Help! Should I avoid rain?

[Matt]

No rain no gain?

No rain no gain?

For my two penny's worth I live in the Uk and only have a bike (two in fact). I do have access to a car (my wife's) but I use that to do the shopping or for hauling big stuff around. Now here's the truth: riding in the rain sucks but riding full stop is better than driving a car. I don't ride in the snow, anymore. I get a lift, use public transport anything but ride in the snow.
In the winter I pray for rain because then I know there isn't any ice, unless it rains in the night then clears up for a bright morning.
As for the bike; pay close attention to the electrical bits, connectors especially, clean them regularly with WD40 and finish off with a silicone spray. Take your handlebar switches apart, clean them up and spray WD40/silicone on them. Make sure your cables are well greased up. Make sure your battery is in good condition and the levels are topped up. Invest in the best tyres, not the best you can afford! Good tyres give you confidence, crappy ones make riding in the wet even more unpleasant than it is and could end up costing you a lot more in the long run.
Now for the most important thing wear good waterproof and warm clothing. Riding a bike when you are cold can be as dangerous as riding having drunk alcohol.
I ride in the rain because of necessity, it doesn't make me a hero or more of a biker than anybody else who might only take his or her bike out on the three driest, hottest sundays of the year.

Ride a bike, enjoy life!\\/

Matt the Brit

 

[ghwrenchit]

Also like the idea of carrying an old terry towel in a plastic bag and giving a quick wipe-down.

Greg,

I carry an "absorber" folded up in a ziplock bag, you need to leave it damp all the time. You can get these at most autoparts stores or WalM@rt for about $9.00.

http://cleantools.net/website/inner...px?pid=3&desc=../website/htm/the_absorber.htm

Greg

 

[jimcor]

The compressed can of air won't last one spray down and I'd say you're wasting your time and money with it.

I'd clean every, yep every, connector on the wiring harness and coat them in silicone dielectric grease, available from the auto parts store. Most problems with the GS charging system stem from poor electrical connections so cleaning the connectors is something you should do whether you spend time in the rain or not. Yes, even the ones under the tank and the rats nest inside the headlight bucket. Pay particular attention to the frame ground connections and the fuse box.

Make sure your rainsuit is high visibility.

 

[beby99]

How can he avoid rain (at all costs) and still commute in Seattle? :-s

lol..thats a myth...there's no rain in Seattle:

 

[8trackmind]

lol..thats a myth...there's no rain in Seattle:

This week.... :roll: :-D

No coffee there either I suppose. :-s

 

[8trackmind]

I ride in the rain because of necessity, it doesn't make me a hero or more of a biker than anybody else who might only take his or her bike out on the three driest, hottest sundays of the year.

Ride a bike, enjoy life!\\/

Well put, Matt. :-D

 

[beby99]

This week.... :roll: :-D

No coffee there either I suppose. :-s

Nope........just tea! :-$

 

[argonsagas]

Stated as succinctly as possible

If you are literally afraid to ride in the rain, either get over that fear, or stop riding.


Rain is an inevitability, a fact of life. If you ride a long time, you will find yourself in it, and sometimes it can be a really heavy downpour that was not forecast.



If you maintain a fear of rain, when you do find yourself in it, and afraid of it, it is very probable that you a will make mistakes where others would not, and it is too likely that those mistakes, even if they are minor, will lead to more serious problems, as fear causes you to tense, and limits your thoughts and reactions.



The first few minutes after rain begins are a good time to park the bike, as those first drops of water cause oils and junk on the surface of the road to lift, and they become VERY slick. Wait a few minutes for it to wash away and you can ride safely.

Only experience will tell you how long to wait. Basically, if it has not rained for a week or more, it will take longer for the crud to wash away, but the time needed also depends on the amount of rain that falls.

Be careful of ALL painted lines and metal road inserts (covers/grates/rails etc) as they are always slippery.

