Ridin in the Rain

I am new to street riding this summer and am a bit nervous about riding in the rain.My past experience is with dirt bikes 30+ yrs. ago and rain was a bonus event.I am looking for tips and info to be safe.I have heard that the first few minutes are the slickest before oils and such wash off.My Spectre is fitted with Michlein Macadam tires any suggestions on a better tire?

A couple tips:

Paint stripes on the road are slippery when they get wet so use caution when riding on or crossing them.

Do not ride in the center of a lane; try to ride where the car tires normally contact the road. The reason is that oil dripping from cars generally lands in the center of the lane and accumulates. Once the road get wet the oil can get really slick. Ed

my suggestion would be "first few minutes' is probably way longer if ever i would venture to the center of a lane during the rain. also depending on what you drive brakes can get funny when wet (my old kz's discs don't even slow the bike down when wet! :woohoo:
and eyes windshield no problem if not it pretty hard to see in the rain anywhere close to dusk or dawn...

2 cents done

slow down
remain in control
keep visor clear
if it gets real heavy stop
wait it out
it can suck but just adapt according to conditions
as long as you feel comfortable ride
if youre unsure just stop until you feel comfortable again
if youre 5 miles away from shelter slow down and deal with being uncomfortable
and make it there in one piece
if youre in the middle of nowhere stop and wait it out
best advice is SLOW DOWN!!
5mph is better then no mph

All the above plus rubber crack fill turns to grease in the rain.

Same concept as driving a car in the snow. Double the amount of space/time that you need to do things(turn, stop). I like to get a little tire in the rain myself:woohoo:

If your bike acts up when it gets wet, here's some troubleshooting ideas:

Troubleshooting A Wet Motorcycle (Won’t Start/Run)

1. When motorcycles get wet, many things can happen to prevent normal starting and running.

2. Ignition coils, due to their mounting location under the gas tank, can overheat if sufficient air flow is not provided causing minute cracks for moisture to get in shorting the coil.

3. Sparkplugs wires and caps need to be replaced as the heat from the engine makes the wires(High Tension Leads) get brittle causing the insulation to fail. The caps contain a resistor to limit the RFI(the snap and pop heard on radio’s) that will fail, again from heat/age. They can be checked with a multimeter ,and will test at 5000 ohms.

4. Most Japanese motorcycle electrical connectors are open at the rear, letting in moisture, that will collect on the male and female pins/sockets
causing a short, blowing a fuse or creating corrosion limiting current flow.

5.Check the right handlebar switch pod for signs of corrosion or broken wires on the run/stop switch. Some older Kawasaki’s are experiencing broken/crumbled solder joints in switches. If needed, I have a repair procedure, just ask.

6. I recommend buying a spray can of “De-oxit” electrical contact cleaner/preservative available at Radio Shack Stores in the U.S. or any other electronic supply store. www.deoxit.com is their website.

7. I’d advise not using WD-40 on any electrical connection/fuse clips as it over time becomes a non conductor(more like an insulator).

8. If the popular “Pods” type air filter is used and gets wet, it will act like having the choke on causing a very rich condition. The only repair for wet pods is to remove them and either using an oven set at 250 F, a wet/dry shop vac to vacuum the moisture from the filters, or a air nozzle at low pressure to blow the water away.

9. Use caution when using an air nozzle, as at high pressure, the fabric of the filter medium may tear making the filter unusable.

Thanks everyone,As I said having only been on the street for a few weeks I'm cautious.Besides I have learned the difference between risky and reckless! This bike is much heavier than I'm used to and having bit by bit improved the bike I am starting to get comfortable.

Find a shop that does sand blasting and stand there next to the guy doing it out back without a hood or coat on,building up your tolerance as you go!
In my experiance thats how it feels riding without a helmet in the rain. :sick: :woohoo:

use more back brake than normal. if the rear slides , its easier to control a rear slide than the front. do the same when riding on gravel or sandy roads.

wireman wrote: Find a shop that does sand blasting and stand there next to the guy doing it out back without a hood or coat on,building up your tolerance as you go!
In my experiance thats how it feels riding without a helmet in the rain. :sick: :woohoo:

or like ridin behind a truck after fresh chip seal has been put down on the road!! :woohoo: