New Rider, New to forums

[Tourmeister]

Exactly that Gravel Guy's friend said, run what the manual says, which for that bike I would venture to guess is 87 octane. Octane is added to prevent early detonation. Old engines or high compression engines can experience early detonation and that is why they can need it. More octane DOES NOT equal more power or better performance for an engine that does not require it or is not designed for it. In fact, it will result in less power and poorer performance. When I had my VFR 800's, they would lose 3-4 mpg if I ran 90 or 93 in them instead of the 87 called for in the manual. My BMW R1200GS likes the 87. My KTM 530 likes the 90, but it has a higher performance engine in it.

[shanedman]

Anyone got any tips for riding in the rain?
Was heading to work this evening, and wasnt thinking ahead i suppose, but i ran right into a wall of rain....
I know in the MSF course they basically just tell you to slow it down ........and not to ride, if possible, until after the first few minutes of rain, due to oils etc in the asphalt.

Found myself slightly nervous about a curve in the road @ 65 this eve. Not sure if its just my inexperience or what.

[GHT]

The MSF course is correct, try NOT to ride when it first starts raining, if that means finding a place to safely stop and wait a few minutes, then by all means do it! As far as riding in the rain, I too was not very comfortable until a couple of years ago, I was delivering an FJR to a guy in St. Louis and found myself in the middle of Arkansas in the rain on somebody else's bike!!! I did not have the choice to stop, as I had a flight booked to get me back to Houston for work the next day! I took it easy at first, about 10 under the speed limit, but ended up cruising right along at +5 without any problems. Todays tires are wonderfully adaptive to the wet roads, THEY WILL HOLD! My advice is simple, SLOW DOWN, leave extra stopping room, be careful and ATGATT!!!

[shanedman]

Originally Posted by GHT

The MSF course is correct, try NOT to ride when it first starts raining, if that means finding a place to safely stop and wait a few minutes, then by all means do it! As far as riding in the rain, I too was not very comfortable until a couple of years ago, I was delivering an FJR to a guy in St. Louis and found myself in the middle of Arkansas in the rain on somebody else's bike!!! I did not have the choice to stop, as I had a flight booked to get me back to Houston for work the next day! I took it easy at first, about 10 under the speed limit, but ended up cruising right along at +5 without any problems. Todays tires are wonderfully adaptive to the wet roads, THEY WILL HOLD! My advice is simple, SLOW DOWN, leave extra stopping room, be careful and ATGATT!!!

Its the curves that scare me a little.... i coulda swore i felt a bit of slippage on that ride to work..... so naturally i let off the throttle a tiny bit...
but the straight aways seem to be fine.

[Sov]

Your slight slippage in the curve may have been caused by a tar snake - they get slippery when wet. Do avoid the center of the lane at intersections; that's where all the car droppings are. I generally ride a bit slower and keep the bike a bit straighter (in turns/corners) on wet streets - avoid heavy braking.

[WoodButcher]

Since we got rain on the weekend, I wouldn't have worried too much. That cleaned the roads off fairly well. Light rain kind of stays on top of the pavement right at first and once it starts to soak in then traction is almost normal. Except for the tar snakes as mentioned.

The main reason for waiting though is if it hasn't rained in a while there is a lot of oil, antifreeze and other junk that the rain will float to the surface. By waiting 15 minutes or so, that junk has washed away. The longer between rain storms, the longer you should wait.

1. So, mist/light rain give it a little time so it isn't right on the surface.
2. A few weeks between rains, give it time to wash clean.
3. Watch out for tar snakes.

Actually, watch those tar snakes on 100 degree days too. They will make the bike squirm a little too.

[1TallTXn]

Welcome

Lots of good info so far. I'll add another +1 on choice of bike

When things are wet, you'll need to watch out for tar snakes* as mentioned, and add paint stripes/stop lines/etc and anything metal to that list.
Paint can be slick, metal is always slick when wet

If your tires are the stock tires, they may have hardened a bit which could lead to a bit less wet grip.
Nothing makes a bike feel 'new' than a fresh set of rubber
If there's no dry rotting going on on your tires, you're good to go, but if you see any cracking, get them swapped.

