ViolentPanda
Hardly getting over it.
My mate came off his bike and had the rear wheel "brake" itself to a stop on his calf. Chewed through his cowskins like they were cotton. he lost about a third of the muscle.
Riding a scooter/motorbike in the rain/wet
- Thread starter Upchuck
- Start date
My mate came off his bike and had the rear wheel "brake" itself to a stop on his calf. Chewed through his cowskins like they were cotton. he lost about a third of the muscle.
ViolentPanda
Hardly getting over it.
Your body, your choice.
stupid dogbot
Haughty and Superior
Innit. If you think your legs are protected in jeans because you're only riding a scooter, you're in for a shock when you slide down the road...
RubyToogood
RubyTwobikes
I've never understood why people think it's ok to wear less on a scooter than on a motorbike. It's just semantics.
Corax
Luke 5:16
Smart attitude.
obanite
Kroketten
I find the proportion of stability riding in wet/windy weather is almost entirely down to the size of the motorbike.
My first bike, an RXS100, was shit scary, going over Thelwall Viaduct on my way to uni almost put me off riding on motorways completely
My second bike, a ZXR400, was fine in all but the windiest weather, but in the windiest weather I'd get pushed all over the lane on motorways.
My current bike's a ZZR600 and probably weighs almost twice the ZXR
It feels rock solid stable in any weather. The only time I've been worried riding it was last year in france I got caught in a bloody monsoon on the autoroute, and the road turned into a river... I slowed right down because I was worried about aquaplaning, but still managed a fair bit of distance before I got fed up and pulled in for the day with my boots squelching.
So in summary, if you upgrade your bike, it'll get easier
My first bike, an RXS100, was shit scary, going over Thelwall Viaduct on my way to uni almost put me off riding on motorways completely
My second bike, a ZXR400, was fine in all but the windiest weather, but in the windiest weather I'd get pushed all over the lane on motorways.
My current bike's a ZZR600 and probably weighs almost twice the ZXR
It feels rock solid stable in any weather. The only time I've been worried riding it was last year in france I got caught in a bloody monsoon on the autoroute, and the road turned into a river... I slowed right down because I was worried about aquaplaning, but still managed a fair bit of distance before I got fed up and pulled in for the day with my boots squelching.So in summary, if you upgrade your bike, it'll get easier
stupid dogbot
Haughty and Superior
This means that my plans to get an R1 are fully justified, then.
T & P
|-o-| (-o-) |-o-|
Well in my case it's because it's a 50cc scooter that never goes over 30mph. While I'm not denying serious damage can occur at 30mph, the higher the speed the higher the protection required- and viceversa. Certain things would certainly be overkill on a 50 cc scooter, such as heavily armoured jackets designed to offer protection when one comes off at 120mph on a racetrack.
Leather trousers might not qualify as overkill on a 30mph machine, and definitely offer better protection than jeans, but IMO it's all about striking a balance between functionality and safety.
I don't really need to wear heavy protection for my 20 minute daily commute through London's streets any more than I need to wear a helmet while walking down the street. The lack of leather trousers could in theory cause me serious injury in case of a fall, just as the lack of a helmet could do the same if I slipped on ice while walking down the pavement. Such is life.
I've fallen off my bike twice since I started riding 9 years ago. On both occasions I was actually wearing thin cotton trousers and, touch wood, I did not graze myself.
It could happen of course, but frankly I draw the line at having to put leathers on every time I ride to work for 5 miles on average speeds of 18mph, not to mention the many 1-2 mile journeys I make at other times.
ViolentPanda
Hardly getting over it.
Totally agree. You look even less cool wearing skin grafts than someone wearing leathers on a scooter.
ViolentPanda
Hardly getting over it.
...because you'll only have slid about a yard before your "heavyweight" denims have worn through.
ViolentPanda
Hardly getting over it.
Perhaps they believe that scooter Jeebus will look after them.
stupid dogbot
Haughty and Superior
Well, exactly.
I'll tell you something else, big and bulky it may be, but properly armoured kit's a godsend if you're a bit cack handed off the bike (like me), definitely saved me a broken leg when the bike came down on me.
stupid dogbot
Haughty and Superior
Alright, as previously mentioned, it's your body to do with as you will. Doesn't mean the advice doesn't necessarily affect other people, too.
