KymcoForum.com
General => General Discussion => Topic started by: Rianna on November 26, 2010, 02:47:35 PM
-
I wanted to go pick up some things at the pharmacy today, but when I looked outside the weather and wet roads don't look so good. If I decide to go out anyway, what should I look out for? Anything I can do to stay safer on the wet roads?
-
Few general things I can think of would be to lower your speed and don't brake too hard... And you don't wanna take curves too sharp :)
-
Based on my experiences riding in the rain on a fairly regular basis, you'll find it not that much different really. Just take it easy on the brakes, and watch out for those painted lines. Even putting your foot down when you stop can be an interesting experience if you put your foot down on a stop line or turn arrow.
Needless to say, take extra care and you'll be fine - don't lean too hard into any turns. This time of year the biggest hazard (aside from other drivers) will be any areas where there are a lot of wet leaves on the road.
Scoot safely!
-
Sharp curves? Got tons of those around here. Wet leaves? Got tons of those, too. Down in the woods here I can hardly see the road some days for all those leaves. We get some flooding at the bottom of the hills down in here, too. :-\
Thanks for the tips, aokark and oswaldters! Really appreciate it! I may say the heck with it and wait until all those Black Friday shoppers find their way back to their houses. See how I feel after some morning coffee. If I'm up to the challenge and I go, I'll let y'all know how it went.
-
Follow the above and it depends how far you want to go with prep but if i was going very far in the wet i wold probably bleed a couple pounds of air pressure out of my front tire. Watch your breaking. Make sure you are using both breaks, nice and smooth.
Again it depends on if you run a hard front or not.
Be safe.
-
Thanks, WT! I like that tip about the front tire. I usually try to leave a lot of distance between me and the car in front of me when I stop even on dry roads. The folks behind ya can get too close for comfort sometimes at a stop light...
-
I second the advice about the white markings on the pavement -- they're real slippery. Try not to go fast over them and don't stop where you have to put your foot on one.
Ditto about the leaves -- even if they're just on the grass or dirt.
Use mostly the back brake. As some of us know, front wheel locks up real easy on slippery surfaces and bike goes down so quick and hard you have no time to react. ::)
-
Also be very careful on metal surfaces like manhole covers or rail road tracks , they are like ice when they are wet . But really just take it easy and you should be fine . Good luck .
-
Additional:
- Remain relaxed. Physics is just the same, only a friction coefficient has changed.
- Dress dry and warm, esp. on long trips.
- Be careful if temperatures drop, water might turn into ice.
This was today, winter came into the last warm area (south west) of Germany.
On my way to the office:
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Q0MpcLKkbk#)
Shortly afterwards:
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vN5kdeMIVMQ#)
Rain and snow is daily routine for us Europeans.
-
Wow, this is all great information. Sorry I missed some of it before I went. Thank you all so much.
Wow, you really got the weather over there in Europe, ts1!!
-
So did you go ahead and try some rainy day scooting?
-
No I haven't. Not yet, oswaldters. I only went next door to help a neighbor get a snake out of their yard. Might go in a little while, though.
-
Man, I'd rather ride in a heavy downpour then mess with a snake.
-
Luckily this was only a small one. Had one get in the house one time. Had to suck it up with shop vac.
-
I'll be happy to have nothing to do with snakes.
Really would be unhappy to have one in my house. :o
I spent a lot of time in Africa - in the middle of nowhere sleeping on the ground.
Run into quite a few snakes in those days and I'd prefer to never run into any more, ever.
-
They're not my favorite, either. Wow, Africa sleeping on the ground?? That sounds rough!!
-
Snakes are sooo cute!
Our neighbours have a show and perform with snakes (dancing + charming).
My wife + eldest daughter with one of their child-pythons:
http://img534.imageshack.us/img534/7568/alicesandraschlange.jpg (http://img534.imageshack.us/img534/7568/alicesandraschlange.jpg)
-
ts1, is that python real?
-
I grew up in Haiti where they don't have snakes but they do have tarantulas. I'd take a snake any day.
PS Sleeping on the ground in Africa is not all bad. ;D
Not if you get to rock a Land Rover to do it!
