Riding in the wet

[Gweiloman]

After running some personal errands in Pattaya this morning (like sending the girl home etc haha - in my dreams), I returned to Bangkok. Along the way, I was caught in two thunderstorms, about 15 mins apart.

First one was just as I hit the highway 7 out of Pattaya. Skies just opened up and dumped the rain down. Visibility got so low that I had to ride with my hazard blinkers (incidentally blinking at the approved legal rate) on. I reckoned it would be worth the fine (does anyone know if this is illegal in Thailand anyway? It would be in most Western countries) rather than get rear ended by some buffalo in a pickup. I rode till there was an overhead bridge in which some other vehicles had taken shelter and sat the storm out.

Skies cleared, I started off again. Stopped at the PTT, had a quick lunch but then the skies opened up again. Even though I was on Pirelli Angels which has a very good wet rating, I didn't want to chance it so sat it out again.

Anyway, this got me thinking about riding in wet roads / conditions, particularly during Songkran. All the good advise is NOT to ride during Songkran due to the conditions and the numerous drunkards on the roads. In any case, I did a trip to Nan a few Songkrans ago. Whenever I passed a mooban where a group of kids were standing by the side of the road with water buckets at the ready, I slowed down, rode up to them and stopped for them to soak me. If anything, it made riding during the April heat a lot more bearable.

Recently I saw a youtube video posted by a riding expert / safety instructor that shows that it's even safe to ride with only hand whilst shooting a water pistol with the other. From the video, it seems also safe to take your eyes off the road (to look at your target) as well as overtaking with only a hand.

Just wondering how the rest of you approach riding in the wet. A pertinent topic given that the rainy season will be upon us soon (if not already).

[BSJ]

I usually ride with the throttle hand on the throttle and the spare hand holding my wife's hand......cos I am a romantic kinda guy!

[Carol Jadzia]

Fast forward to 17:50

I can lark about on Songkran because I am very experienced at knowing how far I can push it in the wet.

I threw a GPZ 500 down a car park - just to see how far I could push the brakes in the wet. Just for fun. Nice to know your limits

General rules for riding in the wet. Double the braking distance to that of a dry road. Leave a 4 second gap instead of a two between you and the vehicle in front.

Still front brake slightly before the rear but more equal braking between the two as harder to control a front wheel slide than a rear.

It is NOT a good idea to use bright lights such as flashers and fog lights as in rain the droplets have the effect of magnifying the light. The opposite effect to Fog.

This may lead to a dazzling effect on other road users.

Edited March 2, 2015 by Carol Jadzia

[papa al]

Hey, I watched the video and the OP is reporting accurately.

Nary a disparaging remark, by my loose standards.

And:

That is such a funny funny comeback.

WOW; Love it!!!

[and I rarely use more than one exclamation mark]

More of this pithy commentary, please. ;-) ;-) ;-)

And g-man with an inferiority complex... 5 5 5 5 5 5.

Yup. Great stuff.

Edited March 2, 2015 by seedy

[papa al]

Yes, thank you.

I bow down to you wit.

"no mirror" 5 5 5 5

May I have another.

Edited March 2, 2015 by papa al

[lust]

What's a mooban?

[papa al]

Area where cows are not allowed.

[guzzi850m2]

It was raining extremely heavy in Pattaya today.

Luckily enough we were in the truck, auto vipers going full whack and still visibility very poor, had to slow down to about 50-60km/h.

I put my lights on, only app 20% did.

Yes when riding bike in the wet (depending of the density of the rain) you really have to do everything dimed down, brakes-throttle, keeping distances to other road users and so on, even stop if it's too heavy rain.

You can quickly fell if your tires are any good or not.

[Carol Jadzia]

Always a good idea to consider Aquaplaing as well.

[papa al]

OP

I get the heck out of Pattaya over Songkran, you can bet on that.

A few years back papa rode 10+ hrs in rain & wet,

CNX==>Mae Sot on newly acquired 2nd-hand bike with new-ish but cheap tires.

The scenic 105 route.

Trying for Mr. Smooth, but sliding whenever I braked or down-shifted.

Gained a lot of experience in poor traction techniques that day, I'll tell ya.

Scary. Exhausting.

All Michelin now.

[jdinasia]

I am debating on heading to Bang Saray over the Songkran break. If so, assume I will remain inside during the day

We are also considering just heading into the mountains

[macknife]

I'm surprised at you Gweiloman, you should have more than enough experience of riding in very wet conditions after Dave's trip.

I've been caught in heavy rain a few times, apart from getting very wet it doesn't bother me much, just slow down. Modern tyres from quality manufacturers such as Pirelli or Michelin, are very good these days. They spend a lot of money in developing tyres for use in the wet.

[papa al]

When it was raining hard today I put on my rubber outfit and jumped on the Nouvo for some Soi Surfin' in the flooded areas.

