I Overcame my Rain Fear

BusaBus

BusaBus

Registered
I think Everyone is scared of something, one of my fears have always been getting caught in the rain far from home.

Up until the other day, I always looked for excuses to not ride if it rained.
I never ever rode if it's rains or looked like rain, never!
Always had the fear that I'd slide and crash.

Well lol the other day everything changed for me.
I was returning home when all of a sudden we got this freak thunderstorm, it starting rainy cats and dogs, my tires new OEM.
I was on the highway when that happened, what do I do? Pull over and wait?
i briefly tried to pull over on the shoulder, when I said to myself, hey I have grip!

i continued riding, slower, but we got home safe and sound.

Next to day we had rain too, guess what? I rode that day!

Lol I now need to buy one of those "No Fear" stickers
 
Good job! Conquering fear is one of the most challenging tasks. I've been there, too.

Modern tires, even OEMs, are designed to handle wet conditions. Just be gentle and smooth with your inputs, and stay relaxed - upper body, arms, and hands. The bike is a "she", and requires a gentle touch, LOL.

Motorcycle tires have round profile, and therefore disperse water very effectively vs. car tires. Where a car tire would hydroplane, a bike will go through with no issues. I remember, years ago, buddy and I were riding to a track day, packed with saddlebags. It was pouring, and all cars were doing around 40-50, we were doing 70-80 with no issues. On a different track day, I had to ride in the wet - tires, BT014. I was going through puddles of water while moderately leaned, and was ready for the rear to slide... but, lap after lap, nothing happened. For me, that was a huge confidence booster because it was a great illustration of how much traction was available in the wet.

The few things to avoid in the wet are white lines, and metal plates (I am purposefully not mentioning tar snakes), and if you have no choice but to go over those, try to be as upright as you can, and with light maintenance throttle - to avoid too much weight on the front. Because sliding the front is always worse than sliding the rear.

What a lot of riders don't realize is that, despite having less traction in the wet, overstepping the limits of traction occurs very gently, and creates a unique opportunity to test those limits, experience being at the limit of traction, and get used to it. Here is the next challenge for you. Ride on tar snakes when they are wet. The tires cannot slide more than an inch or two, and all that's required from you - just ignore it. Again, staying relaxed and being gentle/smooth with your inputs is the key. Once you go through this exercise, this will be a huge confidence booster.

Years ago, when I was riding on Katana 600, I think even with stock tires, maybe they were Metzeler M1's... anyway, I wanted to test the limits of traction and see at what point the front would lock when riding in the wet. I was on remote country rode - perfect surface, and no traffic. So, I would accelerate and apply the front brakes gently for a moment and then release. I kept doing it, every time gradually applying more pressure at the lever. At some point, as I was already releasing the lever, the front locked for just a moment. I've never done such exercise again since those times, but that experience was very revealing at the time.

On the final note, if you have a choice it's always better to slide the rear than the front. Small slide of the front most of the time leads to...game over. Small slide of the rear most of the time... recovers automatically. That's why maintenance throttle is so important in the wet - avoid coasting through turns.

Let us know...
 
After riding one day and hitting a storm were the down pour rain was blowing straight across the road at about 50 mph every other storm was mild...lol
 
Right on! get some good wet weather gear and go have some fun!
I love the rain and have embraced it. It is a way of life here in Florida and has made me a better rider over all.
 
I don't mind riding in the rain. I just hate getting my bike all dirty. Takes a while to detail all the nooks and crannies!
 
Overcame the same fear in 2009 when I rode from Augusta, GA to The tail of the dragon. Four and a half hour ride and it rained all the way up there. Had rain suits but regular boots. Other than feet greeting wet, I was fine. We still had fun and we got to ride the dragon while it was dry.
 
Okay Bus, ready for the next challenge? :thumbsup:

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