I don&#039;t know about the rest of the areas around the province, but in Regina, we&#039;ve had an unusual amount of rain this year.&nbsp; I was thinking to myself, some of us have probably had minimal exposure to riding in the rain given our province&#039;s natural inclination for hot and dry weather, so I thought I&#039;d post a few quick tips on riding in the rain I&#039;ve picked up over the years.&nbsp; BTW, feel free to add any others you may have.&nbsp; Also, I think riding in the rain can be kind of fun - the smell of a fresh rain is wonderful, especially in the country.<br /><br />1. Make sure your bike is up to the task - have good tires with decent tread and make sure they are properly inflated.&nbsp; Old tires with no tread have no way to channel the water and you will hydroplane (this is where your tires are actually floating on the water instead of being in contact with the ground) which on two wheels is not fun.<br />2. Get some decent rain gear. If you are cold and wet, then likely you won&#039;t enjoy the ride.&nbsp; Keep your rain gear with you for those long rides vs stored in the garage (don&#039;t ask how I know this one).&nbsp; Some of the suits available today fold up incredibly small so they can be packed almost anywhere.&nbsp; Also, make sure your helmet has adequate vents so it doesn&#039;t fog up. If you have to lift your face shield, then you have no protection from rain hitting your eyes.<br />3. When it starts to rain, avoid riding in the tire grooves worn in the pavement by trucks on our highways and city steets - at least during the first few minutes of the rain.&nbsp; Oil and grease are lighter than water and will run off to the low spots, the depressions and then deposit themselves on your wheels which can affect traction for braking and cornering.&nbsp; If the rain has been falling for a while, deposits may have washed into the ditch and drainage systems, but you never know.&nbsp; <br />4. Yellow and white painted lines on the highway and stop lines painted at intersections are extremley slippery when wet and can become really bad if oil deposits on them - see item #3.&nbsp; If you have to cross lines, do so perpendicuar to them.<br />5. Remember visibility is down not just for you, but for cars and trucks as well.&nbsp; We are hard enough to see at the best of times, so when its raining, don&#039;t automatically assume a motorist at an intersection can see you.&nbsp; Assume they are blind and dumb until they prove otherwise to you.<br />6. Give yourself some extra time for braking and slow down a bit for corners.&nbsp; If you do feel the bike sliding, try to ride it out.&nbsp; One advantage we have in Saskatchewan is that for most of our highways, if we do slide into a ditch, its typically not that bad because the ditch is only 2 feet deep.&nbsp; In the mountains, sliding off a road is a wee bit more exciting.<br />7. Practice wet riding skills. Find a big empty parking lot like the Centre of the Arts or the Exhibition Grounds in Regina to practice wet riding skills.&nbsp; Focus on braking and cornering and developing a feel for the bikes response to your input when the tires are wet.<br />8. And the final point, know your bike and your own personal limits.&nbsp; Its different riding in a light shower versus a horizontal rain (yes I said horizontal) and a different level of skill is required.&nbsp; If the bike isn&#039;t up to the task (bad tires for example), or if you are feeling nervous, then don&#039;t push it.&nbsp; Riding tense, with muscles clenched to fight the bike through the rain will not be enjoyable and will certainly effect your ability to react since tense muscles simply can&#039;t react as fast.&nbsp; Loose, relax and confident that you and your bike are up to the task makes the ride enjoyable and safe.&nbsp; If the weather conditions push you past your comfort zone, find a safe place and pull over.&nbsp; Don&#039;t wait to find the next overpass to seek shelter, because as you know out here, they are few and far between.&nbsp; <br /><br />Later...<br />

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+1<br /><br />Some good advice. I&#039;m definitely with ya on the fact of ridin&#039; in the rain can be pretty cool. <br /><br />I heard on the radio yesterday that July is historically the second wettest month of the year, so we may still have some coming our way....hopefully not, but who knows. :dunno:

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Great Info!&nbsp; I&#039;ll be putting that in my back pocket for future reference.&nbsp; O0 I learned all I could at Motorcycle school...but nothing beats learning from people with real world experience

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