Tips For Riding In The Rain

There are a lot of things to take into account when riding a motorcycle in the rain, but one of the most important ones is that you have to dress appropriately. Having your normal jacket and trousers might not be enough. If there’s a light drizzle, it probably will not be a problem, but when there’s consistent rain, water (usually cold) will seep through your clothes onto your body, and that is not fun! Getting wet, or at least humid, when riding is distracting and very uncomfortable. It’s also when you will get a cold, or worse. So whatever you do, make sure the clothing (jacket, trousers and boot covers) you use during a rain ride is rain proof. This is the most important tip for riding in the rain, all other tips are more or less common sense.

 The clothing doesn’t need to be a diver’s suit you use for deep sea diving, but it needs to keep the water away. Wear proper rain gear, preferably Gore-Tex or equivalent. It needs to be able to breath but still not allow water to creep in.

Make sure your helmet covers your face, since rain above 30 mph is going to hurt you.

Make sure your tires are correct for riding in the rain, in other words, do not go out riding in the rain with slick tires. Watch the road. What used to be kind-of slippery is now very slippery.

White lines on the roads will have become ice rinks, metal plates/manholes are super dangerous, avoid them like the plague.
 Watch out for puddles. Yes, it can be fun riding through one, but since the water hides the surface you just don’t know what you are riding into. Can the puddle in fact be a 3 feet deep hole? Do you want to find out the hard way?
 When riding and you see a colored rainbow on the ground, watch it. It’s got nothing to do with the gay movement, chances are it’s oil. When rain first starts after many days of dry weather, it’s when it’s the most dangerous since there’s a lot of oil and dirt on the road. Wait an hour or two for the rain to wash away the oil/dirt before riding since the road surfaces are at their slipperiest. If it’s just drizzle, then the road will remain slippery.

Railway crossing are to be taken as straight as possible. Remember the railway tracks are metal, and wet metal is slippery. Straighten your bike. When you need to brake, apply more rear brake than normal. If your front wheel starts sliding you’re done for, if your rear wheel slides you can easily correct. Do not brake strongly if possible.Brake gently. If you need to urgently apply your brakes, pump them so that you do not start aquaplaning.
 Give yourself more space between you and the vehicle in front of you. Braking distances are much longer in the rain. Relax when riding. Getting all cramped and bunched up is not good. First of all you will get tired real quickly and it is dangerous. Relaxed riding is much better. Be visible. Rain makes it difficult for cars to see you. If you have high visibility clothing, now it is the time to put them on. An obvious advice, but here it is anyway: reduce your speed! In many countries legally you need to reduce speed by some 10-20% when it rains, and there are good reasons for it.

 Since we don’t have wipers on our helmets (well, maybe some do) you can easily spray something like Rain-X on the visor to help you with your visibility. Rain-X keeps the rain from the visor. When lightning starts up, stop riding. Head for cover (don’t stop below a tree). Riding in the rain will at times be necessary, and you should not stop riding just because it is raining. Relax and enjoy the ride.



 You are after all riding a motorcycle and that is fun. ENJOY IT.

A Ride For Hope - Harteij Bhartesh

Harteij Bhartesh is a brave man embarking upon a unique journey. Having battled cancer for nearly four years, this twenty-six-year-old hero is biking across India in order to spread awareness about this dire disease.

 Bhartesh started his journey in Raipur, Chhatisgarh on his Kawasaki Ninja 300, on May 1st, 2016, and hopes to accomplish thirty thousand kilometers within the next five months.
Bhartesh aims to spread the message that cancer can be defeated, through his campaign Ride of Hope In his fourth year of law school, he was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma; a cancer originating from lymphocytes.
 After many sessions of chemotherapy, Bhartesh’s current expedition is the first time he has stepped out of his home and explored the country. Bhartesh's has visited numerous medical centers and interacted with patients, hoping to inspire them by sharing his personal story. “For over six months, I was on alternative medicines and I didn’t opt for chemotherapy. I avoided the treatment fearing its side-effects wouldn’t let me complete my studies. But I was wrong. I should have taken the right treatment soon after the diagnosis. One of the first things I tell cancer patients is to undergo proper treatment from the word go,” Looking back on an unforgettable encounter with a little girl suffering from cancer, Bhartesh says, “I met her in Hyderabad. She was barely three. She asked her mother if I was also a cancer patient. She asked me to take her to an amusement park after her treatment was over. Many fellow patients feel stronger after hearing my tale and pour their hearts out to me.”