(http://img695.imageshack.us/img695/9540/kenyarover.jpg) (http://img695.imageshack.us/i/kenyarover.jpg/)
-
I'll give you the snake if you keep the tarantulas, WT. ;D
Hey, is that steering wheel on the wrong side there??
-
ts1, is that python real?
Yes, and they are quite harmless. Although pythons have many small teeth and don't like to relinquish their snap. Just wash your hand carefully after touching other animals (odour is very important for snakes, they shouldn't mistake your hand with food).
-
Yup. Kenya, former British colony... It is a little disconcerting but it's not like you run into a lot of oncoming traffic on the way to Mt. Kilimanjaro. :)
-
Northern Kenya is where I ended up sleeping about 5 feet away from a nest of spitting cobras.
Try waking up in the middle of the night with a few of them crawling around you!
Still, beats that black mamba that crawled over my leg when I was in Ethiopia.
-
follow all they above and you should be good manly the air pressure I all ways go down about 5 or 10 Lb less in both tires gives you a little extra rubber on the rd. just have watch the pressure more offten.
its better to be safe then sorry.
-
Thank you, blue! :)
-
Just try to ride smoothly. On wet but clean pavement, you will have plenty of traction. Avoid the center of lanes near intersections. Cars tend to drip oil and anti-freeze there. Use a little less front brake than usuel but you should still use it. Watch out for wet leaves. Try to not change direction or brake on slippery stuff. Wear bright colored riding gear so other drivers can see you. Try to avoid riding when it first starts raining - it takes a while for the slippery stuff to get washed away.
It is possible to to have fun and ride safely in the rain. Learning to manage your traction is a good idea. Even when it is not raining you can encounter slippery surfaces. I ride on slippery surfaces all the time.
(http://i645.photobucket.com/albums/uu171/wknudsen/2010%20pics/CIMG0631.jpg)
-
Hey, thank you kalaviator! Whoa, where does that trail lead to in the woods there?
-
Wow, after that pic i think i'll ride however klaviator tells me too!!!
-
I know, WT. That trail look so inviting! Makes me wanna just hop on that bike there and go check it out. ;D
-
That trail is one of many Forest Service roads in the North Georgia Mountains. The full story behind that picture is here:http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=557668 (http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=557668)
-
Pretty cool story there, klaviator!
-
So did you go ahead and try some rainy day scooting?
i did it all the time in new zealand
you need a reflective vest good tyres and do the corner carefully. last thing watch out for idiots who are driving
-
Thanks, grantourismo, I appreciate all of these great tips in this thread. it's raining here again today. :(
And yes, the "idiots" are always out there on the roads. Honestly I tend to worry more about the other drivers on wet roads than my own abilities. After surviving a head-on collision at the age of 19 in Florida and a rear-end collision some 12 years later in another state under wet road conditions, I would have to say that rainy weather is my least favorite time to be on the roads with any vehicle. Hyper-vigilance may not be enough in some circumstances. You never know what the other driver will do. When driving a car or heavy vehicle I would prefer to drive after a snow storm or even through an ice storm over driving immediately after a fresh rain when the oil on the road's surface rises. You can take extra precautions, brake early, be aware of road conditions and stay alert, but even the safest driver shares the road with the new driver and the "idiots"...
-
You will get to test your rainy weather riding skills today and tomorrow if you choose with this mess hitting the east. My advice, get a good book.
-
had to get my rain gear out this morning. It was comeing down hard. Need to get that new front tire on order soon.
-
It's a shame, Agent Bob. It was almost 60 degrees here today but there was constant rain. :(
Yes, blue. A new front tire would be great! I hope you find a deal on a nice one.
-
I guess the fun stuff is going to his us late tonight and tomorrow morning.
Nothing like scooting to work in driving rain, 40 mph winds and lightning.
What's that? Take the bus tomorrow? No chance!
-
That's the spirit, oswaldters! Spoken like a true scooterist.
You can ride for me tomorrow...I'm stayin' indoors. :D
-
I wasn't going to ride today cuz this morning the forecast said thunderstorms... Ended up being sunny with some clouds! So off I went :D
It can be so random here :D
-
Well it was a raining pretty good and windy, but no thunderstorms or tornados so that was a plus.
Now comes the cold front which has stopped the raining, but lowered temperatures over 20 degrees.
Winter riding, here I come!
-
Riding in the rain... like on my ride home tonight.
