I’ve never learned how to ride in the rain, despite going slower and trying to only make slow, smooth movements. I haven’t a clue what I’m doing. I’m coming back to riding again after a long lay off and was thinking about doing some training for both on and off road. This video is very timely. Thanks for doing this. Subscribed now.
Thanks kindly ☺️ Have you tried an advanced road training course? That will help with your lines. I personally did it with IAM RoadSmart but there are others.
Also worth a mention is bike choice, if you ride a lot in the wet choose a bike with a progressive power delivery, I have a TL1000R which I avoid riding in the wet as she’s a snatchy old girl, have nearly lost her a couple of times just coming out of junctions. I like 600cc in-line 4 in the wet nice and smooth and less sensitive to low speed throttle inputs.
lovely, if you live in UK there is nothing like "bad weather for motorbiking" - you must be ready for the wet and rain every time. In Spain you might not touch the bike when raining but not here in UK. Like it and get ready or ... change the sport ;-)
Great video,I spent many years riding my bikes in all weathers and all year round.Much happier on my bike than in the car and the differing weather conditions is all part of the experience of being a biker.
Great vid and comments, been riding 53 years , all year round , of course a thing I see a lot of young riders don’t do is increase their distance in rain between vehicles and of course slow down . As said great vid 😊😊👍☔️☔️
Well … that’s ME converted! Until now, I was quite comfy being just a ‘fair-weather biker’. But, I KNOW how to keep warm & dry so, ‘why deprive myself of continued fun’ I ask myself. Subscribed. 😉✌️
Hi 121 Motor Skills, the main lesson I learned as a bike rider was that careful persistent observation of the road conditions and surface irregularities was essential for keeping my teeth out of the tarmac, over the few years I was travelling that way that constant scrutiny became a habit that I still have, it is a continuous component in my driving style where I am constantly switching my attention to all the various factors and dynamics of my journey, more recently now that I am not always driving right to the limits of speed, adhesion and traffic conditions I have a bit more time to consider what I am doing this has produced an understanding that I am never suffering from target fixation!, because while I will have a quick look at the car in front I will not be just watching it, I will be looking at the road, then my mirrors, then the speedo, then the road signs in the distance, then the closer signs to check that I have not mis-read them from afar, then another look at the car in front, then the ones in front of that then the mirrors again!, round and round and round over and over with minor variations, I will also be monitoring the physical sensations through my hands and feet and inertial balance organs, all of this constantly allowing appropriate adjustment to road position acceleration and traffic dynamics, anticipation and prediction plays a considerable part, allowing for adjustments in my own speed to fit in with other traffic at junctions. Observation of road surface still plays it part in my judgements and decisions and from time to time I will hit the brakes much j=harder than I should just to test the vehicle and the surface conditions. One factor that I think is in play here is the fact that I am doing all this all the time like this because I want to and enjoy it, full one hundred percent engagement in that ever it is I am doing is deeply satisfying, what I always have to remember of course is that as a mere human, not a robot, I cannot do all of this all the time without short breaks. Those brief periods of relaxation and refreshment are just as essential as the working parts and the timing of those gaps highly critical, this is where the anticipation and prediction comes in, being able to see a short space ahead where I can switch off for a moment and look at the countryside!, this does go a bit haywire quite often but luckily the edges of most road are a bit bumpy and feeling that through the steering wheel usually brings me back on topic. Cheers, Richard.
You mentioned a lot of good points, especially the spatial awareness and being able to foresee problems. I live in the UK and I’m not sure whether it’s just that there are more cars now, or whether driving skills have nose dived in the last 20 years. I see these things everyday: People ignoring give way signs, pulling out onto a main road in front of speeding cars - people coming around corners on the wrong side of the road and people tail gaining. This is normal for me each day. General skills are absent. I’m not an advanced driver and I’m not fast, but I’m amazed at how surprised people are by a bend in the road or a stop sign. They’re always on their brakes. I wish they were shown how to assess conditions like you were talking about in this video. You put it across very well. Thanks for making this. I hope more riders and driver s will see it.
@@gudgengrebe Hi Gudgengrebe, thank you very much for this reply, it is always good to find that some people can make some sense of what I offer. Your own observations remind me of many of the U-tube channels I like to watch where the primary objective of the channel creator is to draw attention to how much bad driving there is, I suspect this can lead to some degree of perceptual distortion, I have been trying tom keep a more open mind and make some sort of subjective evaluation of the general standard I see around me. Here I have to say that so far the bad eggs are in a very small minority, this could be that some dodgy drivers only go badly wrong sometimes, after all I do make mistakes every now and again!, or it could be that I am in the wrong places at the wrong times, yes there is the odd cock-up and many minor mistakes, again I think what I see is a lack of confidence and what we call 'target fixation' with drivers who do not understand that one does not have to concentrate so much on some details, that most us can make minor adjustments without even thinking!, what I call the 'autopilot'. There are of course a significant number of people who probably should not have been given a driving license at all! they seem to believe that they alone are entitled to go wherever they want whenever they want and the rest of us must avoid them, if it all goes horribly wrong it is never their 'fault' because it was not their intention. This in is own way is a reflection of a cultural assumption relating to purpose and responsibility and the idea that we must have control of our lives, what I call the prescriptive' model, acting on the principle of that is how things 'should' be rather than the 'descriptive' model which tries to make judgements based on observation. Cheers, Richard.
