How long will I be afraid of the Rain?

[BlackCowboy]

I got about 600 miles under my belt but the last two days I have been caught in rain and I do not trust myself or my bike. How long will this last?

[Misguided Missle]

Caution is advised for the first year

I bet a large persentage of new rider wrecks are weather related

[shalihe74]

I got about 600 miles under my belt but the last two days I have been caught in rain and I do not trust myself or my bike. How long will this last?

It'll last as long as it lasts... Not the most helpful answer, I know, but it's the truth. One of these days you'll be riding along in the rain and realize that you're not freaked out.

Just remember, when riding in the rain you need to modify your normal safe-riding strategies. Try:

1) If you can, pull off and wait it out. Not only is it harder for you to see (face shields don't have wiper blades), but you are almost impossible for cars to see.

2) If you can't wait out the whole storm, at least try to get off the road for the first 10 minutes or so - particularly if it hasn't rained in a while. Oil and chemicals build up on the road between rains and they come up and sit on top of the water when the rain first starts, making the roads exceptionally slick.

3) Slow down... a lot. You said you don't feel like you trust the bike or yourself, so... Make sure to give yourself tons of time to execute any maneuver. The water on the road reduces available traction for stopping, accelerating and turning/cornering, so these need to happen with exceptional care and will take longer than normal. Finally...

4) Be hyper vigilant. As noted above - you are very hard to see out there in the rain. Naturally, you want to pay attention to what is happening in front of you (because you want to have extra time to react), but... you also need to pay extra attention behind you: you don't want to be run over by a cager who doesn't think it is necessary to slow down when the road is wet.

5) Be more visible. Make sure that you're riding in a position that'll allow people around you to see you (e.g. not in blind spots). I try to get out in front of any traffic (or between two groups of cars) and stay there. Also, not that it rains often in AZ, but if I'm caught out in a monsoon, I'll flash my brake as I'm riding, just to add a bit of visibility behind me.

Hope this helps!

[Brackstone]

Take your time when you ride in the rain and don't let anyone bully you and you'll be fine.

Unless you melt in the rain, then I would avoid it altogether.

[drrick]

My MSF course was actually held in a pretty strong rain storm. Because of this I am not as afraid to ride in the rain as I would have been otherwise. In fact, I went for a ride yesterday and ended up in the rain. You just need to go slower and follow the other advice given above. I had a few reservations since there were also some leaves on the ground but it really wasnt that big a deal. I also go to try out my new finger squegee/windshield wiper. That thing works great much better than I thought it would.

[koji52]

I got about 600 miles under my belt but the last two days I have been caught in rain and I do not trust myself or my bike. How long will this last?

It'll last as long as it lasts... Not the most helpful answer, I know, but it's the truth. One of these days you'll be riding along in the rain and realize that you're not freaked out.

Just remember, when riding in the rain you need to modify your normal safe-riding strategies. Try:

1) If you can, pull off and wait it out. Not only is it harder for you to see (face shields don't have wiper blades), but you are almost impossible for cars to see.

2) If you can't wait out the whole storm, at least try to get off the road for the first 10 minutes or so - particularly if it hasn't rained in a while. Oil and chemicals build up on the road between rains and they come up and sit on top of the water when the rain first starts, making the roads exceptionally slick.

3) Slow down... a lot. You said you don't feel like you trust the bike or yourself, so... Make sure to give yourself tons of time to execute any maneuver. The water on the road reduces available traction for stopping, accelerating and turning/cornering, so these need to happen with exceptional care and will take longer than normal. Finally...

4) Be hyper vigilant. As noted above - you are very hard to see out there in the rain. Naturally, you want to pay attention to what is happening in front of you (because you want to have extra time to react), but... you also need to pay extra attention behind you: you don't want to be run over by a cager who doesn't think it is necessary to slow down when the road is wet.

5) Be more visible. Make sure that you're riding in a position that'll allow people around you to see you (e.g. not in blind spots). I try to get out in front of any traffic (or between two groups of cars) and stay there. Also, not that it rains often in AZ, but if I'm caught out in a monsoon, I'll flash my brake as I'm riding, just to add a bit of visibility behind me.

Hope this helps!

I think #4 is an especially good point...just to expand on it further, I think most people don't expect bikes to be out in the rain, especially in a bad storm. Most of my close calls have been people almost hitting me from the side as I pass by or rear ending me at a light...always always stop in first gear and watch your rear view mirrors.

[JC Viper]

I never dealt with rain while learning to ride. It rained on the day of my road test in which I had to do figure 8 and circles on a pretty narrow street all while the ground was wet. The rule was one foot down while in motion is automatic failure. What I learned that day was that it is better to use mostly the front brake to slow down and maybe a little tap on the rear but only in a straight line.

If your tires are in good condition then rain shouldn't be too much of a problem or you can get yourself a 3 wheeled scooter if it is.

[MZ33]

new finger squegee/windshield wiper

What is that and where did you get it?

[JC Viper]

new finger squegee/windshield wiper

What is that and where did you get it?

Some gloves come with a wiper on the index finger. it worked pretty well but sometime it would smear the droplets all over the place.

[Brackstone]

My Joe Rocket Gloves have the thumb squeegee