 

[jimcor]

Ron is correct. If you do any touring on a bike, you're going to get wet. It's no fun to take a polished and detailed bike out in the filth, but what the hey, you want something to look at buy a sculpture. Ride that motorbike, go someplace. With a good rainsuit, boots and gloves riding may not be the lap of luxury but it can be comfortable...more or less. Take your time, think ahead, be alert. At least the deer are less apt to be about when it's raining.

 

[GregM.]

Thanks again for all the continued advice.

But Ron, where did all this talk about being afaid of rain come from? I never said anything about fear of riding in bad weather. My main question in this thread, which has been repeated a few times, is the mechanical effect rain will have on a 26 year old m/c. (If I was riding a more contemporary model, with modern electrics, I wouln't even be asking.) My concern is the very old, and apparently poor, GS electrical system. And you all have helped a ton, teaghing me about where the items are... and how I should protect them.

I'm born and raised in Seattle - I've been playing and working outside my whole life. I rode bicycles in all the local weather year round in my youth. I rode m/c (new ones at the time) in the rain between '75 and '85. I've spent 35 years skiing, almost full-time, up in the local mountains. And that's a lot of experience driving in snow, slush and ice. I've taught lots of people how to drive in the snow - cars not m/c I even used to ride my dirt bike in the snow in my teens.

I am certainly not afraid of riding in the rain. Prudent and smart yes, but fearful, no. Anyway, what I'm not smart about is 26 year old GS elec. systems. So again I thank you all for the wothwhile advice.

On a lighter note - I laughed for 15 minutes about Beby99's post with the local forecast in it. Hilarious, Bret!!

Lastly, sorry I don't mean to sound defensive here. I certainly appreciate all the time it takes to type out all your tips and your thoughts, including your's Ron - I'm sure it's meant with good intentions. I just didn't want you to think,"There's the guy afraid of the rain." When I write in for carb. advice next time

 

[argonsagas]

OK, you are not personally afraid to ride in the rain, but you think the old GS may be. Sorry for my misunderstanding. I would not worry overly much about the bike. I do not worry about it all, with my own.

On one ride my GK rolled through more than 200 consecutive miles of non-stop rain, including about 50 miles of heavy downpour and strong winds.

That was 100 in each direction, as I was going home on the first leg and HAD to drive back!

No electrical problems or concerns at all. Started, drove, stopped for gas, started again and continued. The whole trip that day was over 500 miles.

I would recommend new plug wires and boots.

Afte that, do your usual maintenance, including lubricating the points mentioned in other posts, and ride it.

 

[rustybronco]

My main question in this thread, which has been repeated a few times, is the mechanical effect rain will have on a 26 year old m/c. (If I was riding a more contemporary model, with modern electrics, I wouln't even be asking.) My concern is the very old, and apparently poor, GS electrical system. And you all have helped a ton, teaching me about where the items are... and how I should protect them.

I've gotten caught in the rain many times before, the only things you need to worry about are having good TIRES and good spark plug wires just dry it out when done, take and clean the connections, coat the connections with dielectrical grease and ride it, even a contempory model could get corrosion of the electricial connections, as an example it is 35 miles home from work for me and about a week ago it POURED all the way home i was soaked (no rain gear) and the the bike never missed a beat, maybe it's because mine is only 24 years old! yah that could be it... i fixed the charging system on mine wouldn't hesitate going anywhere rain or shine.

 

[knotzilla]

Ride it in the rain. Have the fun of riding a bike is cleaning it. Ted

 

[GS550joe]

keep a can of WD-40 with you

keep a can of WD-40 with you

WD40 was invented to disperse water... use it on my cager all the time.. esp.. in the distributer and spark wires area.. I know what it is like to ride in a down pour.. spent 48 miles travelling with the storm to get home... I try not to ride in the rain but..... it has already been said.... I ride knowing I will be .hot/wet/cold/etc. get good traction tires... there have been writeups on tires in the pass and search for those articles to give yourself a good background on wet traction... I know when Mt Rainier gets a shroud it will rain for about 10 days.. wish you the best there mate.. btw love those hov lanes..


