Riding the slippery slope...RAIN

[WIRE]

Do we still need to discuss adapt and overcome?

I'm still waiting to hear how you magically overcome the laws of physics at 80 mph or faster on wet roads. What combination of technique and attitude confers enhanced traction to your tires and those of the cages around you? Is this something that can be learned in a weekend class, or does one need to live on top of a mountain (bringing with them whatever Zen they need, of course) for a few months in order to gain this insight?

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And now for a completely unrelated question for whomever has the answer: Why does the WYSIWYG editor work sometimes and not others, independent of whether I use the quick or advanced reply mode?

[uncon. rebel]

As I live in England, has anyone got any tips for riding in the dry?



Stephen[/quote]

tried it once and it was really fun.....

Just ride the same as in the dry but smoother, brakes 50/50 front/rear as stated & remember that cars can stop much quicker than you will.
Over 80mph in the wet is average UK motorway riding.
Modern wet weather tyres are much better than you think - they really are.
Avoid wet leaves in Autumn, manhole covers, tar overbanding.
Modern bikes do not mind getting wet, manufacturers sell them to wet countries as well as SoCal. though I do a regular spray over with WD40 (except the discs obviously....) as a relic from the old days.
Modern waterproof bike gloves are pretty good, look for gloves with a rubber strip on a finger/thumb or buy an add on, works like a windscreen wiper.
All leather will eventually soak in the water - though you can delay the process, when it does it is cold, heavy, and will take forever to dry.
For prolonged rain use goretex British army actic overmitts, waterproof and can be rolled up quite small when not in use, around £5-£10 on ebay.
Best waterpoofs I've found yet are 'flexothane' (google it) cheap, flexible, light, hard wearing and they really are waterproof. Just slip on over bike kit.
Wet weather riding is fun and can make you a better rider, except in high crosswinds when it's just scarey.

[XJ650RJ]

^ What he said. Or perhaps go to Germany and ride the Autobahn in fall/winter/spring. Ride a bike that can haul down from speed and retain control.

There's a bridge in Pennsylvania on Route 88(?) that goes across a deep canyon, almost a mile across. North/south bridge, and the winds come from the west at high velocity.

I've taken that bridge in high winds, and you have to hold the handlebars like you're making a turn in order to keep a straight line. Bike ends up at a 10-degree tilt, just to go straight. Medium to high pucker factor, but it's all part of riding.

[redrider]

Originally Posted by XJ650RJ

Do we still need to discuss adapt and overcome?

Originally Posted by WIRE

I'm still waiting to hear how you magically overcome the laws of physics at 80 mph or faster on wet roads. What combination of technique and attitude confers enhanced traction to your tires and those of the cages around you? Is this something that can be learned in a weekend class, or does one need to live on top of a mountain (bringing with them whatever Zen they need, of course) for a few months in order to gain this insight?

Adapting and overcoming is hardly the point. Adaptation occurs over time, which is anywhere from fast to slow depending on the particulars. Anyone can easily adapt when conditions are known or at least reasonably predictable. I would like to know how anyone can "adapt" at 80+mph in a downpour (or dry for that matter) when in a millisecond a large out of control object suddenly comes hurling your way about 100 feet in front of you. At this point, it's you, the laws of physics, and your ability to magically overcome said laws of physics. If you can do that, you're a better man than I Gunga-din.

[WIRE]

You and I are making the same point.

[redrider]

Originally Posted by WIRE

You and I are making the same point.

Yeah, I just included your reply for emphasis...sorry for the confusion

[WIRE]

Originally Posted by redrider

Yeah, I just included your reply for emphasis...sorry for the confusion

I figured it out later. I tend to interpret a bit too literally when under the influence of left-over prime rib.

Originally Posted by XJ650RJ

Is it the smartest thing to do in the world? No. Is riding a motorcycle the smartest thing in the world to do? Also no.
Why do we ride, to be safe? Absolutely not. We do it to test our limits, to expand our horizons, to live the impossible dream...

Potentially killin’ yourself is your own business, but making orphans outta three kids because their parents’ vehicle was obliterated by an over-correcting big rig that was startled by you when you flew by with your allegedly mad 80+ skillz in a driving rain storm is somethin’ else altogether. Not to mention the other riders whom you may put at risk.

Look, everything occurs along various continua. Somewhere between locking yourself in the basement and eating only boiled legumes, whole grain hydroponically grown rice, citrus, nonfat yogurt, and tasty, plump blackberries while merely reading about motorcycles in slick, glossy magazines featuring hot chicks sittin' on bikes. . . and trying to jump your bike over the Snake River Canyon while simultaneously posting via Blackberry and quaffing Moosehead through one of those beer helmets, there’s a place for each person where the benefit exceeds (or is at least balanced by) the risk. Sure, the exact spot on that continuum varies by individual, but to imply that risk is risk and that, since riding involves risk, riding at 80+ in wet weather is justified simply because it’s exhilarating is pretty bizarre. It's also bizarre to think that your level of skill is anywhere near sufficient to compensate for all of the variables present in such a situation.

[uncon. rebel]

Originally Posted by WIRE

Sure, the exact spot on that continuum varies by individual, but to imply that risk is risk and that, since riding involves risk, riding at 80+ in wet weather is justified simply because it’s exhilarating is pretty bizarre. It's also bizarre to think that your level of skill is anywhere near sufficient to compensate for all of the variables present in such a situation.
[/size]

It's not just the person but also the situation and country. Much of the time in the UK and northern Europe motorway traffic moves between 70 - 90mph in the outer two lanes and lorries do 56mph on the nearside lane. It is often as safe to average 80mph and keep up with traffic than 65mph and cause lots of lane changing. I guess my skill levels are up to it in UK conditions because I must have covered literally tens of thousands of miles like that in the last 30 odd years without incident. And yes, I do find it exhilarating....

Wet riding is normal here, it happens, a week without rain is a real novelty, roads will probably not dry out until April now. Many riders only go out on a sunny weekend so will literally only ride around dozen times a year, and as a result are far more likely to die than others who ride year round and who's skills are fine tuned.

It's riding on snow that I reckon dangerous and try to avoid (not always succesfully without incident though! see my last post).

[XJ650RJ]

Neal, thanks very much for making my point very well. Exhilarating is exactly the word I was wanting. Those speeds are here in NorCal as well. Skill levels and experience are key, and familiarity with the weather and what it can/will do to the roads and traffic conditions. Those who die are the inexperienced ones, and if they had spent more time riding in bad weather, would be much more likely to handle changes and be living right now.

Snow is actually do-able, I am much more wary of black ice, as it's almost invisible, unless you can identify the slight shininess of the roads. But since it goes away after cars have driven on the road enough to warm it a bit, I can deal with that too. Of course, case guards and frame-sliders are helpful... ing

[WIRE]

None of these arguments ever get resolved; this one has followed the same pattern as the one several months ago with the kid who thought that riding fast on public roads in rural areas is the same as riding on a track. Both featured interesting interpretations of physics and the controlling of variables beyond one's control.

If I lived in the UK, I'd be riding in the rain more often. I ride in the rain here, but less often than I would if my bike were my only mode of transportation. The assumption of risk is a necessary (and yes, often exhilarating) part of living, and, confuzzled references to Al Gore notwithstanding, a fertile topic for discussion. Riding in the rain because it rains a lot where you live and riding at speeds that are necessary to keep up with traffic are at one point on the continuum; riding excessively fast in the rain simply because it's exhilarating is irresponsible, because it confers risks and burdens on other people who didn't voluntarily assume those risks and burdens.