First time in the rain

Cameron

0
Joined
Nov 14, 2011
Messages
110
Location
Lafayette Hill, PA
Bike
'10 Silver NT700
Having picked up my virtually-new NT the Saturday after Thanksgiving, I had been enjoying it during daily commutes in dry, but chilly weather. On rainy days I'd take the PC800 and on the one day we had ice, I took the train. But after stopping to assist a stranded motorist yesterday while on the PC, I noted radiator fluid leaking from the bike and when I went to restart it, the battery was basically dead - an unfortunate victim of leaving the lights on when I turned the engine off to stop the overflow from the radiator.

Thus, with today's call for heavy rain (and even the possibility of a January thunderstorm), I headed for work on the NT. The bike was smooth and traction was no problem. And while I ride more conservatively in inclement weather, it was nice to know the ABS was available if needed. It was not.

The rain should stop by early afternoon and the temps are supposed to hit the low 60s, which is unusually high for this area in January. Looking forward to a more enjoyable ride home this evening...with a slightly dirtier NT.:)
 
How well does the fairing/wind screen work to keep you dry? It certainly looks like it should cover most of the rider.
 
I find the NT offers great protection from the elements. You are going to get wet, but it's much better than a naked bike. I usually don't set off on the bike if it's raining, but if there is a chance of rain during the day it doesn't deter me. In the rain, I set the windshield such that wind comes up and over directly onto the face shield on my helmet. That works well to keep the rain drops off.
Traction in the rain certainly depend on the condition of your tires. So keep them inflated and replace before they get too bad and you shouldn't have too much of a problem. The main reason I avoid riding in the rain is cleaning the bike later.
 
vzshadow said:
The main reason I avoid riding in the rain is cleaning the bike later.
Click to expand...

That and the other reason for me is I don't like riding on slick wet roads. I only ride in the rain if I am on a long ride and just happen to get caught and have to do it.
I can ride in the rain, and have done it in the past, but still would rather avoid it.
 
I rather enjoy riding in light rain. I have found that a good riding jacket works fine and is waterproof, but need to stop and put on rain pants, as the rain runs off the front of the jacket right in your lap. the fairing does a pretty good job off keeping your legs dry when moving. I still want to add the Honda lower fairing from Europe to keep the feet more dry. Last time, my lap was the only wet place after a light rain.
 
I read a good book on street riding called 'motorcycle proficiency.' A useful book that suggests much more practice with stopping at higher speeds. This is something I'm practicing more. In his book, his point is that in rain--without oil slicks or wide road markers--we have about 80% of the traction as we do when it is dry. I remember a few years ago reading on the UK-Deauville forum a line from a guy that prepped race bike with his comment that we tend to overestimate the grip with have on dry roads and underestimate the grip we have on wet roads. One thing I try--such as practicing higher speed braking--is practice those skills that I am uncomfortable with--such as riding in the rain. Take care.

Terry
 
I road yesterday and this morning in the rain and ride a lot in the rain on my daily commute and trips. I find the NT provides much better protection than my old cruiser for similar conditions. I too get a perverse enjoyment out of light rain(a down pour is a pain). I've figured out the rain gear and boots. With my new muffs mounted, my gloves are now protected. It's good.
 
I have ridden in the rain quite a bit. I agree with the statement that we underestimate our traction in the wet. I ride very cautiously in the first half hour or so after rain starts, because it takes some water to wash the accumulated splooge off the roads, but once that's happened, traction is actually pretty good. Part of that is tire profiles on motorcycles. The rounded contact patch really reduces the risk of hydroplaning compared to flat car tires.

The OEM undercowl does a pretty good job of keeping most of the spay off your feet. They still get wet, but not blasted like they did without it.

The hardest rain I've ridden in was in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan summer before last. I was cold because I didn't have my heated jacket on, but stayed dry...and that was before I put the undercowl on.

People talk about getting wet laps when wearing Aerostitchs but I never have, either on my Connies or on the NT.
 
I've been in a little rain. I second the windshield position issue. If too high the airstream won't clear your helmet visor or glasses. I bump it down to below chin level.

Be VERY careful in a city with the first 15 min of rain (sometimes longer). Those oily patches at every intersection can be like ice when it rains. Out here it doesn't rain much, so there is a couple month's accumulation.

Other than that the NT handles water just fine. When I lived in KY I liked riding in the rain. Clean, wet pavement gives really good traction.
 
I'm a 20+ year resident of NW Washington State and have ridden thousands of miles in this region on a number of bikes. I also lived and rode many thousands of miles in Colorado and around the Rockies. I consider myself something of an expert, even a connoisseur of riding in the rain. From the wicked hailstorms of the plains to the incessant moisture of the Northwest. Some comments:

