Motorcycling in the RAIN & DARK [safety tips]
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- Опубліковано 16 січ 2024
- A commentated motorcycle ride, detailing with tips for staying safe on a motorbike in combined wet and dark conditions.
Covering what to wear, what to look out for, particular hazards, positioning, and general motorcycle safety tips for wet weather and dark riding.
Apologies for the changes in sound quality. This was filmed over more than one day and the wind noise was especially bad. Editing it out however, made the sound go a bit strange! It's also difficult to get the perfect picture in the wet!
Thanks for watching. Please comment, like, subscribe & share.
See you soon,
Leanna
![Avoid making these easy motorcycle mistakes [learner, advanced, & back to biking]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/aqenIhDfJhc/mqdefault.jpg)
![Avoid making these easy motorcycle mistakes [learner, advanced, & back to biking]](/img/tr.png)
Fantastic, wearing a HiViz cycling jacket in the dark and rain is an excellent idea. I'm going to dig out my Proviz cycling jacket and start wearing it on my motorcycle - thank you so much.
The technology of these jackets has improved so much, I now wear mine daily as it's still very dark in the mornings. Proviz are very good, and regularly have sales on, so I stock up when they're at the lowest price in the year. Thanks for your comment
It's funny Leanna, when I'm in car and i see a bike out in the rain at night I think "oh I dont envy that"... However when I am actually 'caught' in rain / dark, I like you find it quite calming and just get into it... I think that came over very well in the video. 😊
Hi Graham, yes me too. A bit like riding in this cold weather. It's not so bad with the right gear on, but when I'm cosy in the car I certainly don't envy riders out in the cold 😂 Thanks as always 😊
This video is perfect for me, as I’m little bit scared of riding in rain 🙈
The more you do it, the easier it gets, but never a time to be complacent!
hi Leanna,
I use rain x repellent for my visor, helps me a lot! especially at night.
i also use it on my mirrors, i love it when i come out from work in the dark and its raining and my mirrors are happy 😊
as usual Leanna you make a lot of sense in your videos.
what i find great is your information is free for everyone on here. so keep them coming 😂
i for one, am always learning with you
stay safe and safe ride
your stalker Kev 🤣🤣
Thanks Kev. Yes I use something similar from Nikwax, great tip 😊
😅 the rain and night time riding doesn't make me happy to go out! alas i do tho you definitely need 100% concentration. But if there's always biscuits in the tin, Where's the fun in biscuits 😂great vid keep rockin ✌️ 👌 🔥🔥
Thank Craig, this is true 😂
My main problem with riding in the wet at night is cars having less vision because the rain on the windshield and I having a LOT less vision because the droplets on the visor (won't clear at lower speeds)... My other gripe is the generally horrible lighting systems on modern motorcycles.
Agreed. Vision is tricky in either rain or the dark. Combine the two and it's certainly less helpful and safe. Thanks for the comment ☺️
Very clear and helpful. Thank you.
You're welcome, thanks for the comment 😊
Another really helpful video 👍👍
Thanks 😊
good video
ice and snow is a nope from me.
Me too! 😊
Can you buy studded motorcycle tyres? I have them for my station pedal bike and they are great on ice and hard-packed snow.
@@dom24363 you can buy various tyres I believe but I guess mainly used in countries that have proper long winters
@@dom24363 I've no idea. Given how changeable the British weather is, I suspect the effort of changing the tyres at the whim of the weather would be a bit of a chore 😂
Great video. My question is riding when it snows??
I wouldn't bother. It's just not worth it.
@@motorcyclelessonsuk I know. It’s just I’ve got my ticket for the Dragon Rally which is on the 10/11 of February, and we haven’t had snow for years then the one time I take a chance on meeting new people. 😂🤣😂🤣your not the only one who’s said not to go if it’s snowing
Proviz have a sale on just now.
They have them quite regularly, which is most useful 😊
Hi Leanna, how are you? A great video. What’s your advice with the common road issue of potholes when riding in the dark especially on roads where there’s poor or no street lighting?
Love your chuckle re the van when you’re entering the 20 mph zone 🙂👍
Hi Ian, the usual rule of if you can't see, slow down until you can. So it would depend on the strength of the headlight, the distance back from vehicles in front (should be far enough to spot such hazards in advance, and the other safety considerations regards position and speed for view. It's not easy to navigate pot holey roads without stret lights or an adequate headlight.
@@motorcyclelessonsuk Hi Leanna, thank you for your reply. How are you? Hope you’re feeling much better 🙂
@@iansheff Much better now thanks Ian. Hope you're keeping well too 😊
@@motorcyclelessonsuk that’s great to hear. Yes, I’m ok thank you 🙂
It's possible to be also too visible. Why do emergency vehicles on the hard shoulder of motorways get rear ended so often? It was found because they had their flashing lights on, people stare and tend to go where they're looking!
I'd argue that's more to do with rubbernecking nosey people being distracted, than because they're more visible. Personally I want to be as visible as possible, and I don't think that turns me into a target. Thanks for the comment.
@@motorcyclelessonsuk Plenty of studies show it was because they were actually trying to avoid hitting them. It's like when you are turning around a bend, if you stare at the bend rather than where you want to go, you will end up going off the road. It's worst with cyclists and their flashing lights. People stare at them and end up going towards the flashing light (as well as flashing being distracting and also making it more difficult to judge speed).
Why do you advocate for a change in the ratio of brakes in the wet?
You say that the surface is not necessarily slippery and you will still have weight transfer increasing grip on the front tyre while reducing grip on the rear tyre. All of this suggests that shifting the braking force backwards just means that you are more likely to lock the rear wheel.
Personally I recommend sticking with a forward bias but as you said ensure that you smooth out and extend the braking.
Hi, that's a really good point and one that I agree with, it's just that "best practise" from the DVSA requires us to teach 50/50. So bear with me on that one. I don't tend to do 50/50 braking, I just make sure when I do the usual 80/20 that I'm super smooth with it. I suppose maybe the DVSA is accommodating for riders who may not be smooth with the front; a bit of damage limitation in that riders are more likely to be able to control a rear wheel skid than a front wheel skid. Thanks for your comment 😊
@@motorcyclelessonsuk is there an official DVSA text that states that sort of detail on technique? I'm only doing CBTs at the moment but want to get move on to instruct full licence. Even for CBTs I've only found the syllabus which does not specify what the technique for the elements should be.
I failed first CBT blue badge because I'd be given some poor advice. If only there was a manual to follow 🤷♂️
@@MotorSportsFan46 you don't really get detailed manuals for this, however it is covered in the statement in the syllabus regards braking: students should understand "how they would adjust their braking technique to deal with changing road and weather conditions".
@@motorcyclelessonsuk ahh OK there's no specific requirement to teach 50/50. I do make a point, especially this week 🙄, about avoiding the front brake if there's ice 😏
@@MotorSportsFan46 if you decide not to mention it when being assessed you may be reminded it is "best practise" to use 50/50 however and could be marked down for it. Our local assessor often quotes from the Official DVSA guide "Learning to Ride". But as I said there's no detailed manual to learn from.