How fast do you go on the highway when it's raining?

[capt_bugaloo]

Yeah, when the road is wet I keep the RPMs lower than usually and short shift. I just assume the road is as slippery as oil (though with good tires it isn't) and both ride and brake accordingly. Keep your steering, throttle, and brake inputs slow, deliberate and steady.

[jgcable]

I generally ride with the flow of traffic and I give myself a lot of room to brake. If I am in the twisties I will tend to take every turn.. especially the blind ones with caution. I basically ride in the rain where I feel comfortable which is generally on the slow cautious side.

[Whiskey]

Originally Posted by alex.s

what i like to think i do:

light rain: be smoother and slow down
heavy rain: try to stay in the open, use your aeros to keep the wet off your eyes
heavy rain with traffic: find a new route... maybe sit it out with some coffee.

what i actually do: **** it. i want to get home. +25.

Pretty much this, altho I don't sit it out unless it's very heavy rain.

Main roads I go flat on the tank & in the bubble to keep a good bit of the rain from getting down into my crotch... My leathers have a neoprene stretch panel that acts like a wetsuit.

I do something similar at traffic lights in heavy rain.

Popping your head out of the bubble & looking sideways generally clears half the visor, repeat on the other side... if it doesn't then you're not going fast enough

Where I'm from it rains about 10 days a month throughout the year, fair weather bikers don't get much saddle time.

[scorch]

most of the time in the rain i ride as fast as i do in the dry. But the big thing i do different is give alot more space between me and cars, and if cars and on my rear i let them go and move aside.

I also slow down while cornering much more, and im careful alot more on the white marks on the roads.

[warlord]

Just finished putting in another 150ish miles on my new bike in the rain. I kept it under 110 Mph or so on the highway. In wet mode I have the electronic engine braking set to high so the bike will start slowing if I let off the throttle, no need to do too much braking which can unsettle the bike in the wet. Also using TC, ABS, and low power mode (125hp) helps to keep things predictable.

With the ninjette I would probably keep it under 55 but she had the crappy stock tires, that I could feel slipping if I got too aggressive or asked for too much.

[kdogg2077]

Originally Posted by warlord

Just finished putting in another 150ish miles on my new bike in the rain. I kept it under 110 Mph or so on the highway. In wet mode I have the electronic engine braking set to high so the bike will start slowing if I let off the throttle, no need to do too much braking which can unsettle the bike in the wet. Also using TC, ABS, and low power mode (125hp) helps to keep things predictable.

With the ninjette I would probably keep it under 55 but she had the crappy stock tires, that I could feel slipping if I got too aggressive or asked for too much.

#1 I'm extremely jealous of you're bike and all it's crazy features.

#2 Yeah I kept it at 55mph in the wet yesterday on the Ninja. Need to upgrade from the IRC's.

[ez12a]

yeah i just avoid rain altogether..it's not too hard to do that in socal

[warlord]

Originally Posted by kdogg2077

#1 I'm extremely jealous of you're bike and all it's crazy features.

#2 Yeah I kept it at 55mph in the wet yesterday on the Ninja. Need to upgrade from the IRC's.

The electronics on the Ducati are certainly top of the line however the opportunity to develop and strengthen wet riding skills on the 250R should not be overlooked. The time you take to develop skills is a good investment regardless of what bike you're on...

That said, I agree that the IRCs suck bad and inspire no confidence.

[Motofool]

Originally Posted by kdogg2077

............Whenever I get another bike ABS is high on my list of wants. Until then I'll just try to practice self control when applying my brakes and keep a huge cushion on the highway.......

Please, read this:
http://www.motorcyclenews.com/mcn/ri...pring-showers/

[ally99]

Originally Posted by csmith12

Not quite... see below.



As a rule of thumb, short shifting does not equal low rpms. It just means you shift before reaching peak torque. For example; my bike (250) reaches peak torque somewhere around 12.5k rpms. ie, it will pull a small wheelie during the shift from 1st to 2nd on clean, dry tarmac. In the rain... I will shift somewhere around 9k-10k rpms. So you see the rpms are up, but not at peak. Its a preventative thing, not a reactionary thing. Think about this too, a bike has 3 possible gyroscopes to help keep it shiny side up. The front and rear wheels are easy ones, what could be the third???? The engine... Keep it spun up and you will have a 3rd.

And yes, you should be adjusting to conditions. Not all surfaces are the same, and next year you could be on a different set of tires. The last time I tracked in the rain, EVERYONE (not joking here) on dot tires crashed but me. There were 3 riders on rain tires that obviously had more grip but you get the idea. I will dig up some vid of me on a wet track. I think I have some where I rode in what was left of a hurricane a year or so ago (not joking here either).

Going back to my original comment, a (mostly) stock 250's peak torque is somewhere around 12k, give or take depending on the tune. Don't shift there, shift before, pretty simple. But don't lug it either. Because for whatever reason, if you need the power... what little bit there is to be had will not be there.

Hope that helps, if not... I will try again.

Hell yes. Very well-explained. Chris, I hope you start that coaching job you applied for soon. You'd be a great one!

[kdogg2077]

Originally Posted by Motofool

Please, read this:
http://www.motorcyclenews.com/mcn/ri...pring-showers/

It seems like the key advice for riding in the wet is to do all the things you are supposed to do in the dry (be smooth, watch your speed, give yourself room to brake) but to an even greater degree to make up for the loss of traction.

I've been trying to develop the habit of not braking on paint and avoiding manhole covers even when it is dry out. Hopefully the habit will be ingrained when it's raining and come natural.

[Motofool]

Originally Posted by kdogg2077

......I've been trying to develop the habit of not braking on paint and avoiding manhole covers even when it is dry out. Hopefully the habit will be ingrained when it's raining and come natural.

That is a very good idea.
Flatted soda cans, cardboard, Coroplast, grass, tree leaves, fine sand: all have similar effects and avoiding those while leaning and braking is a good precaution, wet or dry.

With enough miles, one develops an extra sense for what the contact patches are feeling.

[psykown]

Link to original page on YouTube.

I cant even come close to that in the dry on a perfect course

[allanoue]

Link to original page on YouTube.

quote me to see how

[psykown]

Ahhh gotcha, thanks!

[cadd]

Here's the same rider in the dry

Link to original page on YouTube.

[psykown]

That was the very next video I played lol at one point near the end hes was scraping his frame sliders on the ground!

(this is my favorite part of procrastinating on school work, I find so many good videos lol)

[Alex]

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