Cornering in the rain?

[rrothwell]

Hello everyone!

I have recently got into biking having passed my CBT and bought myself a CBF125 (and have every intention to go in for my DAS in future).

Anyway, I was wondering if you could give any tips on cornering in the rain, especially around roundabouts?

I dont mind going out in the rain and am fine on wet straight lines, but find im panicking alittle when it comes to corners, and am going around roundabouts very slowly!

Any tips would be greatly appreciated

[C-Pk]

You have the right idea. There is nothing wrong with going around the corner slowly.

Being cautious is the way to do it in the wet. And stay off those white lines and manholes. Especially the ones positioned in braking zones and on corners for some unknown reason.
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Passed Mod 2 - 6th August 2010

First and Current Bike - 2008 Suzuki SV650SK8

[Rogerborg]

If there's no grip, there's no grip. There's no magic formula for creating some. You're doing the right thing.
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Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
GONE: HN125-8, LF-250B, GPz 305, GPZ 500S, Burgman 400 // RIDING: F650GS (800 twin), Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 500 AVL, Ninja 250R because racebike

[Ingah]

Put some decent tyres on.
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-- Ingah

[Pete247]

practice, practice, practice.... once you have spent a few winters riding your confidence (and ability) will grow ten fold!

I used to be ok in the wet till I lost a bit of nerve, I only have toy bikes now so except fir shits and giggles I don't ride all year round like I used to.

Saddle time will help you

[stinkwheel]

The trick is to keep it all super smooth, no abrupt braking or accelerating. Brake before the corner, wind on progressively through it and avoid the temptation to 50p the corners by constantly changing line.

Keeping the bike in a slightly lower gear will allow you to control your speed round corners more effectively using engine braking rather than the brakes themselves. Look up motorcycle gymkhana on youtube to see an extreme version of what I mean by that.

Helps to take a bit more weight on your feet to balance the bike, press down slightly more on the inside peg.

If you feel confident to do so, lean your weight over towards the inside of the bike as if you were peeking out round the side of the clocks which will make it corner more for a smaller lean angle. This is essentially what you see racers doing when they are hanging off the bike getting their knee down but a bit less extreme (hanging off also helps but with to start off with, you often land up upsetting the balance by shifting about more than the benefit you get from it).

As Ingah says, check what tyres you have. A friend of mine bought a brand new CBR125 and it had a set of really horrible cheapo nylon belted tyres on it. Decent rubber will grip really well even in the wet, it's the bits of muck, diesel and gravel you have to watch out for, you'll have more than enough grip on the road itself.

Regarding obstacles, a big problem with new riders is target fixation, the tendancy to steer towards an object you want to avoid. It's instinctive and tricky to overcome without a lot of practice. So when you see that wet drain cover right on your line halfway round a corner, don't look at it. Look instead at where you want to go to avoid it. I find it helps if you imagine there is a line drawn on the road along the path you want the bike to take. Keep your head up and look beyond the obstacle to where you want to go, not at it. Think of it as like a 1,000 yard stare, you've seen that already, you know where it is and you know where you're going to avoid it. What you're looking for now is the next hazard.

The main thing is just to repeat to yourself "Smoooth, smoooooth, smoooth."
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“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[Glenben92]

Worry about it.

You don't NEED to, but it'll mean that you're over cautious and very careful. Which will keep you shiny side up. After all... that's the only goal.

Slow, smooth and upright. Meet those criteria and you should be ok

I was fannying around loads yesterday because it's been a while since I rode in the wet. I forget how much you can get away with, but i'd rather fanny about than hit the deck any day
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57 Huoniao HN125-8 - , 97 Kawasaki GPZ500S -
99 Yamaha FZS 600 -
Mod 2 Passed - 01/10/2010

[MaybeGuy]

At the same time, don't be a fanny about it.
The bike's more than capable of getting a fair bit of grip on those original tyres.

Exhibit A: My girlfriend on her CBF in slightly moist conditions (sure, not rain, but not a perfectly dry road).

https://img38.imageshack.us/img38/5890/76891725.png

Confidence comes with time, but it's a bad thing to be overcautious.
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Blue_SV650S wrote: it was a sh1te wheelie, but it proves that he can get it up in 3rd and can do angles. In summery, mattsprattuk is a gobby little sh1tebag, dopehead tw4t, but sadly for all of us, he probably isn't THAT full of sh1te!!
Kickstart wrote: Hi I tend to agree with Matt. All the best Keith

[defblade]

Roandabouts in the wet - watch out of spilled diesel... it'll look rainbow-y and shiny. There's more on roundabouts than anywhere else, in my experience.

Then, once you've seen it, do as stinkwheel says and don't look at it again!
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Honda Varadero 125cc => Suzuki Bandit 650 33bhp => 77bhp =>
BMW K1200R Sport 163bhp => Aprilia Shiver GT 750 95bhp

[fiveus]

also watch out for tarmac bands.there the shiny bits of tar around freshly laid tarmac

[Killer Rat]

[Paxovasa]

[Hyaon]

Du Du Du Du Du Du Du Du Du
I'm just cornerin' in the rain,
Just cornerin' in the rain
What a glorious feeling!
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Mod2 Passed 30/03/2011!
CBF125>GSF650 Bandit K8>B-King 2008+R1 2002

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