Tip 7: Watch for painted lines, manhole covers… anything that’s slippery when dry is slippery-er when wet. Also, oil is dangerous when rain first starts falling.
Tip 8: Don’t tighten up / tuck up. Sit upright and loose. Sure, you’ll get colder faster, but this means it’s time to take a break sooner. Don’t try to cheat out of that.
Tip 9: Counterlean more frequently, as it keeps your body in a neutral position and doesn't obstruct your vision of the road. At higher speeds, another option is to lean your body more in a corner, as it lets you have less lean angle, which in turn involves less strain on tires. Do keep in mind that this means less vision.
Tip 10: If the bike permits, put it in TC / ABS, ride slowly, and leave more braking room.
Tip 11: Just do everything more smoothly. Slow acceleration. Slow brakes. Slow turns. Sudden movements will lose you grip. Like driving a car on snow... that's Canada for you.
Tip 12: Funny, but rain doesn’t make pavement that much more slippery. On good asphalt and with good tires, I’ll bet most of us wouldn’t need to change riding style at all. Still, best to err on the side of caution.
Tip 13: About oil spills on the road — stop in the tire tracks, not the center lane. Otherwise you’ll lose the front under braking, or pull away… sideways. Don’t follow old British cars... or Harleys.
Tip 14: Beware of metal or wood bridges — very slick when rainy, especially old wood.
Tip 15: More following distance = more braking distance and spray reduction. Awesome. Water-repelling products sprayed on gear help. Also make sure no one is tailgating you, so you don’t go from riding a bike to riding the roof of a car.
Tip 16: Puddles (AKA my worst enemy) — here in Montreal, they hide anything... literally anything except for large mammals, though I wouldn't be surprised if they hid those too. They're a black hole I tell you!
And before you ask, no I don't have trauma, I'm just a guy overly concerned about aquaplaning. Especially on old tires that are worn flat. Pilot Road 4s aren’t that safe when you wear them like a car tire, just saying.
Tip 17: Manhole covers — everywhere, and un-announced, unlike train tracks or bridges. Plus they’re usually raised or lowered from pavement, so you’re bumping up or down while losing your coefficient of friction. Sucky.
Tip 18: Diesel — look for the tell-tale rainbow. It might hide the same horrors as the Tell-Tale Heart... just smellier. We’re used to using our eyes and ears. But often you can smell diesel at a stoplight if there’s a spill around.
Tip 19: You’ll be surprised what tires can do. Just don’t surprise them. Ease into things; load suspension before going full brake, for example.
Tip 20: Apropos. Softer suspension = less likely to overload your tires.
Tip 21: TRUST your grip in an emergency. A lot of riders will run wide of turns and hit things because they’re afraid to lean it over more / brake harder. But your tires have more than you think.
That's all folks. We'll be sure to update the list to STAY HOME if ever we're hit by a hurricane.
