Another first for me

[hightower]

Being new to the game, I tend to take corners as upright and steady as possible - I keep telling myself that it IS slow, but speed will come with experience. Two tips I read somewhere which I try and use are:

1) Get your speed down before the turn in, and then gently turn the throttle back on (not accelerating, just so the tyre is still driving) for the corner. Apparently this 'positive throttle' gets you more grip than just free wheeling it round the bend.
2) Drive some weight on the opposite peg and lean off. So for a left hander, right foot bears the weight on the peg, and lean off the left. This keeps the bike more upright and the peg trick keeps your centre of gravity low (rather than if all your weight was on your backside on the seat).

[AdieR]

Wet riding brings a few issues, esp for those new to it.

My advice:
Make sure your tyres are at the right pressure (depending on load, it'll be something like 33F / 36R normal, or 36F / 42R loaded or two-up): some people reckon you should drop pressures (logic being "it increases the contact patch") - many newbies do fall for this (inexperience). If your tyres aren't right, nothing else will be.

Relax. If you're not relaxed, you'll end up "fighting" with the bike. I generally let the bike "do it's own thing", if that makes sense.

Decent kit: nowt saps your concentration like being cold and wet. 

Finally: keep going out in the wet - couriers cope with it, because they're always out in it and thus get better at wet riding (practice makes perfect). There's no substitute for road miles.

FWIW, my bike is on Battlax BT020's atm, and never moved a millimetre in the wet. The back is due replacement in the next 500 miles or so due to squaring with a Conti Road Attack 2 being lined up as my (experimental) choice of rubber.

[simonm]

My issue is that in the wet anything other than completely vertical means potential slip and that's a bit too scary for me.  I definitely want to go out in the wet but I either need more experience or training.  I talk about training a lot but then I'm tight fisted about spending the mulah.

[stevierst]

In the wet smoothness is the key. You 'can' ride at 3/4 speed, but you must be smooth on the inputs. And don't rise like your on ice, stay loose and enjoy the great British weather :

Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2

[simonm]

I have to admit the sound of the rain on the lid was absolute bliss.
:b :thumbup

[ChristoT]

I have to admit the sound of the rain on the lid was absolute bliss.
:b :thumbup

Not when it's misted up both your visor and your specs! When that happens, foc knows where you're going!  :lol

[simonm]

[quote author=simonm link=topic=7858.msg76725#msg76725 date=1368782937]
I have to admit the sound of the rain on the lid was absolute bliss.
:b :thumbup

Not when it's misted up both your visor and your specs! When that happens, foc knows where you're going!  :lol
[/quote]

Pinlock and nikwax visorproof seem to do okay for me.  I tried to mist up my caberg duke  on purpose (as a test) and I couldn't do it.

[darrsi]

I use these, they're brilliant:      http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_odkw=v...p&_sacat=0

[stevierst]

Pinlock is an absolute necessity for wet weather riding, and Mr.sheen polish on the outside just before you set off certainly helps.

Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2

[darrsi]

Just got a text from my mate who's been living in Germany for 3 years, and has hardly ridden his Fazer whilst over there (it's his first bike).
He's bringing the bike back over and he's 160 miles into a 290 mile journey to Calais and he says it's absolutely tanking it down with rain, then he'll have the journey from Dover to North London, the poor sod  :'(

[Chris]

Oh dear, hope he makes it back ok. It makes for a better story in the pub later if it rains all the way or your tent blows away or you end up in a knife fight with a monkey... maybe scratch the last one  :lol

Chris

[simonm]

Just got a text from my mate who's been living in Germany for 3 years, and has hardly ridden his Fazer whilst over there (it's his first bike).
He's bringing the bike back over and he's 160 miles into a 290 mile journey to Calais and he says it's absolutely tanking it down with rain, then he'll have the journey from Dover to North London, the poor sod  :'(

I hope his textiles are in good condition.  Yesterday it was 50/50 which worried me the most; falling off or getting soaked through. 

[darrsi]

[quote author=darrsi link=topic=7858.msg76749#msg76749 date=1368792988]
Just got a text from my mate who's been living in Germany for 3 years, and has hardly ridden his Fazer whilst over there (it's his first bike).
He's bringing the bike back over and he's 160 miles into a 290 mile journey to Calais and he says it's absolutely tanking it down with rain, then he'll have the journey from Dover to North London, the poor sod  :'(

I hope his textiles are in good condition.  Yesterday it was 50/50 which worried me the most; falling off or getting soaked through.
[/quote]

He hardly used the bike all the time he was there, but he has all the clothing so he should be okay.
I gave him a Vee Wipe about a year ago so hopefully he's using that this time?
When he bought the bike his first main ride was to Germany, and it pissed down on him then as well. 
It wasn't the ideal introduction to biking, but looking on the bright side, it can only get better for him! 