No riding over manhole covers, if at all possible
Hands off the brakes when riding over painted lines and marking
try to ride straight over lines and other markings if possible,
same with train and light rail tracks
lean your body more while turning as opposed to leaning the bike (I find it keeps the bike more upright)
get a good fog solution for your visor ( I had to stop and get a fog city visor insert tonight)
ease up on the accelerator when starting (easy to spin that rear wheel)
start braking sooner and ease into them and increase pressure slowly as the grip increases
wear lots of reflective material, your were hard to see before, you are harder to see now.
Here is my latest addition the "see me" battle on the roadways. It's called an H-belt and they are impossible to find the in the US. I had a friend from England bring it over on a trip to CA. Thought my riding coat was pretty visible. You can see how much more visible I am with the addition of the belt. The back has more. The yellow is that day-glo green/yellow during the day and this yellow at night. my coat is white reflective. All of the reflective on me is 3M made.
(http://lh5.ggpht.com/_SuCrmBOm6gw/TPiVl4GhccI/AAAAAAAAJd4/oHYB8wIgcbQ/H-belt%20photo.jpg)
-
Wow, TechGuy! That is definitely a plus in the visibility department! That would be great to have here for any after dark riding.
In my neighborhood, once you get to the main road, we have 5 construction sites going within a few blocks. You have to drive through at the very least 2 of them to go anywhere even if you pull off of the main road and take side streets where you can. The work is very slow and will likely continue for a year or more as they replace underground sewers and such. (Don't ask about the smells from the sewer or the paving trucks...you don't want to know about them.)
One day I had to pull out on to this road on my way home and they had made a 'bump' in the road. But from the side street I pulled out of you could not see their BUMP sign as they had placed it before the side street. The bump was designed in such a way that when my front tire hit it and came off of the ground I felt like I should have been in one of those Evel Knevel videos with the ramps and high jumps that I watched as a kid. :D Ha! I do exaggerate, but it was fun, even if unexpected.
I doubt I will do much night riding my first year with the scoot. If I did I can see a benefit to this reflective material, especially when coming around some of the curves we have here on the more narrow roads where the speed limit is set low but everyone drives very fast anyway. Ur friend does have some items that we do not see here.
I do appreciate the wet weather riding tips from all. Leaning? Haven't really put much thought into that one yet...just seem to do whatever comes naturally in the given situation. I have ridden on the back of motorcycles so leaning may not have crossed my mind as a safety issue or a beginning rider's issue. Maybe someone will start a topic about that. And I do hope I remember to keep my hands off the brakes when riding over painted lines, arrows and other markings. I have seen that they are very slippery. Living near a hospital zone this tip will come in handy. Thanks. :)
-
In the past two months we had two days without rain here.
So, it is two months of driving on slippery roads and through rain storms...
I started feeling COMFORTABLE on slippery road, almost forgot what it's like driving on dry road...
-
Hey Rianna,
I'm baaaccckkkk.... Lots of good tips posted. Another one would be to wear conspicuous clothing like a yellow vest, since visibility in rain and bad weather is diminished. We may get some snow in NE Georgia this weekend. If that happens and I HAVE to go out, it will be in the CRV or Z-71.
-
And don't forget your led accent lights :D
I've noticed a big difference in being visible riding with those on at night or during rainy periods.
If they're legal in your state, I would highly recommend them.
-
Hi, YagerE! So Good to see you back!!
Thanks for the tip. We are supposed to get snow tomorrow here as well. If I have to go the store this weekend can I ride with you? :D
Seriously, though, I do need a brighter colored jacket, or a vest, so I can be seen. My current one is great because it is warm, but it's dark color won't help much in the visibility department.
-
I think the accent lights are legal here, oswaldters, as long as you follow certain rules. I keep meaning to look that up.
-
Yes, there no doubt will be restrictions - usually about what colors you can use and not having flashing/strobing lights.
Shame, because I really wanted to use blue lights, but that is reserved for emergency vehicles in MD.
-
Do you mean that it is illegal to use them in your state or that it is illegal to even have them installed on your scoot in your state, oswaldters?
-
It's illegal to use blue or red led accent lights for a vehicle on the road. I guess you could use them for 'show' purposes, but you can't drive on any public road with them on.