*tar snakes are those squiggly strips of tar they put down to patch cracks in pavement

[Tourmeister]

You have more traction than you think on wet roads. That said, the traction you think you have can go away extremely quickly in wet conditions!

Things like spilled diesel, oil, and antifreeze from other vehicles can be nasty "gotchas!" If you hit them while straight up and not braking, they generally are not a problem. When leaned over in a curve, it could get ugly. BUT, NEVER CHOP THE THROTTLE (close it abruptly)! If you feel slippage, it is usually best to stay ON the gas, but not accelerating. If you are just hitting a slick patch, this will maintain traction as much as is possible. However, if you chop the gas, this loads the front tire and can cause it to wash out even if you never touch the brakes. It also unload the rear, reducing traction at the rear, which can also cause the tire to slide. If it is a BIG patch, like both wheels will be in it at the same time, you may go down no matter what, but you are still best off just staying constant on the throttle and maybe trying to straighten up the bike as much as possible without blowing the corner completely.

When going around curves, try to stay in the wheel tracks of the cars/trucks. That helps avoid any oil/antifreeze that might have collected in the center of the lane. Tar snakes can be slick, wet or when hot. The white paint for the big arrows painted on lanes to indicate turn or straight can be very slick as well. Try to avoid them, even in dry conditions as they may have oil/antifreeze on them and still be slick despite no rain. SOME have a glass/sand grit in them and that helps, but you don't want to find out which they are by slipping on them and crashing.

The MOST important thing about riding in the rain is SMOOTH. You want ALL of your actions to be really smooth. Never jab on the brakes. Never whack the throttle or chop it. Shift gears as smoothly as you can. Never yank the bike over suddenly if it can be avoided. Think of a line drawn on a piece of paper, smoothly wandering around in curves, big and small, but NEVER having a kink, or point of discontinuity, where there is a SHARP change of direction without at least even a tiny curve at the point of change. Even if you have to do something suddenly, the initial reaction can still be smooth even if quick. Whether I am riding street, rain, dirt, mud, etc,... my focus is always on being as smooth as possible, using the fewest possible control inputs/effort to accomplish what I want to do. I have even been know to talk to myself while riding... "Smooth... relax... smooth... relax... EYES UP!!" hehe.

[shanedman]

Originally Posted by Tourmeister

You have more traction than you think on wet roads. That said, the traction you think you have can go away extremely quickly in wet conditions!

Things like spilled diesel, oil, and antifreeze from other vehicles can be nasty "gotchas!" If you hit them while straight up and not braking, they generally are not a problem. When leaned over in a curve, it could get ugly. BUT, NEVER CHOP THE THROTTLE (close it abruptly)! If you feel slippage, it is usually best to stay ON the gas, but not accelerating. If you are just hitting a slick patch, this will maintain traction as much as is possible. However, if you chop the gas, this loads the front tire and can cause it to wash out even if you never touch the brakes. It also unload the rear, reducing traction at the rear, which can also cause the tire to slide. If it is a BIG patch, like both wheels will be in it at the same time, you may go down no matter what, but you are still best off just staying constant on the throttle and maybe trying to straighten up the bike as much as possible without blowing the corner completely.

When going around curves, try to stay in the wheel tracks of the cars/trucks. That helps avoid any oil/antifreeze that might have collected in the center of the lane. Tar snakes can be slick, wet or when hot. The white paint for the big arrows painted on lanes to indicate turn or straight can be very slick as well. Try to avoid them, even in dry conditions as they may have oil/antifreeze on them and still be slick despite no rain. SOME have a glass/sand grit in them and that helps, but you don't want to find out which they are by slipping on them and crashing.

