If you ride a motorcycle, you ride in the rain. This may be on purpose or by accident, but sometimes there is a destination to be reached, and a wall of water standing in your way. If you are going to ride in the rain, you have to realize the safety hazards that are going to be presented.  Riding in the rain isn’t a difficult thing to do, you just have to keep your head about you. Here are a few things to keep in mind when the rain starts coming down.

First, lets talk about the things that you can do before it starts to rain.

Gear. If you have the right gear, you can actually ride in the rain without getting wet. If you are going to do a multiple day trip, it’s a necessity that you throw some rain gear in your bags. The better your gear, the more comfortable you will be. Boots, pants, jackets, and gloves, you need it all. Wet clothes can make you numbingly cold while riding through a storm.

Also, if you wear a shorty helmet, you are going to regret it during a rain storm. If you’ve ever experienced rain at 60mph down the highway, you know that those gentle drops can feel like tiny rocks pelting against your face. A snap on visor, a windshield, or a full-face helmet will make things a lot more comfortable.

Of course, sometimes you can’t plan on rain, and if you don’t have the right gear, you’re just going to have to grin and bear it. Once you have, or don’t have, the appropriate gear, it’s time to hit the streets.

Traction - Turning and Breaking

The biggest danger a motorcyclist meets when riding in the rain is the failure to live up to expectations. If you ride a lot, you’ve gotten used to the way your bike handles. You know you can lean to a certain degree at a certain speed to make a turn. You know that you’re bike can stop on a dime if need be. But in the rain, these expectations are going to go out the window. You’re bike is not going to have the traction that you believe it to have.

You have to relearn the details of your bike. Give yourself an extra ten yards to stop, and make sure that you slow down at all turns. Don’t expect your bike to handle the way that it does on hot pavement.

A good rule of thumb is to do one thing at a time when riding in the rain. If you are going to make a turn, apply the brakes first to drop your speed and then make your turn. Or, finish your turn before you accelerate. You are probably used to doing multiple things at once. It is important that you dissect your riding into individual actions, and take care of each one separately.

Tip - Check your tires before you ride. Properly inflated tires will give you better traction in the rain. You should also make sure that you never ride on bald tires in the rain. Or in the sun for that matter.

Visibility - Seeing and Being Seen

Rain is going to impede your vision. More importantly, it is going to impede the vision of all those cars that are driving around you. As a motorcyclist, you should already be a defensive driver, because in a fight between bike and car, the car is going to win almost every time. So watch out for yourself and for other drivers.

Motorcycles have the bad habit of always being in a drivers blind spot. You need to make sure that you are visible to other drivers. Try to wear reflective gear and bright clothing when riding out in the rain.  

If you are riding on the highway, it is important to look for escape routes. If someone slams on the breaks ahead of you, you need to know where it is safe to stop. You should give enough space between you and the car ahead of you to stop in time, but it is also important to know if you have a shoulder to veer into.

Cars and Other Hazards

For highway driving, a good way to tell if you are far enough away from the car ahead of you, is by seeing if you are out of their splash zone. Cars kick up a lot of water off of the road, and if you ride too close, you might feel like you’re driving through a storm when you’re really only riding through a light drizzle. Make sure you stay far enough back to avoid the splash zone.

Puddles - Everyone loves jumping in a puddle, but on a bike, it can be dangerous and uncomfortable. First, riding through a puddle is going to shoot water straight up your pant legs. Even with tight cuffs this water can get up and soak your jeans and your socks.

Also, it’s impossible to tell how deep a puddle really is until you hit it. Potholes might be lurking beneath a puddle, and riding through one could give you a rude awakening. It’s best to avoid puddles all together.

Paint - If you’ve got good tires and your riding on the highway, your going to have decent traction, even in the rain.  The problem is all the paint that is scattered on the highway. From dashed lines, to those giant diamonds for the carpool lane, this paint is going to be slippery in the rain. You need to avoid it, or at least be aware that when you ride over these painted surfaces, your bike is likely to slip. Even if this is only for a split second, if you aren’t ready for it, it can be disastrous.

Oil and steel - Steel is also going to be slippery. Manhole covers on city streets are going to make your bike lose traction. It is also important that you keep your eye out for oil. Roads always have oil on them. If you’re riding in the rain and you see rainbows, beware.

General Tips

1.) When it starts raining, pull over for a cup of coffee. The first ten minutes or so after the rain starts coming down are going to be the slipperiest. The oil and gunk that is deposited on the road is going to mix with the oil to make a nice slippery surface. Let the cars attack the road for a couple of minutes to knock all of the gunk off then finish your coffee and hit the road.

2.) Ride behind the rear wheel. There is a perfect haven for riding a motorcycle in the rain. This safe haven is just outside of a vehicles slash zone, but close enough where the car in front of you dries some pavement for you. If you ride behind one of the wheels of the car in front of you, you will be able to ride on a thin and somewhat dry strip of road.

3.) If it’s too much for you, stop. There is no reason to push yourself through the rain. If the water is coming down too hard, if you don’t have the proper gear, or if a semi-truck just sent a tidal wave of water on you and shook your nerves, pull over and rest. Wherever you’re headed can wait a few minutes for the rain to die down.

Riding in the rain can be fun and safe. So don’t let the drizzle keep your bike locked up in the garage. You just need to be cautious, know your limits, and watch out for other drivers. I’ll see you on the road, rain or shine.