RubyToogood
RubyTwobikes
Well, I generally prefer to wear my suit when I can, despite the fact that nearly all my rides are short town trips at a max 30mph. It goes over other clothes so isn't too much hassle except that I can't get the trousers off without taking my boots off which is annoying. Sometimes it really is too hot or too much of a hassle and I don't. But anyway my main point in mentioning it in this thread was that it helps my confidence if I'm a bit "argh let me off, I don't like this".
obanite
Kroketten
I wear Draggin Jeans for my commute, leather pants otherwise usually. I do feel just a bit nervous wearing anything less but do sometimes just wear jeans if the weather's nice and I'm not leaving the city.
stupid dogbot - aye get the R1! How could you possibly ever regret it
I want an R6. Which is gonna be lighter than the ZZR.
stupid dogbot - aye get the R1! How could you possibly ever regret it
I want an R6. Which is gonna be lighter than the ZZR.
agricola
a genuine importer of owls
A full set of cheapo Hein Gericke gear for me, I am afraid... albeit when I did have my spill I didnt actually suffer any abrasions / cuts, only one bruise and an unavoidable (in terms of the accident) broken elbow.
I was feeling quite bad about the whole affair, until being placed on a ward with someone whose front tyre had burst whilst on a motorway, and who did not have all his original parts.
I was feeling quite bad about the whole affair, until being placed on a ward with someone whose front tyre had burst whilst on a motorway, and who did not have all his original parts.
stupid dogbot
Haughty and Superior
stupid dogbot - aye get the R1! How could you possibly ever regret it
I've been looking at this one...
*fans self*
Corax
Luke 5:16
T & P
|-o-| (-o-) |-o-|
I've never ridden a big bike and never worn proper leather trousers, but someone at work who does tells me in his experience nothing is truly waterproof. He says after an hour or so even the best kit will start to let water in.Well I rode home today in my new waterproof armoured pants and got a big wet arse
I have suppossedly water proof plastic trousers to be worn over my clothes, but on a day like this I have 10 minutes of dryness at the most, even at 30 mph.
DownwardDog
Well-Known Member
This is what I want:
V-Twin and it flik-flaks like nothing else apparantly.
Have you ever ridden one? I had an SV650 track bike and they have the cheapest, shittest forks ever with super crude damper rods and tattie water for fork oil. If you weigh more than about 10st you will bottom them out easily. You can uprate the oil and the springs but they are still fundamentally rubbish. The Showa forks from an 03 or 04 GSX-R750 will bolt straight in and are a common swap. This will then highlight how shit the rear shock is, but you can replace that with a GSX-R1000 unit. At that point you've got a really nice, sweet handling bike with just the right amount of power to let you really thrash it.
weltweit
Well-Known Member
Talking about riding in the wet.
Years ago I used to ride in the snow.
As long as the snow is soft and even you can cope with it but it tends to obscure road edges and curbs and things which can be quite dangerous.
I got so confident riding in the snow that I took on a 150m journey with snow at the start. All was going ok until, about 60 miles in, I discovered that in the space between the car wheels where I was often riding, there was a raised area of ice which was quite terrifying when you rode up onto it and bounced along on top of it.
Anyhow journey survived but I learnt from the experience and have not done it again.
Years ago I used to ride in the snow.
As long as the snow is soft and even you can cope with it but it tends to obscure road edges and curbs and things which can be quite dangerous.
I got so confident riding in the snow that I took on a 150m journey with snow at the start. All was going ok until, about 60 miles in, I discovered that in the space between the car wheels where I was often riding, there was a raised area of ice which was quite terrifying when you rode up onto it and bounced along on top of it.
Anyhow journey survived but I learnt from the experience and have not done it again.
stupid dogbot
Haughty and Superior
This is what I want:
V-Twin and it flik-flaks like nothing else apparantly.
ER > SV.
stupid dogbot
Haughty and Superior
This is what I want:
V-Twin and it flik-flaks like nothing else apparantly.
I prefer the naked SV650.
My next bike is either gonna be a Suzuki GSR600 or - if I can stretch to a bit more - a Triumph Street Tripple...
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