Rain

[oka]

I commute from SD up to Oceanside every day on my little ninja, (88 miles a day, or thereabouts), and for the past three nights its rained on me. Just sprinkling off and on mainly, but sometimes coming down really good for short stretches. Ive only been riding since october and I still feel new to riding, so my newbie questions are: Should I really worry about riding on the freeway in the rain? What precautions, if any should I make?
My bike seems to get a little wobbly when the freeway is wet. Usually when it starts I slow down to about 65 (which is wayyyy slower than everyone else at around 11pm at night on I5), and stay in the far right lane.
Or am I being an uber newb and worrying/thinking about this way too much? ;)

[Arnold_R1]

I was riding rain tonight, kind of fun! Don't worry, you'll be fine. Just give yourself enough stopping space and slllllooooowwwwwww down when the roads are wet.

P.S- I don't know if anybody does this, but when my visor starts to get blurry with water drops, I turn to the left and right and the water beads right off. :thumbsup:

[oka]

I had to turn my head back and forth a few times tonight.
Other than me being a little nervous, I have a ton of fun riding back from work each night. Occasionally I'll see another rider and if I gas it, I can keep up with them. Usually though people just blow right past me.

[godofspeed]

Usually when it rains , its all about throttle control. I got some RAIN X that everyone clowned me on using, but it works.

[gixxerx8]

I commute from SD up to Oceanside every day on my little ninja, (88 miles a day, or thereabouts), and for the past three nights its rained on me. Just sprinkling off and on mainly, but sometimes coming down really good for short stretches. Ive only been riding since october and I still feel new to riding, so my newbie questions are: Should I really worry about riding on the freeway in the rain? What precautions, if any should I make?
My bike seems to get a little wobbly when the freeway is wet. Usually when it starts I slow down to about 65 (which is wayyyy slower than everyone else at around 11pm at night on I5), and stay in the far right lane.
Or am I being an uber newb and worrying/thinking about this way too much? ;)

Here's my suggestion: cage it. Going slower than traffic on the freeway, to me, is scary. It's hard enough to keep tabs on everything in front of you and then have to keep looking behind you since everyone is passing you up. When you travel a little faster than traffic, most of the time you can keep your concentration toward the direction you're going except occasionally peer behind you for CHP. If you're not abusing it though, most of the time they understand that need for you to do so. Now since the roads are slick and you're getting some wobble, it's hard to do what I suggest under dry circumstances. That's why I say cage it if you can and save the riding for the drier days...or at least until you can get more experience riding. My $.02

[Littlebit]

Here's my suggestion: cage it. Going slower than traffic on the freeway, to me, is scary. It's hard enough to keep tabs on everything in front of you and then have to keep looking behind you since everyone is passing you up. When you travel a little faster than traffic, most of the time you can keep your concentration toward the direction you're going except occasionally peer behind you for CHP. If you're not abusing it though, most of the time they understand that need for you to do so. Now since the roads are slick and you're getting some wobble, it's hard to do what I suggest under dry circumstances. That's why I say cage it if you can and save the riding for the drier days...or at least until you can get more experience riding. My $.02

I dont know about this particular situation but I know that a lot of people that have bikes dont have the option of caging it. although I agree that it is the ulitmate safest solution.

I rode from normal heights to carlsbad last night in the rain and I found that I had to use my glove as a visor wiper. the drops were getting mingled with the bug guts and didnt want to fly off... mmm bug guts

[oka]

Im assuming that by cageing it, you mean dont ride. Right now my car is nowhere near running condition due to some messed up crackhead (a story for later). I check the weather religiously, and dont have much of a choice when Im already at work and it starts to rain.
Last week though, and the times before that its been raining, Ive had to bum rides from my girlfriends mom, and that sucks. Or I have to borrow my girlfriends car and she gets rides from her mom. So I try and ride my bike so Im not incovienencing them. :)

[Bryant]

I've found the EX250 not the most stable in high winds and non-favorable road conditions (wet weather, rain grooves, etc.) when travelling at speeds over 70mph or so. BUt it's not too bad either.. just stay relaxed on the handle bars. One thing you should do, however, is make sure to wear a reflective vest or have something bright and reflective if you plan to do a lot of night riding especially in inclement weather. Oh.. and always check your tire pressures, lube your chain especially after riding through wet weather and do common maintenance checks periodically like tire wear, cracks on side-walls, brake pad wear, chain and sprocket wear, etc.

[typerflip]

I commute from Temecula everyday (120 miles) and I usually ride as long as I don't start my day in rain. So if it's forecasted to rain in the afternoon I'll still ride. My thing is that you should have some decent rain gear, Rain-X(outside of shield), Rain-X anti-fog(inside shield). As for speed, as long as your constant you should be fine. Even in the rain you are still more stable than a car if you hit a puddle and your going straight. The place to be the most cautious is in turns, starting from a complete stop(sometimes there is oil in your lane that will be really slick) and painted lines on the pavement (those things are pretty slick). Also try to give a lot of distance for the vehicles in front of you and as you approach them stay to the right or left to minimize the amount of spray.

As a point it is easier to ride when the rain is medium to heavy (assuming the wind isn't going crazy) then when it's light or first starts or stops because your rain-x will work better and the water will sheet off better instead of misting on your shield. You can also get a thumb squeegee (http://www.aerostich.com/riderwearhouse.filereader?4227727a1f70ba2c271dd1f0 ec0706dc+EN/products/1048) to help.

ok I think that's it . . . slowing down and trusting your bike is the key. It will help you relax (still be VERY alert) and you won't feel like your rushing.