Riding in the rain doesn’t seem to be something that most riders like or even consider. Most of them will put down the garage door, make sure the bike is okay and wait for spring to come back again. It might not seem like fun riding in the rain. Usually, most riders tend to think that this is dangerous and that they would be better off when it is dry.
To those riders we say, you just need to change the riding technique, protect yourself and then get out there and be careful. We are going to go through the things that you will need to do to make sure that riding in the rain comes easily.
Riding in the rain, snow or wet weather needs you to be very careful with how you handle everything. It requires patience on your part, skill, and sanity. No one buys a bike so they can crawl the roads with it. We do it because of the adrenaline. However, in this weather, extreme adrenaline rushes take a backseat and let careful skill do all the work.
Table of Contents
Start with Picking Out the Right Gear
You will need to start with a waterproof suit to make sure that you do not get soaked. As most of us have learned, the best thing that you can do is to protect yourself from the element before you go out into it. A rain suit, two waterproof gloves, boots, and an electric vest will be a good start. If you will be riding in cold weather, you should wear layers underneath instead of multiple pieces of clothing to make sure that taking them off will not be hard. Never ever forget the motorcycle helmet.
Core Protection
On your body, heating systems work to make sure that everything is working properly. If you do not protect your midsection, your fingers will start to get numb, your temperature will drop and this can cause mistakes. First of all, whenever you are out in the cold, make sure that you have protected the core to increase your efficiency as a rider. If you have heated seats and systems on the bike, make sure that they do not drain the battery without you noticing.
Vision and Space
The road can be very subtle when it is raining. It is also not uncommon for the inside of the helmet to get hot and create fog on the visor. For that reason, you will need to make sure that you have cleared the visor and also created some space for yourself. Maneuvering the road when it is raining or icy is not easy even when you have skills. You will need space because reaction time and space top react is reduced. Give yourself space between your bike and anything else on the road. Also, make sure you can see everything clearly. Even on familiar roads, you never know what could surprise you if you cannot see it.
Avoid Puddles
Puddles can be deceiving. Never ever just race through one of those. You never know what could be lurking beneath that calm surface. It could be a gigantic pothole that could hurt you and your bike and as we all know; injuries heal but a broken bike hurts like hell. If you cannot avoid a puddle, just hold the throttle, stay upright and don’t touch the brakes. It needs you to be slow and steady to make sure that you do not hit anything too hard.
Intersections Are Dangerous
Oils on the pavement come up when it rains. They are dangerous to any rider but they are not as bad as intersections. This is a place where cars tend to stop, which means that there is more oil at intersections than you will ever find on the pavement. For that reason, you will need to lower your speed considerably when you approach an intersection. Always check for cars that could slide up behind you because of the slippery road.
Find A Dry Line
You must be thinking we are being a little obvious with this one right? Well, it is easy to forget that there could be a dry line when you are riding in this kind of weather. A lot of people ride on the wet parts of the road when there are dryer and rougher lines. If you can find a dry line, you will increase the traction and also make your maneuverability much easier. You should be in continuous search of the dry line when riding on slippery surfaces.
Stay Cool
There should never be any sudden moves as they could destroy your balance and send you into a situation that ends with someone getting hurt. Panicking is not good under regular summer conditions and it is even worse when you are riding on a wet path. In weather like this, you have limited traction. That means you need to break slowly and early while also limiting the lean angles on super slippery roads.
Be a Smarter and Smoother Rider
When you are riding in these kinds of conditions, you will need to make sure that you change your technique to suit the conditions. Throttling should be done smoothly with slight increments. Do not just step on the breaks haphazardly, do it gradually whenever you see the need to do so. A smart rider knows that you cannot treat a slippery road like any other. Lean angles need to be kept moderate and sane. You will need to do one thing at a time. For example, you should decelerate before you turn a corner.
Things To Remember
If you are a biker, you should be able to ride in any weather. That is part of the fun. The weather might get treacherous and sometimes even dangerous. However, if you are protected and you use all the riding skills within your disposal, you will ride all year long. Don’t miss out because you are afraid of the rain or snow.
