Rain and Road Trip Tips

[dbriggs2000]

I'm getting ready for my first trip out of state on my '09 R12RT. With spring weather being what it is, anything I should know about my bikes reliability in rain? I believe I am prepared for anything, but will appreciate any suggestions from you more experienced travelers...

 

[PlaneGeek]

I'm getting ready for my first trip out of state on my '09 R12RT. With spring weather being what it is, anything I should know about my bikes reliability in rain? I believe I am prepared for anything, but will appreciate any suggestions from you more experienced travelers...

As for "reliability in rain" you have nothing to worry about. I'm a daily commuter in Western Oregon and as you can guess we get a bit of rain up here. I put 18K a year just in puttering back and forth to work. In fact the main reason why I went with the RT is that it is an OUTSTANDING foul weather bike. Paired up with my Road Pilot 2's I only missed one day of commuting due to 3 inches of snow that fell one afternoon. Enjoy your ride!

 

[roborider]

I've ridden my R12RT through hours of pouring rain. I've been in 19 degree weather (starts a bit rough in the AM but no big deal). I've precariously crossed snow covered ice on the Blue Ridge. The bike will have far less problems with inclement weather than you.

I do like to cover my bike at night. I use a half cover since it takes up so much less room than a full cover, and, it covers the seat and electronics which is all I care about.

Riding in rain is fun. When you have heated seat, grips, jacket, and an adjustable windscreen, it's really a lot of fun.

Smile when you ride.

 

[Roy.Jackson55@aol.com]

Yes to pretty much everthing RoboRiders said. Just be sure to have some good rubber on the road and enjoy the ride.

 

[exgman]

+1 to both prior posters.

 

[greenwald]

As for "reliability in rain" you have nothing to worry about. I'm a daily commuter in Western Oregon and as you can guess we get a bit of rain up here. I put 18K a year just in puttering back and forth to work. In fact the main reason why I went with the RT is that it is an OUTSTANDING foul weather bike. Paired up with my Road Pilot 2's I only missed one day of commuting due to 3 inches of snow that fell one afternoon. Enjoy your ride!

+1 to this post - especially having Pilot Road 2's as your rubber!

Slow down when wet, allow a greater safety margin, but by all means, don't fear the rain.

 

[roborider]

Slow down when wet, allow a greater safety margin, but by all means, don't fear the rain.

That reminded me of something. Watch the painted lines and manhole covers in the rain. Non oily asphalt grips very well when wet (look at those track riders/racers doing insane things when it's wet). But hit a painted yellow line, a manhole cover, or oil in the wet and you'll slip. Usually the bike will grab and be OK, but it will certainly get your attention.

 

[deilenberger]

+1 to this post - especially having Pilot Road 2's as your rubber!

Slow down when wet, allow a greater safety margin, but by all means, don't fear the rain.

+2 on Pilot Road 2s - when in decent shape they are the most amazing rain tire I've ever been on. Better grip then most tires dry.

 

[Semper_Fi]

+2 on Pilot Road 2s - when in decent shape they are the most amazing rain tire I've ever been on. Better grip then most tires dry.

+3, my Z6's are gettign close to due on the GT - PR2's will be the replacement

 

[RTGirl]

Agree with all the comments about the PR2's. Had them on my old bike and rode through 265 miles of rain on the last day of a cross-country trip with no problems whatsoever. The only other thought would be to invest in a good quality rain suit!! This makes a huge difference and offers an added layer of insulation should the weather change on you at the last minute.

 

[greenwald]

That reminded me of something. Watch the painted lines and manhole covers in the rain. Non oily asphalt grips very well when wet (look at those track riders/racers doing insane things when it's wet). But hit a painted yellow line, a manhole cover, or oil in the wet and you'll slip. Usually the bike will grab and be OK, but it will certainly get your attention.

Good Advice!

 

[racer7]

Basic riding tip- don't tense up in the wet - leads to bad choices. Stay relaxed. If you can't stay relaxed, be in tune enough with yourself to stop and take a break.
Pushing on when not comfortable is foolish. Seeing your location, you may not get much time in the wet- if possible go out and practice in familiar locations when an opportunity occurs. Heed Robo on manhole covers and paint stripes- I've seen more than one track car bite the wall on a NASCAR track when braking crossed a lane guidance stripe and I have tripped into the antilocks several times myself on wet stripes. The RT goes into antilock on the rear quite easily and a bit prematurely for my taste but it is a safe, conservative design.

Gear
External rainsuit beats heck out of liners. I prefer real Gore Tex- never found anything else as good. Hi vis color preffered but the closest currently sold seems to be a moderately bright yellow by Noth Face. Black is fine for pants and get them in long if available so they stay long enough when seated on the bike. Cabela's has them. All the urethane lined rain gear is crap, without exception- its like a sauna and you'll get so wet from your own sweat you might as well not have it. On really hot, humid days a short stint getting wet is OK too, as long as you can dry off quickly when it ends- too long and you'll always end up cold and miserable not matter how hot is was when the rain started.
Dry hands are nice and nothing beats the long mitts from Aerostich or others. I suspect many of us keep a set on the bike. Way better than "waterproof" gloves (with an inner liner) alone. External rubber industrial gloves also work well.
Boots should be waterproof though the RT has superb lower body protection. I use the BMW GoreTex but there are plenty of other good choices. Wet feet suck.