JP

 

[GregM.]

Yes, thanks again for the tips and suggestions.

I'll be adding plug wires and boots to the other advice mentioned earlier.

I appreciate it. Greg

 

[Kcwiro]

Seattle traffic is the worst in the contry... mainly I blame those people who do not for the life of them comprehend 2 in front two in back while merging... I mean I'm sure most people living aroudn here can count to two.

And you rright about the carpool lanes I love them too, like throwing awave to other riders but sometimes I dont' feel like pulling my hand up to wave, but I still nodd .... I when I first got my bike the freeway first few times in the dark *yikes* but I kept my cool and gutted it out with some personal motivation. It being near empty cept for those people turning to look at my bike :lol: wasn't so bad after I got comfotable with the wind.... after riding this entire week I'm getting a windshield after my overhaul this winter for sure.

Perhaps I'll see you out there today.. I'm leaving work soon =) heading south on I5 to renton8)

 

[Jethro]

I have ridden the GS in downpours that lasted entire weekends with no ill effects. I rode 1400 miles on the 2nd Annual Mooshead ride in constant rain with pod filters and all.

The biggest thing to remember is your stopping distance. You can always take it easy on the turns and keep the lean angles lower, but when it's raining, your ability to panic brake is greatly reduced. There is no denying the fact that breaking power is reduced on wet roads, and sometimes you don't have a choice, so keep the speed down and the distance high.

 

[bradleymaynar]

I just recently (about a month ago) rode my 1100 through a driving downpour (including pea size hail) and had no problems. I would agree with the other sentiments about making sure all your electrical connections are protected, greased (di-electric). That way you have no reasons for concern.

Brad tt

 

[Boondocks]

I don't mind riding in the rain if properly dressed, and do it if I have to go somewhere. It does make a mess of keeping things clean, and this is my greatest objection.

Obviously, riding in the rain requires extra caution regardless of the type of vehicle. If you don't feel confident, don't do it. If you know what you are doing, meeting the challenge and riding in stormy conditions can be fun (mostly in retrospect) . One of my greatest concerns was the loss of braking when standard pads are wet from rain. Brake pads on cars are protected from rain because they are not as exposed as motorcycles. Brake pads on motorcycles are unprotected, and when wet ordinary motorcycle pads can behave like car pads after being driven through a flooded area. In other words, they barely work until the water is dispersed.

I switched from EBC organic pads to Vesrah sintered pads to solve this problem. The sintered pads are designed to work in the wet, and heat up and disperse water quickly allowing safe braking under all conditions. I think that this is a significant safety issue for anyone that rides in the rain, and I would recommend that sintered pads be used by them to improve stopping distances and control.

 

[KEITH KRAUSE]

A wet climate will cause corrosion in the entire electrical system, obviously.
Best you can do is schedule your maintenance to fit your conditions. Checking/cleaning your connections and using a corrosion protectant will work. Rain gets into the bar mounted switches too. I hate that thought. I suppose a quick shot of electrical lube might help in those places as long as it doesn't build up and actually cause poor electrical contact.
Bleed/change the brake fluid often.
I prefer chain wax instead of chain lube to keep rust off the chain.
Slotted rotors dry off much quicker than solid rotors. If yours are solid, consider drilled/slotted rotors or have yours drilled (expensive).
I don't ride in the rain. Only time I do is if I got tricked by the weather, which is rare. I suppose I'm lucky to live in So. Cal.
Seems like the "R-word" brings out a lot of different opinions and divides people. I don't consider myself a sissy but I think riding in the rain, even if you remove the danger factor, is just plain miserable. It's also hard on the bike. The very few times I got caught, I found it way too easy to break the rear tire loose, etc. Just not safe.
I suppose we're all different when it comes to rain. No need to insult or imply something because someone chooses not to ride in the rain. We all have good reasons for and against it.
I'd suggest using the car when it rains but I know in Seattle, that means you wouldn't be riding much.