10 Tips To Ride During Rain

Monsoon should have started proving its potential in the form of rain in most parts of the country by this time. Riding your bike in a wet surface is actually an art to be mastered. But, the only problem is that mastering it takes lot of time. Though it seems very simple, it is too complex. Just because that we’ve been riding on wet roads or during rain for many years, it doesn’t mean that it’s too simple.

Here are a few tips to be remembered when making your bike’s tyre encounter a wet road.

1. Maintain a speed limit of 20 kms less than what you usually ride on that road. This enables you to ride comfortably and enables you to brake wherever you want smoothly and gently. It also offers confidence to the rider when it rains.
2. Be very careful when you brake on these wet surfaces. Try to avoid the usage of front brakes, irrespective of it being disc or drum. This would make you flip from the bike immediately.
3. Even if you are in a situation such that you are forced to use the front disc, keep in mind that it has to be used in combination with the rear brakes. In fact, make this as your regular habit. Off late, I see too many new users using the front discs alone without applying the rear. The caution of you meeting with a serious injury in this case is damn high.
4. Whenever you are riding in rain or along a wet surface, ride the bike in one gear low than what it deserves. This will offer a great control to the rider and stability to the bike. Don’t ignore this tip.
5. When you see so much of water in front of you that makes you feel that the exhaust will get submerged, follow the fifth tip. See to it that you ride on a very low gear by revving up the engine simultaneously till you cross that patch of road. Wanna know how this helps?  This will create a particular pressure along the tip of the exhaust which will reduce considerably the amount of water getting in.
6. Check the tyres before the monsoon season begins. If you find that the tyre has worn a lot, this is the right time to get the tyre of your bike replaced. The worst risk you can take in your life is riding in the rain or along a wet road with a worn out tyre. It’ll offer the poorest of the braking that is possible ever. Also, it’ll lead to skidding of the bike along the road. Imagine you are on a highway and this happening to you. Isn’t it scary? So, without a second thought, get the tyre or tyres replaced.
7. When you are riding in rain, prefer using the low beam light. A good biker is one who also thinks about the other riders on the road. The problem with high beam light is that it creates blurred image to the rider or driver coming on the opposite direction. That doesn’t mean that you should not use the high beam headlamp at all. Use it along sharp curves and wherever necessary. In places, where you think low beam is enough, try managing with that only.
8. This is exclusively for riders wearing ‘Spectacles’. I know how difficult it is to ride a bike in rain wearing specs. The best solution to this particular lot of riders is ‘Don’t ride when it rains’. Sorry, you don’t have any other go. When the vision is blocked, how on the Earth is it possible to ride a bike? And if there is a pillion rider, it simply means that you are risking their life too along with yours. So, please take care of it.
9. There are most possibilities of accident to happen during rain because of stray dogs or other animals crossing the road. So, be very alert and cautious as you ride. Keep looking for both the ends of the road.
10. Finally, don’t forget to carry a jacket or jerkin when it rains or when you feel it’s gonna rain. The reason is not to prevent you from getting drenched but because of the fact that when you ride in rain for a long time, it can so happen that your hands starts shivering because of the cold. This leads to jerky motions on the handle bar, which after sometime makes you lose control of your bike. So, practice this along with the rest of the tips.

All the tips mentioned here might sound very simple, but still take it serious. Severity of accident during showers will be more than what you can ever expect. (Ofcourse, why should you expect!) All this will make you confident which is very mandatory when you ride in rain. Happy Biking, Readers.

Regards

Ankush  Shilimkar