Originally Posted By: Silk
Ah, we're all such great riders, and it's good to be in control of the situation at all times...but sometimes we are not in control of the situation, let alone the bike. I'm fairly confident in the wet, caution is required of course, but also you need to have confidence in your bike and tyres.
Coming home from work the other night in the rain, there is a bit of road, a dip with an S bend, normally the 100kph speed limit without thinking - but there is a sign...''Slippery when wet or frosts.'' There was a truck upside down off the bank 3 weeks ago, so yeah, slippery in the wet...and I haven't had the bike through here in the wet.
So I slowed down to about 70 or 80kph, and going down the dip the bike just let go, stepping out, zero traction. Not much lean angle as I was straight lining the corner as much as possible, but it was a long slide, 20 metres or more at that speed. Hook up was not too abrupt, so was able to just keep going. Pretty scary stuff, but no more problems the rest of the way home...I took the car on friday.
I don't know if there was any skill involved, apart from a lifetime of being sideways. But there is a difference on being sideways in a slide, braking or on power, with some traction to play with, zero traction is a different story, there is not much you can do for control.
So, a moment for me, a wake up call. Certainly not enough to stop me riding, even in the rain, but I have taken notice...
I'd say the lifetime of being sideways in low-traction situations, definitely had a positive effect on the outcome. You instinctively knew that any sudden input into the bike (brake, throttle, weight shift) would have likely resulted in hitting the deck.
When I've helped teach riding skills to new and longtime riders looking to improve their skill, I suggest getting a dirtbike. So they become accustomed to a bike that is constantly sliding around under them, and will develop the ability to instinctively react to the bike or environment at any given moment.