The MOST important thing about riding in the rain is SMOOTH. You want ALL of your actions to be really smooth. Never jab on the brakes. Never whack the throttle or chop it. Shift gears as smoothly as you can. Never yank the bike over suddenly if it can be avoided. Think of a line drawn on a piece of paper, smoothly wandering around in curves, big and small, but NEVER having a kink, or point of discontinuity, where there is a SHARP change of direction without at least even a tiny curve at the point of change. Even if you have to do something suddenly, the initial reaction can still be smooth even if quick. Whether I am riding street, rain, dirt, mud, etc,... my focus is always on being as smooth as possible, using the fewest possible control inputs/effort to accomplish what I want to do. I have even been know to talk to myself while riding... "Smooth... relax... smooth... relax... EYES UP!!" hehe.

While i was fully aware of the "Dont hit the brakes" portion of this, the not letting off the throttle is surprising to me. I will have to make sure and remember that one. Once again, my lack of experience shows.
Thank you for the advise.

[Tourmeister]

Originally Posted by shanedman

While i was fully aware of the "Dont hit the brakes" portion of this, the not letting off the throttle is surprising to me. I will have to make sure and remember that one. Once again, my lack of experience shows.
Thank you for the advise.

Got that from the Keith Code Twist of the Wrist II, where he talks about the 7 most common survival instincts, how each is actually the WRONG thing to do, why it is the wrong thing to do, what is the right thing to do, and why it is the right thing to do. That section alone made it worth buying the books. David Hough's Proficient Motorcycling book is crammed full of stuff like that.

[wanabeguru]

Originally Posted by WoodButcher

Good choice on the starter bike and welcome to the site.

+1

[chaissos]

Lots of good advice so far. I would add that nothing will quite counter experience. Please just be careful, and remember that the majority of riders who have accidents of their own making happen in the first 3 years (insurance statistic). So while you're out there, don't get cocky. Overconfidence can cause big problems, too.

Try and make yourself as big as possible. Choose the road position that forces other motorists to treat you as a vehicle. If you ride in the gutter, people will try and pass when they shouldn't, and that inevitably would be bad for you.

Stay safe,

[Robert K]

Originally Posted by shanedman

Thanks to everyone for the warm welcome. I am glad to be part of the brotherhood now.

It is a brotherhood. I've been in it for 45+ years now and have no doubt about it. And this forum is one of the best.
And don't forget Thursday at Billy's and Ken's Koffee Shop.

[shanedman]

Originally Posted by Robert K

It is a brotherhood. I've been in it for 45+ years now and have no doubt about it. And this forum is one of the best.
And don't forget Thursday at Billy's and Ken's Koffee Shop.

I know nothing about this Thursday thing you speak of....
Where is this? Time? is it just a meet up, hang out kind of thing?

[shootergal]

from Montgomery, birthplace of the Texas flag.

You mentioned group riding. I LOVE group riding, but there are a few things to know about group riding before you do it. Talk to the road captain about route, hand (or foot) signals, etc. In my opinion, staggered riding is safest for a lot of reasons. You'll come to be addicted faster than you think. Having more riders just makes it more fun. OH! Another thing, whenever the group stops for gas, even if you don't need it, top off your tank anyway. And hydrate like crazy. Nothing is worse than leg cramps when you're on the road! Always look ahead as far as you can, but sweep your eyes close, then far, close then far. I read this in a really good riders manual, & it's served me well. In traffic I always anticipate cagers doing the wrong thing when approaching intersections or entrance/exit drives. Again...eyes UP & ahead!

Ride safe & have fun!

[WoodButcher]

Originally Posted by shanedman

I know nothing about this Thursday thing you speak of....
Where is this? Time? is it just a meet up, hang out kind of thing?

http://www.twtex.com/forums/showthread.php?t=39903

Kind of long thread now, but we meet at Billy's around 11am, eat, then wander down to Ken's place around 12:30pm. Some folks just show for Ken's and some just show for Billy's. I suspect as the weather gets nicer, Ken's will get more action. When it gets cold it will shift back to Billy's. Ken's is all outdoors with shade.