How to Ride a Motorcycle in Rain?
Some riders thinkit is time to shut the garage door when the rainy season approaches and keep their motorbike away until the sun shines again. Unfortunately, there are a lot of adventures that those people lack.
What makes motorcycle riding more fun is being prepared for what might come along the way, including the weather changes. Therefore understanding how to ride in the rain will help you arrive at your destination safely and also help you learn new experiences and techniques.
When it rains, the roads become wet,whichincreases the rate of skidding, and therefore motorcycle riders are expected to be very keen while on the road during this time.
The wet road affects the grips on the motorcycle tires, and many things are pulled on the ground like the manhole covers, steel plates, and potholes; thus, this decreases the grip level, which interferes with the braking system of the motorbike.
So when you are hitting the wet road in a rainy season, it needs adequate preparation. It would be best to have tires with good treads since they remove water between the tires and the roads. If you are using an old tire that is slicked, you should consider changing it and look for a new one that is well threaded.
John fromMotofolder.com says that “Riding in the rain is simple and does not require an expert, but if you have not prepared adequately, you will not be able to ride to the best of your abilities.”
Also, when it rains, there is low visibility on the road, and therefore you should not consider wearing waterproof garments only, but they should be visible too. Therefore, look for reflective gears and accessories to keep the rain from obstructing your view.
Therefore, what are the things you need to expect while riding on a slippery road during rainy seasons and the safety precautions you need to bear in mind?
- Wear the proper riding gear
Before starting your adventure in the rainy season, you should protect yourself adequately with safety gear. There are two types of attires used for rainy seasons, water-resistant and waterproof.
Therefore you need to select the one that suits your comfortability best. The waterproof attire will not allow rainwater to penetrate through it unless the rain is very intense.
Still, under extreme circumstances like being submerged in the water completely, the water will penetrate the rider’s body.The water-resistant garments will shed water from the surface, but the water might penetrate inside the rider’s body when hit continuously by heavy rain waters.
Therefore, you need to include heavy jackets and pants with key overlapping that are don’t align. Then the jacket should have elongated cuffs to cover over the riding gloves and have a cinching mechanism to tighten it up to prevent water from penetrating.
Also, you should be waterproof riding boots which should be dressed tightly to help prevent the rider’s feet from exposure to spilling water as they navigate the road.
- Prepare before you ride
Having the proper attire alone is not sufficient to take you through the wet roads of the rainy seasons; there are some vital considerations that you must embrace to make your riding smoother. This is:
- Plan your route well
Sometimes the rain might become very heavy, making the road more hazardous to continue riding on. The rider needs to have an alternative route or find the nearest place to stop and relax while waiting for the downpour to reduce. The rainstorms can turn quickly into gully washers, and therefore one should mark some restaurants, rest stops, or any other alternate location that they can stop for a while.
- It would be best if you had anti-fogging treatments
When there are heavy downpours, fogging is a major concern. Fogging occurs when there is humidity and temperature difference on the different sides of the object, and thus you should have the proper attire for this. With the modern helmets that have been integrated with helmet visors and windshields, they can fog up while riding; thus, before the onset of the adventure, you should treat them with ant fogging. Also, you can consider keeping the helmet open for a proper ventilation system and preventing it from fogging up.
- Be aware of the wet riding conditions.
During sunshine, navigating through the road is the most amazing experience that most riders enjoy. Still, the wet roads create dangerous situations for motorcycle riders, even the most experienced ones.
Although sometimes the road might appear very clean, one needs to be aware of the oils and slippery residuals that the heavy rains might have created on the road. When the storms are hefty, they might result in hydroplaning, affecting the new tires.
Therefore, to reduce hydroplaning, avoid navigating through the painted lines, manhole covers,and the metal crossing as they are the major contributory of the reduced tire grip.
While riding, try to move slowly as possible and if you are riding at a higher speed, try and maintain the speed and avoid changing abruptly as this might reduce the traction of your motorcycle,making you skid.
Breaking opportunities are always reduced on wet surfaces compared to riding on a dry surface. Therefore you should avoid following closely other moving objects on the road and allow yourself some sizeable distance for breaking.
- Focus on the road and try to find a dry line
According to the experts, remaining focused on the road should be the key priority. Be very keen and try to look for a dry lane; if you spot one, do not hesitate to use it.
Dry lanes are good since they will offer much traction and maneuverability and thus prevent you from skidding. If there are no dry lane opportunities, remain focused and take the wet road.
Conclusion
Despite all the precautions that motorcycle riders take while on the road, it is so unfortunate that they sometimes meet with hazardous weather conditions like heavy rains. But it is their responsibility to be prepared by safeguarding themselves properly through observing all the precautions needed for riding on the wet roads.
