Riding in the wet

[mark131v]

Hear hear Seedy!

There are some very annoying posters on here that simply cannot accept any opinion other than their own which would not be so bad except a lot of what they post is absolute drivel

The fact they also tend to act like bullies and gang up on anybody that stands up to them is also bit sad but it does tend to say a lot about them, I wonder if they are so brave in real life....

[Shurup]

2.5!

[NoshowJones]

I had a big raincoat my wife gave me, it took up too much room, now I carry one from 7-11, haven't had to use it yet, but if it only lasts once it doesn't matter, only cost about 60 Bt.

[NoshowJones]

Area where cows are not allowed.

Yes, that's why there are none in Pattaya.

[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.

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?)

Yes, this time you are correct.

I state categorically that NO, i have not ridden this particular road

Though i have ridden thousands of other roads.

Is there something particularly fearsome about this one?

You do look really tense and undecided.

That is dangerous.Self created danger to boot!

Back on subject.Riding in the wet, in my experience i treat little differently than dry rides.

Here in sub-tropic Queenland we can get horrendous thunderstorms at times and have rainy season.

If you are caught in the rain with sub-standard tyres, its your fault entirely..wet or dry good tyres are paramount wherever you are, whatever the situation

Still ride relaxed and easy going same as dry give myself a bigger comfort zone in traffic if needed

A bit more vigilant all round maybe,if thats possible, but more focused on known 'slippery when wet' road markings etc.

Manhole covers in cities are a concern, but not too much if you are fully aware when riding.

Edited March 3, 2015 by garryjohns

[Gweiloman]

2.5!

Haha.

Anyway, we need to get back on topic or the thread might be closed like some others. That would be a shame as we are coming into the wet season and I think we can share a lot of good information about do's and don'ts.

For example, rain can be upon us in a split second. I will start to ride with waterproofs on standby as well as an extra pair of gloves. Good idea to also keep a bottle of visor cleaner and/or anti fog on the bike. Will need to get a new pinlock visor as well as the current one is not sealing 100%. Also a good idea to have a waterproof pouch for phone, cigarettes and lighter.

Anyone else with thoughts and suggestions on how to prepare for rides which could possibly get wet?

[Gweiloman]

I had a big raincoat my wife gave me, it took up too much room, now I carry one from 7-11, haven't had to use it yet, but if it only lasts once it doesn't matter, only cost about 60 Bt.

Yes, I also have the 7-11 raincoat under my seat on the PCX. That's fine for very slow speed, city riding. But I think wearing that and travelling at 100 kph will probably rip it to shreds in no time. Also, there's no wind protection whatsoever.

[CharlieH]

Posts commenting or referring to moderation and some responses have been removed. If you require "clarification" abide by the forum rules and follow the instructions stated in them.

10) Do not discuss moderation publicly in the open forum; this includes individual actions, and specific or general policies and issues.

You may send a PM to a moderator to discuss individual actions or email support (at) thaivisa.com to discuss moderation policy.

[Gweiloman]

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?)

Yes, this time you are correct.

I state categorically that NO, i have not ridden this particular road

Though i have ridden thousands of other roads.

Is there something particularly fearsome about this one?

You do look really tense and undecided.

That is dangerous.Self created danger to boot!

Back on subject.Riding in the wet, in my experience i treat little differently than dry rides.

Here in sub-tropic Queenland we can get horrendous thunderstorms at times and have rainy season.

If you are caught in the rain with sub-standard tyres, its your fault entirely..wet or dry good tyres are paramount wherever you are, whatever the situation

Still ride relaxed and easy going same as dry give myself a bigger comfort zone in traffic if needed

A bit more vigilant all round maybe,if thats possible, but more focused on known 'slippery when wet' road markings etc.

Manhole covers in cities are a concern, but not too much if you are fully aware when riding.

It's the Hwy 12 from Mae Sot to Tak, a high speed 3-4 laned highway. The rest stop is unfortunately a relatively blind intersection. Many a time, I've seen cars and bikes miss it and go past only to turn around further down the road to come back. On a not too long ago ride with Kawasaki (35 bikes), no less than 7 bikes went past even though one of the marshalls was on the side of the road, waving them down. Due to the speeds they were carrying, they could not stop safely in time (there's also sand everywhere) they had to carry on and turn around further down the road.

My over 30 years of driving experience all over the world (without any accidents, I'm glad to say) has taught me that it's better to double and triple check if necessary. It's all part of good roadcraft. When I was a student in Australia, one of my summer jobs was delivering stands for VHS (yes, that's how long ago it was) all over Victoria. I was given a Holden station wagon for that job and I covered tons of kilometres including going into really small towns as that's where they would display a lot of video tapes for rental.

My subsequent jobs also had me covering a lot of kms in both the UK and Europe. Whenever I get into a rented car in Europe, I always spend the first couple of minutes re-familiarising myself with the controls and mentally visualising which side of the road I need to be on when exiting a junction. Glad to say that I've never had an accident nor copped a fine except once in Lucerne for travelling at 85 kph in a 80 kph zone (on the highway) and once in Prague where my Czech colleague actually directed into a no drive zone.

I sometimes feel that I ride differently when riding alone as compared to having a pillion and/or riding with others. There is a lot of added responsibility in the second scenario as many more people will be affected by my actions which is why we need to be extra careful (which you interpreted wrongly as tense and undecided).

[Jai Dee]

Another post about moderation has been removed from this topic.

[seedy]

Post Deleted - and replies to it.

7) You will respect fellow members and post in a civil manner. No personal attacks, hateful or insulting
towards other members, (flaming) Stalking of members on either the forum or via PM will not be
allowed.
8) You will not post disruptive or inflammatory messages, vulgarities, obscenities or profanities

9) You will not post inflammatory messages on the forum, or attempt to disrupt discussions to upset its
participants, or trolling. Trolling can be defined as the act of purposefully antagonizing other people on
the internet by posting controversial, inflammatory, irrelevant or off-topic messages with the primary
intent of provoking other users into an emotional response or to generally disrupt normal on-topic
discussion.
10) Do not discuss moderation publicly in the open forum; this includes individual actions, and specific
or general policies and issues. You may send a PM to a moderator to discuss individual actions or email
support (at) thaivisa.com to discuss moderation policy.

[seedy]

Post Deleted - and the Replies to it.

Further posts "off topic" and trying to be a "smart ass" have been removed and if this behavior continues holidays will now be issued without further warning.