Very fun.

[safety tip: On unfamiliar sois, alway follow a mocy taxi to avoid riding into unseen holes.]

Nouvo can ford 25cm (axels) easy.

What a great hobby.

[Shurup]

During Sonkran I stay in mooban and drink beer (no cows there, yup). This year I will be at work. Not gonna miss it.

Sonkran was a harmless fun years ago but it's getting worse and worse each year, starting from getting sprayed with piss and ending up with getting hit in the head with chunks of ice from the water buckets. No thanks.

[Gweiloman]

I'm surprised at you Gweiloman, you should have more than enough experience of riding in very wet conditions after Dave's trip.

I've been caught in heavy rain a few times, apart from getting very wet it doesn't bother me much, just slow down. Modern tyres from quality manufacturers such as Pirelli or Michelin, are very good these days. They spend a lot of money in developing tyres for use in the wet.

Yes, that was a rain and a half wasn't it? What I was really impressed about was how that Thai family opened up their house to us, giving us water and even inviting us to come into the house to dry down.

Difference today was that

- the visibility was much lower

- there was a lot of standing water on the roads. I didn't want to risk aquaplaning

- it's Hwy 7, you know, that one with the big trucks and buses and pickups and roadworks

- not to say that it was bloody cold as well haha (mods, are haha's allowed? If not, why are they auto deleted like <deleted>?)

- I realised that I actually don't know how to ride a bike (according to the hugely experienced experts we have on TV). So at the PTT stop, I bought a amulet, said a prayer to all the gods I know and magically, got transported back to Bangkok

[Gweiloman]

It is NOT a good idea to use bright lights such as flashers and fog lights as in rain the droplets have the effect of magnifying the light. The opposite effect to Fog.

This may lead to a dazzling effect on other road users.

Here again, you show your (deleted) and lack of knowledge about how Thai drivers drive.

Ask your many expert friends here in Thailand.

p/s: do you know how many drivers drive with front and/or rear fog lights on in clear visibility? Do you realise how often Thai drivers switch on their hazard lights, whether stopped or moving? Oh, and we are not talking about Koh Samui but slightly bigger villages like Bangkok.

[papa al]

Post 4

"I threw a GPZ 500 down a car park - just to see how far I could push the brakes in the wet. Just for fun. Nice to know your limits "

I am totally impressed.

Like in an action movie!

Hab vid?

[Shurup]

So at the PTT stop, I bought a amulet, said a prayer to all the gods I know and magically, got transported back to Bangkok

You forgot to tie a string around your handlebars!

I have like 1/2 a dozen of them, one from my wife and the rest from my mom-in-law. She appears to care about me more than a wife.

[Rhys]

Fast forward to 17:50

I can lark about on Songkran because I am very experienced at knowing how far I can push it in the wet.

I threw a GPZ 500 down a car park - just to see how far I could push the brakes in the wet. Just for fun. Nice to know your limits

General rules for riding in the wet. Double the braking distance to that of a dry road. Leave a 4 second gap instead of a two between you and the vehicle in front.

Still front brake slightly before the rear but more equal braking between the two as harder to control a front wheel slide than a rear.

It is NOT a good idea to use bright lights such as flashers and fog lights as in rain the droplets have the effect of magnifying the light. The opposite effect to Fog.

This may lead to a dazzling effect on other road users.

Thanks for the video, Nice tank bag.. could you explain the model and where to buy it, also noticed you had a GPS / phone app working.. could you give more details.. Planning on a solo trip.. to the south.. Phanga Area..

Cheers

[macknife]

So at the PTT stop, I bought a amulet, said a prayer to all the gods I know and magically, got transported back to Bangkok

You forgot to tie a string around your handlebars!

I have like 1/2 a dozen of them, one from my wife and the rest from my mom-in-law. She appears to care about me more than a wife.

Hardly surprising as she knows that while her daughter is married to you, she'll want for nothing.

[garryjohns]

I'm surprised at you Gweiloman, you should have more than enough experience of riding in very wet conditions after Dave's trip.

I've been caught in heavy rain a few times, apart from getting very wet it doesn't bother me much, just slow down. Modern tyres from quality manufacturers such as Pirelli or Michelin, are very good these days. They spend a lot of money in developing tyres for use in the wet.

Yes, that was a rain and a half wasn't it? What I was really impressed about was how that Thai family opened up their house to us, giving us water and even inviting us to come into the house to dry down.

Difference today was that

- the visibility was much lower

- there was a lot of standing water on the roads. I didn't want to risk aquaplaning

- it's Hwy 7, you know, that one with the big trucks and buses and pickups and roadworks

- not to say that it was bloody cold as well haha (mods, are haha's allowed? If not, why are they auto deleted like <deleted>?)