Helmet shields tend to fog but the good news is the RT is so good for protection you can ride with the shield cracked a little in all but the very heaviest stuff. At that point viz is so bad you need to be seriously concerned about being hit be an inattentive cager. Do be very careful of them!! Here in NC, I see folks going 80 or better in significant rain frequently and it is almost always accompanied by seeing one or more of them off in a ditch because they jump out of the throttle or hit the brakes the first time a well worn tire hydroplanes. I teach on tracks and know that speeds to 150 are possible in a cage in those conditions. They wreck simply because essentially all US drivers are untrained. The machine in trained hands is far more capable than the operator in most cases so know your own limits and stick to them! "Ride your own ride" is one of the best bits of advice for any biker and it goes triple strength in the rain.

 

[stkmkt1]

I would also like to add that (at least to me) riding in the rain with a full-coverage helmet can also give you a false sense of how hard it is raining. The rain hits your visor and seems to fly right off. In a car, it hits the windshield and you need a wiper to get it off. anyway, I have found that I can see better in the rain while on my bike than I can in the rain in a car. Even in downpours where cars are pulling off the road because they cannot see, I can seem to see just fine. In fact, I even had a state policeman, of people, stop dead in his tracks in the passing lane on I-70 last year because he could not see due to heavy rain and some hail. Good thing I could see.

So not to hijack the thread, but has anyone else experienced this.

 

[PlaneGeek]

As for "reliability in rain" you have nothing to worry about. I'm a daily commuter in Western Oregon and as you can guess we get a bit of rain up here. I put 18K a year just in puttering back and forth to work. In fact the main reason why I went with the RT is that it is an OUTSTANDING foul weather bike. Paired up with my Road Pilot 2's I only missed one day of commuting due to 3 inches of snow that fell one afternoon. Enjoy your ride!

I will add that no mater what bike you ride, the riding gear will be what makes or breaks you for weather. Even though we have great protection be sure to invest in some good gear for wet weather. I ride with a First Gear Kilimanjaro and HT Overpants they work from the teens in the December (with appropriate layers) to the 100's in August.

 

[mXarad]

Stay relaxed. Look well ahead. Make all changes smoothly.
Ride like you are just learning. Self-talk your actions: clutch
out easy, a little gas, backing off, touch brake, slow roll-in, etc.
mXa

 

[mpmarty]

The day I picked up my 06RT in Olympia Washington it was storming to beat the band. I discovered I'd forgotten my riding jacket although I did have my Gerbing heated long sleeved jacket "liner". I looked at the jackets for sale at the dealership and decided I didn't need a seven hundred dollar kevlar warrior costume. I found a barrel of frog togs on sale and bought a two piece set. I've never been warmer or more comfortable. I won't travel without my frog togs.

 

[cookie]

This is an interesting topic. I have over 200,000 miles on street bikes and maybe 200 of those miles are on wet pavement. Where on the track is the best place to ride? Tire tracks? middle? Left, Right? Which is best?
Michelin is really that good of a rain tire hugh, interesting.
Thanks,
Jeff

 

[dbriggs2000]

Thanks for the collective advice and wisdom. From a few of your postings, I'm hoping it will rain...at least a little!

 

[roborider]

This is an interesting topic. I have over 200,000 miles on street bikes and maybe 200 of those miles are on wet pavement. Where on the track is the best place to ride? Tire tracks? middle? Left, Right? Which is best?
Michelin is really that good of a rain tire hugh, interesting.
Thanks,
Jeff

Here's how I look at it. If the road is slick, like when it first starts to rain, or if it is a light misty rain, the center of the road is the slick area. I will usually let go of the outside/inside (apex)/ outside path and ride the outside of the lane. This still gives you good view around the corner.

When doing this, you have to watch out that you don't stray onto the painted lines. These are always slick when wet. But, since I slow down a bit in rain, it is pretty easy to hold the line.

Once it rains hard and the road is not oily, I go back to riding properly, outside/inside (apex)/outside and just ride at a reduced speed. maybe 60-70% of normal. That is, if I would enter a corner at 30 mph normally, I might enter at 20 mph.

I have ridden with guys who freak out in the rain and are scared to lean the bike at all. This makes them ride very slowly and I think they are more of a hazard. Wet non oily asphalt with good tires grips just fine.

The problem is that you can't know when you will hit the oil, or the manhole cover, etc. But that's not much different than hitting gravel or sand when it is dry. If your speed is not too high, the tires will slide, the bike will recover, and you'll have plenty of room to get back on track.

That's my style at least. I love riding in the rain. I love riding at night, too.

 

[SPOKESMAN]

Cookie, I would say either the left or right tire track, depending on what the traffic around you is doing. I try to keep a good space cushion between me and the surrounding vehicles, to be visible and avoid blind spots, and to always leave myself an escape route.