Rain Drops keep falling on my head
How to ride in wet weather and, perhaps, even enjoy it
Lucy England
It's one of the things which new riders in particular dread, the first outing on their motorcycle in heavy rain. But it doesn't have to be uncomfortable or dangerous as long as you are circumspect and make sure you have the right clothing and ride in a manner suited to the conditions. In fact it can even be fun when you get used to it and, let's face it, you have to get used to it if you live in the UK!
I was standing on the side of the road
Rain falling on my shoes
Yup that's most days so far this month :)
Here are some tips to make your rainy day riding more acceptable:
Gear up
You would be wise to invest in some good really waterproof motorcycle gear. A rainsuit is a great start, either a two piece or an all in one - each has advantages - a two piece is easier to struggle in and out of, but a one piece is really the most waterproof once it's on. Gore Tex is the waterproof material most on offer, but it can cost an arm and a leg, so, good if you can afford it, but if not a waterproof oversuit will do the same job for far less. Many of these fold up small to make them eminently portable, so you can take it with you if the weather looks iffy.
Waterproof gloves and boots are a must. Particularly the gloves, as you want to keep your hands toasty and nice as you ride, so cold wet fingers don't impact your ability to handle the steering. Safety is really important when riding in the rain, so keeping your hands fully functioning and comfortable is vital. Tuck your gloves into your sleeves to make sure that the rain doesn't run down your sleeves and fill your gloves. The same with your boots - put your trouser cuffs over your boots so that the water runs down the outside and away not into your socks.
High-Vis clothes are also good on dark rainy days, making you more visible even in the gloomiest weather and that can keep you much safer.
Several base layers under your waterproofs will keep you warm. You can even think about investing in an electric vest, which will keep you toasty as you cover the wet miles.
So heated under-shirts, or thermal layers which you can add if it gets cold, under really good waterproofs are the way forward to comfortable and even enjoyable, wet weather riding.
If you are riding to work keep a spare set of clothes handy, or ready at work to change into in case water has sneaked in and made you damp round the edges.
However one note of caution - take some trouble to try and get it right clothing wise. While you want to stay warm and dry, you don't want bulky, tight or inflexible clothing to hamper your riding. Make sure your gloves are thick enough to keep your fingers warm but not so thick that they impede your use of the controls. If you use a neck warmer, you still need to be able to turn your head fully to maintain all-round vision when doing your checks over your shoulders. Try to get the balance just right between comfort and safety - this will come with trial and error as you travel through the various delights the British weather can throw at us. Have you had enough rain yet this year?
See and be seen
Great all round vision is the most important thing for safety on a motorcycle and this can be particularly challenging in wet weather, when it is often darker and rain on your visor blocks vision. To combat this you can get yourself an anti-fog visor, a breath guard or an electric defrost function on your helmet. Make sure you use a clear shield and keep your visor down and closed to prevent the rain from getting in. You could invest in a Pinlock insert for your visor, usually only around £25, which absorbs moisture and creates an airtight chamber absorbing the moisture before it can start fogging up your visor. This will help keep your vision clear and therefore your safety better. Another useful little addition to your all round vision is getting gloves with a little wiper blade on your left glove to keep your helmet visor clear of rain. or if your gloves don't have one, buy a Vee Wipe which fits onto your glove finger and acts as a mini windscreen wiper. Otherwise, without one, you will just smear the water around if you try and wipe it with your glove and you'll likely make matters worse visibility wise.
Wet, wet, wet...
If you have a modern bike with sports touring or road-biased adventure tyres your machine will be designed to have good grip in the wet. It is always a good idea to go to a safe place and just have a practise at an emergency stop in the wet to get an idea of how well your motorcycle performs - chances are you will be pleasantly surprised by its breaking capacity. You need to build up slowly and keep your practising really safe, but it means that, should the occasion arise, you will have done a wet emergency stop before, and can therefore stop more safely in a controlled manner. If you have new tyres they may be careful as they may be coated with a releasing agent which is slippery, or if you have old ones they may not grip so well so always try to keep well up on the current state of your tyres for extra safety.
Slip sliding away
When it's icy or freezing rain, obviously your stopping distance will be different so remember to act accordingly if temperatures are low and be super vigilant.
Always keep an eye on the road surface as well - rain can be particularly hazardous if there is standing water and puddles as they can be slippy in their own right, but also can hide bad potholes, so always avoid puddles if you possibly can as you never know what lurks beneath. Puddles can also be deep and cause aquaplaning - particularly on faster roads where it is difficult to avoid. Usually it pools by the side of the slow lane, so keep your eyes ahead and be vigilant for large pools of water so you can try and slow down or avoid them. You can often spot water by the body language of the cars ahead and the amount of spray they are splashing up from the road, in which case you can brake smoothly and try to find a line where it's drier without obviously straying in to danger with other road traffic. In fact always choose the driest line if you possibly can, as there is always more traction on dry surfaces rather than wet.
Similarly, like puddles, try to avoid anything in the road ahead which looks shiny, manholes, paint, tar etc as it can be slippery and is safest avoided. So just clock anything which looks dodgy and avoid it if at all possible, without staring at it for too long - keep you eyes focused on the road ahead.
Smooth customer
Riding in the rain? Stay as smooth as you can at all times. Keep your throttle adjustments, braking and cornering really smooth. Modern motorcycles often include a rain mode which cuts power and keeps it smooth and can increase ABS traction control which can make rain riding safer.
Try to keep your bike as upright as possible, lean less and you will be less likely to tumble if you hit a slick patch. Moderation and sedate riding is the key to safety here.
Up the junction
Keep your wits about you and take particular care at junctions. They can be danger spots with painted road markings and dripped oil from cars making them slippery. Also there will be other drivres waiting to come out or turn, and they may not have noticed you, so be alert for SMIDSY incidents and assume all other traffic has not seen you, to err on the side of caution. If you are turning at a junction or riding over a slippery patch stay relaxed and don't lean the bike further than is absolutely necessary.
Keep on keeping on, like a bird that flew
Riding in Britain without encountering rain is just an impossibility and if you don't ride in it sometimes you will spend a lot of time off your motorcycle with it moudering under its cover. Obviously this is your choice, and if you just can't face it, then fair enough. However it can actually be absolutely fine to ride in the rain, dare I say, even fun sometimes! If you have the right gear, the right honed skills and the right amount of sangfroid you can enjoy riding in wet weather and be on your way to being a more confident and skillful rider.
Yup most days so far this month! Any tips for rainy day riding? We'd love to know..
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