[ChristoT]

[quote author=simonm link=topic=7858.msg76753#msg76753 date=1368794246]
[quote author=darrsi link=topic=7858.msg76749#msg76749 date=1368792988]
Just got a text from my mate who's been living in Germany for 3 years, and has hardly ridden his Fazer whilst over there (it's his first bike).
He's bringing the bike back over and he's 160 miles into a 290 mile journey to Calais and he says it's absolutely tanking it down with rain, then he'll have the journey from Dover to North London, the poor sod  :'(

I hope his textiles are in good condition.  Yesterday it was 50/50 which worried me the most; falling off or getting soaked through.
[/quote]

He hardly used the bike all the time he was there, but he has all the clothing so he should be okay.
I gave him a Vee Wipe about a year ago so hopefully he's using that this time?
When he bought the bike his first main ride was to Germany, and it pissed down on him then as well. 
It wasn't the ideal introduction to biking, but looking on the bright side, it can only get better for him! 
[/quote]

Er....

That's what I thought after 4 hrs in torrential rain on French motorways on my 125, and all my gear leaked.

Then I did 4 hrs and 100 miles on the Fazer through driving snow, and all my gear leaked again! The snow was MUCH worse. Colder, worse visibilty, and the INSIDE of my glasses fogged up. Appropriately, I was singing "Bat out of hell" to keep my spirits up on the last stretch up the A1. Appropriately, as I was blind as one!!

[darrsi]

[quote author=darrsi link=topic=7858.msg76754#msg76754 date=1368794604]
[quote author=simonm link=topic=7858.msg76753#msg76753 date=1368794246]
[quote author=darrsi link=topic=7858.msg76749#msg76749 date=1368792988]
Just got a text from my mate who's been living in Germany for 3 years, and has hardly ridden his Fazer whilst over there (it's his first bike).
He's bringing the bike back over and he's 160 miles into a 290 mile journey to Calais and he says it's absolutely tanking it down with rain, then he'll have the journey from Dover to North London, the poor sod  :'(

I hope his textiles are in good condition.  Yesterday it was 50/50 which worried me the most; falling off or getting soaked through.
[/quote]

He hardly used the bike all the time he was there, but he has all the clothing so he should be okay.
I gave him a Vee Wipe about a year ago so hopefully he's using that this time?
When he bought the bike his first main ride was to Germany, and it pissed down on him then as well. 
It wasn't the ideal introduction to biking, but looking on the bright side, it can only get better for him! 
[/quote]

Er....

That's what I thought after 4 hrs in torrential rain on French motorways on my 125, and all my gear leaked.

Then I did 4 hrs and 100 miles on the Fazer through driving snow, and all my gear leaked again! The snow was MUCH worse. Colder, worse visibilty, and the INSIDE of my glasses fogged up. Appropriately, I was singing "Bat out of hell" to keep my spirits up on the last stretch up the A1. Appropriately, as I was blind as one!!
[/quote]

I must confess, i don't miss the steamy glasses scenario, i had my eyes lasered years ago to combat that one, best decision ever.
I remember fog being particularly bad as well. Fog inside your glasses, ouside your glasses, inside the lid and fog outside too.
Game over basically!  :groan 

[Punkstig]

/\ one of the reasons I got my eyes zapped too, that and not being able to look through them when at an odd junction, plus not being able to 'glance' at the clocks etc etc.

[Rebuilt]

you are going to hit rain , fog , hail at some time on your journies regardless what the bastard weather man  says ( weather girls prettier so carefull not to fall prey to that  also ) ... gald you got in there and glad you made it but .. try hail on the M5 and think its smart not to bother with waterproofs as its sunny  arrrr ... cold nuts comes to mind ... meanwhile GF on back was pre waterproofed ...not a lot you can do when on the move  :rolleyes

[darrsi]

you are going to hit rain , fog , hail at some time on your journies regardless what the bastard weather man  says ( weather girls prettier so carefull not to fall prey to that  also ) ... gald you got in there and glad you made it but .. try hail on the M5 and think its smart not to bother with waterproofs as its sunny  arrrr ... cold nuts comes to mind ... meanwhile GF on back was pre waterproofed ...not a lot you can do when on the move  :rolleyes

Ha ha, yes, hailstones are probably the most fun of all  :lol
I mean, what idiot sits down when getting pelted by iced marbles, then tries riding over them?  :lol
It sounds funny, but it really isn't.......

[simonm]

Out of interest, what tyre do you have on the rear? I've ridden in some downpours before and I've never felt the rear misbehave that much. I obviously ride appropriately for the conditions but not so much that I'm crawling along at a snails pace

After some investigation I think these may be past it ?

[simonm]

I have no idea what the hell the samsung galaxy s3 does to screw up picture rotation, it must be some arcane mix of modifying the exif tag and the picture too.  This is the right way up on my phone...