Riding in the Wet

Living in Malaysia has it’s downside for us riders as our natural weather condition here is tropical and that does means we will be having rain for the whole year and sometimes we can’t expect when it will occur. Not to forgot the monsoon season where it will be raining everyday like what we are having right now. Therefore, riding in the wet condition is something that all Malaysian riders must face on almost a daily basis.

For that, it might be good for us to share some insight at riding in the wet and this may be applicable for the use on the road and maybe on the track too. But for some safety reason, always be mindful when you are riding. Okay, for the start of it; riding in the wet condition requires the bike and rider to be extra smooth on the throttle and handling. Smoother is better, this is because during this wet condition the motorcycle tyres will rely heavily on the   it’s ability to disperse the water.

Being smooth with the throttle gives the bike the maximum traction you need to ride safely in and out of a corner and especially when the ride needs you to make some extreme or frequent maneuvers maybe around the traffic or on the twisty roads. This is also applicable for the use on the track, but you may come to a realization that the needs to go a little bit hard on the throttle on some part of the track but that is all depending on the type of tyre used for the track.

Apart from that, the need to keep the bike at it’s most upright position possible is a necessity in order to gain the maximum possible traction and contact with the road surface. Going fast is not something that we recommend for the use on the road in the wet condition as the environment are constantly changing with obstacles that can change at any moment. Therefore in the case of wet condition, the rider should understand forehand how his or her motorcycle brake capability on dry condition and add some extra distance to your braking point in the rain as the bike will need to have extra distance in order to stop or to reduce speed.

Last but not least, be extra defensive and be aware with the surrounding. Some of us may not use the brake to reduce the speed of the bike and this may cause other road users to get into an unwanted situation. Tap on the brake lever just to get other road user know about your slowing down action and this may just be your life saver in some situation. Try to be ahead of other vehicles instead of following them as you might fall into the blind spot zone and this is very dangerous as most drivers tend to look front and neglect the rear view mirror to check on their surrounding.

So for all riders out there, be safe on the road especially in this rainy season and train yourself to be a better rider in the wet. Stay tune with us in Malaysian Riders and please LIKE our FACEBOOK PAGE and SUBSCRIBE to our YOUTUBE CHANNEL to get the latest updates from us in the future.