how dangerous is it to ride a motorcycle in the rain?

Question

I just bought a new bike and I want to drive it home but it supposed to rain sometime today I have ridden before but never in the rain how dangerous is it to drive in the rain?

Answer 1

if it hasnt rained for awhile, the first 10-15 mins of rain will be the most hazardous until the rain washes oil drippings from the road. u should have at the very least, a 3/4 shell helmet with face sheild. would also be a good idea to have a windsheild on the bike, and a good rain suit. light rain feels like flying needles at speed, a harder rain is gonna feel like u are in the middle of a hailstorm...those big drops hurt. downpours tho, it would be adviseable to duck under a bridge and wait it out. cagers wont be able to see very well in that.
riding in thunderstorms...especially supercells, could be tantamount to suicidal. thunderstorms with their strong winds can easily shove the bike around, and u are a sitting duck for lightning. a bolt can nail u on the roll. it happened to 1 rider last year; took a direct hit. a cager behind him saw him get fried.

Answer 2

If you have riding experience, I would say it is OK to do it. But I wouldn't recommend it with something brand new, that you don't exactly have a feel for yet.
And watch out for wet leaves! You can hit them going straight up, but trying to angle on them? You're basically a downer.

LOL at c0mplicated soul! Such a cute answer!!! Maybe I can ride my motorcycle over to your place, then we can wait until it starts raining, and go ride bicycles in the rain! Dangeroussss... Then after it stops raining and you are still all wet, we can go for a motorcycle ride! Not to mention, you won't get wet when it is not raining...

And wear as much protection as possible. I have ridden in rain before with a VERY light motorcycle jacket (Phoenix 2.0) and I thought it was hail that was hitting me on my legs and arms. So definitely wear something long sleeved under your jacket, and maybe even wear 2 pairs of jeans? I have worn 2 pairs before while raining, and it really helps to keep the rain out. Out of about 20 rains I have ridden in, only 1 was warm. The others could be tortureous. And make sure to wear gloves and a helmet.

Answer 3

With such a small contact patch a bike is very hard to hydroplane so just riding along is pretty simple. Acceleration is almost unchanged unless you are very angry with the throttle. Slowing down is where you need some caution. The rear brake will lock up very easily but being gentle with the front brake will give you pretty good results. Try not to use the brake while turning. I ride home 20 miles on the highway without much trouble. If you are going highway speeds you can turn your head and the visor will be cleared of rain by the change in wind direction against the helmet.

Just ride a little slower and don't tailgate and things will work out well.

Answer 4

The roads get slick right as the rain starts and it raises the oil. Otherwise, the most dangerous part of riding in the rain is the jacksass cage drivers.

Allow extra room for stopping a slow down in the turns

I've ridden 400 miles, round trip, in a heavy tropical rain without falling or being hit.

Answer 5

I live in South Florida, where it rains pretty frequently, and my motorcycle is my only transportation. Obviously, I end up riding in the rain fairly often. It's not as bad as you might think.

I'd agree with most of what the others have already said. Try to keep with the flow of traffic, or slightly faster. You obviously don't want to go too fast, but going too slow can be dangerous as well, especially in the rain becaise the cars will have a harder time seeing you in the rain. Leave yourself extra distance to stop, and take it easy in the corners. Rain gear will make the ride more comfortable.

Answer 6

For me, I give up underneath a bridge normally to stick dry, as I do not most often have my rain apparatus with me. If there are not any bridges, then I'm kinda screwed and I hold using, on the grounds that I can both trip and be rainy or simply stand there and be rainy, both method I'm rainy. People do trip within the rain the entire time, certainly in Europe, with correct raingear. Windshields make the entire change on the planet for averting spray. Quality tires make a change as good. I have ridden within the rain frequently, regardless that I do not pick it, definitely. No topic how well a rain swimsuit you've gotten, whatever constantly will get rainy. You have got to be totally commited and centered, considering bikes by way of nature don't brake as good as autos, do to having best 2 wheels and lowered touch patch. Braking turns into extra of a finesse attempt, except you've gotten a BMW or a Harley police mannequin with antilock brakes.

Answer 7

They have a Gyro effect from the wheels and stay up fairly well. Now if you hit an oil slick things could get exciting. But, that not the real problem. Have some gloves and eye/face protection. The rain be like needles hitting you when you go fast. When I had may Harley we would get caught in the rain. I had goggles, no helmet. Man that rain was rough hitting me, so, we get down behind the Speedometer and peek around it to see and keep going.
If, this your first bike, watch your speed, it real easy to be going 80 MPH and not realize it until you need to stop.

Answer 8

If you have no experience and no training it is very very dangerous to ride on any road under any condition.

Be wise. Take a course. If you are in the U.S. almost every state DOT sponsers a safety class.

Read Proficient Motorcycling: The Ultimate Guide to Riding Well (Paperback)

If you MUST ride, and I mean must ride, wear full gear. A full helmet and good gloves, and the minimum. Also abrasion resistent clothing and good boots with slip resistent soles are a very good idea.Take it slow. A clean wet road will offer 80% of the traction of a dry one. Notice the word clean. Things like paint, oil, anti-freeze, leaves, dirt, gravel, and any other various contaminents will lower this alot.

Answer 9

It's not as safe as riding on a dry pavement but infinitely safer than riding on ice! Seriously, riding in the rain is no big deal. I ride pretty much the same speeds on wet as I do on dry. I do slow down in corners more because of my self preservation instinct than because the tires' won't stick. My wife took the MSF course for beginning riders and she told me they leaned in wet corners the same way they leaned in dry corners. The tires stuck! Riding in the wet does take some concentration and you must pay closer attention to the road surface however I'm not intimidated by the rain.

Answer 10

its most dangerous when it first starts raining the oils on the road come up stay out of the center of the lane use the groove the oil is most likely to be in the center. dont ride your new bike on the freeway until after break in the key to rain riding is smooth inputs easy on the brakes easy on the throttle