Anyway, today my intention is to share with fellow motorcyclists what I gathered from different books, magazines and websites. I am going to list what I think works for me but please be warned - each of you uses my advice solely based on your own judgement - hah, there I even covered it from a legalistic perspective....
This guy knows his riding on wet roads....
Here is the list:
- Smoothness
Although being smooth is always important but the rewards are truly huge in wet weather. Unlike conventional wisdom, this not only applies to braking but to all actions while riding. Throttle - should be steady, cornering should be gentler lean angles meaning it's best to reduce speeds more than you normally do in rain to help with cornering - Grip
Remember less grip on wet road BUT there is often more than you think. You have to be really paying attention to what the motorcycle is doing including the tiny slips that seem scary for the newly initiated wet weather riders...Dont be scared of some minute slips of the rear tyre but dont push it. - Arms relaxed
Dont sit with your arms locked and sitting like a rider who seems to be nervous. Instead, relax your arms. The arms should be loose enough that you can flap your elbows. Better still when cornering bring down the elbows to the point where they are almost level to the bar. You will be surprised how the tiny slips that you feel are taken care of by the motorcycle as well as a result of your loose grip on the bar. By the way, loose grip doesnt mean 'lose the grip' on the bars - just means trust the motorcyle without putting a death grip on the bar. If needed force yourself to relax your arms and grip - sounds funny 'force to relax' but I guess you know what I mean. - Aquaplaning
Another question that I have seen on several websites is about motorcycle tyres aquaplaning. From what I've read on different websites and books, it boils down to that modern day to day riding tyres have very good treads and motorcycle tyres are less wide than cars. The wider the tyre is the more likely it is to aquaplane. - Road marking, manhole covers and slimy fall leaves (at least in North West)
Avoid road markings, manhole covers and slimy fall leaves sludge as much as you can. If you have to cross some sort of road marking, like changing lanes, be very careful - dont apply brakes when your tyres are on them. Same goes for manhole covers. You will not be able to avoid these all the times but expect the motorcycle to scare you when you are crossing them. Fall leaves are one of the worst surfaces. These stick together but once you ride over them, they are slippery as can be. This can be a real problem on roads that have trees around them - usually the roads we love during nice weather in the north west. Even well travelled roads can have this problem during rainy weather. - Allow more time for everything
Not just planning for braking but everything. All the movements need to be smooth and planned especially cornering. Remember as mentioned above, you want to keep your lean angle on a corner less that what you normally do in fair weather. That means slow down before the corner starts and plan your apex well. Jerky small straight lines in a corner are not as forgiving on a wet road. - Distance between you and the vehicle ahead
Last but not the least - make sure you have more than ample distance between you and the vehicle ahead of you - far more than you would normally keep on a dry road. Remember this would save you from a lot of flying shower coming off the vehicle ahead of you.