@gudgengrebe thanks for your comment, I agree driving standards generally aren't great but compared to some countries we are actually not too bad. I'm glad you like the video and have taken the time to watch, much appreciated 🙏🏻
@ Perhaps I’m too pessimistic . For my own safety, I assume the worst and ride or drive defensively. I enjoyed your comments generally about observation and using your imagination to forsee possible problems. This should be taught in driving schools. Most people are looking just beyond their bonnets. (Oops … there I go again, being pessimistic)
Apart from the hazards you mentioned I've found that the decreased field of view for car and van drivers makes for some scary close passes...on rainy nights on my bike I am always wondering if drivers have seen me through their rain spattered smeary windscreens especially if they've started driving before the demister has done its job. Having said that I agree with you, don't park your bike up all winter...you've paid for a year's tax and insurance 😂
At 71,I just subbed. Trying to get back into riding.not sure if I am Here for the lessons or the wonderful accent. I was told when I got my new bike ,the tires had something on them that could make them slippery ad drive careful for the first 600 miles. Is there anything I can use to clean it off?
@@conniewaite1371hello and thanks for the comment. Yes with new tyres you just need to ride smoothly and you'll be fine, be smooth with acceleration and braking and take your time around roundabouts. Once they are scrubbed in you can then get the most out of them 😊 Happy riding Pete
Do you change your road position in the wet? For example, the centre of the carriageway is less worn so may offer more grip but conversely will dry out more slowly when the road is wet but the rain has stopped?
@@Tom-zy6ke I personally do change my position in the road as I normally would ie moving to the left position for right bend and moving to the right for a left to gain a better view but always giving up those positions for safety and stability. So if the normal position I would take say for a right bend is very wet then I'd stay in a more central position. No1. priority is safety, No2. stability and finally No3. the view. Keeping this in mind will help you choose the safest section of road to ride on. Always look as far as possible to ascertain as early as possible where to be positioned in the road. Safe riding Pete www.121motoskills.co.uk
At 4.50 breaking distance might be double? So stoping distance at 60mph in dry 72 metres , Highway Code says for a car . If double distance that means 40mph (36m so double =72 ) ? In my humble oppinion it might have been worth a mention if stopping distance in wet is double, that is equivalent of slowing down from 60mph to 40mph to get the same stopping distance? Or am i misguided? Nice road through Rhynie and Lumsden.
When it's absolutely pelting it down you have so much more grip than just the piddle that releases all the grime and oil, like you said. Do you have any thoughts on Dunlop Mutant Hybrid? 80/20 I find them quite good for leaves and rubble/gravel in the road. Very stable in corners too.
Aquaplaning is completely different from "a bit slippy". During aquaplaning the tyre completely loses contact with the road and you will have literally zero grip. However, if you've got any tread on your tyres, the chances of aquaplaning at legal speeds are vanishingly small, even in a deluge. I've been riding for over 40 years and have fallen off plenty of times in the wet but never due to aquaplaning
@@howardhamaker2708 is it the rain on the exterior or fogging inside your having problems with? Perhaps both? Happy to assist. Pete www.121motoskills.co.uk
I use Nikwax visor proof on the inside and outside of the visor this stuff is great the water just beads away, I also put it on my fly screen and mirrors so my visual aids are as good as is possible in the rain. I also have the pinlock insert which helps with preventing the visor fogging up. Wearing a neck buff/balaclava over your nose and mouth can help reduce the fogging too.
Yeah, especially at night. An old despatcher trick was the have a rag stuffed somewhere handy. Dispersants are great but unless you’re ultra organised how often will you carry one. Simply wearing a buff as rokhnroll mentions will prevent fogging even with glasses. In general, it’s something i’ve got used to as it kinda comes with the territory.
His remark was rhetorical. He’s not your Dad. He’s trying to teach you the SKILLS to help YOU determine what level of risk YOU’RE prepared to take, based on YOUR riding pattern, weight of bike, size of tyre, conditions, etc, etc…. It’s no good him saying ‘I won’t go below…’ whatever the mm is. It’s basic risk management & part of your ‘learning curve’ on both a bike and in life. You gotta figure it out for yourself.😉✌️🤘