Beauty of Western Ghats – A Ride Through

By now most of you bikers are familiar with beauty of western ghats. However in my honest opinion the best form these ghats are only visible during monsoon! That's when the nature take bath, dust the pollution and shine it's original beauty! It is that time of the year when nature starts a new life and new look! So to witness the first hand beauty travel as much as you during monsoon :)

Being explored most of the routes I was trying to find which might be best route apart from the usual options. Seeing from the maps it looked the route below has the most greenery hence the more chances of raining. So followed the below trail.

Bangalore - Hassan - Belur - Chikmagalur - Balehonnur - Sringeri - Karkala- Mangalore

Importance of Riding Gear

Most motorcyclists know the importance of wearing a helmet but there are still some that do not wear adequate clothing on the rest of their body. Previously, leather used to be the only material for motorcycling clothing but there are now a choice of materials including nylon and Kevlar.

Specialist motorcycling clothing has really gone forward during the past few years with advances in manufacturing techniques, materials and product development. These materials are much lighter than leather making them more comfortable whilst riding but they are also far better for protection against the weather. The ballistic nylon and Kevlar materials have fantastic anti abrasion properties. These materials took over 1700 cycles on an abrasion test before failure.

Ideally, a biker must always be fully protected and should protect himself from top to bottom. Typically, riding gear consists of ;

Helmet

The degree your head is injured is significantly reduced when you are wearing a helmet during a motorcycle accident. Helmets are designed to cushion and protect the head from the impact of an accident. A helmet may be the only protection you have if you experience an accident while riding. When buying your first helmet, go to a place where you can try them on, comfort and fit is very important. After that it usually is safe to order online for that brand of helmet.

People say the reasons why they don’t wear good motorcycle helmets are:
– Expensive
– Hot
– Restrictive
– The cause of messy helmet-head hair
– Freedom of choice

The reality is that each of these reasons can’t bring back someone’s life if it is lost in a motorcycle accident. Wearing a good helmet doesn’t limit motorcycle drivers’ ability to hear or see what is happening around them. The bottom line is helmets are the single most important piece of protective equipment you can have when riding a motorcycle

Gloves

When you hit the dry asphalt, dirt, branches, rock or any hard surface even at lower speeds, the hands tend to bear the brunt of injuries. A pair of heavy leather gloves with armored palms will go a long way to keep a break fall from resulting in broken hands, and they can also serve to improve one’s grip on the vehicle. Ideally, a good pair of riding gloves should extend past the wrist, like a medieval gauntlet.

Jacket

The primary reason behind wearing motorcycle jackets is their protective functionality. They work as an armor for the bike rider and protect them from injuries from accidental falls. These jackets provide special padding to help reduce the impact of the fall due to accidents and also minimize the injuries caused at the time of fall.

Pants

You should pay attention to the pants you wear when riding because it will protect your legs from the cold. It will also absorb most of the impact in case of collision. In addition, it will protect your skin from severe injury.

Boots

Not as comfortable as tennis shoes, but the humble riding boot serves many functions in protecting a rider. It helps to stay mounted and grip onto the motorcycle, in addition to looking rather stylish. Riding boots are designed to protect you from the exhaust pipe, the tires, rocks and the vehicle itself as it tries to grind you into the ground.




Yes, we know that all this can be pretty expensive..but it goes a long way in keeping you safe.

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