- I realised that I actually don't know how to ride a bike (according to the hugely experienced experts we have on TV). So at the PTT stop, I bought a amulet, said a prayer to all the gods I know and magically, got transported back to Bangkok

I haven't seen anyone say that you can not actually ride a bike.

Its just that you, as a novice are obviously not a skilled and experienced rider.

This video you recently posted on this forum showed your attempt to cross traffic onto another road.

It was patently obvious that you are very inexperienced.

No wonder you are so hysterical on wet roads.

[DualSportBiker]

When living in Singapore, I used to love riding in the rain. One of the few activities there that made me feel alive! Did not like that place much...

No objections to riding in the rain here; it rarely rains for too long, and never rains when it is cold(er) so not much to complain about. I rode a route familiar to Dave Boo just north of Ban Rai a couple of years back; late afternoon, massive storm just rolled in and dumped. The road that runs north-south into Ban Rai town was under a foot or more of water and it was moving at pace - run off from the fields to the east of the road. Rocks and lumps of mud were carried across the road, and I nearly lost the front-end once. Wether that was a lump, or just volume of water, I couldn't tell, but it was pretty wild. I got some strange looks when I pulled into the gas station in town. I almost rode on to get benzine, but decided against it... Proper adventure that day!

I've been told to expect rain on the remainder of my trip, hope not while on unpaved roads as the Anakee 3 I have now are &lt;deleted&gt; on wet mud...

[Shurup]

also noticed you had a GPS / phone app working.. could you give more details.. Planning on a solo trip.. to the south.. Phanga Area..

Locus.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/794662-free-navigable-garmin-compatible-maps/#entry8986064

[Gweiloman]

I'm surprised at you Gweiloman, you should have more than enough experience of riding in very wet conditions after Dave's trip.

I've been caught in heavy rain a few times, apart from getting very wet it doesn't bother me much, just slow down. Modern tyres from quality manufacturers such as Pirelli or Michelin, are very good these days. They spend a lot of money in developing tyres for use in the wet.

Yes, that was a rain and a half wasn't it? What I was really impressed about was how that Thai family opened up their house to us, giving us water and even inviting us to come into the house to dry down.

Difference today was that

- the visibility was much lower

- there was a lot of standing water on the roads. I didn't want to risk aquaplaning

- it's Hwy 7, you know, that one with the big trucks and buses and pickups and roadworks

- not to say that it was bloody cold as well haha (mods, are haha's allowed? If not, why are they auto deleted like <deleted>?)

- I realised that I actually don't know how to ride a bike (according to the hugely experienced experts we have on TV). So at the PTT stop, I bought a amulet, said a prayer to all the gods I know and magically, got transported back to Bangkok

I haven't seen anyone say that you can not actually ride a bike.

Its just that you, as a novice are obviously not a skilled and experienced rider.

This video you recently posted on this forum showed your attempt to cross traffic onto another road.

It was patently obvious that you are very inexperienced.

No wonder you are so hysterical on wet roads.

Yes, I would rather be safe and alive than roadkill.

I'll venture however that neither you nor Carol have ridden on this particular road .......

(mods, are smileys allowed in inane posts?)

[Carol Jadzia]

I'll venture however that neither you nor Carol have ridden on this particular road .......

I already said I gave up arguing with experts years ago.

I will however continue to share information with interested people.

Hope you have a nice dry day.

[Gweiloman]

I'll venture however that neither you nor Carol have ridden on this particular road .......

If this is some way to try and evoke a response from me then good luck.

I already said I gave up arguing with experts years ago.

I will however continue to share information with interested people.

Hope you have a nice dry day.

l

p/s: good idea not to argue with experts too

Edited March 2, 2015 by seedy

[seedy]

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[Pheat123]

Fast forward to 17:50

I can lark about on Songkran because I am very experienced at knowing how far I can push it in the wet.

I threw a GPZ 500 down a car park - just to see how far I could push the brakes in the wet. Just for fun. Nice to know your limits

General rules for riding in the wet. Double the braking distance to that of a dry road. Leave a 4 second gap instead of a two between you and the vehicle in front.

Still front brake slightly before the rear but more equal braking between the two as harder to control a front wheel slide than a rear.

It is NOT a good idea to use bright lights such as flashers and fog lights as in rain the droplets have the effect of magnifying the light. The opposite effect to Fog.

This may lead to a dazzling effect on other road users.

Wow

Your the man

(DELETED)

[papa al]

No,

'You're the man' Pheat.

or as cool talking muppets like me would phrase it

'you da man!

Ai ?

[seedy]

Please post in a polite, respectful manner.

I see the same posters, using the same arguments, as in topics in the past, which are now closed.

Agree, Disagree - fine. Discussion - fine.

Continue to troll, flame, slag other posters - Suspensions will result.

Thank You.