  • Not all wet surfaces are created equal. For example, wet, painted surfaces are way slicker than wet asphalt. New pavement where the water beads up on it is worthy of your undivided attention.
  • The oil and other swill that drips from vehicles mixed with rain is NOT to be ignored. I've had occasion to pull up to a light in the side of a lane where one foot (in the center of the lane) felt like it was on wet ice and the other had totally satisfactory traction.
  • Wet steel plates (such as the decking on ferries or plates "temporarily" placed over street excavations) are way more slippery than you might expect.
  • Engine coolant spilled on pavement is very slick. When spilled on steel plates it may have a coefficient of friction of .000001.
  • Hail can pile up deeply enough on pavement to act almost like black ice.
  • It is possible for wet pavement to acquire an unexpected slipperiness, even though it's not frozen and it's been raining lightly for days. Such a condition led to me to totaling my first ST1300. This wet surface (which I had traversed hundreds of times before in the wet) had acquired a low-friction characteristic that I am, to this day, unable to explain. It was actually challenging to walk on while waiting for the shop to come with a trailer to retrieve my broken bike. I'm thinking something was somehow spilled across this area of pavement but it was not visually obvious.
  • Hail hurts. I've seen hail so hard that it would hit the pavement and bounce up several feet into the air without breaking.
  • If your air temperature gauge reads above freezing it does NOT mean you can not hit black ice. What counts is how cold that pavement has been over the previous several hours, including this moment that you pass over it.
  • Hydroplaning feels like a death-defying stunt in traffic. Wet pavement, per se, isn't such a problem here, but if you see yourself just about entering a stream in the highway, get down below hydroplaning speed (45-ish is normally OK).
  • A motorcycle can generally be driven through a puddle that's no deeper than your air intake. But it does get lighter and can be swept away by current more easily than you would think. And keep your revs up so the water doesn't smother the engine by choking off the exhaust. And if you do swallow water through your intake, great sorrow will come to you.
 
Just a minor warning here-I was checking this and that the other day and noticed my stoplight was not coming on except with heavy pressure on the rear brake. The front activation was just fine. I had not so long ago ridden in a light rain and mist. Checked the switch for the rear brake which is behind the right footpeg in a difficult to access location and found two things: one it had over time tended to loosen itself up causing the activation to be only at the limit of its movement, and two it was covered in grit. In fact I was surprised just how much fine dirt was in the area. Surprised because I had been there before to adjust the brake travel and did not see this. Sooooo, after much cleaning,spraying with a electical cleaning/lubricating solution and effort adjusting I got everything to work right again. It is a very difficult area to readily access for a simple adjustment. I would watch this area after rain events. It was dirty in excess to the rest of the bike.
 
banjoboy said:
I read a good book on street riding called 'motorcycle proficiency.' A useful book that suggests much more practice with stopping at higher speeds. This is something I'm practicing more. In his book, his point is that in rain--without oil slicks or wide road markers--we have about 80% of the traction as we do when it is dry. I remember a few years ago reading on the UK-Deauville forum a line from a guy that prepped race bike with his comment that we tend to overestimate the grip with have on dry roads and underestimate the grip we have on wet roads. One thing I try--such as practicing higher speed braking--is practice those skills that I am uncomfortable with--such as riding in the rain. Take care.

Terry
Click to expand...

That's excellent advice and something I'll be practicing regulary at various speeds and weather (after checking the mirrors of course ;) ) when I get my bike.
 
Lorien said:
Just a minor warning here-I was checking this and that the other day and noticed my stoplight was not coming on except with heavy pressure on the rear brake. The front activation was just fine. I had not so long ago ridden in a light rain and mist. Checked the switch for the rear brake which is behind the right footpeg in a difficult to access location and found two things: one it had over time tended to loosen itself up causing the activation to be only at the limit of its movement, and two it was covered in grit. In fact I was surprised just how much fine dirt was in the area. Surprised because I had been there before to adjust the brake travel and did not see this. Sooooo, after much cleaning,spraying with a electical cleaning/lubricating solution and effort adjusting I got everything to work right again. It is a very difficult area to readily access for a simple adjustment. I would watch this area after rain events. It was dirty in excess to the rest of the bike.
Click to expand...

I have the same problem with my rear brake light as well. last year my riding partner noticed that my brake light was never coming on if i used my rear brake only. we found the adjuster and we were able to adjust to the point where the light would activate at full brake pedal travel. i need to get back in there and adjust it some more. I encourage everyone to double check their rear brake pedal activating the brake lights.
 
I have mostly avoided riding in the rain over the past few years, but two recent events have changed that. First, my "Rainy Day Cage" has died and I do not have the funds to replace it. Therefore, riding to and from work in the rain has become somewhat of a necessitity. Second, I have finally invested in the last piece of my rain gear, which is "Water Proof Boots". (this is also because of reason number one):eek:

Anyway, I have noticed that the windscreen, in the highest upright setting, does let water in between the top of the dash and the bottom of the screen. The wind piles up water on the top edge of the dash where it swirles around and splashes out on the bars and tank.

The second problem I have noticed is that there is enough buffetting around my helmet that water comes up under the face screen on my helmet and gets into my beard. From there it drips down on to my collar.

I expect that both of these issues can be solved by lowering my Windscreen one or two notches when it is raining. I plan to try that next time. (Which may be this afternoon.)

The Waterproof boots (Bilt size 43/10) are "Mostly Waterproof". That means that they shed light rain, but eventually my feet get wet. However, they are a huge improvement over the Magnum Police style boot I was using.
 
One of the farkles that will help keep you drier is the Skidmarx Lower Cowl. Look at the pictures in my review and you can see how your leg is behind the fairings "flare" and the "winglets" to push the air, and water, away from your lower legs. Mine keeps the rain off my lower legs and feet fairly well, now the outsides of my knees is what gets wet if I don't put on rain pants.

If you want more info on how well they work check out the Deauville UK :ukflag1: forum member reviews. They ride in the rain a lot more than I do and it is highly recommended by our British friends...
 
+1 to what Wayne says, except my lower is the Honda Undercowl from the UK. It keeps feet and legs mostly dry (and warmer). Picture below:
 
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