person with loud headphones who won't react the way you think they should. That can be both a car or pedestrian.

Last point and most important point. In a time of emergency action, your first instinct will be to reach for the horn. It becomes your very first action out of habit. I don't have time to search through dashcam footage on youtube where you see this besides this clip, also because most of them are missing audio too. But its always obvious when somebody has this habit. The response in a emergency becomes normal delay, horn and then evasive action. They are not simultaneous. There is a very obvious delay in the reaction time to a actual beneficial action like breaking, turning etc.. rather then the pointless noise of the horn.

Cin0, a active poster on the motors forum had a great thread where he accelerated hard out of a junction and around a bend, then encountered a oncoming car on his side of the road. Same thing as above, he didn't react in the way he should have, he just pushed the horn. When that didn't work, he moved on. And its never going to work when a car is about to slam into you.

As always, take this advice with a pinch of salt. There are times where a horn can be useful. But you need to be careful you don't reach for it when its never going to be useful. We are so obviously creatures of habit.

kaimera

Aww man I miss wet weather riding. Used to enjoy it. Being all in the weather but bone dry when I got home, didn't take risks and drove with some caution but usually I drove as normal. Watch the road markings, bitch when wet or when it's cold, give your tyres some time to warm up a bit.

On the horn thing (lol), I remember coming home thru fairview on my old sv, oul lad in a micra pulls put in front of me in the bus lane; went for the horn and it didn't work. By the time this had registered with me I literally had to swerve to avoid him (he was going that slow ) and almost took his wing mirror off. Yea..so I only used the horn when someone really pissed me off. Few blips of the throttle works too

Hotblack Desiato

The horn can be very useful.

But in the information phase of the Roadcraft system - it's:

Information : Take, Use, Give - this runs continuously through the other phases Position, Speed, Gear, Accelerate of dealing with a hazard -

Take - Observe what is around you
Use this information - e.g. if someone looks like they might pull into your lane, brake or accelerate so they are no longer on a collision course with you
THEN Give information - signals or horn - but you can't be sure that other road users will react, or react in time.

If you're sounding the horn and only then hitting the brakes, you're doing it wrong. In a real emergency situation, avoiding action will be unlikely to leave any time to sound it or any time for anyone else to react to it.

When it's most useful is in preventing a situation, not reacting to one. If I see some pedestrian running across the road, I brake - they do have the right of way after all - but I'll honk too to warn the person behind them not to run out blindly after. The first guy usually has it timed right but the sheep behind them often haven't looked at all.
Similarly if someone is about to pull out from a minor road or entrance - you need to do it before they move.

Wonda-Boy

As was posted smoothness is essential, along with extra observation if possible. Also ride on the best position of the road for the conditions i.e do not follow the same lines in the dry for best position if that line looks greasy, slippy etc. Stopping distances will also increase....TBH commen sense does alot.

CrazyRabbit

Especially at this time of the year you need to pay extra attention to wet leaves on the ground. They are very slippery and a clump of them on a tight corner can be very dangerous. Treat them like patches of ice.

Suasdaguna1

Horn on a bike is as useless as tits on a bull. If you have to use your horn especially now using winter gloves, I think there are more serious priorities as in preparing to take avoiding action.....braking. Horn in a cage, great ....you can beep and press brakes......bike your right hand is busy, your left hand is busy re clutch, you right foot is busy......getting time to press that button when more than likely the idiot won't hear you muddies the waters.

Just my 2c re traffic negotiation.

Best investment I have made without a doubt is extra front lights and putting LEDs in the back.

Keep safe folks.

Wonda-Boy

Suasdaguna1 wrote: »

Horn on a bike is as useless as tits on a bull. If you have to use your horn especially now using winter gloves, I think there are more serious priorities as in preparing to take avoiding action.....braking. Horn in a cage, great ....you can beep and press brakes......bike your right hand is busy, your left hand is busy re clutch, you right foot is busy......getting time to press that button when more than likely the idiot won't hear you muddies the waters.

Just my 2c re traffic negotiation.

Best investment I have made without a doubt is extra front lights and putting LEDs in the back.

Keep safe folks.

Not every bike can accommodate extra lights....but yes if your bike is big enough the more the merrier. I agree with the horn alright, its handy but If you are using it as a last resort then your observations and forward planning are not up to speed.

Pique

Watch out for manhole covers on bends or turns. Same with overbanding (liquid tar sprayed at edges of repairs) as they are like glass of you're turning.

thehomeofDob

Wonda-Boy wrote: »

Not every bike can accommodate extra lights....but yes if your bike is big enough the more the merrier. I agree with the horn alright, its handy but If you are using it as a last resort then your observations and forward planning are not up to speed.

LED's take very little draw and can vastly improve visibility, plus they cost next to nothing and are easy to install.

tiernanobrien

If I had one bit to add it would be to watch out for areas with bends and a lot of trees. Wet leaves on the ground are not my friend!

the cats pajamas

Today going through the phoenix park I saw a few crows, I decided to avoid where the had been and sure enough it was a nice slippery carcass.
Avoid where scavengers are on roads they probably mark a little critter who has met his end

P.K.M.

Apologies for my absence, my dad has been ill and I had a spell in hospital myself...

Anyway, one think I didn't see here is blipping the throttle on the downshift. This will match the engine revs to your rear wheel and stop the rear wheel stepping out or skidding. I do this most of the time anyway, but more so when it's wet.

Also just to echo what has been said already...

Make sure you have good tyres. Slicks (or tyres that resemble slicks) are dodgy in the dry, but useless in the wet.
Be smooth with all actions, accelerating, braking, gear change, turning etc.
Stay as warm and dry as possible. It's proven that your reflexes aren't as sharp when you're cold and wet.
Stay focused, watch for idiots, anticipate someone pulling out in front of you. Basically I act like everyone is stupid or going to do something stupid and it helps. Or at least it did until I wasn't expecting it and someone DID so something stupid and milled me out of it. :rolleyes:

Basically, think!! Think for yourself and think for other idiots out there.

Ride safe people. :cool: